Gigabyte GA-X99-SOC Champion Under LN2

Testing & Methodology

Hardware

• Gigabyte X99 SOC Champion
• Intel 5960X
• Kingpincooling Venom 6.66 CPU pot
• Be Quiet 1200W Dark Power Pro
• Crucial MX200 250GB SSD
• Kingston 3000 C15 4x4GB
• XFX 8800GTS 320MB
• Dry Ice/Acetone
• LN2
• TES 1310 Type-K thermometer (great budget choice)

Software

• Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit / Win 10 64 bit  – stock install
• Geekbench – available here
• PiFast – available here
• HWBot Prime – available here
• Super Pi / mod 1.5 XS – available here
• Intel XTU -available here
• AIDA 64 Engineer – available here
• CPU-Z – available here
• wPrime – available here

The motherboard was insulated around the socket area with kneaded rubber eraser and the board itself had been coated with conformal coating to help protect it from any possible moisture buildup. I also use, in the socket and in the memory sockets, a bit of silicone spray to help with moisture control; if you have caught on, it is all about moisture control when you insulate for subzero.

Kneaded rubber eraser is one of my favorite insulation styles since it is reusable, though it does take time to apply. You can obtain the kneaded rubber eraser from your local art store in small blocks, and you will need quite a few. On top of that is a gasket that is made out of blue paper towel that will soak up water and hold its form. Blue paper towels are the bencher’s best friend. In the picture below the red rags are around the paper towels.  I will say that I still prefer the use of dry ice as it costs me less and is a bit more relaxed for my benching style when I don’t need temps below -60C.