Test System & 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 and AIDA64's CPU-stability 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

EKWB's Predator 240 does well at idle, staying in the top third of coolers with the CPU at stock and tying for second place with the CPU overclocked.

Typical Load Temperatures

Loading up Wprime and running the 1024m test shows the Predator 240 doing exceptionally well. It hangs with the top-tier coolers in both push and pull, just 1-2°C away from the top spot.


The AIDA64 CPU stability benchmark shows the Predator 240 again performing exceptionally well, just 1°C behind the top performers. With the CPU overclocked, EKWB's Predator 240 lives up to its name by taking its place at the top of the chart.

Max Load Temperatures

Pushing the Predator 240 to the limit with the AIDA64 FPU stability test shows us what the kit is capable of as it manages to go toe to toe with the Swiftech H220-X at both stock and overclocked settings. It even manages to take on the H240-X when the CPU is overclocked, which shows that the Predator still has some room to stretch its legs as more heat is generated.