NZXT Respire T20 CPU Cooler Review

We always use the same test system with CPU coolers that we compare against each other. The full specifications of our test system are as follows:

Test system:

• ASUS P8Z77-V
• Intel Core i5 3570K with Gelid GC Extreme under the IHS
• 16GB Kingston HyperX 1866MHz DDR3
• AMD Radeon HD 5870
• 128GB Kingston SSDnow V100 (Boot Drive) and Samsung F3 1TB (storage)
• Antec High Current Gamer 620W
• Cooler Master Test Bench v1.0

We’d like to say a big thank you to ASUS, Antec, Kingston, Cooler Master and Intel for providing components that makes this testing possible.

Testing Methodology:

• We always use Gelid GC Extreme thermal paste to make sure testing reveals the efficiency of the tested coolers, not the efficiency of the bundled thermal paste.
• Prime 95 is run for 10 minutes and then the average maximum temperatures as recorded by CPUID HWMonitor are noted
• The system is left in idle for 10 minutes on the desktop and then the average minimum temperatures as recorded by CPUID HWMonitor are noted
• Fans are always left to operate at PWM speeds, if this is not supported then 100% fan speed is used (and a low noise adapter for 3 pins if provided)
• Delta temperatures are always used (Observed temperature minus ambient temperature) and we keep the ambient at 22 (+/- 1) degrees for all testing although Delta temperatures correct for the changing ambient anyway
• The average temperature across the four cores is taken on our quad core Intel processor
• Acoustic measurements are taken 10cm away from the CPU cooler with the VGA fan disabled
• The cooling performance tests are run at stock 3.4GHz (with Intel Turbo up to 3.8GHz and stock voltage) and overclocked 4.5GHz (1.3 volts) settings
• All other coolers in the graphs have been tested under identical settings
• Each test is repeated 3 times for consistency of results
• There is approximately a 1 degree celsius margin of error in our temperature recording software
• There is approximately a 1dBA margin of error with our decibel meter

Software Used

• CPUID HWMonitor
• Prime 95
• CPU-Z