Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87: gaming motherboard with high-quality sound | Kapitola 5

Cooling test

In order to test cooling, we have used the processor Intel Core i7-4770k, processor cooler Noctua NH-U12P and 2x 2 GB DDR3-1333 memories by Kingston. The graphic card we used was Radeon HD 4870 by MSI left from previous tests. It is known to be a card with high power input and high temperature during operation.

- click to zoom in -

The PC set was installed in an already reviewed case,

Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced

, which is a little older but still very up-to-date model. In our case, we focused on

motherboard cooling

, i.e., cooling of its

chipset

and

power supply section

, which are the only components provided by coolers. According to our expectations, there will be no problem with cooling, but even the most powerful processor Intel for LGA 1150 is not too edacious, and the processor used in this case was already Haswell, fitted with own voltage control. As far as the chipset is concerned, Intel used for modern 8 Series, where our Z87 belongs, the 32 nm production process, compared to 65 nm process used in the previous generation. Thanks to that, we can expect reduced power consumption and waste heat output.

To make it harder for the motherboard, the used computer case was fitted with just

one rear 120mm fan

. We measured the temperatures using an infrared thermometer

Fluke 62 Mini

with emissivity fix-set to 0.95 (suitable for most materials), i.e., we measured temperatures at the surface of the coolers. This was to exclude possible faulty sensors. We can then add 4 - 6°C to measured values to get the temperatures of the cooled components proper. Here is the entire set:

• Processor - Intel Core i7-4770K
• Memory - Kingston HyperX DDR3 4GB 1600MHz CL8 (2x2GB)
• Graphic card - MSI Radeon HD 4870
• Case - Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced
• Processor cooler - Noctua NH-U12P
• Power source - Enermax Infiniti EIN650AWT - 650 W
• Hard disc - Samsung HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM
• Operating system - Windows 7 64bit

The set was tested three times at the

ambient temperature of 22°C,

during operation at rest, when the temperature was taken immediately after we opened the side when the sensor on the chipset had shown that the temperature stopped changing. The same procedure was used in other two cases, with the processor fully loaded by Prime95 and then during a repeated test with 3DMark Vantage.

	Chipset cooler	Power supply cooler
PC set at rest	40 °C	38 °C
Processor loaded to 100%	42 °C	44 °C
3DMark Vantage	46 °C	45 °C

From experience with the previous motherboard

Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H

, fitted with the same chipset and a similar cooler, it is quite natural that we have similar temperatures here. As for the passive components of power supply, their temperatures were mostly in a higher range, which gives evidence of slightly lower quality components. However, this is just for the sake of interest, because we cannot complain at all about cooling of these components on this motherboard.

Article in Czech:

Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87: herní deska s kvalitním zvukem