Test System and Temperature Results

Test System

Testing Procedure

All testing is done at a room temperature of 23°C (73°F) with a 1°C margin of error. The coolers are tested with Turbo, EIST, and C1E enabled, which will allow the CPU to clock down to a low 1.6 GHz while idle, or clock up to proper speeds under stock and overclocked conditions. The retail Intel Core i7-4770K I use for testing at stock is set to load-optimized defaults with the CPU's voltage at a static 1.15 V. Overclocked, the processor is running at 4.2 GHz on the CPU and 3.9 GHz on cache, with respective voltages set to 1.20 V and 1.15 V. During all these tests, fans are set to run at 100% in the BIOS, with temperatures being recorded by AIDA64.

The idle test will consist of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 15 minutes. This will allow for a stable temperature reading that will be recorded at the end of those 15 minutes.

Wprime's and AIDA64's CPU test represent typical multi-threaded loads. Both offer consistent results, with one being a benchmarking application and the other a stability test. Both are run for 15 minutes before the peak reading during the test is recorded and taken as the result. This test lets enthusiasts know what temperatures they can expect to see with games and applications. Wprime is set to eight threads while AIDA64 is configured to stress the CPU, FPU, cache, and system memory.

AIDA64 offers maximum heat generation when set to stress just the FPU in the stability test, which will really push the CPU. This test represents extreme loads much like LinX, Prime95, and other extreme stress tests many users are familiar with.

Idle Temperatures

At idle, Zalman's Reserator 3 Max Dual performs as expected. While it doesn't deliver class-leading performance, there were no temperature spikes or odd results to speak of.

Typical Load Temperatures

In Wprime, the first typical load test, the Reserator 3 Max Dual performs very well. Its performance put it 1°C behind the Enermax Liqtech 240 and only 2°C behind the Corsair H105 that holds the top spot.


Firing up Aida64's CPU benchmark, the Reserator 3 Max Dual falls back toward the middle of the pack during the stock test, behind top-performing air coolers such as the Noctua NH-D15 and CRYORIG R1 Universal. It climbs the chart again in the overclocked test, coming in 1°C behind the Enermax Liqtech 240 while falling behind the Corsair H105 by 3°C.

Max Load Temperatures

Now for the torture test. Using Aida 64 to produce as much heat as possible by putting a load on the CPU's FPU, Zalman's Reserator 3 Max Dual does well again. At stock, it falls behind the Enermax Liqtech 240 by 2°C and the Corsair H105 by 4°C. With the CPU overclocked, the Reserator 3 comes in 5°C behind Corsair's and 2°C behind Enermax's unit. Overall, excellent performance from the Zalman Reserator 3 Max Dual. Its doesn't just look good as it performs well to boot.