Test System and Temperature Results

Test System

Testing Procedure

All testing is done at a room temperature of 23°C (73°F) with a 1°C margin of error. The coolers are tested with Turbo, EIST, and C1E enabled, which will allow the CPU to clock down to a low 1.6 GHz while idle, or clock up to proper speeds under stock and overclocked conditions. The retail Intel Core i7-4770K I use for testing at stock is set to load-optimized defaults with the CPU's voltage at a static 1.15 V. Overclocked, the processor is running at 4.2 GHz on the CPU and 3.9 GHz on cache, with respective voltages set to 1.20 V and 1.15 V. During all these tests, fans are set to run at 100% in the BIOS, with temperatures being recorded by AIDA64.

The idle test will consist of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 15 minutes. This will allow for a stable temperature reading that will be recorded at the end of those 15 minutes.

Wprime's and AIDA64's CPU test represent typical multi-threaded loads. Both offer consistent results, with one being a benchmarking application and the other a stability test. Both are run for 15 minutes before the peak reading during the test is recorded and taken as the result. This test lets enthusiasts know what temperatures they can expect to see with games and applications. Wprime is set to eight threads while AIDA64 is configured to stress the CPU, FPU, cache, and system memory.

AIDA64 offers maximum heat generation when set to stress just the FPU in the stability test, which will really push the CPU. This test represents extreme loads much like LinX, Prime95, and other extreme stress tests many users are familiar with.

Idle Temperatures

At idle, Deepcool's Gamer Storm Maelstrom 120 does alright at stock, but it ties for the top spot in the overclocked test. Not bad for idle performance on a thin 120 mm radiator.

Typical Load Temperatures

In Wprime, the first typical load test, the Maelstrom 120 put on a solid showing; however, Scythe's Ashura manages to rain on the Maelstrom 120's parade by offering similar performance for a lot less, although looking at the charts, you will see Deepcool's offering come within striking distance of many top-tier air coolers like the Phanteks PH-TC14PE.


Firing up Aida64's CPU benchmark, the Maelstrom 120 falls back toward the middle of the pack, with the Scythe Ashura again proving to be more than a match for it in all respects.

Max Load Temperatures

Now for the torture test. Using Aida 64 to put a high load on the CPU's FPU for as much heat as possible, we see the Gamer Storm Maelstrom 120 again fail to take on much cheaper traditional air coolers. This is a bit heart breaking to see since the Maelstrom 120 can't seem to compete with similarly priced air coolers.