Testing:
In order to keep test results equal across the board, all cooling testing is done with the following setup, conditions and methods:
Test System:
AMD Phenom II 1100T at stock 3.3GHz (125-watt TDP)
Asus M5A99FX Pro mainboard
4GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 RAM
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Radeon HD4870 video
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 850-watt PSU
Thermaltake Spedo Advance full-tower case
120mm intake case fan (x2)
120mm exhaust case fan
Ambient temp in the testing environment is brought as close to previous testing levels as possible and recorded at the beginning of the test. For this test ambient was 24C and remained stable within .2 degrees for the duration of the testing.
Before testing begins, BIOS power/performance settings are set to "balanced" mode and the system is allowed to idle for 30 minutes to get a stable idle temp.
Stress testing is done with OCCT 4.4.0, running 30 minutes on each set, with large data set and a 1-minute idle time recorded at the beginning and end of each test. If a cooler has multiple modes (high and low fan speeds, for instance), the test is run for each mode and all results recorded.
Tests are performed using Noctua NT-H1 thermal interface material for equal comparison with other cooling solutions.
For acoustic testing all case fans are connected to a Sunbeam rheobus fan controller and their speed is lowered to the point that they are inaudible.
This is obviously a high-stress environment for any cooler, with a 125-watt six-core processor being loaded to 98% or more across all six cores. So how did the Themis Evo cooler fare in this torture?
While it did perform better than it’s little brother the Pallas, topping out with a couple of spikes at 64.5, it didn’t do as well as I had thought it would. With far more fin surface area and direct-touch heatpipes I had hoped to see more of a difference. Still it did perform well, keeping this monster load well within the thermal shutdown range and beating out the Pallas by 4.5c at maximum temp.
Noise levels:
At idle I was very impressed with the noise level of the 120mm fan included with the Themis. It was a barely audible hum, perfectly acceptable in any office environment. Once the temps started climbing and the fan started having to work to compensate all that ended. By the time the maximum temps were hit and the fan was at its maximum it was loud enough to be distracting across the room. As always, acoustic performance is the most subjective part of any cooler review and your mileage will vary but if I were to use the Themis Evo I would plan in coupling it with a quieter fan. Thankfully with a standard mounting setup there are thousands to choose from.
