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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