Performance Testing
We’re currently making some changes to our testing rigs. We’ll be testing the ProWater 850i on our Intel rig only, as we’re setting up a Phenom rig for future AMD tests. It should be noted that there have been two minor changes to our Intel rig. We have replaced the single 1GB Firestix DIMM with a Corsair XMS2 DIMM. We’ve also replaced the Corsair VX-550 with a Corsair TX-750 power supply. All system configuration settings, frequencies and other hardware components remain consistent with our previous tests. Neither of these changes should be significant enough to impact results and they can be compared to prior tests. For more information on our system configurations, please see our heatsink testing methodology.
As you can see, the ProWater fares very well against the competition. With its fan at full speed, it is able to best even the mighty TRUE 120. Obviously it is a lot louder than the TRUE combined with a Scythe S-FLEX, but it still does very well with the S-FLEX as well. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting the system to do so well with a single 120mm radiator. I think this is due in part to its excellent base finish and very secure mounting system.
We see a similar trend with “Small FFTs” which is a more intensive test on modern Intel CPUs. The ProWater 850i is able to take the lead over the TRUE 120 by a degree and it doesn’t do quite as well with the quiet S-FLEX fan. It performs about at par with the impressive Sunbeam ‘Core Contact Freezer’.
As expected, the ProWater provides very little cooling to the motherboard components, the chipset and the memory. The only fan used by the ProWater is essentially a case exhaust fan, so none of the board components are receiving much airflow. As with any watercooling system, it is important to ensure you have adequate case airflow or an auxiliary fan directed towards the motherboard. This becomes very important if you plan to do any heavy overclocking.
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