The base plate is very shiny and smooth with five heatpipes tightly twisting through. There is a very fine relief on the surface, not one you would really notice, and wouldn’t be an issue when transferring heat.
If you rub thermal paste into the base plate before mounting, this will fill a number of scratches or imperfections that may cause performance issues. It will also help to uniformly layer the thermal paste when applying it before mounting.
Test Set Up
- Processor: Intel i7-6700K
- Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme4
- Graphics: MSI GTX 970 GAMING Twin Frozr V
- Memory: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4 @2666Mhz
- Drives: Samsung SM951 512GB M.2
- 2x Crucial MX200 500Gb SSD
- PSU: EVGA 850W SuperNOVA G2
- Chassis: MicroCool Banchetto 101 Chassis
Software used for load tests and temperature capture;
- HWiNFO64
- AIDA64 Engineer
We ran the AIDA64 Extreme stability test in 30 minute batches and recorded the results. We used the Core Max result as there was typically a variance across the cores of a couple of degrees. We only selected the cache, FPU and CPU tests, so no other component would generate impacting heat during the tests.
We always “run in” our CPU cooler installations, essential to maximizing the performance of the cooler before testing begins.
BIOS Setting
We used the default PWM setting for the testing. This is the FAN-Tastic Tuning page in the ASRock Z170 Extreme4 BIOS.
Sound Level Testing
We used a standard generic digital sound level meter at 15 inches. It is important to note we used the MicroCool Banchetto 101 Chassis for testing which is an open chassis. This means you are hearing the CPU coolers fan unobstructed.
Thermal Paste
We use Arctic MX-2 for all heatsink cooler tests and in fact we use it for all builds, test or otherwise. We run the AIDA64 Engineer stability test as our burn in programme for thermal paste, which allows the paste to spread out and share the love across the mating surfaces. It is worth doing, we always notice a drop in temperatures after 30 minutes of burn in.
Reeven Steropes RC-1206b CPU Cooler Review
Package - 8.5
Performance - 9.5
Price - 8.5
Consumer Experience - 8.5
8.8
We wouldn't hesitate to recommend this cooler, and in fact in HTPC, server or normal builds. If you have a small chassis, the Thermaltake Core V1 mITX chassis for example, this is going to be a perfect partner and coupled with the Intel i7-6700K, it shouldn't give you too many headaches, if any at all.