Analyzing Threadripper Thermals: Big Base Cooling Wins
by E. Fylladitakis on March 14, 2018 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- CPUs
- AMD
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Noctua
- ThreadRipper
- 1950X
- CPU cooler
Test Methodology
Our test system appears in the following table:
Test Setup | |
Processor | AMD Threadripper 1950X 16 Cores, 32 Threads, 3.4 GHz |
Motherboards | Gigabyte X399 Designare EX |
Cooling | Noctua NH-U14S / NH-U14S TR4-SP3 |
Power Supply | Corsair AX1200i Platinum PSU |
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 4 × 8GB kit |
Memory Settings | 2666 MHz |
Video Cards | MSI GTX 770 Lightning 2GB (1150/1202 Boost) |
Hard Drive | Crucial MX200 1TB |
Case | Open Test Bed |
Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit |
For both tests, we used Noctua NT-H1 thermal grease on the processor. For the thermal grease to settle in, the processor was loaded for at least an hour, left to rest for at least two hours, loaded again, then left to rest overnight. The results were recorded on the next day. After the first tests, the CPU was thoroughly cleaned and the process was repeated for the second cooler.
By default, the motherboard is trying to control the speed of the cooler’s fans depending on the processor’s temperature, creating a variable environment. As we are trying to showcase what the difference between full and partial contact for the exact same cooling arrangement, we needed a stable environment, i.e. the fans had to be running at the exact same speed. Therefore, we are powering the fans from an external power source, maintaining stable RPM throughout our testing.
Finally, we are always monitoring and recording the Tdie temperature. That is a more accurate representation of the CPU's actual thermal state, as the Threadripper (and some Ryzen) cores report their operational temperatures with a large positive offset (+27°C) for control purposes.
Results
Starting off with idle temperatures, we're already seeing a difference between the two coolers. At all fan speeds, the larger-based TR4 model cooler is around 4C cooler than its standard counterpart. Given just how little power a Threadripper processor actually uses at idle, this is an interesting prelude of things to come.
Meanwhile under load, not only there is a clear difference on the performance of the two CPU/Cooler arrangements, but that difference is much more than merely significant. The figures that we recorded correspond to a major cooling upgrade. The standard NH-U14S can barely maintain our Threadripper 1950X functional under load, with the system throttling very heavily at all times.
With its fan's speed lowered down to 600 RPM, the NH-U14S could not handle the thermal load (hence the missing data point in the graph). Meanwhile although it is essentially the same cooler, the NH-U14S TR4-SP3 manages to maintain operational temperatures throughout all our tests, with no thermal throttling even with its fan's speed lowered down to 600 RPM. If we were examining two different coolers, such an improvement would easily differentiate a basic from an advanced air cooler. In our case, the two coolers are identical, yet the difference of the arrangement’s thermal conductance is substantial, all because of the cooler’s contact plate.
The following figure displays the CPU’s temperature over time with a script loading and unloading the processor every 10 seconds. The fans are running steady at 1200 RPM. It can be seen that the NH-U14S TR4-SP3 offers both better thermal performance than the standard version with the mounting kit, but also is more resilient to varying thermal loads.
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FreckledTrout - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
'Cus it's all about that base, 'bout that base, no TIM..mr_tawan - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
Can you please give me some more mid.Holliday75 - Friday, March 16, 2018 - link
<15hz or nuttin.Yurius - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
Thnx for review, but IMHO final words and conclusion is bad. Max allowed temp for 1950x is 68 degrees (https://www.amd.com/en/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-thre... but measured delta in best case is 59 degrees! Yes, throttling temp is about 85C, but who knows how long TR will operate with temp higher then recommended.E.Fyll - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
Hello Yurius. That was my bad - it is not the delta over ambient but the temperature reported by the motherboard's sensor. I had forgotten to edit the graph's subtitle. So it's 59°C real, about 9°C below the throttling point.Yurius - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
Wow, that's big different, thnx for update. Nevertheless it's to close even in stock on top rate cooler and there is huge problem with VRM on X399 boards, so I think AMD recommendations make sense and fullcover that fits CPU and VRM is a great idea.colonelclaw - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
That Noctua Threadripper cooler is a minor masterpiece of engineering. About 5 seconds after opening the box it came in, I had already forgotten about it's cost. Hell - even the box it comes in is beautifully made - a sure sign that you're dealing with a company that cares.FreckledTrout - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
I have a NH-D15 on my Ryzen and felt the same way when it came in. The Noctua coolers are just well made.tamalero - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
Agree, not only that.. they also have the signed paper of the CEO thanking you for the purchase.Probably one of the best coolers I've bought, right there with the famous 212EVO from CoolerMaster.
Dr. Swag - Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - link
Just out of curiosity, but what's your PhD in, Dr. Fylladitakis?