Huzzah! Gamers Nexus has fixed CPU cooler reviews and made all other web site reviews incorrect!

[dirtyferret]

Link to article below as well as the half hour video. It's an impressive feat the amount of times Steve pats himself on the back in video for creating a test procedure that "makes" all other test procedures obsolete and or incorrect.

Why Most Cooler Tests Are Flawed: CPU Cooler Testing Methodology | GamersNexus

Coolers Why Most Cooler Tests Are Flawed: CPU Cooler Testing Methodology March 5, 2020 Last Updated: 2023-11-03 Diving into GN's methods for testing CPU coolers (2020 - 2023 Test Methodology) The Highlights GN's cooler testing has evolved over a decade and thousands of testsNormally, automatic...

www.gamersnexus.net

 

[sneekypeet]

Not sure how testing a coolers efficiency is a real world result for the masses, but if he wants to play god who am I to argue.

 

[Punx223]

Yes, let's swap the fans so that the performance of the cooler does not represent what the mass amount of users will experience with a cooler (using the included fans)

How many people outside of our enthusiasts' niche swap every single cooler fan to the specific Noctua model he uses?

 

[EarthDog]

I saw this earlier and need to sit down and watch the video...I fear some of this is complete BS though.

but if he wants to play god who am I to argue.

Uhh, that is Tech Jesus, not God...

 

[Kapone33]

This was a video to try to establish exactly what? Is there an agreed to protocol on how coolers are tested?

 

[sneekypeet]

I saw this earlier and need to sit down and watch the video...I fear some of this is complete BS though.


Uhh, that is Tech Jesus, not God...

I read it....I'm guessing it's a huge time saver as I only had to read for a couple minutes to get the layout.

@kapone32 there is not, just that some try to mimic manufacturer testing as much as they can. Some wander a bit, some plain ass dont care.

 

[Kapone33]

Yes, let's swap the fans so that the performance of the cooler does not represent what the mass amount of users will experience with a cooler (using the included fans)

How many people outside of our enthusiasts' niche swap every single cooler fan to the specific Noctua model he uses?

Us Enthusiasts would just buy a Noctua cooler to begin with.

 

[mtcn77]

Yes, let's swap the fans so that the performance of the cooler does not represent what the mass amount of users will experience with a cooler (using the included fans)

How many people outside of our enthusiasts' niche swap every single cooler fan to the specific Noctua model he uses?

Some tech journalists I know did. It is a stupid ordeal when you consider that is not how most people will use them. Ninja 5 for instance is great when you max out fans, however it invalidates any claim for silent operation in that circumstance.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Normally I consider their content as something that might be worthwhile looking at when they do in-depth testing, but this...

 

[Punx223]

Some tech journalists I know did. It is a stupid ordeal when you consider that is not how most people will use them. Ninja 5, for instance, is great when you max out fans, however, it invalidates any claim for silent operation in that circumstance.

That's kind of my point, I do think that to change chassis or cooler fans for "noise normalized thermals" is more of an attempt to justify that "my testing is special" rather than something that most real users will experience.

If you change the entire properties of a product by swapping parts, you nullify the experience for most users. Most users use what comes in the chassis or augment it with additional fans, or what have you.

 

[dirtyferret]

Not sure how testing a coolers efficiency is a real world result for the masses, but if he wants to play god who am I to argue.

I think the beauty of having so many tests by different people is not necessarily an ability to cherry pick one result and say "here's proof that mine is better then yours" but rather get a sense of how something may work across various set ups. None of us have the exact same PC and to come out and say all other test methods are wrong only believe mine is in incorrect procedure. That said, he pulled something similar with CPU and GPU testing so I can't be surprised.

 

[gamefoo21]

This is stupid. It completely invalidates the actual results for all but a very few use cases.

There's also the very real impact of matching a fan to the cooler design.

It won't help him remain relevant this testing I think.

 

[R0H1T]

Well that's what YT will do to you, not a good thing I must say!

 

[sneekypeet]

I think the beauty of having so many tests by different people is not necessarily an ability to cherry pick one result and say "here's proof that mine is better then yours" but rather get a sense of how something may work across various set ups. None of us have the exact same PC and to come out and say all other test methods are wrong only believe mine is in incorrect procedure. That said, he pulled something similar with CPU and GPU testing so I can't be surprised.

I agree that the masses should read more than one review. Always! However, these are not performance reviews, so all you can gather is that cooler A is more efficient than cooler B, and only while using a specific fan, not what comes in the box.

 

[gamefoo21]

Well that's what YT will do to you, not a good thing I must say!

It's like Linus says you make a choice to either sell out and get the big money or you never really make it big.

I agree that the masses should read more than one review. Always! However, these are not performance reviews, so all you can gather is that cooler A is more efficient than cooler B, and only while using a specific fan, not what comes in the box.

So many variables just in fans alone.

 

[Kapone33]

It has been my thought process that fans are the mitigating factor for any cooler. Whether it is air and AIO or a full loop the fan selection is tantamount. Usually though most users only replace fans based on noise.

 

[dirtyferret]

It's like Linus says you make a choice to either sell out and get the big money or you never really make it big.
So many variables just in fans alone.

GN made that jump a while ago but I don't recall Linus ever saying that (I'm not doubting he did say it)

 

[sneekypeet]

Thing is with using the same fan you run into issues as well. Fans slow over time from wear, dust build up, etc. Then, let's say you have a huge pile of these fans, not all are the same performance wise, and is why manufacturers sell fans with a plus/minus notation on the RPM.

In essence I feel he painted himself into a corner with more variables than he was trying to eliminate.

 

[R0H1T]

Meh, just remember this one

 

[Xzibit]

Didn't some old websites test like this before. I remember back when Zalman and Cougar were big in CPU Heatsinks some sites used to test with the heater only. I cant recall now or if they are still around.

 

[Punx223]

This is the MEME that comes to mind when I saw this vid.

 

[sneekypeet]

Didn't some old websites test like this before. I remember back when Zalman and Cougar were big in CPU Heatsinks some sites used to test with the heater only. I cant recall now or if they are still around.

TweakTown used to use a TEC (in a 40-degree hot-box) to apply load. Was never a fan but I took over from another reviewer and was asked to keep it. I loved the day that TEC died and I was able to move to system testing instead!

 

[rtwjunkie]

Us Enthusiasts would just buy a Noctua cooler to begin with.

Um....no.

 

[gamefoo21]

GN made that jump a while ago but I don't recall Linus ever saying that (I'm not doubting he did say it)

He talked about it in a few places. The most recent was his 10 million sub video. About the decision to align himself with what would get him the largest audience.

I know he has and he's been on a downward spiral. I wonder if he's started to see the numbers slip and he's ratcheting it up even more.

Thing is with using the same fan you run into issues as well. Fans slow over time from wear, dust build up, etc. Then, let's say you have a huge pile of these fans, not all are the same performance wise, and is why manufacturers sell fans with a plus/minus notation on the RPM.

In essence I feel he painted himself into a corner with more variables than he was trying to eliminate.

I was hoping someone would point this out. It's a greased slope into a very dark rabbit hole.

 

[basco]

starting a video with :
most people don´t know a fraction of flaws in their own data

and if someone thinks linus is a tech guy plz look again at his videos( i am not saying he is not a smart businessman )