Performance
All tests were performed on the Intel i7-13700K processor, MSI Z790I Edge WiFi motherboard, Kingston FURY Renegade 32GB DDR5-7200 memory kit, Powercolor RX 6800 XT 16GB graphics card, and Lian-Li 850W 80+ Gold PSU.
There are three tests. The first is called Idle, so an operating system without additional load besides standard processes in the background. The second test is based on the PCMark 10 Extended benchmark, which simulates daily work. The last one is a high CPU load tested with AIDA64 with AVX instructions.
The i7-13700K CPU runs at up to 5.3GHz with a TDP limit of 253W. During tests, we set a 288W limit for PL1 and PL2, so it won’t limit the turbo boost feature. There are many factors that affect the maximum frequency, but there was no problem seeing a maximum frequency on our test rig. The CPU could boost up to 5.7GHz using single cores and 5.3GHz under long load with AVX2 instructions.
The manual overclocking on all cores is still limited because of the CPU heat. Even though the cooling setup was much stronger than a typical AIO cooler, then the maximum frequency was similar. The CPU could boost up to 100MHz higher, but we wouldn’t really see it during daily work because of the already very high frequency.
Our results show that the custom loop with Alphacool components and the XPX Aurora Edge CPU block was giving significantly better temperatures than the top AIO 360 coolers. However, the real advantage is making low-spinning fans that give us lower noise during the high CPU load. We also have to remember that in the loop is a graphics card, while other coolers work only on the CPU.
As far as better results on a custom liquid cooling were expected, then we can see a real difference between typical ready-to-go solutions available in stores and a custom loop that isn’t really hard to build. If we wish to have high-performing cooling for the hottest CPUs on the market, then the only way is to build a custom loop that will keep our processor below the throttling point and let us overclock it higher or at least provide quiet work.
The generated noise was hard to separate from the ambient noises, and we could keep fans at about 500-800RPM providing optimal results, while all other coolers had to work at their automatic or maximum speed to tame the i7 13700K CPU.
The XPX Aurora Edge is clearly a CPU block that provides high performance and also looks amazing with the RGB illumination. One more photo at the end, as the aesthetics, are one of the main reasons why anyone builds a custom liquid cooling.
