Page 3 - Test Results
Our test configuration is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i5-8400
CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-L9i
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 I AORUS PRO WiFi
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury HX426C16FB3K2/16 2x8GB
Chassis: Fractal Design Node 202
Storage: Western Digital Black SN750 NVMe SSD 500GB
Power: SilverStone SFX SX500-G 500W
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Compared hardware:
- SilverStone TP05
- SilverStone TP04
In the tests today, we tested both idle and load behavior. For the idle test, my computer was turned on and left alone for about one hour. For the high SSD load test, we ran the drive against ATTO Disk Benchmark with the I/O size configured to 512B to 64MB, and File Size configured to maximum 32GB. This will stress the SSD for a long enough time to get a stable load temperature. The focus of this test is to evaluate the performance of the cooling kit instead of the performance of the storage device itself, although we did ensure we were not seeing any thermal throttling due to poor cooling. All tests were run in a custom-built computer to best reflect real life performance. The computer remained in the same location in the same room throughout all tests, and the ambient temperature was around 24c.
Due to the fact that my motherboard only has one M.2 SSD slot and it is right beside the CPU heatsink, I did not have lots of options in terms of where to install the device. I found I was lucky because the Noctua NH-L9i heatsink did not interfere with the TP05, therefore the cooling kit could be installed without needing to remove the CPU heatsink. If your motherboard has more than one M.2 slot, then you can choose one that has the best clearance to avoid interference from other components. The TP05 is also PlayStation 5-compatible.
For the idle test, the TP04 resulted in a recorded temperature of 46c, while changing to TP05 brought the temperature down a little very slightly to 45c. The difference was not obvious in the idle test since the SSD was not extensively used. For the load test, the results difference was more noticeable. With the help of the TP05, the SSD temperature stabilized at 58c under high load, whereas the TP04 heatsink hit a temperature of 61c. It was not a significant difference still, but it did suggest that the TP05 was slightly better in terms of cooling performance compared to the TP04.
When the SSD was in its idle state, the SSD temperature was reduced more with the TP05, but it seems the improvement was not necessarily important. On the other hand, when the SSD was under load, both coolers were able to reduce the temperature. If you look at the Western Digital Black SN750 NVMe SSD 500GB's datasheet, the safe operating temperature is 70c maximum. Therefore, these test results suggest that both TP04 and TP05 can effectively keep the operating temperature of an M.2 NVMe SSD lower to ensure consistent performance and reliability. This is especially important for PCIe 4.0-based NVMe SSDs, which run considerably hotter than the PCIe 3.0-based SN750 I used for testing. The TP05 provided better cooling performance, suggesting it is a better heatsink for hotter drives.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
