Tests and iCUE software:
Now that our NVIDIA RTX 4080 Founders Edition is decked out with its iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid waterblock and cooling loop, it’s time to get down to business and evaluate the gains in terms of temperature. Our tests took place outside the case, with the waterblock connected to our motherboard via the iCUE Link HUB. Here’s the complete configuration used for our tests:
- Motherboard: ROG Maximus Z790 APEX Encore (BIOS 0502)
- Processor: Intel i9 13900KS
- Memory : 32 GB Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34
- Graphics card: NVIDIA RTX 4080 Founders Edition
- GPU cooling system : Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme Liquid 280
- SSD : Western Digital SN850 NVMe SSD M.2
- Power supply: be quiet! Dark Power PRO 12 1500w
- Operating system: Windows 10
First, let’s open the application to see the various parameters it offers for setting up the iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid waterblock.
Corsair iCUE software:
By default, as we can see, the fan remains idle as long as the GPU temperature does not exceed 50°C. Personally, as the VRMs are heatsink less, I started air circulation and therefore fan activation at 30°C.
There’s also a temperature alert system that can, for example, automatically switch off the PC if the temperature becomes too high. A safety feature to protect your components. We’ll come back to the iCUE software in more detail when we install the complete cooling loop with Corsair products.
Testing our iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid block:
As far as our temperature readings are concerned, we ran three 10-minute test loops under 3DMark Time Spy with 5-minute intervals before running the following series again. The temperature in the lab was 19.6°C. The temperatures to be recorded via GPU-Z are those of the GPU, the Hotspot and the memory.
Here are the tables showing our results, with the evolution of temperatures according to the cooling solution. The green graphs represent the temperatures of the NVIDIA RTX 4080 Founders Edition, while the blue graphs represent the card equipped with the Corsair waterblock.
In terms of GPU temperature gains with the Corsair waterblock, we’re looking at an average of 8.9°C for the GPU, 6.8°C for the hotspot and 16°C for the memory. Performance is therefore very good, since the NVIDIA RTX 4080 Founders Edition’s imposing heatsink is already ultra-high-performance. The pre-installed thermal pads also do the job perfectly, and are of sufficient size for us to see a real gain in terms of temperature. Another positive point is that thanks to the Corsair iCUE Link XG3 RGB Hybrid waterblock, the graphics card has become compact and will fit into any configuration.
Finally, our biggest concern was the VRMs, i.e., the power supply stages. These seem to have no trouble being kept cool by the circulation of air from our waterblock fan! As a reminder, although by default Corsair leaves the fan at rest before a GPU temperature of 50°C, we chose to activate it from 30°C.
