Page 3 - Test Results
Our test configuration is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K @ 3.9GHz (Stock settings)
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-E
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury HX421C14FBK2/16 2x8GB
Graphics: ASUS GeForce GTX 1060
Chassis: SilverStone Kublai KL07
Power: Corsair RM650X 650W
Storage: Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB; Seagate BarraCuda ST1000DM003 1TB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home x64
Compared hardware:
- Fractal Design Celsius S24
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
- CRYORIG A40 Ultimate
- CRYORIG A80
- Scythe Fuma
- Scythe Mugen
All tests were run in our custom-built computer to best reflect real life performance. The computer remained in the same place and room throughout all tests. The ambient temperature in the room was around 22 degrees Celsius. The thermal paste applied to each cooler was stock respective to their manufacturer's to rate its performance; all pastes had sufficient time for them to settle. The fans on all heatsinks were connected to the same motherboard 4-pin connector. The test computer was turned on and idling for at least one hour for the idling tests. High CPU load results were obtained using the Prime95 in place large FFTs test with four worker threads for a minimum of fifteen minutes, and recorded when the temperature was deemed stable.
There are a few other water coolers and air coolers on this list to have a proper comparison, while as many variables as possible were kept constant. The only 280 mm cooler on the list is the CRYORIG A80, while there are quite large air coolers on the list as well, with one that is a bit smaller. They should give good references for comparison. The Fractal Design Celsius S24 was mounted to the front of the case with both fans attached in a push configuration. The temperature results for each cooler was measured with CoreTemp, which reports the CPU's integrated digital thermal sensor for maximum accuracy. Each temperature result was calculated by taking the maximum value of the cores inside the CPU.
After idling the computer for more than an hour, the temperature stabilized at 20 degrees Celsius, which was slightly higher than some of the others on the list. However, it was still a nice low number. The 120 mm fans' RPM were also fairly slow at this point, so it was nice and quiet. I always find the idle tests to be a very small indication of a cooler's overall performance, so let us not waste more time, and have a look at the load results.
The Fractal Design Celsius S24 stabilized at a temperature of 71 degrees Celsius; a few degrees warmer than the other water coolers, which is expected. The CRYORIG A40 Ultimate has a thicker radiator than the Celsius S24, while the CRYORIG A80 is longer and has larger fans. Both the CRYORIG coolers have more surface area to work with, which at least in part explains the temperature difference. Comparing the results to the others on the list, the Fractal Design Celsius S24 performed admirably. It did do worse than the referenced closed loop units, but the results were by no means bad. Another important feature for a competitive cooler is how quiet it can perform under stress, which the Fractal Design Celsius S24 did well with.
For anyone not using over-the-ear headphones to block out everything except your game or music, silence is pretty important to the enjoyment of using your computer. Using a scale between 0 and 10, where 0 is silent and 10 is a jet taking off, I would rate the Fractal Design Celsius S24 at 2.0/10 at idle, while under load, the sound comes in at 3.5/10. The RPM of the fans really ramp up to keep the system cool, but they were mostly silent during idle. Noise from the pump was mostly inaudible due to some integrated sound dampening. Depending on your sensitivity to noise, the Fractal Design Celsius S24 will be adding very little extra noise while keeping your PC operating in safe temperatures. Perhaps if you are very picky with noise emissions, you could change the RPM range of the pump or the fans, but that will affect cooling performance. The Fractal Design Celsius S24 also has you covered in changing the fan and pump speeds. On top of the pump to the right is a notch indicating if the fan mode is in either Auto or PWM. Twisting the plastic band surrounding the water block allows one to switch between the two modes. According to Fractal Design, in Auto mode, the system will intelligently optimize the pump and fan speeds for a balance between performance and silence. On the other hand, PWM allows the system to be controlled by your motherboard from software.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
