Performance
All tests were performed on the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, one of the more demanding processors on the market. Additional components contain MSI X570 Unify motherboard, HyperX Predator 16GB DDR4-4600 memory kit (even though on the photos is G.Skill TridentZ Neo), and ASRock RX 6800 XT 16GB graphics card.
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 and simple games. The last one is a high CPU load tested with AIDA64 and AVX instructions.
Like in previous cooler reviews with the Ryzen 9 5900X CPU, I have to add that the presented results are not fully clear. The full story includes the CPU frequency, which depends on the cooling potential of the used cooler. In this case, Enermax ETS-F40 series coolers were keeping about 100-200MHz (depends on used core) higher frequency during work than Noctua NH-U9S. Their performance was about as high as that of Noctua NH-U12S redux/chromax.black. At the same time, we could see a bit higher frequency on Noctua NH-D15 or AIO coolers with 360mm radiators like Enermax LIQMAX III.
The fan in the ARGB version of the ETS-F40-FS is slightly different, but the generated noise is at the same level as for other coolers from this series. The cooler was quiet during tests. Our results were about 2dB louder than the ambient, which was around 34dB. I’m sure that no one will complain about the noise with this cooler.
All performance tests gave us the same results as on two previously tested Enermax coolers. During the mixed load tests, the fan spun at around 800RPM, sometimes going up to 1000RPM or more. The performance is high enough to handle higher series processors. It’s not as good as that of the larger AIO coolers but is still respectable considering quiet work and the low price of the cooler.
The ETS-F40-FS is a good option and highly competitive in the current CPU cooler market.
