Question I picked up Gigabyte Waterforce 360 for i7-13700k ?

[shad0wboss]

I am posting here because I haven't seen any of the mainstream websites (ign, tomshardware etc) mention waterforce 360 in any of their "best water coolers" list. Does anyone have experience with this one? I picked it up in local currency on sale for around $130. Was there a better alternative? Cooler Master ML360l v2 was another option which was significantly cheaper but the fact that they only provide 2 years of warranty compared to 5 years for this one, says a lot about their quality. Can it keep the 13700k below 60° when gaming without going crazy on the fans? I don't think I will be overclocking this one.

 

[DelenaСhelsiecain]

Hey @shad0wboss ,

The Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360 AIO cooler you picked up is quite a solid choice. Its specs are pretty impressive, with a 360mm radiator, 3 x 120mm ARGB fans, and an LCD display. Plus, it supports both Intel and AMD CPU sockets, including your i7 13700k.

The cooler's quality seems to be good, as it has 3 years of manufacturer warranty. The installation process appears to be quite straightforward too. As long as you're familiar with AIO liquid coolers, you shouldn't run into any major issues1.

Regarding your question about the cooler's performance, I couldn't find direct data for the Waterforce X360 with the i7 13700k. However, a user on Reddit managed to keep their 13700k at around 60° when gaming with a different 240mm AIO cooler. Considering the Waterforce X360 has a larger radiator, it should theoretically perform even better.

In terms of alternatives, the Cooler Master ML360l v2 you mentioned is also a good cooler. It appears in the Tier 2 performance list alongside the Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360 according to a tier list from Linus Tech Tips. The warranty difference might be a point of consideration, but it doesn't necessarily reflect on the quality of the coolers.

Ultimately, the best cooler for you depends on your specific needs and budget. If you want to dive deeper into the comparison, this link might be useful. It provides a detailed review of the Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360.

 

[shad0wboss]

Hey @shad0wboss ,

The Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360 AIO cooler you picked up is quite a solid choice. Its specs are pretty impressive, with a 360mm radiator, 3 x 120mm ARGB fans, and an LCD display. Plus, it supports both Intel and AMD CPU sockets, including your i7 13700k1.

The cooler's quality seems to be good, as it has 3 years of manufacturer warranty. The installation process appears to be quite straightforward too. As long as you're familiar with AIO liquid coolers, you shouldn't run into any major issues1.

Regarding your question about the cooler's performance, I couldn't find direct data for the Waterforce X360 with the i7 13700k. However, a user on Reddit managed to keep their 13700k at around 60° when gaming with a different 240mm AIO cooler2. Considering the Waterforce X360 has a larger radiator, it should theoretically perform even better.

In terms of alternatives, the Cooler Master ML360l v2 you mentioned is also a good cooler. It appears in the Tier 2 performance list alongside the Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360 according to a tier list from Linus Tech Tips3. The warranty difference might be a point of consideration, but it doesn't necessarily reflect on the quality of the coolers.

Ultimately, the best cooler for you depends on your specific needs and budget. If you want to dive deeper into the comparison, this link might be useful. It provides a detailed review of the Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360.

Thanks for the detailed response! I actually picked up the non lcd version (the lcd version was $40 more) as i see it more as a gimmick. Which Linus video are you referring to?

 

[DelenaСhelsiecain]

Which Linus video are you referring to?

I wasn't referring to a video but to this post on their forum

 

[shad0wboss]

I wasn't referring to a video but to this post on their forum

I just saw this but unfortunately I have already purchased the waterforce 360. Cooler master ML360R seems to be tier 1 vs waterforce's tier 2 and cooler master was $40 cheaper than this one. Oh well, what's done is done. I haven't yet checked the idle temps in windows as the windows isn't installed yet on my new pc but the temps are 37 degrees for i7 13700k in the bios. I guess you wouldn't call it "idle" temps in the bios right?

 

[DelenaСhelsiecain]

The idle temps in the BIOS can give you an initial idea, but it's not the same as idle temps in Windows since the system is not fully loaded. Once you have Windows installed, it would be better to check the temps there for a more accurate reading.

 

[shad0wboss]

The idle temps in the BIOS can give you an initial idea, but it's not the same as idle temps in Windows since the system is not fully loaded. Once you have Windows installed, it would be better to check the temps there for a more accurate reading.

Is 36°c very hot? I saw some benchmarks with same CPU and AIO and they had idle around 24-25°c. I have even installed a thermalright CPU bracket so the temps should really be below 30°c unless there is something I am missing? By the way for thermal paste, I just used the one I got with the Gigabyte AIO.

 

[DelenaСhelsiecain]

Is 36°c very hot? I saw some benchmarks with same CPU and AIO and they had idle around 24-25°c. I have even installed a thermalright CPU bracket so the temps should really be below 30°c unless there is something I am missing? By the way for thermal paste, I just used the one I got with the Gigabyte AIO.

It's actually a pretty decent idle temperature, nothing to be concerned about. While you may come across lower temps in benchmarks, it's important to consider factors like room temperature, airflow, and individual system configurations.

Installing the thermalright CPU bracket was a wise choice. It should contribute to maintaining lower temps. However, don't worry too much if you're not hitting below 30°C. Idle temperatures can fluctuate, and as long as they don't skyrocket under load, you're in good shape.

Just keep an eye on your temps when your system is under heavy load to ensure they remain within a safe range. As long as you're not experiencing crashes or overheating issues, things are going smoothly.

 

[shad0wboss]

It's actually a pretty decent idle temperature, nothing to be concerned about. While you may come across lower temps in benchmarks, it's important to consider factors like room temperature, airflow, and individual system configurations.

Installing the thermalright CPU bracket was a wise choice. It should contribute to maintaining lower temps. However, don't worry too much if you're not hitting below 30°C. Idle temperatures can fluctuate, and as long as they don't skyrocket under load, you're in good shape.

Just keep an eye on your temps when your system is under heavy load to ensure they remain within a safe range. As long as you're not experiencing crashes or overheating issues, things are going smoothly.

I ordered a thermal grizzly kryonaut paste anyway because i think it may be the reason why I am getting +10° than the benchmarks I am seeing on internet for not only this aio but all the other ones too. My room temp is 24° so it cannot be that and the airflow of the case is decent (it's NZXT H7 airflow).

 

[Phaaze88]

I ordered a thermal grizzly kryonaut paste anyway because i think it may be the reason why I am getting +10° than the benchmarks I am seeing on internet for not only this aio but all the other ones too. My room temp is 24° so it cannot be that and the airflow of the case is decent (it's NZXT H7 airflow).

Paste does not affect temperatures that much. Using toothpaste, messing up on the cooler mount, or paste not covering a large enough area of the die, is much more likely to do that.

If the room temperature is 24C, the temperature of the air in the case that feeds into the cooler is always warmer. Not unusual for case ambient to be 10C warmer than room ambient either.

Just because a case got good remarks for airflow - the user can make it more or less efficient depending on individual bios, case, and system configurations.

 

[shad0wboss]

Paste does not affect temperatures that much. Using toothpaste, messing up on the cooler mount, or paste not covering a large enough area of the die, is much more likely to do that.

If the room temperature is 24C, the temperature of the air in the case that feeds into the cooler is always warmer. Not unusual for case ambient to be 10C warmer than room ambient either.

Just because a case got good remarks for airflow - the user can make it more or less efficient depending on individual bios, case, and system configurations.

What would you suggest to check in bios etc to make sure that I am getting what I should get? Clearly I am losing 8-10 degrees somewhere.

 

[Phaaze88]

What would you suggest to check in bios etc to make sure that I am getting what I should get? Clearly I am losing 8-10 degrees somewhere.

You are not 'losing' anything. Case ambient alone can easily be responsible for that 8-10C difference. Like, try setting up a digital thermometer beneath the AIO and see what the temperature is.

Bios settings/defaults vary between motherboards, so unfortunately, I won't be of any help there. AMD/Intel defaults aren't strictly enforced, so the vendors will do whatever they want.

 

[shad0wboss]

You are not 'losing' anything. Case ambient alone can easily be responsible for that 8-10C difference. Like, try setting up a digital thermometer beneath the AIO and see what the temperature is.

Bios settings/defaults vary between motherboards, so unfortunately, I won't be of any help there. AMD/Intel defaults aren't strictly enforced, so the vendors will do whatever they want.

With resident evil 4 and OBS studio capturing the gameplay in 1440p 60 FPS, the CPU usage was as high as 97-98% spikes and the temps were over 85°. I don't know if that is standard temp with a 360 AIO and i7 13700k.

 

[Phaaze88]

With resident evil 4 and OBS studio capturing the gameplay in 1440p 60 FPS, the CPU usage was as high as 97-98% spikes and the temps were over 85°. I don't know if that is standard temp with a 360 AIO and i7 13700k.

That's the new norm. Give these a look please, while also noting that you loaded up all the cores in the above scenario.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9TjJviotnI

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljZt_TQegHE

 

[instawookie]

With resident evil 4 and OBS studio capturing the gameplay in 1440p 60 FPS, the CPU usage was as high as 97-98% spikes and the temps were over 85°. I don't know if that is standard temp with a 360 AIO and i7 13700k.

Run any 3d Mark Timespy runs? What temps are you seeing with that as reference. Just to give you a little feedback of my current idle temps and this is with a h150i 360mm AIO and contact frame combo on my 13700k average idle is about 36C and as low as 33C when I have the ambient temp set to 72F during winter and high as 38C with ambient temp set to 76F during summer. Same applies for my Timespy benchmarks was getting 64C during Feb/March benchmarks for the CPU, Last benchmark series I ran was about 68-70C in June.

This is with a G500A case and M25 140MM fans which do move some air in the case.

However, I'm interested in the Gigabyte AIO myself just because my AIO is about 4 years old and my machine and equipment is primarily Gigabyte currently, I wouldn't mind removing the iCue software tbh and making a uniform build.

 

[docboy]

That's the new norm. Give these a look please, while also noting that you loaded up all the cores in the above scenario.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9TjJviotnI

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljZt_TQegHE

Good info. Makes me think all this hype about thermal throttling may be just internet ballyhoo.

Possibly gist I inferred from the videos is with the intel 13th gen cpus, buy the best cooler you can get and call it a day?

 

[Phaaze88]

Good info. Makes me think all this hype about thermal throttling may be just internet ballyhoo.

Yeah. Might even be a temperature measuring(e-peen) contest to some.

Possibly gist I inferred from the videos is with the intel 13th gen cpus, buy the best cooler you can get and call it a day?

Aye. That, and, "Why all the obsession on temperatures as low as possible? It's performance being left on the table?" I think the engineer said something along those lines in one of the videos.

They did the overclocking for us within parameters they deemed safe operation, but I guess it's not enough when we've got users out there that seem to know better than the engineers.
Ehh, what do I know though...

 

[Zerk2012]

I just saw this but unfortunately I have already purchased the waterforce 360. Cooler master ML360R seems to be tier 1 vs waterforce's tier 2 and cooler master was $40 cheaper than this one. Oh well, what's done is done. I haven't yet checked the idle temps in windows as the windows isn't installed yet on my new pc but the temps are 37 degrees for i7 13700k in the bios. I guess you wouldn't call it "idle" temps in the bios right?

I don't trust anything from LTT since most of his videos are either from another person or paid advertising from a manufacturer.

Even in the link posted for the coolers they make this statement. You make up a teir list for coolers but quality doesn't matter?

Quality, aesthetics, acoustics, and ease of installation aren't accounted for