Since there is no software included with the Kelvin series, so we had to adjust the Fan header's power settings via either the Bios or the ASUS AI Suite. If we ran the PWM AUTO profile the RPM of the fans at idle was around 750 RPM, picking up rapidly to full blast when the processor was loaded with the Prime95 stability test benchmark. Therefore we include three readouts in this article when we tested the Overclocked setup:

• Kelvin S36 with the fans locked at full speed +/- 1754 RPM
• Kelvin S36 with auto adjusted fixed fan speed at 60% : +/-1250 RPM (barely audible)
• Kelvin S36 with adjusted fan speed at 900rpm (almost inaudible)

However before we start off with the heavy pounding, a quick test at stock speeds of the hexacore i7-3960X. Keep in mind that on the ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard,  the Intel i7-3960X is not running according the stock Intel Turbo, but runs at 3900MHz on all the cores when being loaded.

 

 

At idle we see a minimalistic performance gain versus the other AIO's, similar behavior as with the air coolers, this as the processor is idling at 1600MHz. Once all cores are crunching at 3900MHz, the Kelvin S36 can easily differentiate itself from other AIO's, this while remaining enjoyable for the ears.

 

 

These high end coolers only start to shine when our six core processor is overclocked. At idle nothing spectacular,  the Kelvin S36 is positioning itself amongst the other Corsair Hydro 240/280 variants. Between the manual and Full speed presets we see a tiny drop in performance, implying the radiator even with the Fans at mid range speeds is more than able to dissipate the heat. The competition with its fans running at speeds near or even in excess of 2000 RPM are able to nibble of some extra °C; though this at the cost of a lot of extra generated noise.

 

 

Time to let the i7-3960X rip at 4500MHz through the Mersenne Prime95 benchmark. The included air coolers have a hard time keeping the temperatures of the processor near the 80°C mark. Depending on the fan profile chosen most AIO's are near the 72-75°C when the Silent or Quiet profile is selected. Even with the Fractal Fans just running at a mere 700RPM (Manual mode) they still enable the Kelvin S36 to best the faster spinning models of the competition. If we let the push and pull Fan setup spin at +/-1750 RPM (Full) the temperature drop is about +/-3°C. This is less than with the other popular AIO's in this roundup, where we used to spot more of a 3-5° temperature drop between slow (silent mode) or fast spinning setups. Nevertheless this Kelvin S36 proves to be another nice addition to the All in One liquid cooling devices. There is no longer a requirement to use high speed Fans to assure great cooling performance.

 

 

 

As mentioned above most of the 240 AIO's need fast spinning fans to achieve good cooling performance. Besides the debate whether or not these AIOs can be classified as liquid cooling devices, the lower generated noise level still make custom water cooling loops far more enjoyable for daily usage. The Fractal Kelvin S36  is able to close in on them DIY loops by achieving great cooling performance at an acceptable noise level, this even with the triple Fan setup spinning at a mere 1700RPM. At 1250 or even 900RPM the S36 unit becomes nearly inaudible.