Intel LGA2011 CPU Cooler Roundup For Sandy Bridge-E Processors

By Shane Higgins

Legit Reviews Intel Core i7-3960X Test System

Legit Reviews Intel Core i7 3960X Test System

System specs

Here is a short list of the parts that make up the Legit Reviews Core i7-930 test system:

Intel Test Platform
Component Brand/Model Pricing
Processor Intel Core i7 3960X Click Here
Motherboard Intel DX79SI
Memory Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Click Here
Video Card MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC Click Here
Hard Drive Corsair Force GT 90GB SSD Click Here
Power Supply NZXT HALE90 750W Click Here
Chassis Thermaltake Chaser Mk-1 Click Here
Operating System Windows 7 Professional (64bit) Click Here

Test System Detail

Legit Reviews Intel Core i7 3960X Test System CPUz

The CPU we are using is the Intel Core i7-3960X LGA2011 processor. We will test with two configurations: Stock and Overclocked. Both will have Hyper Threading and Turbo modes enabled. For the backbone of the system we have the Intel DX79SI motherboard. We have also outfitted it with a 16GB (4x4gb) kit of Corsair Vengeance LP DDR3 1600MHz RAM. Drivers used for the motherboard are as follows:

Motherboard Drivers:

  • LAN: Intel PRO Network Connections LAN Driver version 16.7
  • Audio: Realtek ALC Audio Driver version 6482
  • Chipset: Intel Chipset Device Software version 9.2.3.1022
  • USB3: Renesas Electronics USB 3.0 Driver 2.1.27.0
  • BIOS Version: 0380

Legit Reviews Intel Core i7 3960X Test System GPUz

The video card we are using is an MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II/OC and is running ForceWare 290.53.

Legit Reviews Intel Core i7 3960X Test System SSD

For the main drive we have a 90GB Corsair Force GT SATA3 SSD running firmware 1.3.3.

Testing Procedure

Intel settings
click for larger image

To test the coolers the system will be left idle at the desktop for 30 minutes and the temperature will be recorded. Then it will run at full load with Prime95 Blended test for 30 minutes and the temperature will be recorded. There will be 2 levels tested with our Core i7-3960X clocked at stock settings with Turbo and Hyper Threading on, and a high OC of 4.5 GHz also with Hyper Threading and Turbo enabled. All temps will be recorded with CoreTemp, and the temp reading from all 6 cores will be averaged. The thermal paste used on all coolers will be Gelid GC Extreme.

Coolers Tested

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