{"id":33779,"date":"2013-02-28T22:02:05","date_gmt":"2013-02-28T22:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=33779"},"modified":"2013-08-02T16:04:36","modified_gmt":"2013-08-02T15:04:36","slug":"cooler-masters-seidon-puts-i7-3770k-under-water-to-reach-5-0ghz-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/cooler-masters-seidon-puts-i7-3770k-under-water-to-reach-5-0ghz-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooler Master’s Seidon 240M puts i7-3770K under water to reach 5.0GHz"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cooler Master wants you to think of Po<\/em>SEIDON, the Greek God of the Seas, when you are considering putting your CPU under water. And they also want you to think about convenience and pricing in a custom Cooler Master design for watercooling. We are going to see if we can achieve 5.0GHz for our Core i7-3770K using the Seidon 240M Watercooler.\"\"<\/p>\n

We received the Seidon 240M\u00a0CPU watercooler from Cooler Master for evaluation at the beginning of February. Previously we had issues with reaching speeds over 4.8GHz with our Core i7-3770K<\/a> using our Noctua NH-DH14 CPU cooler<\/a> and we barely achieved 4.9GHz with our Thermaltake Water2.0 Pro. Now that we are testing faster and faster graphics including the GTX 690<\/a>\u00a0and the GeForce Titan<\/a>,\u00a0we’d like to increase the speed of our CPU for benching and this is our adventure in overclocking it further. Is 5.0GHz even a reasonable goal?<\/p>\n

The Seidon 240M is currently on sale at Newegg for $79.99<\/a>\u00a0after a $15\u00a0mail-in-rebate. \u00a0The Thermaaltake Water2.0 Pro is currently at $83.99 at Newegg<\/a> after a $15 mail-in rebate and it also compares fairly closely in price with\u00a0the Noctua NH-DH-14 at Newegg for $80.99<\/a>.\u00a0 The Water2.0 Performer is more budget as it\u00a0is\u00a0$59.99 after a $20 mail-in-rebate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All three of these CPU coolers are ready for the hottest 6-core Intel CPUs or 8-core AMD FX processors, and none of these coolers are considered budget by any means. The Noctua NH-DH14 is aimed at the higher end of air coolers and we are interested to see the performance of the Seidon 240M\u00a0compared to coolers that we have tested before as we try to push our Core i7-3770K to 5.0GHz.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Seidon 240M with 4 fans requires great case\u00a0airflow!<\/p><\/div>\n

Cooler Master\u00a0offers an easy entry into the world of watercooling with the Seidon 240M, which\u00a0is a\u00a0complete package to offer everything that you need to cool your overclocked CPU, including thermal interface material.\u00a0 The Seidon 240M ships with a\u00a0Cooler Master\u00a0multi-socket mounting system that has a relatively easy and very straightforward installation. They are also adapted for 1156 and 775 platforms and Intel’s latest extreme 6-core CPUs as well as AMD socket AM2, AM2+ and AM3\/AM3+ platforms.<\/p>\n

As important as saving money on hardware is, this editor believes that the choice of a CPU cooler is critical to any PC build. The cooler should never be cheap or retail. Too much depends on it if you value keeping your CPU cool, or especially if you plan to overclock. It is highly recommended that you instead look for sales and use rebates to save money.<\/p>\n

This review is not just about \u201cvalue\u201d. If you want to cool a Phenom II X4 or even an X6, a value CPU cooler such as a Coolermaster Hyper N 212+<\/a> will suffice. Even Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs such as Core i5 and Core i7 run relatively cool until you begin to push the core speeds up to 4.5GHz or so. Unless you are supplying a relatively high voltage to most CPUs, a budget cooler will work nicely. Even stock heatsinks are evolving to keep up with the hotter running quad-, hex-core and octo-core CPUs.<\/p>\n

Intel\u2019s newest Ivy Bridge Core i7 CPUs mark a new and exciting advance in processing power, but they definitely require a higher quality heatsink than for an older Core2Duo or Core2Quad CPUs, or for overclocking our older AMD Phenom II 980 BE X4, especially if you want to cool them without excessive fan noise. Our review sample of the Intel Core i7-3770K requires excellent cooling once you approach 4.4-4.6GHz as its stock clock is only 3.5GHz and 3.7GHz with Turbo on.<\/p>\n

The FX series of AMD CPUs almost require watercooling or a high-end air cooler and a very beefy power supply unit (PSU) if you are really serious about a Bulldozer overclock in excess of 4.4GHz as we were<\/a>.\u00a0 AMD also uses Asetek-built liquid coolers for their FX series just as Thermaltake has done with its Water2.0 series.\"\" Heat is drawn away from the CPU by the watercooler’s heatsink and is transferred by a liquid that is pumped through flexible tubes up into the array of hi-grade aluminum fins for dissipation in a radiator. Two large 120mm fans spin – one on each side of the radiator work together in a \u201cpush-pull\u201d configuration – blowing cooling air through the radiator to cool the CPU-heated liquid which is cycled for as long as the PC is on.<\/p>\n

We notice that many of the current compact all-in-one CPU watercoolers are based on or are similar to the Asetek-built unit (above)\u00a0and it is quite refreshing to see a custom design such as the one that Cooler Master chose for their Seidon 240M.\u00a0 The only issue one might have is with its lenght – it needs a large mid-tower or a full tower case to install the longer radiator.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

However, the main question we want to answer, is the Seidon 240M able to beat the air-cooling of our current Noctua flagship cooler which allows us to clock our Core i7-3770K confortably to 4.8GHz or the Thermaltake Water2.0 Pro which allowed us to bench at 4.9GHz? What about 5.0GHz? We feel that after spending a month with\u00a0the Seidon 240M water\u00a0cooler, we can give you some answers regarding air-cooling vs. watercooling, especially regarding convenience, safety, and ease of installation.<\/p>\n

Before we compare the\u00a0Seidon 240M\u00a0watercoolers to the Thermaltake Water2.0 Pro and to the flagship Noctua air-cooler, let’s unbox, install, and test\u00a0it using OCCT 4.1 <\/a>as an extreme test to load all the cores of our CPU to 100%. This thermal torture test produces far more extreme temperatures than you will ever find in gaming and it is a great test of thermal stability.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Specifications, Unboxing and Installation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Seidon 240M arrived in a cardboard box packed with everything necessary to cool any modern CPU that you may buy. This cooler\u00a0is \u201cuniversal\u201d \u2013 engineered to fit any modern Intel or AMD CPU\u2019s cooling needs \u2013 overclocked or stock. Here\u00a0are the Seidon 240M’s specifications and features charts\u00a0from Cooler Master’s\u00a0site<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Specifications:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The main difference between the Seidon 240M and the other watercooling units\u00a0are in\u00a0the thickness of the radiators versus length; the Thermaltake Pro has a much larger cooling surface area due to its being nearly two times thicker than the Performer, yet the Seidon is twice as long and uses\u00a0its two\u00a0fans\u00a0side-by-side to cool the radiator, not in push-pull.\u00a0 Of course, we shall test the Seidon 240M\u00a0with 4 fans –\u00a0with two optional 120mm CPU fans on either side of the radiator\u00a0making it our Seidon “480M”.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0However, first we will unbox the\u00a0Seidon 240M\u00a0CPU water cooler.<\/p>\n

The Seidon 240M\u00a0uses a copper waterblock with micro-channels to increase the contact area between the coolant and the cold\u00a0plate.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Seidon 240M Features<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The contact plate itself is very smooth; smoother than the Thermaltake Water2.0 plates, but not as mirrorlike as the Noctua NH-DH14.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We like the tube of thermal grease that Cooler Master includes with the Seidon 240M.\u00a0 It definitely a better deal than getting the thermal interface material (TIM) pre-applied by the factory and then needing to reseat or reinstall the cooler and having to buy a tube.\u00a0 Of course, having the TIM pre-applied in addition to including a tube, might be a real plus as many enthusiasts generally apply too much grease.<\/p>\n

The Seidon 240M is fully featured and the specifications are excellent so let’s get it out of the box and instal it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unboxing\"\"\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Seidon 240M\u00a0box stresses – two times over – maintenance free, overclocking and the ultra-fine micro channels, but nothing is explained.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The back of the box shows the physical dimensions of the Seidon and mentions the features again with emphasis on the mounting being “universal”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The other side panel shows the cooler and its mounting possibilities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0We see the specifications listed above on the other side panel.\u00a0 Below is the packing of the Seidon 240M.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cooler Master’s\u00a0instructions although brief are easy to follow if you have experience with water. If not, you might want to consult a Youtube walkthrough. Perhaps Cooler Master might consider including a CD or DVD with an installation video in the box.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Here is everything out of the box.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are common parts and also parts included specifically for Intel and AMD CPUs.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We had no difficulty following the instructions for installing a watercooler on either an Intel or AMD CPU platform but we were already used to working with\u00a0other liquid cooling systems.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Above is our\u00a0Seidon 240M\u00a0out of the box and ready for installation.\u00a0 Below is another view of the radiator next to the fans which are bolted to it before installation.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The fans work next to each other and they screw directly to the radiator.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We’re ready to go!\u00a0 Let’s install the Seidon.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Installation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The installation of the Seidon is pretty straightforward. The cooler head needs to be prepared.\"\"<\/p>\n

The supplied holding rings are universal and the one used for Intel is assembled with parts that must be put together exactly right to fit your particular CPU. Refer to the installation guide to be sure it is correct. The parts are all easily identified and the installation is not difficult. Here it is ready for installation on a LGA 1155 platform.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next we drilled out the 8 screw holes in our Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 as the Cooler Master Seidon uses screws to pass through the chassis and screw into the holes in the radiator.\u00a0 Since the fans and the rubber grommet all need to be held together tight to the case chassis while the screws are tightened down, we found it very helpful to use masking tape to temporarily hold everything together while we installed the radiator.\"\"<\/p>\n

Next,\u00a0the radiator needs to be installed with 8 screws.\u00a0 We removed our case top fan since the two Seidon 120mm fans are set to exhaust.<\/p>\n

Here is the backplate for the Seidon\u00a0 240M.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next we installed the risers which come through the motherboard and are held firmly by nuts.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Below, all 4 risers are tightened down and\u00a0await the\u00a0Seidon 240M contact plate.\u00a0\"\"The cooler head of the Seidon 240M\u00a0is tightened down with a screwdriver into the risers and it is a very firm contact.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Next the question is where you want to have your radiator installed and do you want the fans to intake air from the outside or from inside of the case? A good location at the back of the case uses\u00a0a\u00a0smaller 120mm\u00a0radiator to replace the exhaust fan, but this is not possible with the Seidon 240M.\u00a0Instead, we chose the top of our Overseer RX-I’s case which has both space and mounting holes for it.\u00a0\u00a0 Another choice would be to hang the radiator outside of the case.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In our case, cool air is drawn in from the front of the Overseer RX-I and also in through its side case panel opening (although optional, we installed a 240mm fan), and the hot radiator-heated air is exhausted from the top of the case by the Seidon’s two 120mm fans – in total, we have\u00a0two large intake fans and three smaller exhaust fans.<\/p>\n

It was not practical for us to bring air directly in from the top of the case as Cooler Master advises.\u00a0 Our case is designed to exhaust air from the top as there are no dust filters on top to protect if the airflow is reversed and it becomes intake.<\/p>\n

If the end user reverses the fans to draw fresh air in from the top of the case, make sure to use a dust filter and also make sure that the case that you use can handle this kind of airflow. The only disadvantage with our choice\u00a0of using the two Seidon fans as exhaust\u00a0is that cooling might be compromised just a tiny bit compared with bringing cooling air directly into the radiator on top of the case instead of coming in through the front and side of the case.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Installing the Seidon 240M was a breeze and we much prefered its sturdy backplate and mounting system over the Thermaltake Water2.0 design which used plastic that deformed with multiple mountings.\u00a0 In contrast with using a bulky air cooler such as the Noctua NH-DH14, there is\u00a0now plenty of\u00a0room to access the connectors at the top of the motherboard; the Noctua cooler barely clears the video card and you have to remove a fan (and your video card) to insert DDR3 into a slot. Watercooling absolutely wins as far as roominess and convenience goes.<\/p>\n

Noise<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Cooler Master\u00a0fans do a fine job of keeping the radiator and the liquid cool at regular rpm using power management. However, when the cooler is under load the fans spin up and you can hear them. In contrast, the Noctua NH-DH14 is quieter even under full load although the Seidon 240M is quieter than the Thermaltake Water2.0 coolers.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Seidon 240M wins for convenience although the\u00a0air cooler wins in the quietness department. Let’s head over for the test.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

\"\"The Test<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have been living with the\u00a0Seidon 240M\u00a0inside our Overseer RX-I for several weeks and we love it for all of our needs including extreme CPU overclocking. Almost any decent aftermarket cooler will allow one to clock the Core i7-3770K to 4.4GHz but then as voltages increase, so do the cooling needs and starting at about 4.6GHz to 4.8GHz requires a high-end cooler.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at our setup:<\/p>\n

The Setup and the Test <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Test Configuration<\/strong><\/h3>\n