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Zalman LQ320 Liquid Cooling System Review
Zalman LQ320 Liquid Cooling System Review
  78%   
Abstract: The Zalman LQ320 self contained CPU water cooling system, like Zalman's other coolers of this series (LQ310, LQ315) is built by Asetek for use with a single 120mm fan.

 Manufacturer  Category  Published  Author 
Zalman   Cooling / Heatsinks   Jan 03, 2014   Max Page  

Home > Reviews > Page: Intel LGA2011 Heatsink Temperature Comparisons

FrostyTech Mk.III Synthetic Thermal Heatsink Test Results
Intel Core i7, Extreme Edition class heatsinks tested at a 200W heat load.
Results based on readings from a 38x38mm copper interface die with 200W heat load on the Intel version of the Mk.III Test Platform. Temperature results listed for each heatsink were calculated by determining the rise over ambient temperatures at time of test. Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
Socket LGA2011/1366 compatible CPU heatsinks
manufacturer: model no.: *fan speed: 200w thermal test (°c) noise level (dba)

Coolermaster Seidon 240M high 13.4 55.6
Silverstone Tundra TD02 high 13.6 53.0
Coolermaster Glacer 240L high 14.1 52.5
NZXT Kraken X60 high 14.5 60.7
Noctua NH-U14S 17.0 47.3
Coolermaster Seidon 120V high 17.5 54.3
NZXT Kraken X40 high 18.2 59.4
Silverstone Tundra TD03 high 18.7 58.1
Noctua NH-U12S (+2nd fan) 18.8 49.8
Silverstone Argon AR01 high 18.8 53.0
Coolermaster Eisberg 240L high 19.1 50.5
Raijintek Themis high 19.7 52.8
Coolermaster V8 GTS high 20.0 59.7
Corsair Hydro H80i high 21.1 64.0
Noctua NH-U12S 21.1 46.2
Raijintek Ereboss high 21.4 49.7
Zalman Reserator 3 Max high 21.6 58.9
Scythe Mugen 4 high 21.7 41.9
Zalman LQ315 high 21.9 50.8
Silverstone NT06-P high 22.1 51.6
Raijintek Aidos high 23.0 55.6
Zalman LQ310 high 23.8 52.7
Zalman LQ320 high 25.5 50.2
Zalman LQ320 low 32.2 35.8
Silverstone NT01-Pro high 35.8 40.4
200w thermal test (°c) noise level (dba)
*heatsinks are ranked according to the 125w thermal test results column (rise over ambient temp.). low temperatures with low noise levels are considered best. for reference heatsinks with variable-speed fans, only the high speed (12v) fan test result is included in the comparison sheet; more detailed results reside in each specific heatsink review.

Frostytech's socket LGA2011 Intel synthetic thermal test platform stresses socket LGA2011/1366 compatible heatsinks with a 200W heat load. Keep in mind that the AMD Integrated Heat Spreader and Intel LGA2011 Integrated Heat Spreader both measure ~38x38mm, so these test results can be extrapolated to AMD processor scenario's as well.

With a 200W heat load applied by the Intel LGA2011/1366 version of FrostyTech's synthetic thermal test platform, the Zalman LQ320 yielded a temperature result of 25.5°C over ambient at stock fan speed. Reducing the speed of the LQ320's 120mm PWM fan to 900RPM saw the copper CPU die temperature to rise to 35.8°C over ambient.

Ultimately, of the three Zalman water coolers Frostytech has tested, the LQ320 performed the best on the smaller die Intel LGA115x/775 thermal test platform. Results for the Intel LGA2011 platform were more mixed, although the LQ320 generally came out ahead.

On the whole, Zalman's 'Asetek' entry into the watercooling market is... underwhelming. I think this is because Zalman released too small of a CPU water cooler into an enthusiasts' segment that was very rapidly defined by large 240mm and 280mm heat exchanger equipped liquid cooling systems. The small 120mm HE liquid coolers were novel at first, but with performance about par to a good all-metal heatsink, it's hard to justify the added cost. Water cooling, in my mind, is supposed to bring users as close to ambient temperatures as is physically possible, with less noise and bit of a sacrifice towards installation convenience. Unfortunately, while Zalman have historically demonstrated an uncanny ability to innovate and lead the heatsink market, the LQ320 and the other self-contained liquid coolers from this series just don't stand out. The Zalman LQ320 performs fine, but for nearly $100 it needs to do a heck of a lot better than "fine."

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 Previous Page ° Heat Sink Review Index  

Table of Contents:

 1:  Zalman LQ320 Liquid Cooling System Review
 2:  360° View - Zalman LQ320
 3:  Acoustic Measurements
 4:  AMD Heatsink Temperature Comparisons
 5:  Intel LGA115x/775 Heatsink Temperature Comparisons
 6: — Intel LGA2011 Heatsink Temperature Comparisons

List all Zalman heat sinks that Frostytech tested?

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