Testing:

To test the performance of the CoolIT Systems Domino A.L.C. CPU cooler, we used CPUID's Hardware Monitor 1.14 to monitor processor temperatures. Idle temperatures were taken after a 30 minute period with only Hardware Monitor running. For load temperatures, we ran a combination of Prime 95 (with all 8 instances), SiSoft Sandra Professional's Burn-In Test, and FutureMark's 3DMark Vantage. All readings were noted and the average of the four cores were charted.

For comparison purposes, we ran the CoolIT Systems Domino A.L.C. against two other popular coolers, plus the stock Intel cooler:

» Thermaltake V1 AX CPU cooler
» Scythe KATANA 3 CPU cooler
» Intel stock CPU cooler

Since the V1 AX was the only air cooler with a user adjustable fan, we ran the test on high (2000 rpm) speeds. The Domino was tested on Quiet (low), Performance (stock), and Full (high) modes. All three air coolers were used in conjunction with Arctic Alumina thermal compound, while the Domino ALC was installed using the pre-applied thermal paste. The following chart shows the results.

          

As you can see from the data, even at its lowest setting the CoolIT Systems Domino A.L.C. is right on par with the Thermaltake V1 AX. When we crank up the fan speed we can see the advantage of this liquid cooled unit over air coolers; which we thought were pretty good in our previous tests. It even manages to beat the stock Intel cooler by a whopping 30 degrees.

Even overclocked to 3.4GHz, the Core i7 920 processor only managed to reach a full load temperature of 65 degrees. Given that it is a C0 stepping CPU, we're pretty happy with that.