# Answer to "Whats the best CPU cooler?"



## Kopi

Great FAQ. Missed the TT Ultra 120, supposed to be one of the best


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## Ninja_Boy

Amazing. I love the format and the pictures. Everything is easy to find and the format is the same, throughout:

Title:

Picture

Description

Links

Conclusion

Rep+
[OCN] Ninja_Boy


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## Waupli

Thanks guys! I'll add the TT Ultra 120 soon.


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## Satek

straight to the point, goodjob +rep


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## Carni4

You forgot this baby (link):










I'll hopefully receive this monster this week.


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## Waupli

I'll add that soon. I'm doing the Ultra-120 right now and if I have time, I'll do that also. If not, I'll do it tomorrow.


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## Waupli

I added the Ultra-120. Its too late for me to do the Noctua right now. I'll do it tomorrow.

Oops double post. lol


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## pow3rtr1p

I actually read a review saying that, at least on AMD, the Titan Vanessa L-Type got better temps than the Tuniq Tower. It was only a few degrees, but you can actually find this cooler, unlike the Tuniq. Yes, it looks rediculous, and yes, it's huge, btu hey, if it performs, that's good enough, right?

Check the cooler out here: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=4104


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## Waupli

I'd be surprised if it works better than the tuniq or some other monster. It has so much cut out for the designs. After the air has left the fins, it won't go back in as much so I bet the back won't cool that well. I'll look it up and if its good, I'll add it.


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## money11465

You forgot the Scythe Ninja. It arguably has the same cooling power as the Infinity, so I'd put them together, like you did the 9500 and AC7. Otherwise, great FAQ!


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## Waupli

I knew I forgot an important one. lol I'll add that also.









Time for sleep. I'll add the others tomorrow.


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## LembasBread

You're almost on your way to you first flame, nice job!









I'm not saying it should be up there, but I've had some great experiences with the XP90C. At the time, I couldn't fit some of the larger heatsinks in my case due to space restrictions. This little baby saved my life and delivered some amazing temps when paired with my vantec tornado. Come to think of it, if anyone wants to buy this heatsink (less than 6 months old if I recall correctly), my vantec tornado (very high rpm fan), and/or my vantec fan controller


















The fan controller I spoke of. Fits in floppy drive bay. The cables can be a pain to set up (get tangled), but once you get situated, it's fine.


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## enz660

from my experiences, there are important factors to consider when judging or testing every heatsink.

1. Mounting pressure. The stock scythe infinity mount uses plastic pins which dont provide nearly the pressure that the ultra 120 or tuniq tower mounting system has to offer. People have had temp drops if 3-6c because of this modification. Here is a thread on it:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=117054

2. Fan speed & noise.
The tuniq tower, ultra 120, and big typhoon all have fins that are tightly spaced together. Becuase of this, they NEED at least a 60cfm fan to show the heatsink's muscle. To get this cfm, the fan would have to generate between 25-30dba. For some people, this is much too loud. The only reason the tuniq is good is because its fan produces MASSIVE airflow, at 40dba. You see the temps in the reviews, but if only you could listen to the 40dba it produces. If you want a quiet system, the scythe infinity or scythe ninja would be your best bet.

3. Base Construction.
I have a theory that the base of these monster heatsinks can either make or break its performance. The ultra 120 and tuniq tower have a base design that wraps around the heatpipes. This makes very good contact thus giving the radiator above it something to work on. On the other hand...the scythe infinity has only 25% of each heatpipe touching the base. And that smaller heatsink above the base? thats BARELY connected to it! If the scythe had similar base construction, it would be much better.

so...all this combined into one heatsink? Where can we get a high performance heatsink that is still quiet? Well it depends on what you think is high performance. There are more and more people modding their scythe infinity nowadays becuase of the potential it has. One of those popele just happens to me me









Here is my recent thread I have created on my experiences....

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=494855

Here is another someone else made...

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=493432

As you can see...there is a lot to gain from this heatsink.

So, what do we want to as outselves before we buy a heatsink? I will start with the obvious....

How big is it?
How many fins does it have?
How many heatpipes does it have?
How heavy is it (more metal to absorb the heat)
How many fans can I mount on it?
Will it be loud?
What ELSE can I do to it? (especially if it needs a lap job)

Look for potential, not out of the box performance. Its no surprise that all these reviews tell that the infinity is worse than the mightly tuniq when stock, but mod the **** out if it, and you will destroy the tuniq's performance with the little noise of two low rpm yate loons.

just my $0.02...


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## Waupli

Thermalright XP-90C is done. Working on the Titan Vanessa L-Type now.

Vanessa L-Type is done.

Noctua NH-U 12 is done.


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## Waupli

I added the Scythe Ninja.


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## 3xtr3m3

I think TT performs best among those from what i read in the forums.


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## Waupli

It will depend on your set up, but for most, the Tuniq Tower is one of the best.


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## Mootsfox

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Waupli* 
*Zalman 9700*










The Zalman coolers are good looking coolers. They work well and can keep your temps low. They are more dependent on case airflow than the other coolers, however. *The fan is also dependent on the speed of the fan.* As seen in the X-bit labs E6300 test, the lower fan setting gives 61.7C temps at 1850RPM in a closed case. When the fan speed is increased, the temperature is lowered to 57.8C. The fan runs up to 2800RPM instead of 2000RPM the other fans go to. With the case open, the temperature with the fan on low is 56.2 C and on high is 54.7C.

The Zalman improved with the Pentium D in an open case. In a closed case, the temperatures were 76.9C (on low) and 73.8C (on high). In an open case, the temperatures were improved to 69.7C on low and 66.1C on high. If you had very good airflow you could probably achieve near the open temps inside a case.

....

On a Pentium D 840 (3.2GHz stock voltage 24.5C ambient) the NH-U 12 (with two fans) ran at 61C on low speed and 58C on high speed. *The stock Intel cooler ran at 81C in that test.* On an Opteron 144 @ 2.7GHz, the NH-U 12 kept the temperatures at 44C. It is a good cooler.


All the temps you posted seem to be a bit high...

The Zalman 9700 sentence I bolded could be fixed.

Overall, very nice and detailed, if this is not in your sig, get it in there!









+rep


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## Mr.N00bLaR

I wonder if it would make a difference ( I mean if certain cooler would shine more than they did/that other coolers) if a different fan was used?
Example 130CFM pair with each of the coolers, which would be better?


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## CWell1337

Agree with Mootsfox. All those temps seem a little high. I have never even seen my processor above 45C with the Zalman 9700. And you really should add the Arctic Freezer 64 Pro, as it is the cheapest AMD solution for air cooling and a great cooler as well.


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## Waupli

That might have been the test with a high ambient. There was one with an ambient of 30 or something.

That sentence was supposed to be "The temperatures are very dependent on the speed of the fan" or something like that. I'll fix it.

The amount of air moved will change the temps for each cooler, but some coolers (like the ninja) are less effected by the fan speed than others.

I tried to only compare coolers that were in the same test. You can't compare them in different tests as the other ambient could be much lower or something like that. In the same test, the components will be the same. Thats why I tried to post multiple tests, so you could see the temps on different set ups.

I didn't include AMD coolers but I might do that soon. I was focusing on intel but most are fine for both. I have to study for my exam tomorrow so I won't be able to add the 64 for a while.


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## CWell1337

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Waupli* 
I tried to only compare coolers that were in the same test. You can't compare them in different tests as the other ambient could be much lower or something like that. In the same test, the components will be the same. Thats why I tried to post multiple tests, so you could see the temps on different set ups.

So this is somebody else's work you are posting here? Why not just link us to the page where they actually did the tests then?


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## Waupli

I did. I linked to the graph and referenced them in the posts.

Here is one (link from BT review)

Quote:

graph by X-bit labs
This is my writing, its just their numbers.

There are some that I didn't link to. I'll dig them up when I get back on my main computer and add them. I didn't link to tests I had already linked to in a few of them, but I said that it was in the same test that another cooler was in (where I did link to it).


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## xxxalpinexxx80

i have a core 2 duo e6600 and i want to know what the best air cooling system for the cpu, i mean the best that will get mine to the lowest degree it can reach from air cooling


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## killerfromsky

yeally nice :d


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## Thumper

Quote:


Originally Posted by *xxxalpinexxx80* 
i have a core 2 duo e6600 and i want to know what the best air cooling system for the cpu, i mean the best that will get mine to the lowest degree it can reach from air cooling

Stay away from the Zalmans, otherwise, any of the big "cube style" heatsinks listed will be very good on your 6600. If you wants ultimate cool, the Tuniq Tower or the Infinity with 2 high CFM fans would be your best bet for lowest temps.


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## Wincet

The Titan Vanessa L-Type looks like the daughter of the Tuniq's creator got a hold of the designs and they actually decided to make it.


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## mhp

How about Monsoon Vigor?

---
Never mind, I just found out that it is active cooling.


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## mhp

Looking at Zalman 9500/9700 I see a big gaping hole in the middle of the cooler. I suppose most of the air from the fan takes the path of least resistance and exits through this hole rather than over the fins.

Has anyone tried to plug that hole and see how Zalman performs? I'm tempted to buy this cooler just for this experiment: plug the hole with a piece of foam and wrap a vinyl around the cooler (to create a cylinder) to force the air over the fins.

If someone has already done this, please let me know.


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## Mootsfox

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mhp* 
Looking at Zalman 9500/9700 I see a big gaping hole in the middle of the cooler. I suppose most of the air from the fan takes the path of least resistance and exits through this hole rather than over the fins.

Has anyone tried to plug that hole and see how Zalman performs? Iâ€™m tempted to buy this cooler just for this experiment: plug the hole with a piece of foam and wrap a vinyl around the cooler (to create a cylinder) to force the air over the fins.

If someone has already done this, please let me know.

The hole is there to save weight. A fan can't push air through it's center point, because there is a motor there. Also, the fan blade speed is many times faster at the tip, rather than torward the center. Since heatpipe transfer heat very fast, it's better to have most of the heatsink in the path of the faster air.


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## PaulTa

Being a budget gamer, I know that the word "best" is sometimes based on price/performance. While some of those coolers aren't necessarily bank-breakers by themselves, upgrading a case to fit a huge HS/F is.

If a budget section ever did arise, I'd like to nominate the CPU cooler in my sig. Idle temps on an overclocked P4 are 35C. That's pretty decent for a 20-25 dollar cooler in my book.


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## Nevaziah

I....want....a....tuniq...tower!


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## thestef

I just ordered an AC Freezer 7 Pro LGA775 a few days ago, but after reading this thread it seems that I would be better to bolt down the heat sink with some metal screws instead of the stock Intel plastic clamps.

Has any one modified or installed metal screws with the AC Freezer instead of keeping the stock Intel clamps???


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## Orbis_Non_Sufficit

this is great!!!

you should do one for NorthBridge Coolers!


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## Kirmie

What about the Thermalright Ultra 120 Plus/Extreme (seen both names). Its not out yet but I have seen a review...

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling...oc.aspx?i=2943

Oh how the Tuniq has fallen... to the yet to be sold HS.


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## redpvp

Hmmmm maybe the.. Tuniq Tower
!


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## cgrado

bump.
*sticky vote*


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## MasterBillyQuizBoy

I am seeing similar temps with my Scythe Infinity in a push pull setup, with a 3rd case exhaust fan literally half an inch away from the Inifinity "exhaust"

The fans are normally 80cfm at 12v, but I estimate they are running half that with my sunbeamtech fan controller. my damn PSU is louder than 5 120mm fans...

Scythe Infinity is an excellent cooler.


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## ZeroX9493

what about the ultra-x im thinking of geting that in a week
it seems good and would look cool in my case =)


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## MasterBillyQuizBoy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ZeroX9493* 
what about the ultra-x im thinking of geting that in a week
it seems good and would look cool in my case =)

To be honest, if I could go back, I'd probably go for another brand of PSU. I'm starting to get up there in the overclock, and I'm not completely confident of it's reliability.


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## ZeroX9493

PSU? we talking about CPU Cooler here right?
ultra-x as in ENZOTECH ULTRA-X


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## Das Capitolin

Benchmark Reviews has tested several of these top coolers in stock (not lapped, not modified) form in the Best CPU Cooler Performance - Q1 2008 article.

Keep in mind that the same fan was used for all of the coolers, so your own results will be different.


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## Zero$

Has anyone tested the scythe infinity with four fans on it????


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## danielackerman

my cooler is the best, xigmatek hdt s1283


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## JesseS420

You should add the XIGMATEK HDT-s1283 to this thread.

I have read the TT the TRUE and the XIG are the best.

also what about the TRUE all copper edition?


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## Zero$

will these huge ass things fit on a asus maximus formula board


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## cgrado

Old thread. Stop posting please. Obviously the op isn't going to change the op.


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## jelecevic

Hey there I know this is an old thread but thought it would be worth noting down the top 10 2009 CPU COOLERS.

What do people think of the Coolermaster V8 or even v10?


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## Acoma_Andy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *jelecevic*


Hey there I know this is an old thread but thought it would be worth noting down the top 10 2009 CPU COOLERS.

What do people think of the Coolermaster V8 or even v10?


The V8 is ok but I would prefer a TRUE 120. And the V10 is too much hassle because it blocks the ram slots, not to mention it's crazy pricetag.


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## Enigma8750

This new entry on the Cooling Front showed the best results of all the above cooler in the Air Cooling Department By Benchmark Reports Website.

Prolimatech Megahalems LGA775/1366 CPU Cooler










While this cooler is a virtual unknown on the CPU cooler scene, it has shown surprising result both in the unclocked and overclocked catagory. Give it a look and see what you think.


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## T3kl0rd

Sublime thread, I gave +1 REP to the OP and I believe I'll check out the Tuniq Tower if it will fit in my microATX case. It's actually can be found cheaper than the other ones.


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## jspeedracer

No Xigmatek's?


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## czapper01

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Waupli*


I added the Ultra-120. Its too late for me to do the Noctua right now. I'll do it tomorrow.

Oops double post. lol


 This is the latest bench I viewed

Menu Content/Inhalt SitemapContact UsLegalCompare PricesAdvertise
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Best CPU Cooler Performance LGA1366 Q2-2009 
Reviews - Featured Reviews: Cooling 
Written by Olin Coles 
Tuesday, 04 August 2009 
Article Index 
Best CPU Cooler Performance LGA1366 Q2-2009 
Thermally Conductive Element Reference 
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 
Cooler Master Hyper N620 
Kingwin XT-1264 
Prolimatech Megahalems 
Scythe Zipang 2 
Thermaltake ISGC-300 CLP0539 
Thermaltake ISGC-400 
Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384 
Zalman CNPS10X Extreme 
Cooler Surface Preparations 
Cooler Test Methodology 
Test Results: Stock Cooling Fan 
Test Results: High-Output Fan 
Overclocked Test Results 
CPU Cooler Final Thoughts 
Best CPU Cooler Conclusion 
Page 15 of 18

High-Output Fan Results
This section uses the high-output Yate Loon D12SH-12 cooling fan on each product tested. Because of the size and design constraints of most products, a 120x120x25mm fan is as large as we can go with our collection of coolers. We are aware that much more impressive fans are available to consumers, such as the 120x120x35mm screamers that require a bolt-on kit to retain them. But in my experience, the Yate Loon D12SH-12 is one of the best 120mm cooling fans available in regards to the noise to performance ratio. The D12SH-12 cooling fan forces an impressive 88 CFM of air at a moderately noisy 40 dbA.

In our recent review of the Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384 cooler, Benchmark Reviews used the Scythe Kaze-Jyuni Slip Stream 120mm cooling fan (model SY1225SL12H) along side the Yate Loon D12SH-12. Although Scythe claims the Kaze offers 88.11 CFM, I had a difficult time believing the stated specification when the results were always in favor of the Yate Loon product. Regardless, the Kaze series is quite popular with enthusiasts and the SlipStream does do well to provide sufficient airflow without all the irritation of noise... but Benchmark Reviews isn't going to use it for testing in this article.

Our high-output fan tests held only a few exceptions, such as the CoolIT Domino ALC water-cooled solution, which I thought would be interesting to measure the performance of against our collection (although this time the fan was switched onto the 'high' setting). The Scythe Zipang 2 and Zalman XNPS10X Extreme were did not get included in these results because of proprietary non-replacable fans, while all of the other CPU coolers received a single Yate Loon D12SH-12 cooling fan. The cooling performance test results are charted above and in detail below with the temperature difference (CPU core temp minus ambient room temp) beside them:

CPU Cooler 
Thermal Difference 
Prolimatech Megahalems 25.4Â°C over ambient 
Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384 27.4Â°C over ambient 
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme 27.6Â°C over ambient 
Cooler Master Hyper Z600 28.4Â°C over ambient 
Xigmatek HDT-S1284 28.9Â°C over ambient 
OCZ Gladiator Max 29.0Â°C over ambient 
Thermolab BARAM 29.4Â°C over ambient 
CoolIt Domino ALC (high fan setting) 29.5Â°C over ambient 
OCZ Vendetta 2 OCZTVEND2 30.7Â°C over ambient 
Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 31.4Â°C over ambient 
Kingwin XT-1264 33.4Â°C over ambient 
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 34.5Â°C over ambient 
Thermaltake ISGC-400 36.5Â°C over ambient 
Thermaltake ISGC-300 37.6Â°C over ambient 
Intel LGA1366 Stock Cooling Solution 55.0Â°C over ambient

It becomes evident that there's a point of diminishing returns for every CPU cooler, and when 'over-fanned' the results collide closely together. Although the 2.66GHz Intel Core i7-920 processor does a decent job of separating the crowd when these coolers wear their stock fan, once a high-output fan is attached there's only about 12Â°C between the coolers we tested. It's a good bet that most of these top-performing products could cool an overclocked system extremely well, but these days only the very best will do. Much like the Thermal Interface Material testing we've conducted, all of the high-performance products are beginning to perform at nearly the same levels. Eventually, I expect to see the same technology used in all cooling products with the difference being the application. This is where experience comes in handy, and we've shared some of this with you in our Best Thermal Paste Application Methods article. Remember, less is more when it comes to thermal paste, and soon CPU coolers may offer the same paradigm.

Once again, the Prolimatech Megahalems dominated high-output fan tests, just as it did in our stock results. The Xigmatek Thor's Hammer S126384 and Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme and are neck and neck with each other, but still a few degrees behind the Megahalems cooler. The jumbo-sized Cooler Master Hyper Z600 kept up with the leaders with the high-output Yate Loon fan attached, followed by the Xigmatek HDT-S1284 and OCZ Gladiator Max coming in right behind it. On the outer edge of the top-performers is the Thermolab BARAM, CoolIt Domino ALC (using the high fan setting), and an old LGA775 favorite: the OCZ Vendetta 2 OCZTVEND2. After the Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 cooler, performance for the remaining products was fairly lukewarm.

Even though the temperatures were comparable to some of the leaders, the Kingwin XT-1264 and Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus fell on the cusp of high-performance. Less likely to fall into that category are the Thermaltake ISGC-400 and ISGC-300 coolers, which may not be up to the task when we add some voltage and overclock the processor... which is exactly what happens in our next section.

<< Prev - Next >>

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Random Quote:Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness. - Bertrand Russell

Â© 2009 Benchmark Reviews: Performance Computer Hardware Tests and Overclocking Guides.


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## Sheyster

Thanks for the update, half of the HSF's on the first page are not to be taken seriously anymore.


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## damninhell

thermalright true 120 also has a copper limited edition with a price tag of $100.00.http://www.jab-tech.com/Thermalright...k-pr-4311.html


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## eliteip

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Waupli* 
Most of us here at Overclock.net have purchased an after market CPU cooler. Many of us buying them have posted asking what the best cooler is. Here I will be discussion what the best cooling is.

When you overclock your CPU, it puts out more energy. The stock HSF's cannot handle this increase and the CPU will get hotter. This will shorten the CPU's life as well as limit your overclock. To handle this increase in energy, we get increased cooling. Most people can't afford a $200+ water cooling setup so we go with air cooling. There are hundreds of different air coolers available and if you don't know what is the best you could end up with something just as bad as stock (or worse).

What CPU cooler should I get is a very repeated question. Here is a list of some of the top CPU coolers available. I will not rank them as people will just argue.

*Big Typhoon*










The Thermaltake Big Typhoon is one of the best CPU coolers on the market. It is big and heavy but cools well. A graph by X-Bit Labs shows that the Big Typhoon is one of the most effective coolers when on its high setting (the Scythe Infinity with 2 1200RPM fans beat it). It cooled an E6300 at 3450MHz to 52.4C (with case open) under 100% load. It was just 2C less effective with the case closed (it couldn't draw cool air from outside the case unless you have it ducted or have a side vent right next to it). It is only 2C less effective on the low setting than the high setting also.

X-bit labs also ran a test on a Pentium D 920 processor overclocked from 2800MHz to 3900MHz. Here the Big Typhoon runs at 73C on low speed in a closed case. With the case opened, the temperature was the same with low speed. On high speed, the temperatures were lowered to 70.5C (closed case) and 69.8C (open case).

It is widely available from a place like Newegg.

*Scythe Infinity*










In the same test, the Infinity performed the best with two fans at a low speed. The E6300 was cooled to 50.3C with the case opened. This cooler is very large and heavy. This cooler is nice because you can have two fans on it at once. With a single fan in a closed case at 1200RPM the Infinity did not perform nearly as well. The CPU under load was at 62C. Adding a second fan lowered this to 57.9C. It is a nice cooler with a single fan, but with two fans it really performs.

In the Pentium D test, the Infinity had trouble with only one fan on low speed, running at 78.8C (closed case). On high, the single fan cooled the CPU to 69.9C. With the case open, the temperature with the fan on low was 69.4. When the fan was on high, the temperature was 68.0C. Two fans on low in a closed case were better than even one fan on high in an open case. They cooled the CPU to 67.5C. With the case open, they cooled the CPU to 64.9.

In another test here, the Infinity was the best idling at 42C and running at 50C under heavy load.

It is available at Newegg.

*Scythe Ninja*










This is another Scythe cooler that has recieved very good reviews. This cooler comes with 6 heatpipes to transfer heat from the CPU up to the fins. Looking at the cooler from the top or bottom, the heatpipes make a plus sign. This fins are farther away from each other than in coolers like the Tuniq Tower. This will improve airflow, but will also decrease the amount of space the heat will cover and be removed from, possibly decreasing performance. Like some other coolers, this comes as just a heatsink, no fan. You must purchase a fan separately.

Tested on a 4GHz Prescott processor, the Ninja idled at 46C-47C and is temperatures at load were 59.5C-60.5C. When a second fan was added, the temperatures remained the same. The CPU just exceeded 60C a little less. On a P4 1500 with a Adda fan added, the temps were very close until the fan was run at 518RPMs. At 2439RPM the P4 was at 26C, at 1774RPM it ran at 27C, at 1222RPM it was 28C, and at 938RPM it was 29C. When the RPMs were decreased to 518, the temps increased to 33C. With no fan, the temp was 45C. The ambient for the P4 1500 test was 23.1C-23.8C.

This cooler is availible at Newegg and includes a fan.

*Zalman 9700*










The Zalman coolers are good looking coolers. They work well and can keep your temps low. They are more dependent on case airflow than the other coolers, however. The fan is also dependent on the speed of the fan. As seen in the X-bit labs E6300 test, the lower fan setting gives 61.7C temps at 1850RPM in a closed case. When the fan speed is increased, the temperature is lowered to 57.8C. The fan runs up to 2800RPM instead of 2000RPM the other fans go to. With the case open, the temperature with the fan on low is 56.2 C and on high is 54.7C.

The Zalman improved with the Pentium D in an open case. In a closed case, the temperatures were 76.9C (on low) and 73.8C (on high). In an open case, the temperatures were improved to 69.7C on low and 66.1C on high. If you had very good airflow you could probably achieve near the open temps inside a case.

This cooler is available on Newegg.

*Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro and Zalman 9500*



















Arctic Cooling's Freezer 7 Pro is Arctic Cooling's LGA775 cooler. They have some new ideas present in this cooler, such as the lower fins being bent downward. This will help cool the motherboard at the same time as you cool the CPU. The fan is also attached with rubber, lowering the noise considerably.

The Zalman 9500 is a strong cooler. On a Pentium 4 clocked at 4.06Ghz The temperatures reached 60C under load. The ambient was kept at 30C. More tests on the 9500 below.

X-Bit labs tested this cooler on a Pentium 4 516 overclocked from 2.93GHz to 4.02 GHz. They compared it with the Big Typhoon and Zalman 9500. The Freezer 7 did not perform well at all in a case. Under heavy load, the CPU ran at 70C. In a game it ran at 60C. In the same test, the Big Typhoon ran at 62C (heavy load) and 54C (game). The Zalman with the fan on high was the best (on low speed it was also the coolest), running at 53C under heavy load and 48C in a game. In an open case, the Freezer 7 performed much better in an open case, running at 58C under heavy load and 50C in a game. The Big Typhoon ran at 55C under heavy load and 47C in a game. The Zalman again came out on top on both the high and low settings.

Both the Zalman 9500 and the Freezer 7 Pro are available on Newegg.

*Tuniq Tower*










The Tuniq Tower is often agreed upon as the best cooler. When someone asks what cooler they should get, most people automatically say, "Get the Tuniq!" It is definately a great cooler, but it is big and sometimes hard to install.

X-bit labs did a comparison between the Tuniq, , Zalman 9500, and Big Typhoon here. The Tuniq Tower came out on top idling at 43C (Zalman 9500 idled at 47 and Big Typhoon idled at 46.5). Under load, the Tuniq showed its power. It ran at 53C under load. All the other coolers in the test ran at 60C+. The Zalman 9500 ran at 60.5C and the Big Typhoon ran at 62.5C. Clearly the Tuniq Tower was the leader.

The Tuniq Tower is very hard to find and you will find links to it on the forums from time to time.

*Thermalright Ultra-120*










The Thermalright Ultra-120 is a high performing heatsink (once you add the fan. It doesn't come with one) based, like most super-coolers, on the bigger is better idea. Thermalright includes "bent winglets" (look on this review for more info) which are supposed to improve airflow between the fins. This cooler does not come with a fan so you'll need to buy one. The heatsink does include a fan clip though. The heatsink is ready for two fans but it only includes one fan clip.

Now some numbers. On an Intel 520 processor (not overclocked) under heavy load the processor ran at 39C (16C over ambient). On the lowest fan setting, the temperature was 52C (29C over ambient). The fan was a low airflow fan designed to be quiet. A higher CFM fan would be more impressive.

It is availible at Newegg.

*Thermalright XP-90C*










This cooler is all copper, which is a good sign. It has 4 heatpipes to bring the heat to the top of the heatsink. The heatsink is wider at the top than the bottom so air will be able to cool the rest of the mobo also. Thats always good. The XP-90 is smaller than other high performing heatsinks which will be good for systems with less room. Just because it is smaller (not small, just smaller) doesn't mean it will be lightweight. It weighs 690g because it is all copper. The fan fits on the top of the heatsink, blowing air into it and onto the mobo.

The tests for this cooler were run on an AMD Athlon64 3200+ Venice. It was run at 2.0GHz and at 2.4GHz. When the CPU was not overclocked the computer ran at 36C under load (with a Tornado fan on it, thats 119CFM). The overclocked processor (voltage at 1.41) ran at 37C under load. The difference between the Nidec fan (56CFM) and the tornado was 1C no matter if the CPU was overclocked or not. A 3.4E Prescott @ 3.7GHz ran at 30C idle and 47 load. The ambient for the second test was 29C.

This cooler is availible at Newegg.

*Titan Vanessa L-Type*










This is one of the most distinctive heatsinks I have ever seen. It has a butterfly shape and a nice looking design on the top. The blue fan looks great. The heatink fits over the CPU in a single, large heatpipe. This heatpipe goes right through the middle of the cooler. One of the things I noticed when I first saw a picture of the cooler was the shape of the fins. They look cool, but will the back (where the fins get wider) stay cool?

This cooler is not bad. On one test the Vanessa L-Type had lower temperatures than the Big Typhoon (the BT also had higher temperatures than the beetle so I don't know how accurate that is). The temperatures are impressive. With the CPU at 170Watts (anyone know the conversion from watts to volts?), the L-Type held the CPU slightly below 28C under load. Another test put it on the Athlon64 3200+ Venice @ 2.7GHz. Here the load temperatures were 49C with the fan on high.

This cooler is availible at Newegg.

*Noctua NH-U 12*










The NH-U 12 is a massive cooler. It is 155 tall and 124mm wide. It has an all copper base with 4 heatpipes (8 heatpipe risers). The heatpipes are soldered to the copper base and to the fins. It weighs in at 700g. It looks great and with a good fan (not included) it should be great. Unfortunately this cooler does not include a fan so you will have to buy one (or preferably two) separately.

On a Pentium D 840 (3.2GHz stock voltage 24.5C ambient) the NH-U 12 (with two fans) ran at 61C on low speed and 58C on high speed. The stock Intel cooler ran at 81C in that test. On an Opteron 144 @ 2.7GHz, the NH-U 12 kept the temperatures at 44C. It is a good cooler.

Its little brother, the NH-U 9 is also a good cooler (49C on the Opteron test mentioned above).

They are both availible at FrozenCPU (includes a fan there).

*Conclusion*
Many of the coolers performed very well, and different coolers will perform better than others depending on the circumstances. This should give you a good idea of the differences between the coolers and I hope it will help you make a better choice.

Note: If I have missed an important cooler (and I'm sure I did), please post and I will add it as soon as I can. This would be in the FAQ section, but it is currently down so it is here for now.

Waupli

Most of these coolers or actually the good ones are unavailable on newegg.. I would like to get my hands on the Titan Vanessa


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## R1P5AW

Noctua NH-D14


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## cgrado

Quote:



Originally Posted by *eliteip*


Most of these coolers or actually the good ones are unavailable on newegg.. I would like to get my hands on the Titan Vanessa










Notice how the OP is THREE (3) years old. This is a fast paced industry, so obviously they won't still be available in the exact same model three years later.


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## Danny Boy

Gotta ask where the 212+ is, cools better then the article 7 and zalman


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## Grim

So .. erm.
Necro but, which is the best by WIDE acknowledgement?
At least round it off to 3 or 2 for me.

Thanks.


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## Shadowclock

Wow....someone lock this thing. Check my sig (1st link) if you want to know the top coolers.


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## Grim

Maybe you should simply suggest your SIG being stickied...


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## srsparky32

missed xigmatek dark knight..where is that baby?


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## hondajt

^^Dude, this is from 2007, before most of the current coolers even exsisted.


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## Rixon

*Cough* +  2 of these


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## Shadowclock

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Grim* 
Maybe you should simply suggest your SIG being stickied...









My 1st link in sig is stickied...damn Grim...


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## Grim

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Shadowclock*


My 1st link in sig is stickied...damn Grim...











(only makes sense)

Thanks for the link. ^_~


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## (mirror)52-D.S.L.

I'm honetsly suprised the hyper 212+ isnt on there, I understand that this is a thread for the best Cpu coolers, temperature wise. but Price to performance ratio of the hyper 212+ is simply ridiculous, and thus I think should be added if only as a side note as one of the best budget coolers. its only on $28 at microcenter!?!?!


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## Riou

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *(mirror)52-D.S.L.;12649459*
> I'm honetsly suprised the hyper 212+ isnt on there, I understand that this is a thread for the best Cpu coolers, temperature wise. but Price to performance ratio of the hyper 212+ is simply ridiculous, and thus I think should be added if only as a side note as one of the best budget coolers. its only on $28 at microcenter!?!?!


Are you really criticizing a post from over 4 years ago?


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## iatacs19

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Riou;12649488*
> Are you really criticizing a post from over 4 years ago?










Nice necro !


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