Testing
Our test system is comprised of the follow items…
Processor: Intel Core i7-3820
Motherboard: ASUS P9X79 Pro
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD6950
Memory: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Elite
Power Supply: Thermaltake 1200W
Storage: 750GB SATA II Drive
Cooling: Noctua NH-L12
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos II
We will be using Prime95 64-bit edition to put a full load on our CPU. Temperatures were recorded with the temperature sensor built into the ASUS PC Probe II software. Idle and load tests were taken an hour apart from each other.
Our first test is the PWM test, where we set the fans to PWM mode so their speed is controlled depending on the temperature of the CPU. During this test the fan speed was around 530RPM during idle and 830RPM during load. Here are the results from this test.
Our second test was the run the fans at 100% speed, which was about 1400RPM. Here are the results from that test.
Our final test is where we put the NH-L12 in low-profile mode by removing the top 120mm fan. We ran the bottom fan at 100% speed. Again you can see the results below.
