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, Silverstone's TD03-LITE performs as expected. It doesn't top the charts but it doesn't perform badly either.

Typical Load Temperatures

In Wprime, the first typical load test, the TD03-LITE does well, performing as well as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE, which is rather impressive considering the massive difference in surface area for heat dissipation.


Firing up Aida64's CPU benchmark, the increased load still has the TD03-LITE holding its own. Still, it falls back behind the PH-TC14PE by 4°C. In fact, performance is on par with similarly priced air coolers. Nothing wrong with that, but I was hoping the performance in the first test would continue on in this one.

Max Load Temperatures

Now for the torture test. Using Aida 64 to maximize heat by loading the CPU's FPU, we see the Silverstone AIO do surprisingly well at stock clocks; however, once the CPU is overclocked, it falls back through the charts. Still, performance here isn't terrible and is, in fact, similar to other normal 120 mm all-in-one liquid coolers. A second fan would most likely improve performance to the point of it beating out similarly priced air coolers. If the case has a 120 mm fan at the back, you might just be in luck.