Testing Results
Comparison Coolers |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Model | HEXUS Review | Reviewed Price | Warranty | Product Page |
| Air | Deepcool Gamerstorm Fryzen | November 2018 | £90 | 2 Years | gamerstorm.com |
| Cooler Master Wraith Ripper | - | £100 | 3 Years | coolermaster.com | |
HEXUS Ryzen Threadripper CPU Cooler Test Bench |
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|---|---|---|
| Hardware Components | Product Page | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | amd.com |
| Motherboard | MSI X399 Creation | msi.com |
| Graphics Card | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | nvidia.com |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4-3200 | gskill.com |
| Power Supply | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 1,000W | bequiet.com |
| Primary Storage | 256GB Samsung 950 | samsung.com |
| Chassis | be quiet! Dark Base 700 | bequiet.com |
| Monitor | iiyama ProLite X4071UHSU-B1 | iiyama.com |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Pro | microsoft.com |
Benchmark Process
To get a feel for how the coolers compare, CPU temperature is logged while the longer Blender test is run. The average CPU temperature is taken from minutes 13-15 of the test, representing a worst-case scenario for the coolers.
Actual CPU temperature is recorded and we also graph the delta temperature - that's CPU temperature minus ambient temperature. Last but not least, to give you an idea of cooler acoustics, we use a PCE-318 noise meter to measure overall system noise in both idle and load states.
Notes
Testing is done in an open-air environment in order to push the cooler(s) to the limit. Fan speed is set by the Smart Control function within the MSI BIOS, with the fans spinning at pre-determined percentages of maximum at various temperature points.
We test at stock speeds for the Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX, which defaults to an all-core 3.475GHz with 1.1875V. Such cooling, even on a 24C48T chip, is relatively easy for high-end heatsinks so we also test by manually increasing the all-core speed to 4.0GHz alongside a heat-producing 1.35V.
Performance
Run at stock, the 2970WX's 250TDP is no obstacle for either cooler. Deepcool's Fryzen is certainly not as large as the Cooler Master Wraith Ripper, but it does a fine job in keeping temperatures in check.
Yet temperature is one part of the equation. Fryzen is a tad louder than the Wraith Ripper, though the difference is not large enough to cause clear differences to perceived noise.
Of course, cooling a stock CPU, even a 24C48T monster, ought to be straightforward. Running at an elevated all-core 4.0GHz and using 1.35V puts some serious load on the coolers - the system pulls over 500W - and both show a marked increase in temperature.
The important aspect to note is that the Fryzen is able to keep the processor at a temperature that doesn't cause throttling after 15 minutes of load.
Cooler Master's comparison cooler is better, but given the size of the Fryzen, it does a sterling job on an ultra-premium CPU.
In concert with higher temperatures, Fryzen is also louder when cooling the same chip. The results are in line with expectations.
