AIO Test System
CPU
As mentioned earlier, the heart of our new cooling test rig is the Intel 10980XE, an 18 core and 36 thread HEDT beast that was released in November of 2019. It rides on the mature X299 platform, supports quad-channel DDR 4 memory, and is very capable of putting out heat. For a frame of reference, power consumption at the wall while running CineBench R20 is as follows:
| All Core Frequency | Voltage | Power Draw (Wall) |
|---|---|---|
| Idle | Default/Auto | 105W |
| 3800 MHz | Default/Auto | 310W |
| 4300 MHz | 1.15V | 450W |
| 4700 MHz | 1.25V | 605W |
Motherboard
The motherboard selected for duty is the ASUS PRIME X299-DELUXE II. This is a newer generation X299 board that has stout power delivery capabilities to keep the overclocked 10980XE fed and stable.
Video Card
The graphics card selected is the XFX RX 5700 XT THICC II Ultra that we reviewed in September of last year. This card is at the top of AMD’s current range of GPUs and it stops its fans when it is not under load. The stopped fans help us focus on the noise being generated by the cooling solution.
Memory and Storage
For memory, we have equipped the system with 16GB (4x4GB sticks) of G.SKILL Ripjaws V F4-3200C16Q-16GRVB. It is configured using the AMP profile giving it timings of 16-18-18-38 at 1.35V.
For storage, we picked up a 500GB Western Digital Blue SN 550 NVME M.2 drive. While not the fastest NVME drive on the block, it is sufficient to load windows and our testing benchmarks.
Power Supply
For the power supply, we have tapped the Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W PSU that we reviewed last year. It picked up an elusive Gold award for its performance and will give us plenty of power to work with while torturing cooling systems.
Case
As mentioned earlier, the case selected is the Thermaltake Core P5. It is being run in an open-air configuration with the Plexiglas removed. The GPU is vertically mounted and the only fan in motion during testing other than the CPU AIO fans is the power supply fan.