Swiftech H2O-120 Compact and Corsair Nautilus 500: Is Water Better?
by Wesley Fink on September 17, 2007 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
New CPU Cooling Test Configuration
Cooling tests were first run on our existing test bed, which is the EVGA NVIDIA 680i SLI motherboard. Temperatures were measured using the NVIDIA Monitor temperature measurement utility, which is part of the nTune program.
All Cooling tests were then repeated on the new cooling test bed, which is a Rosewill R604-P-SL case sold without a power supply. The Rosewill is a www.Newegg.com brand typical of a moderately priced mid-tower case our readers might own. It was chosen because it is a Newegg top seller and includes a variable front intake louver and a quiet 120mm exhaust fan at the rear of the case. The case is also screw-less with components held in place by plastic holders instead of metal to metal connections. This appears to reduce case vibration and noise.
The new power supply is the Corsair HX620W, which has earned our respect as an exceptionally quiet PSU with a variable speed exhaust fan and a down facing intake fan mounted just above the CPU space in the case. To eliminate the video card as a source of noise we have moved to a fanless video card, currently a GeForce 7600 GS. Plans are to move to fanless DirectX 10 capable card in this test bed in the near future.
The new motherboard is the ASUS P5K Deluxe. This P35 chipset motherboard has exhibited outstanding overclocking capabilities in our testing, and it can also mount the newest 1333FSB Intel Core processors and can handle our existing high-speed DDR2 memory. The P5K3 uses heatsinks and heatpipes to cool board components so all motherboard cooling is passive.
Other components in the cooling test bed are generally the same as those used in our previous motherboard and memory test bed. We will feature the new test bed and its noise metrics in an upcoming cooling system review. The goal was to remove fans that might produce noise wherever possible, improve internal airflow, reduce the power supply noise floor, and eliminate the video card as a noise source. While we did add a 120mm exhaust fan to improve case airflow, the chosen exhaust fan is very low noise and will be replaced by the lowest noise 120mm fan when the 120mm fan roundup is completed.
All cooling tests are run with the components mounted in a standard mid-tower case. The idle and stress temperature tests are run with the case closed and standing as it would in most home setups. We do not use auxiliary fans in the test cooling case, except for the Northbridge fan attached to the 680i for overclocking. Room temperature is measured before beginning the cooler tests and is maintained in the 20 to 22C (68 to 72F) range for all testing.
Both Swiftech and Corsair provided a small tube of Arctic Silver Ceramic premium thermal grease with their water cooling kits. However, for consistency of test results we tested with our standard premium silver-colored thermal compound. In our experience the thermal compound used makes little to no difference in cooling test results. This is particularly true now that processors ship with a large manufacturer-installed heatspreader. Our current test procedure uses this standard high-quality silver-colored thermal paste for all cooler reviews.
We first test the stock Intel air cooler at standard X6800 speed, measuring the CPU temperature at idle. The CPU is then stressed by running continuous loops of the Far Cry River demo. The same tests are repeated at the highest stable overclock we can achieve with the stock cooler. Stable in this case means the ability to handle our Far Cry looping for at least 30 minutes.
The same benchmarks are then run on the coolers under test at stock, highest stock cooler OC speed (3.73GHz), and the highest OC that can be achieved in the same setup with the cooler being tested. This allows measurement of the cooling efficiency of the test unit compared to stock and the improvement in overclocking capabilities, if any, from using the test cooler.
The cooling test results of both water cooling kits are compared to a representative sample of air cooling results with the NVIDIA Monitor program on the EVGA 680i. This is done for a consistent comparison of water cooler test results to earlier air cooler results. We then repeated testing on the new test bed measuring results with both Intel TAT (Thermal Analysis Tool) and CoreTemp, a well-known and widely used shareware program for core temperature measurement. Both results are reported in additional test results so they can be compared and contrasted to each other and to NVIDIA Monitor results.
Noise Levels
In addition to cooling efficiency and overclocking abilities, users shopping for CPU cooling solutions may also be interested in the noise levels of the cooling devices they are considering. Noise levels are measured with the case on its side using a C.E.M. DT-8850 Sound Level meter. This meter allows accurate sound level measurements from 35bdB to 130dB with a resolution of 0.1dB and an accuracy of 1.5dB. This is sufficient for our needs in these tests, as measurement starts at the level of a relatively quiet room. Our own test room, with all computers and fans turned off, has a room noise level of 36.4dB. Procedures for measuring cooling system noise are described on page seven which reports measured noise results comparing the stock Intel cooler and recently tested CPU coolers to the Swiftech H2O-120 Compact and Corsair Nautilus 500 water cooling kits.
Cooling tests were first run on our existing test bed, which is the EVGA NVIDIA 680i SLI motherboard. Temperatures were measured using the NVIDIA Monitor temperature measurement utility, which is part of the nTune program.
All Cooling tests were then repeated on the new cooling test bed, which is a Rosewill R604-P-SL case sold without a power supply. The Rosewill is a www.Newegg.com brand typical of a moderately priced mid-tower case our readers might own. It was chosen because it is a Newegg top seller and includes a variable front intake louver and a quiet 120mm exhaust fan at the rear of the case. The case is also screw-less with components held in place by plastic holders instead of metal to metal connections. This appears to reduce case vibration and noise.
The new power supply is the Corsair HX620W, which has earned our respect as an exceptionally quiet PSU with a variable speed exhaust fan and a down facing intake fan mounted just above the CPU space in the case. To eliminate the video card as a source of noise we have moved to a fanless video card, currently a GeForce 7600 GS. Plans are to move to fanless DirectX 10 capable card in this test bed in the near future.
The new motherboard is the ASUS P5K Deluxe. This P35 chipset motherboard has exhibited outstanding overclocking capabilities in our testing, and it can also mount the newest 1333FSB Intel Core processors and can handle our existing high-speed DDR2 memory. The P5K3 uses heatsinks and heatpipes to cool board components so all motherboard cooling is passive.
Other components in the cooling test bed are generally the same as those used in our previous motherboard and memory test bed. We will feature the new test bed and its noise metrics in an upcoming cooling system review. The goal was to remove fans that might produce noise wherever possible, improve internal airflow, reduce the power supply noise floor, and eliminate the video card as a noise source. While we did add a 120mm exhaust fan to improve case airflow, the chosen exhaust fan is very low noise and will be replaced by the lowest noise 120mm fan when the 120mm fan roundup is completed.
| Cooling Performance Test Configuration | |
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo X6800 (Dual-core, 2.93GHz, 4MB Unified Cache) |
| RAM | 2x1GB Corsair Dominator PC2-8888 (DDR2-1111) |
| Hard Drive(s) | Hitachi 250GB SATA2 enabled (16MB Buffer) |
| Video Card | NVIDIA 7600GS (fanless) - All Standard Tests |
| Platform Drivers | NVIDIA 9.53 |
| NVIDIA nTune Intel TAT CoreTemp |
5.05.22.00 (1/16/2007) Version 2.05.2006.0427 Version 0.95 |
| Video Drivers | NVIDIA 93.71 |
| CPU Cooling | Swiftech H2O-120 Compact Corsair Nautilus 500 Thermalright Ultima-90 ZEROtherm BTF90 Xigmatek AIO (AIO-S800P) Evercool Silver Knight Enzotech Ultra-X 3RSystem iCEAGE Thermaltake Big Typhoon VX Thermaltake MaxOrb Scythe Andy Samurai Master Cooler Master Gemini II Noctua NH-U12F Asus Silent Square Pro Scythe Ninja Plus Rev. B OCZ Vindicator Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme Thermalright Ultra-120 Scythe Infinity Zalman CNS9700 Zalman CNS9500 Cooler Master Hyper 6+ Vigor Monsoon II Lite Thermalright MST-9775 Scythe Katana Tuniq Tower 120 Intel Stock HSF for X6800 |
| Power Supply | Corsair HX620W OCZ PowerStream 520W |
| Motherboards | Asus P5K Deluxe (Intel P35) EVGA nForce 680i SLI (NVIDIA 680i) |
| Operating System(s) | Windows XP Professional SP2 |
| BIOS | EVGA Award P26 (1/12/2007) Asus AMI 0501 (06/26/2007) |
All cooling tests are run with the components mounted in a standard mid-tower case. The idle and stress temperature tests are run with the case closed and standing as it would in most home setups. We do not use auxiliary fans in the test cooling case, except for the Northbridge fan attached to the 680i for overclocking. Room temperature is measured before beginning the cooler tests and is maintained in the 20 to 22C (68 to 72F) range for all testing.
Both Swiftech and Corsair provided a small tube of Arctic Silver Ceramic premium thermal grease with their water cooling kits. However, for consistency of test results we tested with our standard premium silver-colored thermal compound. In our experience the thermal compound used makes little to no difference in cooling test results. This is particularly true now that processors ship with a large manufacturer-installed heatspreader. Our current test procedure uses this standard high-quality silver-colored thermal paste for all cooler reviews.
We first test the stock Intel air cooler at standard X6800 speed, measuring the CPU temperature at idle. The CPU is then stressed by running continuous loops of the Far Cry River demo. The same tests are repeated at the highest stable overclock we can achieve with the stock cooler. Stable in this case means the ability to handle our Far Cry looping for at least 30 minutes.
The same benchmarks are then run on the coolers under test at stock, highest stock cooler OC speed (3.73GHz), and the highest OC that can be achieved in the same setup with the cooler being tested. This allows measurement of the cooling efficiency of the test unit compared to stock and the improvement in overclocking capabilities, if any, from using the test cooler.
The cooling test results of both water cooling kits are compared to a representative sample of air cooling results with the NVIDIA Monitor program on the EVGA 680i. This is done for a consistent comparison of water cooler test results to earlier air cooler results. We then repeated testing on the new test bed measuring results with both Intel TAT (Thermal Analysis Tool) and CoreTemp, a well-known and widely used shareware program for core temperature measurement. Both results are reported in additional test results so they can be compared and contrasted to each other and to NVIDIA Monitor results.
Noise Levels
In addition to cooling efficiency and overclocking abilities, users shopping for CPU cooling solutions may also be interested in the noise levels of the cooling devices they are considering. Noise levels are measured with the case on its side using a C.E.M. DT-8850 Sound Level meter. This meter allows accurate sound level measurements from 35bdB to 130dB with a resolution of 0.1dB and an accuracy of 1.5dB. This is sufficient for our needs in these tests, as measurement starts at the level of a relatively quiet room. Our own test room, with all computers and fans turned off, has a room noise level of 36.4dB. Procedures for measuring cooling system noise are described on page seven which reports measured noise results comparing the stock Intel cooler and recently tested CPU coolers to the Swiftech H2O-120 Compact and Corsair Nautilus 500 water cooling kits.
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MercenaryForHire - Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - link
Folks, this is a review of off-the-shelf watercooling components. Not a customized, modded, build-it-yourself Hoover Dam setup. And the conclusions drawn I think are valid - if you want good results from watercooling, be prepared to fork over some significant coin, or source the parts yourselves and DIY.jebo - Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - link
Exactly. I find it interesting how all the water coolers are crying that AT said "Air is better than water". Well, the fact remains, that if you compare a $70 air cooler to a $150 water cooler, air is > water. You need to spend $300+ to get a h2o system that is better than a $70 air cooler. At that point, the cost concerns become prohibitive.psychotix11 - Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - link
Part of the problem with this review is that it's managed to convince novice users that it does require 300+, which is either a distortion of truth to make a point, or ignorance about basic water cooling.Pump - 65, apogee GT - 45, double rad - 50, misc crap (tubing, fittings, fans) - 20.
For exactly around 200 bucks you can construct a loop that will demolish any air cooling on the market. You could even toss another radiator into the swiftech kit and keep it under 200.
For 300 bucks you could toss in a 3x120mm rad, upgrade the CPU block, and liquid cool the NB and go even farther.
For a 300+ configuration the sky is the limit.
Also I've noticed the numbers they get don't match what other reviews have put out for a lot of the items used.
Nickel020 - Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - link
As aigormola stated, ~200$ watercooling setups will beat any air cooling. A dual radiator doubles the heat dissipation capacity and is like 10$ more than a single.And don't forget that you can keep you watercooling setup for like 5 years, while you usually get one 50-80$ heatsink and fan every time you upgrade your PC.
The review is fine, but the conclusion is the worst one I've seen in 5 years of reading reviews at AT. It's just plain wrong and will mislead a lot of people.
aigomorla - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
First off, your picking the subject area which holds the most debate. Its a common ground fact that a 120x1 radiator will be lacking. Your test subjects were in fact both 120x1 radiators. One was made of ALU and the other Copper.Your looking at entry lvl water cooling and using it as a comparison of middle class custom setups.
If you look at the swiftech APEX 220 series, you'll see your statement at the end not hold true.
The direct drive released by swiftech on a 120x1 platform, as well as the corsair nautilus is not the best grounds to claim such statements. The reason is the lack of the radiator.
120x2 radiator setups such as the swiftech Apex220 setup will eat the two coolers you listed and also any air setup you could possible throw. This unit is also modestly a bit over 200 dollars. Last price checked at jab-tech showed it to be 209 dollars for the complete setup.
Also your making a lot of potential people who are interested in h2o migration think twice. Your passing more myths on watercooling then i can think of. If you feel i am wrong in any statement, i recomend you contact Gabe, owner of swiftech and tell him you would like to give the company a chance to prove how powerful h2o cooling can be by giving you a sample of there APEX 220 system. Im sure Gabe will be all over it.
Also, you need to retract your statement about the 300 dollar mark. 200-300 is considered mid tier water cooling and no air can match to that calibur.
@ the guy who was about to migrate to the MCR320. Go ahead, and dont look back. This review only proved the power of 120x1 radiator. Its very lacking, however the moment you step up to a beefier radiator, 120x2 or 120x3 in your case, you'll see all the air people left behind in your rear view mirror. 2x the cooling power for the 220, and 3x the cooling for the 320.
Lets not even get into the power of a thermochill PA120.3 Believe me, its a very very big margin once you get there.
I am the creator of the watercooling thread sticky over at anandtech forums, and i was VERY disappointed in this article. The members over at Xtremesystems think this is a joke. These are the guys who are the front run pioneers in h2o cooling.
I ask polietly that you remove that comment of the 300 dollar being topped by high end air until you've tested an APEX 220 unit. All you have done was test 2 low end units in h2o and based a final conclusion.
walltari - Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - link
Very interesting review a pretty tough discussion but everybody forget one thing. You look only on very expensive kits useally common in U.S. or western Europe. I live in Czech republic (Eastern Europe) and I see another choises. I have completly watercooled PC. Radiator 2x120, pump with expansion and filling tank, CPU blok, GPU blok, Chipset blok, 2x HDD blok a this kit i bought for 210$. In this price you coudn´t buy ale these aircoolers and have same results. (I bought it form company www.viscool.com). I hear, and that´s the problem, that everybody have, DVD-rom.In the review author hit the problem of the noise. Really the pump is the most noisest thing. I´m interested in building watercooled systems for three years and at first it is neceseary eliminate vibrations. The differnce is that my system and systems of this firm is waterpump included in watertank. This solutions lower noise to minimum level. They have 2 watertanks, one, included in kit, is smaller and second, which they made especially for me, because o my larger and more powerfull pump.
PS: Sorry for my english, I´m beginer
rotNdude - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
Which direction was the fan blowing on the Swiftech kit? Since you mounted the rad off the back of the case and the fan appeared to be in the case, was it exhausting air or pulling ambient air?Also, how much fluid was actually added to each cooling loop?
Wesley Fink - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
We used the existing case fan IN the case exhausting air. We also used the fan that came in the H2O-120 kit blowing air in the same direction. There is a 1-1/2" to 2" space created by the Radbox so air was being drawn in form the sides of the rad box.The pre-cut tubing in the Swiftech kit is about 10" long each. We used 12" tubes to reach the external RadBox mounted Readiator/Reservoir.
Jodiuh - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
Thank you guys very much for using this universally accepted tool. I've always wondered why the temps for Thermalright's Ultra 120 Extreme were better than what I could achieve. There's 4 factors here:-ambient (20C-22C vs 24C-26C)
-temp monitor (NV vs core temp)
-fan (1600RPM vs 1200RPM)
-load app (farcry vs orthos blend) <--this might not matter
I'm currently loading an E6400@3500 between 62C-66C w/ 1.475 in bios (1.43 actual) when running orthos blend.
Thanks again! Maybe orthos blend could be used in future or even ran again on past coolers?
rochlin - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
These results totally make sense if the laws of physics have anything to do with it.There are some advantages to water cooling vs air, but you have to take advantage of them:
Heat dissipation and the high specific heat of water: Because the dissipation of heat is separated from the CPU, you can have a bigger and more efficient heat sink than you can ever fit on top of a cpu.
Also, because the heat dissipation (heat sink) is outside of the case, you can use the presumably cooler air outside the case to cool the heatsink.
The point is, the water needs to be cooled. If the heat sink/fan setup cooling the water is no better than what you attach to your cpu, then the system will NOT cool your cpu any better. You will be recirculating relatively warm water back to the cpu.
A sensible approach would be to build a giant heat sink. It could be aluminum (cheap) and big enough so the WHOLE case could sit on top of it. A channel for the water would zig zag under it. This kind of heat exchanger (like used in solar water systems) would cool the water much much more than anything you could fit inside the case.
The relatively small heat exchangers in the two tested units just aren't going to outperform the terrific Themalright 120 Extreme heatexchanger unless your air temps inside the case get out of hand. The advantage of the heat transfer capability of water is WASTED unless you cool it down with a better heat exchanger outside the case.