Best and Worst Positions for a 360 AIO, Phase 1 Results (TPCEA)

The best compromise configurations to help your CPU and GPU.

The ranking points shown are only for the CPU & GPU. Ties were resolved by looking at VRM and mobo points, too.

1. Side mount, tubes up, intake (1+2=3 points)

2. Side, up, exhaust (4+1=5 points)

3. Front, up, intake (3+7=10 points)

4. Side, down, intake (2+8=10 points)

5. Top, exhaust (5+6=11 points)

As you can see, there's a major gap between the top 2 and the other 3. There is actually another with 11 points, but front, up, exhaust comes at the price of 8+3=11. That's a difference of 8^oC on the CPU. Even #5 is not really acceptable, and I would personally not use #2.

Again, top, intake would be the worst for the combo of CPU and GPU needs.

The best compromise configurations for all 4 components.

CPU, GPU, Mobo & VRM (heatsinks by the CPU socket)

Overall Best (cool CPU & GPU, hotter mobo and VRM)

Going strictly by ranks, the best option would be Side mount, tubes up, exhaust (4+1+5+2=12 points). However, since a CPU cooler is for the CPU primarily, the choice is actually Side mount, tubes up, intake (1+2+6+5=14 points). This is 4^oC better for the CPU, only 1^oC worse for the GPU and mobo, and 4^oC worse for the VRM.

Runner-Up (hotter CPU, cool GPU, mobo and VRM)

Thus, Side mount, tubes up, exhaust (4+1+5+2=12 points) goes here.

2nd Runner-Up (hotter CPU & GPU, cool mobo and VRM)

Top, exhaust (5+6+1+1=13 points) takes this position but marginally because, as with the first step of phase 1, it is deceptive because it only got 13 rank points, but it represents a loss of 5^oC for the CPU, a loss of only 1^oC for the GPU, an improvement of 2^oC for the mobo and a whopping improvement of 12^oC for the VRM! If it weren't for the CPU, this would be a really good choice. Still, if you're not OCing or doing other things that really push your computer, it's not even important since all of these results are within the safe range for most CPUs, GPUs, mobos and VRMs.

Tax season intermission. And litigation.

Edited by RevGAM, 17 April 2024 - 05:57 PM.

Ok, I've hired a lawyer, and I've found a tax expert who won't destroy me financially to help with my YT expenses vs tiny income and my personal taxes (of which I shouldn't owe any even if I ignore the rest). I'm struggling this week as I titrated off a medication last week that doesn't leave the body for a while, and it's made my hypertension worse, which has had knock-on effects on my equilibrium, physical coordination, and general sense of wellness (not so great). Still, I'm not quite as stupid as I look, even now. ;) ;P

I'm running a few additional tests now to make some points about how different configurations can affect the results, but only using one of the worst mounting configurations. It should be interesting. I will also be adding in the clock speed results. My friend in the UK is supposed to be working on the graphs (but he has ADHD so it may be a while because he gets side-tracked more easily than me and my anxiety).

BTW, I would very much like to know if anyone found the previous part I did about the Cinebench and Time Spy results of value. Even you, Eddie. I feel rather ambivalent about it.

I was compiling the data and added in the clocks and CPU/thread usage when I noticed some inconsistencies in the clocks & CPU/thread usage data, plus one anomaly that I thought I'd hand-written incorrectly for P95. They're not all important as they're from tests that didn't yield the highest results from the 3 programs, so I probably won't redo those, but I definitely need to rerun P95 for front-up-exhaust with fans on the inner side of the rad as that's directly related to the CPU score and Time Spy for side-down-intake-inner, and side-down-exhaust-sandwiched with fans sandwiched, whereas Cinebench 2024 is barely useful for the mobo temps. Sigh. I thought I was finally done. I should have those tests redone and my data updated tomorrow.

Note: inner means that the fans are in the default position on the rad, which is case|rad|fan, whereas sandwiched means case|fan|rad.

Oh, I also did five additional tests that I had intended to do but didn't have time before today. The tests were all run with the AIO on top, intaking, with the fans sandwiched between rad and case. I tried:

• removing the top glass panel,
• removing both top and front panels,
• removing both glass and front mesh,
• removing the top glass and front mesh off with the side blocked by cardboard, and
• removing both glass and front mesh off with the side blocked by cardboard.

for the mobo, and 4-6 degrees for the VRM when compared to the top intake test with both glass panels and front mesh on, and the side only using the default grill and coarse mesh.

HOWEVER:

1. CPU: It didn't really help to improve those tests efficacy!  Of all the top-intake tests, ONLY the top-intake test with the fans on the inner side of the rad ranked in the middle. The rest ranked in the BOTTOM SEVEN. Thus, for the top, it really is ALMOST ALWAYS the worst position when intaking air. When compared to the top-intake-sandwiched, there was a drop of 3-4 degrees compared with the modified top-intake-sandwiched tests.
2. GRAPHICS PROCESSOR: A significant POSITIVE difference was observed, with the top-intake-inner and top-intake-sandwiched being at the very bottom of the list, whereas the ones with changes to panels and mesh ranked in the top and middle of the list. When compared to the top-intake-sandwiched, there was a drop of 2-4 degrees compared with the modified top-intake-sandwiched tests.
3. MOTHERBOARD: All of the top-intake tests ranked in the bottom 10! That's 7 tests! When compared to the top-intake-sandwiched, there was a drop of 2-6 degrees compared with the modified top-intake-sandwiched tests.
4. VRMs: This was the only component that benefited from EVERY TOP configuration, with ALL NINE ranking in the top 11! When compared to the top-intake-sandwiched, there was a drop of 4-6 degrees compared with the modified top-intake-sandwiched tests, which was ranked #11! The other two that were in the top 11 were side-down-exhaust-inner and side-up-exhaust-inner.

To summarize: even when I removed barriers to improve the performance of the top mounting, it did not help enough to be worthwhile, including when I streamlined the case by blocking the side mount positions.

A couple of other worthwhile observations:

1. With the exception of 3 Cinebench 2024 mobo tests that were either the same as the hottest or one degree hotter from P95 and/or Time Spy, Cinebench 2024 CPU Multi-Core was unable to produce the hottest results for the CPU, GPU and VRMs.
2. There is absolute causation between CB24 GPU scores and temperatures, but not CPU temperatures despite running the CPU multi-core test.
3. I can't immediately determine the relationship between the Time Spy scores and Time Spy temperatures. There is no direct relationship between ANY of the 4 temperature recordings during Time Spy runs and their scores.

One very important omission about the Prime 95 torture testing that I'd completely forgotten about is that I run it with hyperthreading.

Edited by RevGAM, 20 April 2024 - 04:16 AM.

Is the Pump Location Important When Installing a Water Cooler (AIO and Custom Loop)?

Retests completed. Additionally, I did even more tests with taking off glass panels and a mesh filter, and blocking another panel just to see how it would affect the results when the AIO is in a different location. It'll be interesting to see how the rankings change between the retests and new tests.

BTW, as my peer's results are located on a competitor's forum, I don't really feel comfortable sharing that link publicly on here as part of my goal of posting results and links to videos here is to bring more people to BC. If you want to see those results, you'll either need to ask me privately for the link, or watch my videos. Or find NorKirs somewhere else. ;)

Sorry, but I don't know how to calculate the margin of error or confidence interval! My math skills deteriorated very rapidly after I gave up on maths once I completed my advanced maths class. All I can do now are arithmetic and simple algebra.

The following is the completed testing from the previous posts with adjustments and corrections for CPU & GPU temperatures, including a bonus 8 extra-special tests (lol).

Video version.

Key

AIO Location

F)ront

S)ide

T)op

Tubes Orientation

U)p

D)own

F)ront

B)ack (not used)

Fan Orientation

I)ntake

E)xhaust

Graphics Card Location

V)ertical Mount

P)CIe slot (not yet tested)

Fan Location

Inner = on the radiator's inner-facing side (against case air)

Sandwich = between the radiator and the case

CPU temps came from Prime 95.

GPU temps came from Time Spy.

Motherboard temps came from Time Spy, too.

VRM temps came mostly from Prime 95, but a tiny number of results (for the inner tests) came from Time Spy and Cinebench 2024.

Surprising results? Perhaps. You tell me what YOU think about them!

CPU Results

The numbers represent delta T in ^oCelsius. Room temperature ranged between 19-24^oC.  The CPU delta temperature range was 59-72 C (14^oC). The CPU (left) temperature was the main focus, of course. The GPU (right) temperature was the secondary sort criteria. If you pay attention, you'll see that #3 is the best option to accommodate both the CPU and GPU.

1. FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off 59 73  
2. SUEV-Inner 60 71
3. SDEV-Inner 61 68  
4. SUIV-Inner 61 75  
5. FDIV-Inner 62 71  
6. SDIV-Sandwich 62 73  
7. FUIV-Inner 62 74  
8. SUIV-Sandwich 62 75  
9. SDEV-Sandwich 63 70
10. SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open 63 75  
11. SDIV-Inner 63 77
12. SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off 63 78
13. SUEV-Sandwich 64 72
14. TEFV-Inner 64 74
15. TIFV-Inner 64 75
16. FDIV-Sandwich 65 73
17. TEFV-Sandwich 65 74
18. FUIV-Sandwich 66 76
19. FDEV-Inner 67 71
20. TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off 68 72
21. FDEV-Sandwich 68 72
22. FUEV-Sandwich 68 73
23. TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels 68 73
24. TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked 69 72
25. TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked 69 73
26. TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off 69 74  
27. TIFV-Sandwich 71 76  
28. FUEV-Inner 72 73

Special VS Regular Tests

Ranks shown in green below were the special tests. Standard testing used all glass panels, all dust filters except for where the AIO was set to exhaust instead of intake. Special tests involved the removal of one or both glass panels (top and front), and/or dust filters/mesh, and/or the blocking of ONE of the 3 mounting positions. Only 3 of the special tests netted respectable results on the side and front, and all others - on the top, were not able to help improve the top mounting of an AIO a meaningful amount.

Inner VS Sandwich(ed)

In almost every like-vs-like case, inner is the winner.                       Sandwiched :bowdown:Inner                        Sandwiched   Inner

Radiator Mounting: Side VS Front VS Top

Front-mounted AIO tests

• FDEV: ranked 19i (67^oC) & 21s (68^oC)
  • Inner was 1^oC lower than sandwich
• FDIV: ranked 5i (62^oC) & 16s (65^oC)
  • Inner was 3^oC lower than sandwich.

Intake defeated exhaust with a variance of up 6^oC.

• FUEV: ranked 22s (68^oC) & 28i (72^oC)
  • Sandwich performed 4^oC better than inner but given that both had high temperatures, this isn't important.
• FUIV: ranked 1i (59 ^oC), 7i (62 ^oC) & 18s (66 ^oC)
  • The blocking of the side mount with the top uncovered and the front glass panel off but the dust filter on resulted in a decrease of 3^oC.
  • Inner resulted in 62^oC vs sandwich at 66^oC.

1. Intake always defeated exhaust with up to a 14^oC difference. Take that!
2. There was a significant difference between Intake configurations (3, 4 & 7^oC), and the exhaust configurations (4^oC), with the only special being 3-10^oC cooler than the others, Have at thee!
3. Inner positioning was usually better than sandwiched (inner is easier to install, too, and doesn't require longer radiator screws than are usually included).
4. Inner positioning on intake was ultimately the best option in the front by 5^oC up to 9^oC. Smitten, eh? ;)

Side-mounted AIO tests

• SDEV: ranked 3i (61 ^oC) & 12s (64 ^oC)
  • Inner was 3^oC cooler than sandwich.
• SDIV: ranked 6s (62 ^oC), 9 (63 ^oC), 10i ( 63^oC) & 11 (63 ^oC)
  • Sandwich was 1^oC cooler than inner, the only time that sandwich did better than its cousin, inner. ;)
  • The two specials and inner were all the same temperature (63^oC), meaning that those configurations don't help vs the standard configurations. It's like eating white bread - forgettable!

Exhaust and intake flip-flopped in a statistically insignificant way as to which did better.

• SUEV: ranked 2i (60 ^oC) & 13s (64 ^oC)
  • Inner was 4^oC cooler than sandwich.
• SUIV: ranked 4i (61 ^oC) & 8s (62 ^oC)
  • Inner was 1^oC cooler than sandwich.

Inner outperformed sandwich, and intake and exhaust flip-flopped.

1^oC variance between inners, 2^oC between sandwiches. 

Top-mounted AIO tests

• TEFV: ranked 14i (64 ^oC) & 17s (65 ^oC)
  • Inner was 1^oC cooler than sandwich
• TIFV: ranked 15i (64 ^oC), 20 (68 ^oC), 23 (68 ^oC), 24 (69 ^oC), 25 (69 ^oC), 26 (69 ^oC) & 27s (71 ^oC)
  • Inner was 7^oC cooler than sandwich
  • Different configurations of the glass panels, dust filters and made no significant difference, with a maximum variance of 1^oC.

Overall, top mounting was the worst, but some front-mounts were equally bad. If you MUST use top mount, you're best off exhausting the air.

My tests suggest that side-mounting is best when the front is partially blocked by glass or metal, otherwise front tends to be better according to NorKris's tests, which didn't involve glass barriers on the top and front. Every PC is different, though, so experiment!

Tubes Up VS Down

No statistically useful improvement was derived with either in a consistent way. If you're hard-pressed to decrease your CPU temps, consult the list and do your own experimenting to see what you get with your case and setup.

Intake VS Exhaust

Top: exhaust is a generally better than intake.

Front: intake is always better than exhaust, sometimes extremely so.

Side: exhaust is usually better than intake, but it flip-flops depending on specifics.

There is no hard and fast rule for some of this stuff, other than that top sucks for the CPU, and inner is usually preferred over sandwiched. However, push or pull plays a role in that.
 

Edited by RevGAM, 21 April 2024 - 01:23 PM.

Still to come:

1. The rest of the results: Mobo and VRM temps, Cinebench 2024 and Time Spy scores and FPS, plus average effective clock speeds, and CPU/Thread usage from Prime 95, CB24 & TS.
2. Comparison between the above results and NorKris's results to highlight what the differences indicate.
3. Comparisons with other testers results to see if further "Eureka!"s can be found.
4. 18 more 140mm initial fan reviews
5. The TR Frozen Notte 360 with a different GC mounted in the PCIe slot (so that all positions can be tested)., possibly in another case
6. The rest of the 140mm initial fan reviews
7. Still more 120mm fan reviews
8. Slim fan and/or <120mm fans reviews
9. More initial 360mm AIO reviews: 1 Arctic, 1 Azza, 1 be quiet!, 1 DeepCool, 1 EK, 3 Enermax, 1 Raidmax, 1 Sama, 1 (more) Thermalright
10. Air Cooler initial reviews: 2 Akasa, 1 Asiahorse, 1 be quiet!, 1 Cooler Master, 4 DeepCool, 1 Dynatron, 1 Enermax, 1 Gelid, 1 Iceberg Thermal, 1 ID-Cooling, 1 Montech, 2 Noctua, 1 PCCooler, 1 Raijintek, 1 SilverStone, 3 Thermalright, Vetroo, 2 Zalman
11. Test results for coolers and fans
12. Fan and AIO sound comparisons
13. LED fan comparisons
14. Fan airflow and velocity comparisons
15. Fan bearings comparisons
16. No side-mount case (maybe later this year)
17. Restricted airflow case (maybe later this year)
18. Mesh case AIO mounting (maybe later this year)
19. Micro-ATX/iTX case AIO mounting (way down the road)
20. Thermal compounds (TIMs): pads and pastes testing (maybe this year, maybe next year)
21. Maybe a surprise this year. Maybe!

Edited by RevGAM, 20 April 2024 - 07:12 PM.

Motherboard & VRM Temperatures

Some people obsess over these things yet, for most people, they are not important. It takes VERY demanding tasks (torture testing, 3D, folding, CAD, etc.) to have any real impact on the mobo and VRMs. On my PC, only the Prime 95 torture test I run with Small FFTs causes any problems, and that's just with the Internet connection. 95% of people do NOT need to worry about these temps.

If you are actually struggling with your VRMs, then buy a cooler that blows air on them: either an air cooler, a specially mounted fan, or a water cooler with a VRM fan. The following list is NOT recommended to be used for choosing where to mount your AIO's rad. This list is organized by the mobo temperatures, and secondarily by VRM temperatures, which should have very little impact. The mobo temps are sorted first on the Time Spy Results, second on the Cinebench 2024 results, and finally on the Prime 95 results.Temperatures are delta (temperature minus ambient) in Celsius.

Video version.

Motherboard Temperatures

                                                                                                               |   Motherboard    | VRM|  Room

Configuration                                                                           CPU|GPU|  P95 |CB24| TS  | P95 |  Temp

SDEV-Inner                                                                                61   68        8      9      11     43    23

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                          65   73       10    12      13     57    22

FDEV-Inner                                                                                67   71       13    13      13     56    22

TEFV-Inner                                                                                64   74       13    14     13     35    21

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                         65   74         9    12     14     45    21

FUEV-Inner                                                                                72   73       19    13     14     63    P:19, 23

SUEV-Inner                                                                                60   71       11    15     14     48    21

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                        63   70        12    13     15     53    24, CB:23

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                          62   73       12    13     15     56    22

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                        68  72         13    13     15    60    22

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                        68   73        13    14     15    59    21

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                        64   72        14    14     15    53    21

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                         66   76         14    15     16    61    19

SUIV-Inner                                                                                61   75         14    16     17    58    22

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off   59   73           9    11     18    51    22

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                         63   75          12    13     18    51    21

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                      63   78          12   13     18    57    20

FDIV-Inner                                                                                62   71          14   13     18    56    25

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                         62   75          14   14     18    59    19

FUIV-Inner                                                                                62   74          15   14     18    56    22

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                   68   72          16   17     20    46    21

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked             69   73          17   16     21    47    21

SDIV-Inner                                                                               63   77           14   16    22    59    20

TIFV-Inner                                                                               64   75           17   17    22    33    23

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked   69   72           16   17    23    46    21

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                            68   73           16   18    23    48    21

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                 69   74           16   17    24    47    21

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                        71   76            20   20    24    51    P:22, 19

As you can see:

• All the special tests did poorly for the mobo and VRMs.
• Overall, exhaust performed better than most intake tests.
• Sandwiched, down and intake on the front and side outperformed all other intake tests with a difference of only 2^oC where front-mount was better, with sandwiched, front, up and intake being one degree behind them, and side, up, intake, inner being one degree behind that.
• Some sandwiched configurations did better for them, while some inners did better.
• Top intake continued to perform poorly for the mobo and VRMs, just like it did for the CPU and GPU.
• Both top exhausts did quite well for the mobo and VRMs.
• In most configs, exhaust performed better than intake.
• The temperature range was 11-24^oC (13^oC) for the mobo and 33-63^oC (30^oC) for the VRMs, which is pretty major.

VRM Temperatures

This time it's sorted by VRMs, followed by the 3 mobo columns.
 

                                                                                                              |   Motherboard    | VRM|  Room
Configuration                                                                           CPU|GPU|  P95 |CB24| TS  | P95 |  Temp

TIFV-Inner                                                                                  64   75     17     17     22     33      23

TEFV-Inner                                                                                64   74     13     14      13     35     21

SDEV-Inner                                                                                61   68      8       9       11     43     23

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                         65   74      9      12      14     45     21

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                    68   72     16     17       20     46     21

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked     69   72     16     17       23     46     21

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked              69   73     17     16       21     47     21

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                   69   74     16     17       24     47     21

SUEV-Inner                                                                               60   71     11      15      14     48     21

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                             68   73     16      18      23     48     21

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off   59   73       9      11      18     51     22

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                          63   75     12      13     18     51     21

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                         71   76      20      20     24     51     P:22, 19

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                        63   70     12     13      15     53     24, CB:23

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                        64   72     14      14     15     53     21

FDEV-Inner                                                                               67   71     13      13     13     56     22

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                         62   73     12      13     15      56     22

FDIV-Inner                                                                                62   71     14      13     18     56     25

FUIV-Inner                                                                                62   74     15      14     18     56     22

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                        65   73     10      12     13     57      22

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                      63   78     12     13     18     57      20

SUIV-Inner                                                                                61   75     14     16     17     58      22

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                       68   73     13     14     15     59      21

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                         62   75     14     14     18     59      19

SDIV-Inner                                                                                63   77     14     16     22     59     20

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                       68   72     13     13     15     60      22

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                         66   76     14     15     16     61      19

FUEV-Inner                                                                              72   73     19     13      14     63       P:19, 23

• This is where top mounting really shone, with all 9 tests being in the top half.
• Only Side, down, exhaust, inner (ranked #3) was in the top 5 but still 10^oC hotter than TIFV-Inner and 8^oC hotter than TEFV-Inner!
• Aside from that, the only other non-top in the top 10 was Side, up, exhaust, inner, ranked #8, but it was 15^oC hotter than TIFV-Inner and 13^oC than TEFV-Inner!
• VRM temperatures at the bottom end of this list are of concern.

Edited by RevGAM, 21 April 2024 - 01:56 PM.

Cinebench 2024 & 3DMark Time Spy Results

The higher the scores and FPS, the better. Cinebench, I believe, is more useful in determining a configuration that can help with creative work, whereas Time Spy is better for determining gaming performance and video playback.

Video version

Cinebench 2024 Scores

Sorted by the CB score. Secondary sort item was the Time Spy Graphics Score.

Configuration                                                                      Score

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                          1,126

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                1,144

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                      1,147

TIFV-Inner                                                                              1,149

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked  1,152

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off 1,158

SDEV-Inner                                                                            1,160

SUIV-Inner                                                                              1,161

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                     1,166

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                      1,169

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                   1,171

FUEV-Inner                                                                            1,172

SDIV-Inner                                                                             1,173

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                       1,175

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                      1,175

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                               1,179

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                      1,184

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                     1,186

SUEV-Inner                                                                           1,186

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                    1,190

FDEV-Inner                                                                           1,190

FDIV-Inner                                                                             1,191

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                    1,191

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                      1,193

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked          1,193

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                    1,194

TEFV-Inner                                                                           1,194

FUIV-Inner                                                                             1,213

• There doesn't seem to be any obvious correlation between how the AIO is mounted and the scores.
• Spread: 87 points

Time Spy Scores & FPS

Higher is better.

Time Spy Overall Scores

Secondary sort criteria was the graphics score.

Configuration                                                                       Score

SDIV-Inner                                                                              18,061

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                       18,189

SDEV-Inner                                                                            18,209

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                     18,372

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off 18,375

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                    18,377

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                       18,381

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                       18,392

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                       18,395

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                18,395

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked  18403

FDEV-Inner                                                                            18,423

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                     18,427

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                       18,431

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                       18,436

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                      18,437

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                     18,439

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked           18,439

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                          18,451

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                18,452

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                     18,455

FDIV-Inner                                                                             18,465

FUEV-Inner                                                                            19,198

SUIV-Inner                                                                              19,202

TEFV-Inner                                                                            19,212

FUIV-Inner                                                                              19,212

SUEV-Inner                                                                            19,240

TIFV-Inner                                                                              19,261

• Intake vs exhaust was irrelevant, as was side vs front vs top.
• It seems like the only significant mounting factor for the best scores was that the fans were mounted on the inner side of the radiator, AND the tubes were up OR it was top-mounted. These differences added 733 points to the score over the next best config (front, down, intake, inner). Only one tubes down configuration appears in the top half.
• Spread: 1200 points.

Time Spy Graphics Scores

Secondary sort criteria was the overall score.

Configuration                                                                       Score

SDIV-Inner                                                                              18,770

SDEV-Inner                                                                             18,835

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                       18,887

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                        19,021

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                    19,028

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                       19,030

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                       19,042

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off 19,054

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                      19,054

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                       19,061

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                      19,075

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                       19,081

FDIV-Inner                                                                              19,082

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                 19,083

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                           19,087

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked  19092

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                19,094

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked            19,095

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                      19,100

FDEV-Inner                                                                             19,101

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                      19,104

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                      19,114

SUIV-Inner                                                                               20,058

TIFV-Inner                                                                               20,100

FUEV-Inner                                                                             20,106

SUEV-Inner                                                                             20,122

TEFV-Inner                                                                             20,130

FUIV-Inner                                                                               20,136

• Intake and exhaust was irrelevant, as was side vs front vs top.
• It seems like the only significant mounting factor for the best scores was that the fans were mounted on the inner side of the radiator, and the tubes were up or it was top-mounted. These differences added up 944 points to the score over the next best config (side, down, exhaust, sandwich). This time, we only see two tubes down results in the top 10, and they're both with sandwiched fans.
• Spread: 1366 points.

Time Spy FPS Results

Sort criteria was the two test results in FPS. Higher is better.

Configuration                                                                    Test 1  Test 2

SDIV-Inner                                                                            123.52  106.71

SDEV-Inner                                                                           123.73  107.25

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                     124.22  107.43

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                      124.96  108.30

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                     124.96  108.52

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                     125.01  108.35

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                    125.11  108.54

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                   125.19  108.20

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked 125.25  108.61

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                      125.29  108.47

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                      125.31  108.67

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                 125.33  108.69

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off 125.34  108.37

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                125.35  108.78

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                     125.39  108.56

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked           125.43  108.74

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                           125.45  108.64

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                     125.51  108.77

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                     125.59  108.66

FDEV-Inner                                                                            125.59  108.67

FDIV-Inner                                                                              125.68  108.41

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                     125.79  108.66

SUIV-Inner                                                                              131.60  114.33

TIFV-Inner                                                                              131.68  114.72

SUEV-Inner                                                                             131.78  114.89

FUEV-Inner                                                                             131.93  114.59

FUIV-Inner                                                                               131.99  114.87

TEFV-Inner                                                                             132.04  114.77

• Intake and exhaust was irrelevant, as was side vs front vs top.
• It seems like the only significant mounting factor for the best scores was that the fans were mounted on the inner side of the radiator, the tubes were up OR it was top-mounted. These differences added  5.81 and 5.67 FPS, respectively, to the results over the next best config (side, down, exhaust, sandwich).
• Spread: FPS gains were modest, with a total range of only 8.52 and 8.18, respectively, between best and worst in each test column.

Time Spy CPU Scores & FPS

Sort criteria was the CPU score, with the secondary being the overall score. Higher is better. Since FPS directly correlates to the score, it is included.

Configuration                                                                       Score  FPS

SDIV-Inner                                                                              14,879  49.99

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                       15,041  50.53

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                      15,060  50.60

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                 15,239  51.20

FUIV-Inner                                                                               15,249  51.23

TEFV-Inner                                                                             15,268  51.30

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked   15281  51.34

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off  15,288  51.36

FUEV-Inner                                                                             15,288  51.36

SDEV-Inner                                                                             15,327  51.50

FDEV-Inner                                                                             15,340  51.54

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                        15,344  51.55

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                     15,396  51.73

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                        15,406  51.76

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                      15,410  51.77

SUEV-Inner                                                                             15,413  51.78

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked            15,436  51.86

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                        15,453  51.92

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                      15,463  51.92

SUIV-Inner                                                                               15,463  51.95

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                      15,476  52.00

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                        15,506  52.10

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                           15,523  52.15

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                 15,543  52.22

TIFV-Inner                                                                              15,577  52.33

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                     15,590  52.38

FDIV-Inner                                                                              15,607  52.44

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                       15,624  52.49

• Negligible gains in FPS (2.5 FPS between best and worst) were obtained.
• The top 6 scores were within a 100-point range, whereas the gap between best and worst overall was 745 points.
• Inner and sandwiched didn't matter, nor did down vs up, but most of the best scores were on intake. Of the top 10, only 2 were exhaust, 2 were up, 3 were down and 5 were top-mounted. So if you lump together top-mount and tubes up, that's most of the best results.
• Top-mounted typically got better scores than side- and front-mounted did, with 5 top- and one front-mounted in the top 6, but all got some of the worst scores, including 3 of the top-mounted.
• Point gaps between scores are typically 10-20, bu there are some anomalies, too, where the FPSes are the same but the scores aren't, or vice versus. What's up with that? And the scores are directly tied to the FPS - at no point do you see a reversal - they march lock-step from worst to best.

Edited by RevGAM, 21 April 2024 - 08:18 PM.

CPU/Thread Usage & Average Effective Clock (MHz)

AMCTU = Avgd Max CPU/Thread Usage

ATCU = Avgd Total CPU Usage

MAEC = Maximum Average Effective Clock (MHz)

AAEC = Averaged Average Effective Clock (MHz)

As with all temperatures, the clocks and usage are taken from HWiNFO64. This is purely for informational purposes and provides no clues for configuration and scores analysis that I've noticed. If you see a trend, please let me know.

Prime 95, Cinebench 2024 and Time Spy Statistics

Prime 95 Statistics

Configuration                                                                          CPU | GPU | AMCTU | ATCU |  MAEC  | AAEC

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off     59     73       99.9     99.4     4560.3   4519.5

SUEV-Inner                                                                                60      71      99.9      99.5     4560      4528.1

SDEV-Inner                                                                                61      68      99.9      99.2    4557.6   4505.2

SUIV-Inner                                                                                  61     75      100       99.2     4560.1    4509.3

FDIV-Inner                                                                                 62      71      97.5      96.7    4559.7    4396

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                          62      73      99.9      99.3    4560.5    4513.2

FUIV-Inner                                                                                 62      74      99.9      99.1    4558.3    4504.7

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                          62      75      99.9      99.1    4559.8    4506.4

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                        63      70      99.9      99.4    4560.7    4519.1

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                          63      75      99.9      99.3    4561       4515.4

SDIV-Inner                                                                                63      77      99.9      99.3    4557.5    4513.9

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                      63      78      99.9      99.4    4560.5    4520.1

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                        64     72       99.9     99.4     4557.5    4518

TEFV-Inner                                                                               64     74      100       99.5     4557.6    4520.6

TIFV-Inner                                                                                64     75       99.9      99.1    4559       4496.4

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                         65     73       99.9     99.3     4560.2    4515.8

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                        65     74       99.9     99.2    4559        4510.8

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                         66    76        99.9     99.3    4559.7     4517.2

FDEV-Inner                                                                              67    71        99.9     99.5     4558.3    4526.1

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                       68    72        99.9     99.2    4559.2     4508.8

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                   68    72      100        99.3    4558.1     4515.5

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                       68    73        99.9     99.4    4559.5     4521.7

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                            68     73      100       99.5    4559.9     4522.2

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked   69     72      100       99.3    4559.5     4514.7

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked            69     73        99.9    99.3    4559.4     4513.2

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                 69     74        99.8   99.3     4558.2     4512.8

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                        71     76        99.9   99.3     4559.2     4512.7

FUEV-Inner                                                                              72     73       99.9    99.5     4550.5     4521.6

Cinebench 2024 Statistics

Configuration                                                                          CPU | GPU | AMCTU   |  ATCU  |   MAEC   |  AAEC

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off   59      73        91.5        89.8      4561.1     4090.2

SUEV-Inner                                                                               60      71       97.9        97         4561         4418.1

SDEV-Inner                                                                              61       68       98.3        97.7     4559.3      4451.9

SUIV-Inner                                                                                61       75      97.9        96.7      4559.5      4402.4

FDIV-Inner                                                                                62      71       98.7        97.1     4564.8       4420

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                        62       73       94           92.7     4561.6       4222.5

FUIV-Inner                                                                                62      74       91.7        90.4     4561.6       4121.4

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                         62      75       98.6        97.9     4561.2       4463

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                       63      70       98.6        97.9     4561.4       4460.3

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                         63      75       99.2        98.7     4562.1       4498

SDIV-Inner                                                                               63      77       88.4        85.4     4559.8       3888

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                     63      78       96.6        95.7     4561.9       4359.4

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                      64      72       98.7         98        4561.5      4468.1

TEFV-Inner                                                                             64      74       95.4         93.4     4560.5      4258.4

TIFV-Inner                                                                               64     75        98           97.4     4561          4435.8

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                        65     73       97.4        96.5      4559.9      4393.7

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                      65      74       93.5        89.9      4561.4      4096

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                       66      76       93.9         92.5     4561.8       4213.7

FDEV-Inner                                                                            67      71       97.8         97.3     4561.8      4435.3

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                     68      72       93.3         92.2     4562.8      4200.7

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                 68      72       98.9         98.4     4560.4      4481

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                     68      73        95.1        93.9     4561         4280.7

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                           68     73        95.3        94.1     4561.4       4284.5

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked  69     72        91.1        88.6     4562.6       4036.7

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked           69     73        95           93.8     45603.3     4275.4

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                69     74        95.7        94.5     4561.9       4299.4

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                       71     76       92.6         91        4561.3      4145.5

FUEV-Inner                                                                            72      73      98.4         96.2     4560.5       4383.2

Time Spy Statistics

Configuration                                                                          CPU | GPU | AMCTU   |  ATCU  |   MAEC   |  AAEC

FUIV-Inner - side blocked,top open, front mesh on, glass off    59    73         61          27.8       4552.3     1244.4

SUEV-Inner                                                                               60    71          59.2       26.5       4563.5     1207.4

SDEV-Inner                                                                               61    68          60.5       28.8      4560.6     1290.8

SUIV-Inner                                                                                61    75          59.6       27.8       4559        1249.8

FDIV-Inner                                                                                62    71          61.7       26.5       4561.9     1189.2

SDIV-Sandwich                                                                         62    73          61.4       27.6       4562.8     1239.7

FUIV-Inner                                                                                62    74          60.8       27.1       4563.9     1229.5

SUIV-Sandwich                                                                         62    75         60          26.6        4562.8     1191.6

SDEV-Sandwich                                                                       63    70         60.6        28.1       4563.5     1274

SDIV-Inner, top blocked, front open                                         63    75         61.7        28.1       4564.1     1257.5

SDIV-Inner                                                                               63    77         52.1        23.7       4560.5     1071.2

SDIV-Inner - top & front panels off, top mesh off                     63    78         57.1        24.9        4564.2     1121.4

SUEV-Sandwich                                                                       64    72         60.9       27.2        4562.3     1219.8

TEFV-Inner                                                                              64    74        56.6        24.9        4562.4     1115.7

TIFV-Inner                                                                               64     75         60.6      27.6         4562.6     1242.1

FDIV-Sandwich                                                                        65    73        60.8       28.4         4559.9     1281.5

TEFV-Sandwich                                                                      65     74         59.5      26.8         4564        1207.2

FUIV-Sandwich                                                                        66    76         61.7      27.5         4562.5      1232

FDEV-Inner                                                                             67     71         62        27.9         4564          1251.7

FDEV-Sandwich                                                                      68    72         61.4      27.1         4563.9      1216.2

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off                                  68    72          61.1    27.8          4563.1      1238.7

FUEV-Sandwich                                                                      68     73         60.9     27.7          4563.9      1241.8

TIFV-Sandwich - no glass panels                                           68     73         59.7     26.5          4563.7       1192.4

TIFV-Sandwich - no top panel & front filter off, side blocked  69     72         61.1     27.7          4564.2      1241.1

TIFV-Sandwich - panels & front filter off, side blocked           69     73         61.8      26.9         4562.3      1220.3

TIFV-Sandwich - top panel off                                                69    74          61.5     27.4          4562.6      1230.6

TIFV-Sandwich                                                                       71    76          61.9     27.4          4562.7      1224.7

FUEV-Inner                                                                             72    73         59.7      26.7         4563.5       1208

Edited by RevGAM, 21 April 2024 - 11:25 AM.

NorKris's VS Mine VS MSI's AIO Placement Results

I spent many, MANY hours on this series, and I'm still not done. I tested and threw away results several times because I discovered things I could do to make the results more valid, more useful for computer users. One test series for a configuration listed here took, without any data work, over 1 hours and 20 minutes, which means just testing took over 37 hours for the results you can see. Add to that the data entry, analysis, blog posts on Bleeping Computer, and we're talking a few more days of time. Add all the tests I threw out and we're talking days more work. This may look small compared to my fan reviews, but these videos on AIO configurations represent MUCH more work than the fan reviews I've done so far.