Performance
Our benchmarking tests began on a stock-clocked Intel Core i5-3570K, but as expected that scenario proved to be no problem for our high-performance coolers, all of which were able to keep core temperature comfortably below 60ºC under extreme load.
Ivy Bridge chips do tend to get hot when a little extra voltage is applied, however, leading to interesting results from our overclocked tests:
Running flat out at 4.6GHz across all cores with a +0.12V bump in voltage is enough to introduce more heat, and it's in these scenarios that we're able to differentiate one high-end cooler from another.
Unsurprisingly, Arctic Cooling's £25 Freezer 13 beings to fall of the pace, leaving an interesting battle between the two Hydros. The H100i, tested first, fared well by keeping our chip running at just over 76ºC after 15 minutes of a Prime95 stress test. But the extra surface area really does count, as the H110 was able to shave a further 4ºC off the under-load temperature. There isn't a great deal in it, and the H100i would no doubt close the gap when switched to a maximum-performance profile, but in a balanced state the H110 is the better performer.
And as far as benchmarks go, the H110 is the winner on both fronts. Having larger fans spinning at a slower rate does bring down noise levels and you can hear the difference. Worth noting, also, that the Hydro Series H100i's under-load reading was taken when set to a balanced profile - switch to maximum performance and the noise level rises beyond 50dB.
It's hard to argue against the numbers, folks, the H110 is both cooler and quieter than the H100i.
