[PLUS] Twelve CPU water coolers in the test

The term “market overview” is used less and less for comparative tests with own findings and more for simple lists of all available products. Both apply to the following test: The PCGH price comparison knows ten manufacturers of current CPU water coolers and we test twelve coolers from ten brands. Admittedly, they are not exactly the same – instead of Thermaltake, an unlisted cooler from Techn takes part and XSPC is missing both in the price comparison and, due to the lack of test samples for print, in this comparison. Overall, however, our largest water cooler test for ten years includes almost all relevant products.

test system

We use our proven Socket 2011 cooler test system as a platform. With a 150 W TDP and a package power of almost 130 W under test conditions, the sprightly Sandy Bridge E-Xeon delivers almost exactly the heat development of a current socket 1200 K CPU when operated according to Intel specifications or a fully loaded one AM4 Ryzen. In contrast to these, however, no turbo mechanisms vary the activity and thanks to very similar conditions, the new results are largely comparable with our measurements from 2015 and 2017, which the users of coolers tested at that time will appreciate.

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