Benchmarks: stock frequency
To get the ball rolling, we keep our Intel Core i7 980X processor dialled in at stock settings and measure both idle and load temperatures.
The Intel Core i7 processor features built-in power-saving technology that allows the chip to idle at 1.6GHz. At this speed, keeping the processor cool is a piece of cake for all of the high-end coolers in our line up.
Subjecting all six cores to Prime95 for half an hour raises the temperature, but there's still no drama here; all the coolers are able to keep the temperature of the Core i7 980X well below 60ºC.
Running at top speed, the Hydro H100 is a marked improvement over the Hydro H80, which itself is a step up from last year's Hydro H70.
What's interesting is that performance remains decent when switching between the Quiet and Performance fan modes. At the lowest setting, both the Hydro H100 and Hydro H80 deliver similar results to a high-end Intel air cooler running flat out.
