Ready to buy the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X? If so, this article will give you guidelines on what parameters you need to consider in order to properly chill – and get the best performance out of – your new CPU.

The Ryzen 5 7600X has a TDP of 105 Watts, which is quite the leap from the previous generation’s 65W requirement. This means you’ll need substantially better performance from your cooler, which is more akin to the last gen’s higher-end processors, like the R9 5900X.

There is more than one way to properly cool the CPU. The two main methods are AIO (All In One) liquid cooling and HSF (HeatSink and Fan) – more commonly known as ‘air’ or ‘tower’ coolers. When considering which to choose, you need to take into account the following:

1. How much available space does your case have?
2. What does your budget allow?
3. How good is the cooling in your case?
4. What’s the threshold of noise you can tolerate?
5. Which type of CPU cooler is compatible with your case?
6. Are your workloads primarily active or passive?
7. Are your rig’s aesthetics important to you?

Air coolers take up more space (generally) but are cheaper than their AIO counterparts. They also produce less noise on average and are easier to install. AIOs don’t clutter the space around the CPU, can be more pleasant to look at, and provide better cooling for extended periods – as opposed to the cooling in bursts of the HSF. Of course, the R5 7600X is designed for active (gaming, editing, modeling, etc.) rather than passive (rendering) workloads, so the HSF does have the advantage in terms of performance for the price. Still, the AIO cooler allows more thermal headroom for those looking to consistently overclock the 7600X.

To help you decide which to choose for your setup, let’s look at the best CPU coolers to pair with the Ryzen 5 7600X – for both cooling types.

Best Coolers for Ryzen 5 7600X – Our Recommendations

1. Best Air Cooler for Ryzen 5 7600X: Noctua NH-U14S

The NH-U14S is a U-type air cooler (it only has a single vertical tower/heatsink) and comes with one NF-A15 140mm fan. 

It is an excellent choice for the R5 7600X because it provides more than ample cooling even at extreme thermal loads (according to Anandtech’s benchmarks). In fact, at a 340 W load, it outperformed even dual-tower coolers like the Dark Rock Pro 3. 

Another favorable aspect of the NH-U14S is that it is upgradeable. You can add a second 140mm fan and have a push-pull fan configuration around the heatsink. This allows for further cooling potential, especially if you have a smaller rig with fewer case fans.

Pros: 

• Slim design that’s easy to install and compatible with most cases.
• Can assist with proper airflow in the case.
• Benchmarks prove barely audible noise emissions.
• Excellent for active workloads and overclocking, especially with a second fan. 

Cons: 

• Even as a U-type CPU cooler, it is still rather tall.
• Rather expensive at $79.95.
• Does not have the most stylish look.

2. Best Budget Cooler for Ryzen 5 7600X: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE

Moving on to a D-Type (dual tower) HSF cooler, we have the Peerless Assassin 120 SE. Despite its low price, it offers exceptional performance even for high CPU power limits. Tom’s Hardware proved it averages only 61 degrees over ambient at 200W, which is very impressive for an air cooler. At 140 Watts, temperatures went down to 42 (50% fans) and 47 degrees Celsius – beating or tying with 360mm AIO coolers.

The same benchmarks show a noise level of only 34.5 dbA produced with the fans working at maximum speed, which is incredibly impressive for an under $40 CPU cooler. If you’re looking for a cheap cooler, the Assassin 120 SE truly is Peerless.

Pros: 

• Quiet operation.
• Great for active workloads and low TDP performance.
• More than sufficient cooling for overclocking.
• $36 price tag.

Cons: 

– Can be unappealing visually.

– Large dual-tower design may translate to compatibility issues. 

3. Best Low-profile Cooler for Ryzen 5 7600X: Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B  

Next, we have a top-flow, low-profile (L-Type, or LP) CPU cooler: the Big Shuriken 3 Rev. B. 

Of course, each SFF (small form factor) case will benefit differently from various low-profile coolers. This is why it is always best to check CPU cooler benchmarks specifically for your SFF case.

There are, however, reasons why the Big Shuriken 3 Rev. B is an excellent pick for almost any build. The most important reason is that it has high cooling potential, as proven by OptimumTech’s benchmarks. Within these benchmarks, you’ll notice another selling point of the Big Shuriken 3: it is upgradable (given you have the clearance). With a 25mm fan attached to it, it can cool your R5 7600X even while overclocking. Also, it allows for full-sized RAM, something that its competitors, like Noctua’s L12-S, cannot guarantee.

Pros:

• Quiet operation that maxes at 35 dB, according to TweakTown.
• Excellent compatibility with most cases and RAM sticks.
• Upgradable with a 25mm fan. 
• Great price at under $50.
• RGB variant for those looking for some extra flare.

Cons: 

• It is not quite at the level of cooling performance as some of its competitors, like the Noctua L12-S.
• Though upgradeable, doing so will increase the price significantly.
• Requires adequate case cooling, as the top-flow configuration will push the CPU’s hot air into the case.

4. Best AIO Cooler for Ryzen 5 7600X: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240

Last but not least, we have the liquid cooling category. All things considered, the best choice here is the Liquid Freezer II 240. It has excellent thermal performance, proven by several benchmark tests like those carried out by Tech4Gamers and EnosTech, low noise output (especially for an AIO cooler), and costs under $100. In fact, out of the 17 240mm AIO coolers EnosTech tested, Arctic’s model performed the best in the noise normalized (44 dBA) thermal performance tests.

What makes the Liquid Freezer unique, when compared to its competitors, is the 40mm VRM fan (PWM controlled) that cools the base and voltage transformer. This extra feature can be crucial when overclocking the R5 7600X.

Pros: 

• Excellent price for an AIO cooler.
• No maintenance water loop.
• VRM cooling.
• Low noise output for an AIO cooler.
• Thermal performance that rivals 360mm AIO coolers.

Cons: 

• Can be tricky to install due to the 40mm fan. 
• Not as visually appealing as other AIO coolers, especially on the pump. It does, however, have a variant with A-RGB lit fans for $14 extra.

The post 4 Best CPU Coolers for the Ryzen 5 7600X appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

AMD’s latest Zen 4 chipsets are finally here – with their flagship model, the Rzyen 9 7950X, being marketed as the ‘fastest’ desktop processor for 2023. Whilst being fast, this new Zen 4 generation really runs hot, with a reported operating temperature of 95 degrees under load. With a raised 230W TDP from 170W of the Zen 3 line, AMD now recommends to cool this flagship Zen 4 processor, you’re going to need a beefy cooler to dissipate all of that heat, and a liquid one at that – with a 240mm AIO cooler being the minimum official recommendation for the Ryzen 9 7950X. Going for a better cooler you necessarily won’t get better temperatures with this Zen 4 processor, but you can squeeze more performance out of it.

Having had time since their release to analyse and understand the thermal performance of the Ryzen 9 7950X, we are able to offer you our recommended CPU coolers to pair with the 7950X, and which coolers to avoid! Our selections will include the best AIO cooler, 240mm cooler, 360mm cooler and 420mm cooler for the Ryzen 9 7950X.

Before we begin, I would like to note that although the official recommendation is a minimum of a 240mm AIO, we will offer an Air-cooled CPU cooler pairing for the 7950X for those who don’t want to run a AIO system. However, when possible, we recommend going for a liquid cooler for the Ryzen 9 7950X for 2023.

240mm vs 280mm vs 360mm vs 420mm for Ryzen 9 7950X?

Before we go into our AIO recommendation for the Ryzen 9 7950X – it is worth considering which size AIO you would fit your requirements and demands out of your 7950X system – as the different AIO sizes offer different benefits and drawbacks. If you’re looking for maximum performance but don’t mind a higher noise output, go for the 420mm AIO for the 7950X. If you are looking for the overall best performance-to-size ratio and relatively quiet operation – opt for the 280mm size – this has 90% the surface area of the 360mm AIO size and utilises 140mm fans rather than 120mm fans you see in 240mm and 360mm AIOs. If you’re looking to build an ITX system with the Ryzen 9 7950X, then a high performance 240mm AIO cooler will be your best bet. There is a great amount of useful discussion and advise on /r/BuildAPC on Reddit we would recommend checking out on this topic, too.

Best CPU Coolers for Ryzen 9 7950X – Our Recommendations

1. Best AIO Cooler for the Ryzen 9 7950X (240mm, 280mm, 360mm, 420mm): Arctic Liquid Freezer II

Whether we’re recommending a 240mm, 280mm, 360mm or 420mm AIO for the Ryzen 9 7950X, our answer for the best AIO to pair with this CPU will always the be same – go for the Arctic Liquid Freezer II series. The Arctic Freezer II is hands down the best CPU cooler for the Ryzen 9 7950X thanks to its best-in-class thermal performance and competitive price – making it a no brainer for any builder. It does feature a no-thrills design which is optimised for cooling performance, but if you are looking for something a bit more blingy, then go for the ARGB version of the Liquid Freezer II – it will make for a great aesthetic Zen 4 build with impressive performance. As mentioned above, its worth considering the AIO size for the 7950X based on your personal needs and how much performance you want to squeeze out in sacrifice for noise and case size – but we think the best AIO size for the Liquid Freezer II is the 280mm or 360mm option.

2. Best Air Cooler for Ryzen 9 7950X: Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black

If you’re not wanting to put an AIO cooler in your new Ryzen 9 7950X system, despite AMD’s official recommendation of using a 240mm AIO or above, then you’ll be relieved to hear that there are some air coolers that will be sufficient for pairing with the Ryzen 9 7950X. Techpowerup posted an informative article outlining that a decent air cooler will offer enough performance for the Ryzen 9 7950X. As mentioned in many of our other part recommendation articles, by far the best air cooler and the best tower cooler for the Ryzen 9 7950X is the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black. This best-in-class cooler from Noctua offers the best cooling performance of any tower cooler on the market, at a competitive price and a sleek all-black design. If you’re looking to game with the 7950X, the NH-D15 would be perfect – but for any intensive workloads you might be better off with an AIO instead for the 7950X, this is because you may gain up to 3% in clock speeds using an AIO vs the NH-D15.

The post Best CPU Coolers for the Ryzen 9 7950X appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

The recently released Intel Core i9-11900K is a very fast processor. With a max turbo of over 5 GHz—it’s hard to say otherwise. While the question of whether the 11900K is an upgrade over the 10900K is debatable; one thing that everyone unanimously agrees on is that the 11900K gets very, very, hot.

Intel inexplicably reduced the total core count from its 10^th Gen i9 processors, going from 10 cores to 8. With heavy competition from AMD bearing down with the likes of the 5900X, consumers were somewhat confused as to what Intel’s game was. Turns out, it was pretty simple. Team Blue’s game plan was to push the 11900K as fast as technologically possible. This was in hopes that it will keep up with the competition. While they succeeded in some instances (gaming), AMD still managed to decimate the mere 8 cores of the 11900K. In fact, even the last-gen 10900K managing to keep up or surpass it in certain tasks. Add to this the fact that it runs hotter than the sun itself, and you’ve got a very confusing high-end CPU.

How Hot Does The 11900K Get?

With Intel pushing their 14nm technology to its absolute limits, the 11900K was bound to get hot. How hot, you ask? Well, when running a simple 10-minute stress test, the 11900K shoots up to its recommended maximum temperature of 98 degrees Celsius. You can however get this temperature down to around 88 degrees by sacrificing some performance; which is quite absurd for a high-end consumer CPU that sells for north of $500. Moreover, the 11900K easily overheats when using even a 240mm AIO. This already gives a sign of how extreme of a cooling solution you will need to tame this beast.

The 11900k also draws an average of nearly 200W at peak. This is definitely on the higher end. In comparison, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X with its 12 cores only reaches an average of 135W.

With all that said, what caliber of CPU cooler must you get in order to effectively cool the Core i9-11900K? The short answer is water cooling. This is generally the only way to go— with one exception, which you will see below).

Best Coolers for i9-11900K – Our Recommendations

Overall Best Cooler for 11900K: NZXT Kraken Z73

To effectively cool the fiery inferno that is the Intel Core i9-11900K, you’re going to need a pretty beefy cooling solution. Most people don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up custom loop water cooling. Luckily, NZXT has the next best thing.

NZXT’s Kraken Z73 is an AIO that’s well-equipped to handle almost any thermal load you throw at it.  With its 360mm radiator along with the triple 120mm fans, the Z73 is able to keep up with the rigorous heat output of the 11900K.

The Kraken lineup of liquid coolers has long since been a fan favourite. This is mainly due to their clean, minimalist design along with top tier cooling performance.

The Kraken Z73 also features a circular 2.36-inch LCD display over the pump. This can be customised according to your liking to display a variety of system stats such as CPU temperature, pump speed, and many more.

The Kraken’s build quality is also very good, with the water block primarily using high-quality plastics and copper. With its muted colours and sleek design, you would find no trouble making the Z73 blend in with the rest of your system.

While the NZXT Kraken Z73 offers stellar cooling performance, it is quite expensive at an MSRP of $280. With that said, if you’re dishing out over $500 for a high-end Intel CPU— the chances are that you probably won’t mind spending some more for an adequate cooler.

Best Air Cooler for 11900K: Noctua NH-D15

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise to many of you that the only air cooler capable of sufficiently cooling the Core i9-11900K is the revered NH-D15 by Noctua. This is a 6-heat pipe, dual-tower behemoth of an air cooler. Furthermore, it is universally known as one of, if not the best CPU air cooler that money can buy.

The NH-D15 comes with a pair of 140mm PWM fans along with Noctua’s special blend of thermal paste. Its large size allows the NH-D15 to keep up with the hefty water coolers and AIOs. In most heavy loaded tests, the 11900K managed to boost up without thermal throttling—which is a testament to the amazing Noctua engineering at work.

The NH-D15 also comes with Noctua’s state of the art fans that run extremely quiet. They’re durable and well-built so you won’t have to worry about any unnecessary rattling. The PWM supported fan headers allow you to freely control fan speed and set custom fan curves depending on your usage.

The award-winning air cooler is iconic for its beige colour and industrial-looking design. Although you can also get the sleeker Chromax Black version if you wish for a more muted look.

For $100, you really can’t go wrong with the Noctua NH-D15. Especially since it manages to keep up with AIOs and water-cooling solutions that are three times its MSRP.

Best Budget AIO for 11900K: Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L

If you really want to run an AIO solution to cool your Core i9-11900K without breaking the bank, Cooler Master has got you covered. The MasterLiquid ML240L does not come with all the bells and whistles that you might find on a Kraken. But nonetheless, it manages to do an exemplary job of cooling the 11900K.

What the ML240L lacks in flair, it makes up for with a large pump and a 240mm radiator.  Cooler Master has opted for a dual-chamber water pump design. This leaves more horizontal space on the motherboard so your components won’t be cramped.

However, the MasterLiquid ML240L does lack a pump head display like that of the NZXT Kraken, which some may find incredibly useful to get system information at a glance. The good news is that the ML240L packs a strong pump with extremely quiet fans that does a no-nonsense job of handling the strongest thermal loads thrown at it.

At $85, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L is an absolute steal for an AIO. Moreover, when you pair it with a high-end processor like the Core i9-11900K, you won’t have to worry about running into any thermal constraints. Plus, you can spend the money you saved elsewhere on your system!

Conclusion

There you have it, our top three choices for the best CPU coolers to pair with the Core i9-11900K. While the all-new Rocket Lake generation of processors by Intel was met with a lukewarm reception, supply constraints with Team Red mean more and more consumers are gravitating towards what’s readily available.

So, if you’re buying a ridiculously power-hungry CPU like the Core i9-11900K, going with any of the above coolers will be your best bet. The Kraken Z73 offers stellar water-cooling performance for a premium price. On the other hand, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle and unreliability of AIOs, the Noctua NH-D15 matches the top water-coolers in its ability for a much cheaper price. However, if you desperately wish to add an AIO to your system; but do not want to spend exorbitant amounts on one—the Cooler Master ML240L is a strong budget contender.

The post 3 Best CPU Coolers For the Intel Core i9-11900K appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

A CPU cooler is one of the simplest components in your PC, but it can be a real headache trawling through reviews and opinions as to which options are best for you. To help inform your decision making we obtained a selection of entry-level coolers along with the stock options supplied with some Intel and AMD CPUs, and tried them out.

Most of the entry-level air coolers take the format of a tower of heat fins, which dissipate heat carried to them via heat pipes: These copper pipes contain volatile fluid that boils at the ‘cold plate’ and then re condenses at the heatsink. This mechanism uses the energy absorbed in the phase change of the fluid to absorb and transfer heat. The fan and number of heat pipes are the primary variables that dictate the ability of the cooler, and the fan itself defines how noisy or quiet the cooler is. 

We tested for ease of fitting, cooling capability with an appropriate CPU, noise as represented by fan speed, as well as identifying some compatibility issues with one of the coolers here. By the end of this article, you’ll have all the information you need to choose a cooler for a Ryzen 3600 or 5600X or an Intel i5-10400 to an i5-11600K CPU.

We’ve produced a couple of graphs showing the logged data when running these coolers under an all-core load with an Intel Core i5-11500. This chip draws 110W in this test, enough to expose any Coolers that aren’t up to the task. Sadly that includes the cooler that comes in the box with this CPU. 

If you’re interested in more power hungry CPUs requiring more robust cooling solutions, please check out our article on the best high-end air coolers here. We’ve also produced accompanying videos so take a look over on our youtube channel here.

Stock Coolers: Up to the job?

1. AMD Wraith Stealth

AMD supplies the ‘Wraith Stealth’ CPU cooler with their Ryzen 3600 and 5600X. It’s a simple cooler consisting of an aluminium heat sink, with a shrouded fan blowing down over it. Fitment is simple, only requiring removing the plastic ‘hook’ style retaining brackets, and screwing into the existing Motherboard backplate with the sprung screws. Thermal paste is pre-applied, but if you make a mistake in fitting you may want to re-paste before refitting the cooler.

Cooling performance is only acceptable. It doesn’t throttle a Ryzen 3600 under all-core load, but temperatures are high. Fan speeds are also high, meaning this cooler makes an intrusive noise that you will hear in most instances. It’s not acceptable for the Ryzen 5600X, a higher performance CPU with will benefit from a more capable cooler. We’d recommend checking out the affordable tower coolers later in this test if you’re looking at that CPU. A cost-effective solution is to look for an unwanted Wraith Prism from a Ryzen 7 build: These coolers use heat pipes and are much more effective, able to cope with a 95W TDP CPU without issue.

2. Intel Stock Cooler

The Intel Stock cooler has been updated for Rocketlake era 11^th generation CPUs and is supplied with non-K series i5 options. It now has a black plastic frame and a copper core to assist in heat transfer away from the CPU. Sadly, it appears these changes haven’t been enough. Testing this CPU cooler drove the i5-11500 to its 96C limit and thermal throttling was the result, preventing the CPU from hitting its all-core clock speeds and resulting in lower performance. This was on an open test bench, the situation will only be worse in a closed case no matter how good the airflow. Meanwhile, the fan achieved 3400RPM, generating an irritating buzz. We do not recommend that you use this cooler on any CPU more demanding than an i3, and even in that case you will benefit from a cooler with less intrusive fan noise when it’s working hard. 

This cooler only serves to highlight the inefficiency of Intel’s latest CPUs. It should not be supplied with them, a few dollars reducing in MSPR to put towards an adequate aftermarket cooler would be more welcome.

Best Entry Level Air CPU Coolers

1. BeQuiet! Pure Rock Slim

Moving to aftermarket tower coolers with 92mm fans, the Bequiet! Pure Rock Slim is a cost-effective option with 3 heat pipes and a brushed silver backplate. Fitting is somewhat fiddly on intel, with a pair of brackets that must be screwed into the cold plate, and then plastic push pins to secure it that do not give the most robust installation force. On AMD, fitting is much simpler with the use of a retaining bar that latches to the standard AMD retaining brackets. Thermal paste is pre-applied so do your best to fit it right the first time! Of note is that on an AMD CPU it will only fit with the fan facing up/down, not the more traditional ‘pointing towards the rear’ so if the aesthetics are important that may not be to your liking.

In operation, this cooler proves capable with mid-range CPUs. It maintains 80C under all-core load, and fan speeds stay under 2000RPM and the noise does not become intrusive. It appears that BeQuiet! have prioritised the sound profile over outright cooling performance but this is a balanced cooler that will deal with the Ryzen 3600 or intel i5 non-K CPUs well, whilst keeping costs down. 

Overall this is a cheap (at $20-$25) cooler with good looks and reasonable performance and we have no hesitation recommending it for an entry-level build.

2. Arctic Freezer 7X

Arctic have a good reputation in the cooling segment with great value Fans and high performance all in one water loops, so we were eager to try out the Artic Freezer 7X. This cooler uses a 92mm fan like the Bequiet Pure Rock Slim but has just 2 heat pipes, although they are in direct contact with the CPU heat spreader. The fan is aggressively profiled and ducted, whilst the sides of the radiator fins are enclosed to create a tunnel for air to be forced through.

Our first challenge with this cooler came in fitting it to our Intel test bench, using the ASUS TUF B560M Motherboard. The cooler has two sprung arms to latch onto a plastic fitting ring, and they were too wide and interfered with VRM and M.2 heatsinking in both orientations. There is an offset angle orientation but the cold plate does not cover the whole CPU surface is mounted in that orientation. This was also a problem with the MSI B560M Bazooka, and whilst it is possible to fit the Gigabyte B560M Aorus pro it means not fitting the Primary M.2 heatsink as it interferes with the retaining clip. We could find no note of a compatibility list on the Arctic site, and our email request to support remains unanswered a week later. Instructions aren’t supplied, there’s a QR code directing you to the Arctic site and the instructions don’t make mention how to adjust the fitting ring for different Intel sockets. 

Fitting on AMD is mercifully simple and universal, using the standard AMD retention clips. 

Once fitted, the cooler performed well. It maintained 70C on our test CPU with the fan at just over 2000rpm, and the noise was audible but not intrusive. That it achieves this performance with just 2 heat pipes is to the credit of the design, the fitting mechanism is to its detriment.

Whilst we had no problems with the performance of this cooler, the confusion and incompatibilities over the Intel fitment were a big disappointment, and as such we can’t recommend it for any Intel system: You absolutely want good motherboard VRM heatsinking for the power-hungry intel i5 CPUs, but there’s no guarantee this cooler will fit, and no easy way to check. Arctic need to provide this information to customers to help them make their purchasing decision. 

For AMD, it’s a good, cost-effective option with decent performance, and it will cool a Ryzen 3600, 3700X, or 5600X acceptably well. We can’t recommend it for Intel due to the fitting issues we encountered, so look to the BEquiet! Pure Rock slim as an alternative, or else the 120mm coolers that follow in this test.

3. Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo V2

This cooler shows it’s age mainly in the hardware it’s supplied with. There’s a large range of posts and brackets to enable it to fit to a number of older intel sockets. This leads to a slightly confusing installation process where the back plate must be configured correctly, and the right stand offs selected for the socket type. The back plate is plastic and feels somewhat flimsy until braced by the cooler itself. The instructions are reasonable, but indicate that you should apply the thermal paste early in the process – a sure fire way to get it spread all over the socket as you fit brackets prior to mounting the cooler itself. 

Performance is good. The fan maintains 1200RPM and noise is low. There’s enough thermal headroom to tune the fan profile to your liking, for either lower noise or lower temperatures at the expense of higher fan speed but at our default test settings temperatures remained under 70C. 

Overall this cooler is still a good performer, but is let down by the legacy fitting options confusing the install process, and by newer designs offering better value and a higher quality package. At the right price, it’s still a solid buy.

4. ID Cooling SE-224-XT RGB

The ID Cooling SE-224-XT is available in a number of configurations, with a basic version, black or white version, and this RGB Version. The cooler is the same basic design throughout with four heat pipes and a 120mm fan compatibility and ID Cooling quote a 180W Capacity.

In the box you get a tube of thermal paste, RGB Splitter to allow the fan and RGB ‘face plate’ to synchronise, and even a stand alone SATA powered RGB Controller if your motherboard doesn’t have 12V RGB compatibility. They also include spare fan clips to enable easy fitment of a second fan.

Fitment is straight forwards, with a solid metal backplate supplied, and a mounting mechanism that works in the same way as Noctuas. There are no RAM or GPU interference issues although Ram with thick heat spreaders will likely touch the fan. Only the RGB on this version slightly complicates set up and install, with a little extra cable management required, but that’s to be expected with any RGB components. The instructions are straightforward to follow.

Performance is good, matching the Hyper 212 with the fan at 1200 RPM and CPU temperatures maintained in the high 60’s. 

Overall this cooler makes a strong case for itself in this segment. It’s attractively priced, with a variety of versions to suit your preferences for color, RGB or cost. The range of accessories is impressive particularly this RGB models inclusion of a stand-alone RGB controller to ensure you can integrate it to any PC build, and we like to see the generous tube of thermal paste included as well: That’s a bonus if you need to refit the cooler for any reason. ID-Cooling has clearly given a lot of thought to the design and implementation of this cooler and it all adds up to a very attractive package, and meets the needs of this section of the market perfectly. It gets the ‘Best in Test’ award for this entry-level cooler roundup.

Fan Speeds and Thermal Performance Testing

Taking a quick look at the data we logged in our testing, we can see the different tiers of performance on offer. This test involved running Cinebench R23 on a 10-minute loop. This CPU pulls 110W in this workload.  We’re showing the first five minutes here as nothing particularly interesting changes after that. The AMD Wraith Stealth is excluded as it is a different workload.

The Intel Stock cooler shows the worse temperatures, with the Intel i5-11500 hitting 96 °C and throttling the CPU. The Bequiet! Pure Rock Slim maintains a much more reasonable 80°C, and does this with no noise. The Arctic Freezer 7X manages to maintain 70°C despite it’s 92mm fan and two heat pipes. 

The two larger coolers are both equipped with four heat pipes and a single 120mm fan. They perform almost identically in this test. Both maintain 65-67°C throughout.

The fan speeds clearly differentiate between the fan size, primarily. The Intel cooler has the smallest fan and spins it the fastest, 3400RPM, whilst failing to adequately cool the CPU. Both 92mm fans spin at around 2000RPM under load, but both remain impressively quiet despite this.

And both 120mm fans maintain 1200 RPM whilst cooling the CPU, meaning they are much less intrusive.

Conclusions and other options

This testing showed the value of a modest upgrade from the stock Intel and AMD CPU coolers. The AMD Wraith Stealth is marginal, whilst the Intel Stock cooler is simply unacceptable for the intended CPUs. On all but the most restricted budgets we’d recommend upgrading them to ensure your CPU achieves it’s potential, and to improve your quality of life through reduced noise. 

In this test, the ID-Cooling SE-224-XT shone through as the best entry-level cooler here. The combination of trouble-free fitting, good bundled accessories, and all-around performance means we are happy to recommend it to you for any build involving an entry to mid-level CPU. 

This test drove home the point that cooling capacity and noise are closely correlated to the size of the fan – we’d recommend opting for at least a 120mm fan cooler provided it fits in your case and you can afford one.

Whilst the Bequiet! Pure Rock Slim and Arctic Freezer 7X both acquit themselves well, without intrusive fan noise, they include compromises: the Bequiet! runs slightly hotter, and can’t be mounted facing front to back on AMD motherboards. The Arctic Freezer 7X has a frustrating fitting mechanism when used with Intel. At the right price, they’re a useful step up from the stock included coolers, once you’re sending $20-$25 we’d suggest finding a few dollars more for the ID-Cooling SE 224. The basic version is available for just $30.

If these coolers aren’t available, we’d recommend the following coolers: The Deepcool Gammax 400 is an excellent value choice, with four heat pipes and a 120mm fan it will perform much like the Hyper 212 EVO V2 and SE-224-XT. The BeQuiet! Pure Rock 2 Black is available at $44 and marries a single fan 4 heat pipe arrangement with a slick black aesthetic.

And whilst the Arctic Freezer 7X disappointed, the Arctic Freezer 34 E-sports uses a more versatile and conventional mounting system, and a 120mm fan. It’s available in a range of colors to match your build and is a good choice at around $35. Finally, The Noctua NH-U12S Redux creeps in at under $50 and uses 4 heat pipes and Noctuas very robust mounting system for a low noise alternative.

The post Best Entry Level CPU Coolers: Our Roundup for 2021 appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

When you’re looking to cool a more demanding CPU like the Ryzen 7 5800X or 5900X, or the Intel i7 or K series variants, you might want to consider a high-end air cooler. These CPU coolers offer the advantage of lower noise and increased reliability over ‘all in one’ liquid cooling systems thanks to their large fans and simple but effective design.

We decided to obtain a range of examples from the market leaders Noctua and BeQuiet! In order to assess them for compatibility, ease of fitment and take a look at the performance they offer – to give you a comparison of the best air coolers for high-end PC builds in 2021.

Starting out with more compact options we take a look at the Noctua NH-U12S, and the bequiet! Dark Rock 4. These coolers offer the best compatibility and clearance thanks to relatively compact designs. The NH-U12S uses a 120mm Fan whilst the Bequiet Dark Rock 4 uses a 135mm fan.

Then there’s the option of splitting the difference between the compact and dual fan coolers, the Noctua NH-D15S, which uses just one 140mm fan and a split heat sink – offset to assist in compatibility.

Finally, we pit the two dual-fan options against each other: the Noctua NH-D15 is the most powerful air cooler on the market, and the huge heat sinks and pair of 140mm fans promise great things. Up against it is be quiet’s Top offering, the Dark Rock Pro 4. Again with two fans but differing in size, this cooler blends great looks with low noise.

Best Air CPU Coolers – Our Recommendations

1. Noctua NH-U12A

The Noctua NH-U12A is a high-performance tower cooler with 7 heat pipes, a single fin stack, and a pair of 120mm fans in a push-pull configuration. It comes supplied with a wealth of high-quality fitting equipment, including thermal paste, fan splitters and ‘quiet fan adaptors’, and nicely produced instructions. There’s a robust metal backplate supplied for Intel.

Fitting is easy, with the exception of some confusion over the correct bushings to use: there’s white, beige and black bushing supplied, and it’s the black ones that are used for intel LGA1200 and LGA1155 fitment, but we had to check this with Noctuas online fitting videos as the instructions aren’t clear, mentioning a part number when stating the colour would have been far more helpful. The brackets are robust, and you can fit them horizontally or vertically according to preference. There are no compatibility issues with RAM, or the GPU on an mATX motherboard so it’s versatile, whilst the total height of 158mm means it’ll fit into a wide variety of cases.

Cooling performance is excellent as you’d expect and the fans are barely audible although they run at 1200 RPM, faster than the 140mm fan coolers in this test. This isn’t intrusive despite 120mm fans thanks to the exceptional fan quality. Temperatures are on a par with the larger coolers, sitting at 60C. Noctua suggests using one of the fans to replace the case exhaust, and in most configurations, we’d second that as a great low noise alternative to a supplied case fan. Moving from push-pull to a single fan barely affects temperatures at all. 

Any criticism of the U12S is either personal preference or splitting hairs: The instructions could clear up the bushing confusion with a single mention of the correct colour. The colour of the fans is entirely down to preference, but they are somewhat love or hate, and hard to integrate into a more showy build. There are chromax adaptors to cover the heat fin stack, but they’re extra. It also feels a little expensive, largely down to the quality of fans included which are unrivalled.

Ultimately, this cooler is all about performance, and it nails that. If you need a top tier solution with reliability and engineering a priority, and don’t mind the looks, then this is the cooler for you.

2. Be Quiet! Dark Rock 4

The Bequiet! Dark Rock 4 is a six heat-pipe heatsink with a single 135mm fan. This cooler is supplied with a bar-style retainer and high-quality bracketry, as well as a really high-quality long reach screwdriver that you can use for the rest of the PC build. Assembling the metal backplate and pins for intel applications is fiddly but other than that fitting is straight forwards. The fan does interfere with the first RAM slot for all but the lowest profile RAM, so if you’re planning four sticks you might want to look elsewhere, or else ensure the case has clearance for the fan to be mounted higher. This configuration negatively impacts the clean looks of this cooler.

The Dark Rock 4 is another largely silent cooler with good thermal performance. In our testing fan speed is amongst the lowest at just 800RPM, whilst it allows temperatures to sit a little higher at 70C. Adjusting fan speed allows you to strike the balance that’s right for you. It’s well suited to higher performance AMD CPUs, and it’ll handle Intel’s latest i5 CPUs, and the i7 non-K CPUs too. If you’ll looking at cooling an i9, the 10850K or 11900K for example, we’d recommend something with more cooling power as those CPUs can overwhelm even this cooler. For everything else, it’s recommended as a compatible, well made and good looking cooler with great reliability and performance.

3. Noctua NH-D15S Chromax.black

Straddling the gap from single fan to dual fan coolers, the Noctua NH-D15S is a split heatsink cooler with six heat pipes. It’s supplied with a single 140mm fan. The cold plate is offset to provide more versatile compatibility with GPUs. It fits on an mATX motherboard, unlike the larger NH-D15. There’s also a notch in the radiator fins to allow for higher RAM, although we’d advise checking RAM height for clearance (it should be less than 62mm) before purchase. 

As you’d expect given Noctua’s attention to detail, the bracketry is blacked out on this Chromax version, to match the cooler. Fitting is easy enough though we’d recommend working out whether you’re better off fitting the cooler when the motherboard is inside the case, or outside – this really depends on the access into your case around the cooler once fitted and it’s even more of an issue on the larger dual fan version. 

Under test, the NH-D15S produces excellent thermals sitting at about 62C CPU temperature, and as you’d expect, virtually zero fan noise with the 140mm fan at about 850 rpm under load. The NH-D15S an excellent cooler, and usefully addresses some of the compatibility issues of its bigger brother making it a great all-rounder performance cooler for a high-end CPU. 

4. Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4

The Dark Rock Pro 4 sits at the top of Be Quiet’s product lineup. It uses a split fin stack with a 135mm fan in the centre and a 120mm fan at the front face to drive air right through in a push-pull configuration. The smaller improves compatibility with RAM but you are going to want to carefully check RAM height before ordering this cooler, it does overhang slots and will obscure RGB RAM. It will not interfere with GPU’s on ATX or MATX motherboards. 

The fitting equipment for the Dark Rock Pro 4 is high quality, and the fitting procedure is well explained but tricky. The included screwdriver is absolutely necessary to reach the screw positions through the facing plate. Securing the fan retention clips can be tricky if the case doesn’t allow good access, whilst if you choose to fit the cooler prior to fitting the motherboard, you can run into problems screwing down the upper motherboard screw or fitting power and fan plugs. Plan your build process carefully around this cooler. 

Once assembled the cooler gives one of the cleanest and most impressive appearances of any air cooler, and thermal and noise performance is top-notch. This cooler will handle anything short of overclocking the most demanding consumer CPUs, for which you’ll want a water cooler with a large radiator, or a custom loop anyway. Thermal performance matches all but the Noctua NHD15 in our test, whilst fan speeds remain low at 850RPM. It takes our recommendation due to the combination of performance, compatibility and low noise.

5. Noctua NH-D15

The largest air cooler in this test is the Noctua NHD-15. This is a split heat stack cooler but despite only one letter difference in the name from the NH-D15S, there are some considerable physical differences. The cold plate is not offset, meaning this cooler is only compatible with ATX motherboards – it obscures the top slot in an mATX motherboard making it impossible to fit a GPU. It’s supplied with 2 fans of equal 140mm size, so the front fan will interfere with RAM unless mounted higher, or at the rear of the cooler not the front. Fitting is straight forwards but careful planning needs to go into order of operations: You’ll need to fit RAM before the cooler itself, and ensure that you plug in motherboard plugs before fitting the cooler. Access to do up the fan clips can be hard too. You’ll need a large case and some serious planning to fit this cooler into your build. 

Once fitted, this cooler excels in performance testing: It’s silent and powerful. It kept temperatures the lowest of any cooler on the test, at 58C, with fan speeds matching the other high-performance coolers at 850rpm.

The downsides are really the cost, and the compatibility ‘cascade’ you need to consider to incorporate this cooler into your PC. The motherboard type, case size and ram selection all hinge on this Cooler. If you were planning a full-scale ATX build anyway that’s not a compromise, but it does preclude more tightly packaged builds. The looks are down to personal taste, but if you prefer a less distinctive colour scheme there’s also a ‘Chromax’ black version for $10 more. Noctua also supplies Chromax colour panels to adjust the scheme to match other aesthetics – though these do add considerably to the cost. 

This is undoubtedly the best performing tower cooler in this test, but you will need to plan your build carefully to incorporate it. It’s the go-to solution where reliability and performance trump other considerations, with redundancy provided by the dual fans. The other coolers, like the NHD15S or the Dark Rock Pro 4 come very close to the performance but are much more user friendly to integrate into a build and offer better value too.

Performance Testing

To test these coolers we mounted them to a test system comprising of an Intel i5-11500. This CPU consumes 110W at full load with power limits, giving sufficient heat output to examine the performance of these coolers. It’s equivalent to a Ryzen 9 5900X.

We can see that the Dark Rock 4 differs most from the other high-end tower coolers on test; It has the lowest fan speed at 750RPM and allows the CPU to reach the highest temperatures, but still delivers a very reasonable 70C overall temperature.

The Noctua NH-U12A is the only fan in the test with just 120mm fans, and the higher fan speed of 1200 rpm is the result of this. The cooling performance is still exceptional though and the very high-quality fans stay effectively silent.

The Noctua NH-D15, NH-D15S and the Bequiet Dark Rock Pro 4 are hard to distinguish – all deliver temperatures around 60°C and fan speeds at about 800RPM. All have ample headroom to tune temperatures or fan noise to your preference even with demanding CPUs. 

Conclusion: Take your pick on looks, value or compatibility.

Each of these high-end air coolers has much to recommend. The right choice for your build really relies on your preferences. The Noctua NH-D15S is impressive in performance and noise and is much more forgiving of RAM and Motherboard form factor than its larger sibling. Personally, we prefer the Dark Rock Pro 4’s combination of looks and thoughtful design, meaning it requires fewer compromises overall and looks fantastic in most systems without spending more on aesthetic accessories. 

Meanwhile, the Noctua NH-U12A and Dark Rock 4 absolutely have a place in build with slightly less demanding CPUs or more size constraints, you don’t sacrifice anything in noise or performance in opting for one of these CPU coolers. 

Lastly, the Noctua NH-D15 will find its home in a full-scale ATX build where high-performance CPUs need to work at optimal temperatures with minimal noise. If you’re using a large case anyway, this cooler brings AIO levels of performance without the complexity of adding an all in one water loop to your PC: It’s a great choice if you value low noise above all else.

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With so many different CPU coolers on the market, choosing the right one can feel like navigating a minefield. Choosing between an all-in-one liquid cooler and an air cooler is one of the first decisions to make, but it can be a time-consuming one. Knowing the main differences between each, as well as their benefits and drawbacks, should help you make an informed decision.

Ultimately, both types include builds that can efficiently cool your CPU — it comes down to choosing the correct cooler for your needs. Cooling and airflow are some of the most important and often overlooked parts of a PC build. Not only will keeping temperatures low improve your performance, but it will also help your CPU last longer and minimize harm. This is the reason why choosing a non-stock cooler is a good idea; default options can often struggle to meet the demands of gamers or power users.

Certain limits like overclocking or small cases also push the load on CPU coolers, making the choice an ever more important one. Let’s take a look at common considerations when purchasing a CPU cooler first to help make a decision. Then we’ll dive into the differences between types and where each shines.

What To Consider When Buying A CPU Cooler

As with any major computer purchase, different categories will be more important to different people. Common considerations like cost and ability are expected, but there are also some definitions that are more personal. Things like style and aesthetic, or clearance in a case, can (and should) have a profound impact on your CPU cooler choice. 

These considerations apply whether you decide on an air or liquid-cooled system, although each may shine in different ways. While the main focus of any CPU cooler is, as the name suggests, to cool the CPU, some manufacturers place more focus on bells and whistles than others. If you know you want a feature like RGB lighting or multiple fan connections, that will change the importance of these categories.

Cost

CPU coolers have a wide range of prices, spanning hundreds of dollars. In general, liquid cooling is more expensive than air cooling. This is especially true for custom liquid cooling, as buying all of the different connectors, tubes, and liquids can get out of hand quickly. While higher-cost components are often made from quality materials, they may not be the best value. Consider a budget and stick to it to help make a decision.

Needs

This is a wide category, but an important one. Considerations such as how you plan to use the computer, if you are overclocking, and the fit of the cooler all matter. AMD and Intel motherboards have different CPU cooler stands, for example. While most coolers come with mounts to fit either, it is possible yours may not, changing your decision. 

The most important need to consider tends to be overclocking. While some high-end and modern air cooling CPU setups can handle severe overclocking, this category is often better suited to liquid-cooled PCs. The solution simply handles high heat better.

Fit and Clearance

You’ve likely seen different CPU coolers, some featuring massive fans and heatsinks. While these often make them more efficient at cooling, it also means that they take up more space in the chassis. Especially if you are building a mini-ITX or micro-ATX rig, clearance is important to consider. Most cases include information on their cooler clearance so you can ensure that everything fits together before buying it.

Coolers can also butt up against other wires or, more commonly, high RAM sticks. If your RAM features large heatsinks or fins, measure them as well. Most air-cooled options take up less space than liquid coolers, but this is not always the case. Liquid coolers also come with a radiator — consider what size your case supports and where it can go without interfering with other airflow.

Aesthetics

The only category that doesn’t influence performance, but may be just as important as the others. As more and more cases feature tempered glass or other ways to look inside the case, style only grows in importance. While most aesthetics come down to personal opinion — the RGB debate is far from over — most people find that liquid-cooled systems look better. 

This is also where all those extras like color-changing lights, white or black plastic, and more come into play. The CPU cooler is likely to take up a significant amount of eye space in your build; you should make sure you like the look of it.

Air Cooling

Air-cooled CPUs are the classic option, found in most PCs to this day. They can vary greatly in size and depth, but always feature a fan and a heatsink. Together, these two parts work together to pull heat away from the CPU itself, and then push away the hot air into the case. At that point, the airflow in your case handles the rest. 

These coolers are often in the shape of a large block thanks to the heatsink. They are made from thermo-conductive metals and pull the heat off the chip. The more thermo-conductive material there is, the more heat it can handle at once. Especially if you are interested in overclocking with an air-cooled PC, you’ll want to spring for a large heatsink. Most are made from aluminum or copper. 

On top of the heatsink sits the fan, which pushes away the heat the heatsink has gathered. Some air coolers also place the fan on the side; be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommended setup guide.

The Pros of Air Cooling

Air coolers are easy to set up, often cheaper, and a great option for the majority of PC users. If you do not plan on putting your PC under a heavy load through things like gaming, video rendering, or 3D modeling, your choice is clear. Choose a cheap air cooler and you’re all set to go.

However, this is not the only use for air coolers. They tend to be:

• Cost-effective
• Low maintenance
• Easy to setup
• Easy to find

All of the benefits combine to make a great value-based cooling option for a PC of almost any type. It especially shines for beginners or those worried about leaks from a liquid-cooled setup. Most of the time, installing an air-cooler is as simple as placing it correctly and plugging it into the correct fan port on the motherboard. 

Air coolers tend to be cheaper than liquid coolers, although high-end models do exist. If you are working with a low budget and do not plan on overclocking, almost any aftermarket air-cooled option will do.

The Cons of Air Cooling

Of course, nothing is without its drawbacks. Air-cooled systems struggle when extreme cooling is necessary, such as with overclocking or in tight systems. They are also much louder than their liquid-cooled cousins and often bulkier. With that said, they can outperform liquid cooling under some conditions.

For those that care about aesthetics and style, air coolers are simply not sleek. Due to the large heatsink requirements to actually do their job, the best ones will always bulk up. This is another con for those with limited space, as well.

In a way, you can boil down air cooling to a basic formula. It gets the job done for the vast majority of users but doesn’t really look good doing it.

Liquid Cooling

Liquid coolers are a more modern way of cooling down computers. Instead of a fan connected directly to the heatsink, tubes of liquid are connected instead. The liquid carries the heat from the heatsink out to the radiator and fan section using a closed-loop system. Because the water is always moving and the radiator takes away some of the heat, temperatures can stay lower — the “surface area” where heat can be is significantly expanded.

As you might guess, these systems are more complicated. Your computer case will need to support the size of the radiator, and you’ll have to plan for the layout of the system as you build. This is especially true if you build a custom water loop rather than using an all-in-one system. For most people, the all-in-one system is a better choice — they are far easier to set up, cheaper, and offer similar performance. Plus, the risk of getting water all over your expensive computer is reduced pretty low.

The Pros of Liquid Cooling

Liquid cooling comes with a nice selection of pros for those willing to put in the extra work. The systems are sleeker and often look better, so you can ensure your PC looks the part. It offers this without compromising on performance — in fact, liquid cooling has better performance than most air-cooled systems.

This makes liquid cooling almost a requirement for serious overclocking. It also sees nice benefits in form-factor builds, assuming the case is built to support a radiator. Benefits include:

• Aesthetics
• Additional clearance
• Better cooling
• Overclocking potential
• Customizability

If you get serious with liquid cooling, you can even expand it to include your GPU, RAM, and even SSDs. Custom pumps and loops quickly get complicated, but there are plenty of options for consumers of every level. Modern all-in-one systems are almost as easy to set up as a traditional air cooler.

The Cons of Liquid Cooling

While manufacturers work toward making liquid cooling better, there are certainly still some cons. It is a more intimidating option for new builders, as the downsides of screwing up are huge. Especially with a custom loop system, you can ruin your entire build if not careful. This is rare, however, and most people will choose an all-in-one option.

These are also not without drawbacks. Liquid cooling tends to be more expensive than air cooling and has some maintenance associated with it. It is important to check every so often and ensure that the pipes are in good condition and the pump works effectively. Otherwise, leaking could occur and ruin the closed loop system.

You may also need to plan more for a liquid option. Ensuring that it fits in your case, your radiator is supported, and other air can still flow are important considerations that some people may not want to deal with.

Verdict — What to Choose

There is no one answer to fill everyone’s cooling needs. Those interested in an easy setup should choose an air CPU cooler. Enthusiasts pushing the limits of their components will see great benefits from a liquid CPU cooler. However, most people lie somewhere in between — this is where the previously mentioned categories become essential.

Consider your budget, available clearance, needs, and aesthetic preferences. Your experience building PCs may also come into consideration, as liquid cooling can intimidate early builders. Remember that liquid cooling has greater cooling potential, but air cooling is often cheaper and easier to set up. Look at your preferences and needs before making a final decision.

Relevant Guides

Interested in checking out some specific coolers and comparing them? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guides below to the best air coolers out there, or find a liquid cooler that will fit in your case:

• 4 Best Airflow CPU Coolers for Maximum Cooling
• 6 Best 240mm AIO Liquid Coolers for 2021
• Best 280mm AIO Liquid Coolers

The post Liquid vs Air Cooling: Which is Best for You? appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

The new generation of Intel microprocessors is upon us, and this 11^th iteration of Intel CPUs has variants that show promise in providing some much-needed competition against AMD’s Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 series.

One such Comet Lake variant is the highly anticipated i5-11600K. This processor is made to compete against AMD’s Ryzen 5600X (see our comparison here), and it has the best chance in doing so if we consider that it has an equal number of cores and threads with its competitor. Additionally, this CPU will have RAM support (3,200 MHz max memory speeds) and PCIe 4.0 compatibility that its 10^th generation predecessors lack. But what will truly make this CPU competitive is its price. With an MSRP of $262, it can potentially cost over $100 less than the Ryzen 5 5600X at launch; as Ryzen 5000 series CPUs are still being price gouged due to their lack of sufficient supply and adequate competition. In terms of performance, the Intel i5-11600K only trails the Ryzen 5 5600X by about 3% in single-core performance (according to GeekBench 5 benchmarks: 1,565 vs 1,619), so the price differential will, ultimately, make the Intel i5-11600K the far more cost-efficient option.

Another area in which the i5-11600K trails the Ryzen 5 5600X is its lack of a stock CPU cooler, and its much higher power demand of 125 watts (versus the 65 W TDP of the Ryzen 5 5600X). Thankfully, the money saved from the purchase of the CPU itself can be allocated towards a high-end CPU cooler, which will be far superior to AMD’s stock Wraith Stealth cooler, and can potentially last even more iterations of processor upgrades in the future. To help you find the best CPU cooler to pair with the i5-11600K, we have compiled a list of six of the best options the market has to offer: three of which are air coolers, while the other three are AIO liquid coolers – all under $120.

Best CPU Coolers for i5-11600K – Our Recommendations

Award	Design	Model
Best Value CPU Cooler for i5-11600K		Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Best Overall CPU Cooler for i5-11600K		be quiet! Dark Rock 4
Best Air Cooler for i5-11600K		Noctua NH-D15S Chromax.Black
Best 240mm AIO Cooler for i5-11600K		Corsair Hydro H100x
Best CPU Cooler for Overclocking the i5-11600K		Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240
Best 280mm AIO Cooler for i5-11600K		EVGA CLC 280

Best Value CPU Cooler for i5-11600K

If you need a CPU cooler on a budget, that can provide sufficient cooling for a high thermal-power demanding processor, like the i5-11600K, then you will find the Cooler Master Hyper 212 to be quite the satisfactory option – and the ‘Black Edition‘ simply makes it all the more stylish for any build.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 makes use of a PWM controlled, 120 mm, fan with Loop Dynamic Bearings (LDB) that are designed to reduce noise and vibrations. This fan is Cooler Master’s Silencio FP120, which can output 42 CFM of airflow, a static pressure of 2.9 mmH2O, and just 6.5 to 26 dBA of noise emissions – while spinning at 650 to 2,000 RPM. This fan also has an impressive MTTF (Mean Time to Failure) of 160,000 hours. 

The Silencio FP120 is used to cool a fin-stack array heatsink, with nickel plated jet-black fins that draw heat from the CPU via four heat pipes, designed with Direct Contact Technology for more efficient heat dissipation.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 has dimensions of 120 mm (L) x 79.6 mm (W) x 158.8. mm (H), so it can fit in most form factors (excluding SFF cases). This CPU cooler is upgradable as well, as a second fan can be attached for a push-pull configuration; which will, of course, add to the cooler’s depth size.

What’s most important in this category is the price, and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition is currently selling for just under $40 – including a 2-year warranty. A second (optional) Silencio FP120 fan will cost an additional $20,

Best Overall CPU Cooler for i5-11600K

For those that value silent operation, but also need the CPU to be chilled no matter what the load-percentage or overclocking frequency, we suggest the be quiet! Dark Rock 4. This single-fan, single-tower, air cooler is easy to install, stylish, powerful, and virtually inaudible. 

The fan used on the Dark Rock 4 is be quiet!’s Silent Wings 135 mm, PWM controlled, nine-blade fan; which includes a six-pole motor (for less vibrations) and high-end fluid-dynamic bearings (FDB). It is these bearings that allow it to have an impressive 300,000-hour lifespan, as well as noise levels from just 10.5 dBA – at a 50% load – to only 21.4 dBA at its maximum load (1,400 RPM). The heatsink-tower that this fan cools is all aluminum, and draws heat from the CPU via six, 6 mm, copper heat pipes and airflow-optimized wave-contoured cooling fins. These fins have small dots on their surface, and a black coating with ceramic particles: a design made for optimizing heat dissipation. The top cover of the heatsink is all-black, with a diamond-cut and a brushed aluminum finish. Like other single-fan air CPU-coolers, the Dark Rock 4 can have a second fan installed to it if the cooling is found to be insufficient. 

The dimensions of this CPU cooler are 96 mm (L) x 136 mm (W) x 159 mm (H), so it will fit even within mini-ITX cases that allow for a clearance of 160 mm; like the Fractal Design Define Nano S. The only shortcoming of this CPU-cooler is that it does not come with a thermal compound, which will need to be purchased separately. 

That being said, the be quiet! Dark Rock 4 can currently be found for around $69, which is an excellent price that allows the extra budget leeway for a top-notch thermal paste.

Best Air Cooler for i5-11600K

Though the Cooler Master Hyper 212 and the be quiet! Dark Rock 4 are both excellent air-cooling options in their own right, few coolers can compete with Noctua’s flagship NH-D15 and its single-fan variant: the NH-D15S Chromax.Black. These units can sufficiently chill almost any consumer-grade CPU; naturally including the Intel i5-11600K.

The NH-D15S accomplishes the task via the use of Noctua’s NF-A15, 140 mm, PWM-controlled fan (low-noise adaptor included), which can output an airflow of 68 CFM and a static pressure of 1.51 mmH20. This fan has SSO2 magnetic bearings so – even if it does spin at its maximum 1,200 RPM – it makes little noise and has a MTBF of 150,000 hours. In addition, the NH-D15S can be upgraded with a second NF-A15, or even any other 120 mm fan, like the Noctua NF-A12x25. 

What gives the NH-D15S its superior cooling ability is its massive two-tower aluminum heatsink. It has an asymmetrical shape which provides it with a 65 mm clearance for RAM, and better PCIe compatibility, as well as six direct contact, nickel played, heatpipes for better heat transfer. Together with the purchase of the NH-D15S you will also receive a syringe of Noctua’s high-end NT-H1 thermal compound.

In terms of compatibility, the NH-D15S has dimensions of 160 mm (H) x 150 mm (W) x 135 mm (D), so it will fit all ATX and most micro-ATX cases. You can find whether or not your motherboard and/or case is compatible with the NH-D15S on Noctua’s website here. The all-black exterior of the Chromax.Black variant also makes the NH-D15S a stylish option for any build.

You can currently find the Noctua NH-D15S for around $90, including a 6-year warranty. An additional NF-F12 fan would cost an extra $20.

Best 240mm AIO Cooler for i5-11600K

Now, if you prefer liquid AIO cooling over air cooling – either for the aesthetics, or the better case RAM & PCIe compatibility – there do exist respectable options that can be found at a decent price, and are guaranteed to optimally cool the Intel i5-11600K. The 240 mm radiator option that we suggest for the task is the Corsair Hydro H100x.

This CPU cooler makes use of two SP Series, 120 mm, PWM-controlled fans, that can output an airflow of 57.2 CFM, and a 2.08 mmH2O static pressure. These fans operate between 600 and 1,700 RPM, and can – admittedly – become somewhat noisy: reaching 37 decibels of sound emissions.

The high-density aluminum radiator that the fans cool has dimensions of 275 mm (L) x 120 mm (W) x 27 mm (H), and attaches to the 56 by 56 mm copper cold plate via two white sleeved low-permeating rubber tubes of 380 mm length. The pump head has a white, monochrome, LED illuminated display, that is designed with Corsair’s logo. 

Stylish, powerful, and easy to install, the Corsair Hydro H100x can currently be found for just under $100. A CPU cooler well worth its investment.

Best CPU Cooler for Overclocking the i5-11600K

Beware tricky fitting!

Overclocking on a regular basis can cause damage to the CPU if the cooling is insufficient. That is why, if you plan on making the most of the processing capabilities of the Intel i5-11600K, you will need a powerful AIO cooler that can keep temperatures consistently low. The best CPU water cooler for the task is Arctic’s new and unique Liquid Freezer II 240.

 Though two are the fans that cool the 277 mm (L) x 120 mm (W) x 38 mm (H) radiator, this liquid cooler actually comes with three fans in total. The two 120 mm fans are PWM-controlled, equipped with FDBs, can spin at 200 to 1,800 RPM, and can output: an airflow of 56.3 CFM, a static pressure of 2.2 mmH2O, and up to 35.8 dBA of noise. The third fan that is included is actually situated on the pump head, and is used to provide extra cooling for the base and voltage transformer. This 40 mm VRM fan can spin at speeds ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 rotations per minute, and is also controlled via the same PWM configuration as the other fans.

The aluminum radiator itself connects to the copper & micro-skived fin cold-plate via 450 mm sleeved tubing, and the pump only operates when necessary; which means up to 80% less power consumption. Because of the VRM fan, the pump head does have strange dimensions of 98 mm (L) x 78 mm (W) x 53 mm (H), so do make sure that there is enough clearance on your motherboard prior to purchase. When in place, the Liquid Freezer II displayed 18% lower temperatures than the Corsair H100i, and 20% lower temperatures than the Cooler Master ML 240P Mirage, for cooling an Intel i9-9900K at 3.6 GHz. When overclocking the i9-9900K to 4.9 GHz, it proved to be 9% more powerful than the Corsair H100i, and 16% more powerful than the Cooler Master ML240P Mirage (benchmarks carried out by KitGuru, and displayed by Arctic). 

Despite its amazing performance, you can find the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 for as low as $12- (including a 6-year warranty) – making it an excellent, cost-efficient, option for cooling the i5-11600K, even at its highest frequencies.

Best 280mm AIO Cooler for i5-11600K

Finally, going up to a larger 280mm AIO cooling option, we have the EVGA CLC 280. Anything larger than this cooler would not be a cost-efficient option for the Intel i5-11600K, as the CLC 280 has more than enough power to sufficiently chill this 125 W CPU. 

The EVGA CLC 280 has two 140 mm, Teflon Nano Bearing, fans, that spin between 600 and 2,200 RPM, and can output a maximum airflow of 113.50 CFM & a maximum static pressure of 4.20 mmH2O. The curved housing of these fans is designed to improve airflow through the radiator, and keep vibrations & noise at a minimum. According to EVGA, these fans output noise levels ranging between 16 dBA to 39.5 dBA. The only disappointing aspect of these fans is their lifespan, which is rated for just 80,000 hours.

The radiator that is cooled by these fans has dimensions of 312 mm (L) x 139 mm (W) x 27 mm (H), is all-aluminum material-wise, and is attached to a 100% copper waterblock via sleeved tubing that is 400 mm in length. This cooling block is stated to emit only up to 20 dBA of noise, and – together with the fan speeds – can be controlled via EVGA’s-own included software. Unlike all the aforementioned CPU cooler options, this pump head has a fully controllable RGB LED display (in the shape of EVGA’s logo), which can be customized via the same aforementioned software program.

For builds featuring the Intel i5-11600K, the EVGA CLC 280 is an ideal option; as it provides powerful cooling, low noise emissions, an RGB flare, and currently costs around $110 – backed by a 5-year warranty.

The post 6 Best CPU Coolers for the Intel Core i5-11600K appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

The Intel Core i5-10400 and 10400F have undergone price cuts recently. These 6-core, 12-thread Intel CPUs are a direct competitor to AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600 but are available at around $150-$160 making them significantly cheaper. Both the i5-10400 and i5-10400F are 65W TDP CPUs and have identical performance to one another, but the F variant does not have integrated graphics so you’ll need a GPU to obtain video output. Whilst they perform similarly to the Ryzen 3600 in gaming and general tasks, there is one area the i5-10400 doesn’t quite live up to the Ryzen 5 offering: The supplied Intel stock cooler.

The Intel i5 non-K CPUs are supplied with a cooling solution, but it’s a basic and ugly block of extruded aluminum with a fan attached. It works, and it’s free, but that’s about all. If you’re counting every penny then you can use it as a stop-gap solution but an aftermarket CPU cooler for the i5-10400/F has a number of benefits:

• Lower noise: The supplied cooler has a small and inefficient fan, and uses solid aluminum to draw heat away from the CPU. This translates to high noise levels when under load. After-market solutions allow slower, larger fans and more effective heat transfer to bring the noise down.
• Cooler temperatures: Intel CPUs can sustain higher boost clocks for longer so long as they have thermal headroom to do so. With more effective cooling you keep temperatures lower and performance is improved especially in demanding situations like productivity.
• Better looks: With more and more cases having windows, and a large part of building a PC being creating a system you’re proud to look at as well as use, the aesthetic of the stock Intel CPU cooler is no longer acceptable. After-market CPUs offer a range of colors, styles, and even RGB lighting options to integrate into your build and provide a little wow factor.

So, let’s take a look at some best CPU coolers that retain the value of the i5-10400 and i5-10400F, but add features or performance to ensure you’re getting the build that meets your priorities.

Best CPU Coolers for i5-10400(F) – Our Recommendations

Best Value Cooler for Intel Core i5-10400(F)

Arctic has a fantastic range of value cooling components and this CPU cooler, the Freezer 7X, is no exception. At just $25 it’s a highly effective alternative to the stock CPU cooler. This is a simple tower cooler design with 2 ‘direct touch’ heat pipes and a 92mm fan, but Arctic has evolved this design keeping it relevant. The fan is PWM for finer control over a wider range of speeds, and lower noise when not under load. The compact dimensions with just 132mm overall height mean it fits well into almost any PC build in a standard or compact case. It comes with pre-applied thermal paste and a simple mounting mechanism. The plastic shroud gives it a discreet look that integrates well with most builds and Artic even offers a 6-year warranty with this cooler indicating their confidence in the design and manufacture. 

Best Low Profile Cooler for Intel Core i5-10400(F)

The i5-10400(F) is an excellent choice for a small form factor build. With high performance and relatively low heat output, this cost-effective CPU lets you focus your budget on other components like the GPU or M.2 SSDs to optimize a small PC. However, you need a low-profile cooler to fit into the most popular SFF cases, with 48mm clearance in the Dan A4 and similar sandwich-style cases or 58mm in the Fractal Design Node 202. Noctua has two notable low profile offerings: The NH-L9i which is just 37mm tall including the slim fan, or the NH-L9x65 which is 65mm tall in total. These premium quality coolers use a compact heatsink with heat pipes and a slim 92mm fan blowing downwards to maximize cooling whilst minimizing noise. Both are suitable for the i5-10400’s 65W TDP and allow enhanced boost performance, although the NH L9x65 is the more capable cooler if you have room for it. The fan color scheme may be love-it or hate-it but Noctua’s reputation for reliability, low noise, and effective cooling is unsurpassed. Both come with a 6-year warranty. Pick the low-profile cooler that fits your choice of PC case for the i5-10400(F), and what CPU cooler size it supports.

Quietest CPU Cooler for Intel Core i5-10400(F)

This elegant black anodized CPU cooler, the Pure Rock 2, from be quiet! has a number of features to keep noise to a minimum. First, it uses a high-performance heat transfer design with 4 6mm heat pipes, a large fin stack, plus a large heatsink over the CPU which is itself finned for heat dissipation. The 120mm fan is PWM for more precise control and lower operating speeds and has fan blades specifically shaped to minimize turbulence and thus noise. This attention to detail results in a quoted noise level of just 26.8dB(A) at 100% fan speed, and a nearly inaudible 22dB(A) at 75% – that’s the equivalent of a whisper, or rustling leaves outside and won’t be heard over ambient noise and other case fans. 

The quiet cooler for the i5-10400(F) is easy to fit with a simple retention mechanism and the design does not obstruct any RAM slots even with the fan installed. With a 150W cooling capacity, this CPU cooler has no problems keeping temperatures of the 65W i5-10400(F) in check and allows for minimum noise whilst it’s doing it.

Best AIO Cooler for Intel Core i5-10400(F)

All in one liquid coolers don’t offer the same value for money as less complex designs and tend to be louder too with the combination of a pump and multiple fans. However there’s no doubting their effectiveness in cooling and they allow for a clean, exciting aesthetic with RGB fans and attractive pump head designs. This Cooler Master ML240L RGB V2 hits the sweet spot of performance, features and at just $80 with RGB fans represents a good value too. The pump uses a modern design aimed to optimize cooling performance, and the pump head itself is aesthetically pleasing with a classic unfussy design and RGB ‘Cooler Master’ logo highlight. The fans are both PWM 4-pin models and use RGB that’s compatible with all the major motherboard manufacturers to minimize the software you need to install for control. Overall this AIO offers a compact, slick and effective design that will add some flair to your build at minimal cost, and ensure your i5-10400 is running to maximum effect. 

Best All Round CPU Cooler for Intel Core i5-10400(F)

If you’re looking for the best balance of cost, temperatures, looks, and noise then the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition is a great choice for the Intel Core i5-10400(F). This air tower cooler has stood the test of time and undergone several revisions to keep it up to date. It’s a simple 4 heat pipe design with a 120mm fan optimized for low noise, and it uses a 4-pin PWM connector to allow for accurate speed control. Black anodizing gives a discrete aesthetic and has a 159mm total height so it will fit into most standard tower cases. At under $40, this cooler is the go-to option for a great all-rounder, and there’s an alternative with an RGB fan included if you want to add some extra light and sparkle to your build. 

The post Best CPU Coolers for the Intel Core i5-10400 & i5-10400F appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

The American PC hardware manufacturer, NZXT, is know for making some of the best performing – and stylish – AIO liquid CPU coolers in the market. They are easy to install, keep CPU temperatures and noise levels at a minimum, and are built with quality materials for a respectable level of durability. 

Their two latest 280 mm liquid AIO CPU coolers, the Kraken X63 and the Kraken Z63, do not fall short of these expectations. However, there is a sizeable price discrepancy between the two, as the Z63 costs $100 (66%) more than its X63 counterpart. Therefore, the question naturally arises, of whether or not the Kraken Z63 is worth this extra cost – and to whom this product is targeted for. 

In order to find out, let’s compare these two options, see how well they perform in real world benchmarks, and come to a conclusion on which model is better worth its cost.

Specification Comparison

MODEL	NZXT Kraken X63	NZXT Kraken Z63
Design
Radiator Size	280 mm	280 mm
Fan Model & Size	Aer P PWM 140 mm	Aer P PWM 140 mm
RGB Compatibility	Pump head	None
Number of Fans	2	2
Bearings	Fluid Dynamic Bearing	Fluid Dynamic Bearing
Airflow	98.17 CFM	98.17 CFM
Static Pressure	0.21 - 2.71 mmH2O	0.21 - 2.71 mmH2O
Fan Speed	500 – 1,800 + 300 RPM	500 – 1,800 + 300 RPM
Tubing Length	400 mm	400 mm
Tubing Material	Ultra-low Evaporation Rubber with Nylon Braided Sleeve	Ultra-low Evaporation Rubber with Nylon Braided Sleeve
Cold Plate Material	Copper	Copper
Radiator Material	Aluminum	Aluminum
Noise Levels	21 – 38 dBA	21 – 38 dBA
Dimensions	315 mm (L) x 143 mm (W) x 30 mm (H)	315 mm (L) x 143 mm (W) x 30 mm (H)
Warranty	6 years	6 years
MSRP	$150	$250
Availability	Amazon.com	Amazon.com

The manufacturer specifications are just about the same for both options; with the only exception being the RGB compatibility, and, of course, the price. Instead of the LED-lit infinity mirror rings of the X63’s pump head’s cap, the Z63 has a 2.36-inch (60 mm) LCD display with a 320 x 320 pixel display resolution. This screen can display 24-bit color, and can be used for either practical reasons, like showing system metrics like the CPU temperature, or stylistic purposes, like displaying your favorite pics or gifs of choice. 

Benchmark Comparison

The performance of the NXT Kraken Z63, and consequently the Kraken X63, proved to be part of the top echelon of CPU cooling, as they maintained OC temperatures below 60 degrees Celsius on a CPU that is know to run hot. For both the overclocked values, as well as the noise normalized temperatures, the NZXT Kraken Z63 outperformed all of its tested competition. In fact, the only CPU cooler that faired better than the Z63 in these categories is the 360 mm NZXT Kraken Z73 – and only did so by 0.8 degrees Celsius at the 4.9 GHz OC, and by 1 degree Celsius when normalized at 40 dbA. The only downside of these CPU coolers is that they may run loud at their fans’ maximum RPM; but with temperatures as low as the ones they maintain this would hardly be an issue, as they may never need to run at such high speeds. 

Verdict

All in all, both the NZXT Kraken Z63 and NZXT Kraken X63 are excellent options for cooling even the most demanding processors the market has to offer. The only difference between the two lies in the visual aspect of the pump head cap, which will also determine the price of the cooler of choice. If you value having the ability to glance at your case and immediately tell the CPU’s temperature, or see your favorite gif displayed from your hardware, then the Z63 is for you, but if you enjoy sound-proof cases with no tempered glass side panels, then the NZXT Kraken X63 is the proper option. 

The post NZXT Kraken X63 vs Kraken Z63: What Are The Key Differences? appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

Choosing a 240mm AIO is becoming harder and harder, but that’s because of how many great options have been produced in recent years. As liquid cooling has become popular due to the aesthetics of a small block on the CPU vs the big air coolers, more and more companies are putting strong options into the market. They span the budget, with some crazy expensive options (that usually include some RGB bling and high-performance fans) to the pretty wallet-friendly (which can still be very good bang-for-your-buck buys).

240mm AIO loquid coolers are still primarily an aesthetic (or sizing choice for ITX builders!) option as the best air coolers like the Dark Rock Pro 4 and Noctua DH-15 perform equivalent or slightly better in benchmarks while costing typically the same or less. But the looks are really different, and there’s something beautiful about a nice AIO gaming setup that still have an advantage in minimizing “burst” temps that air coolers just can’t match.

So, if you’re ready to dive into liquid cooling with a 240mm AIO, these are our choices for best options for a 240mm AIO depending on which quality you value the most for your next build:

• Related: Best 280mm AIOs
• Related: Best PC Cases for Watercooling

Best 240mm AIO Liquid Coolers – Our Recommendations

Award	Design	Model
Best Budget Performance 240mm AIO		Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240
Best High-end Performance 240mm AIO		EK 240mm AIO
Best Budget 240mm AIO		Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240R
Best High-end RGB 240mm AIO		Gigabyte AORUS RGB 240mm AIO
Best Budget White 240mm AIO		ID-COOLING AURAFLOX x 240 SNOW
Best High-end White 240mm AIO		Corsair H100i RGB Platinum SE

Best Budget Performance 240mm AIO

If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck on a budget and don’t necessarily need all the bling of an RGB cooler, one of the most reputable names in value cooling has the perfect 240mm AIO. The no-frills design helps keep costs reasonable, while offering performance that outshines way more expensive offerings from other big-name manufacturers. Benchmarks from independent reviewers like GamersNexus and KitGuru repeatedly show this cooler as a top competitor while costing significantly less, so for best budget performance 240mm AIO, we recommend the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240.

While choosing an AIO is almost always an aesthetic choice at the 240mm size, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t looking for high performance. ARCTIC is known for its fans, especially the much-loved value options like the P12 120mm fans, and this cooler brings that same high-value low-cost to the liquid cooling world. If you aren’t fussed about RGB on the CPU block or the fans (which can always be replaced later if you change your mind), and really just want high-performance at a reasonable $100 price point, there really isn’t another option that can compete with the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240.

Best High-end Performance 240mm AIO

Sometimes even those that do have a bit more budget aren’t overly concerned with RGB, but just want the absolute best performance they can get out of a 240mm AIO cooler. While this high-end cooler doesn’t completely avoid the RGB, it clearly focuses on maximized cooling potential. And that is reflected in all major benchmarkers, that consistently find this AIO to perform at the top of the heap. From water-cooling experts and overclocking suppliers EK, we recommend for best high-end performance 240mm AIO the EK 240mm AIO (finally, a simple name!).

EK is perhaps best known for its vast array of custom liquid loop cooling options, but they also make the highest performing AIOs and some of the best performing fans, the EK-VARDAR line of 120mm fans. In fact, part of the success of this AIO is likely the inclusion of two of those high-quality EK VARDAR fans that emphasize static pressure, perfect for pushing air through that radiator. While the CPU block and fans still offer some RGB, a nice touch for this high-end product, the emphasis is clearly on performance and it shows, with the AIO offering extreme cooling that some benchmarks put upwards of 15-20 degrees Celsius less than other coolers. At $120, this 240mm is an absolute steal that is perfect for any performance oriented (with still a bit of personality!) rig.

Best Budget 240mm AIO

Even if you want high performance, you might also want a nice amount of bling to help spice up your battlestation. Unlike some of the biggest CPU coolers, 240mm AIOs can achieve great temps while also offering some nice aesthetics, and part of that is the RGB on the CPU block and the fans. And while the terms budget and RGB don’t often go together, one of the biggest names in gaming has an absolutely killer bang-for-your-buck performer. For best budget RGB 240mm AIO, we recommend the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240R.

CoolerMaster has a whole host of options for cooling, from air coolers to AIOs, at almost any budget point. Their products are always well-made and backed by solid customer service. This particular AIO is basically an RGB machine. From the Master Fan Air Balance fans to the dual-chamber RGB covered pump, there is lighting for you to customize all over the place. In fact, the difference between this AIO and the ‘High-End’ one below is not as much as you might think, especially considering this lighting extravaganza from Cooler Master comes in at a very compelling $100. It won’t keep things quite as cool as the $100 Arctic 240mm AIO, but it will still do a great job and offer that extra customization to keep your PC special.

Best High-end RGB 240mm AIO

At the highest-end of 240mm AIOs in terms of price, we find very strong performers with plenty of RGB. To be the best however, you need a little something extra. Some AIOs offer specially designed CPU blocks, like the additional small fan in the Arctic Liquid Freezer, while others look to ‘avant-garde’ designs like the EK that help stand out. But for our high-end RGB 240mm AIO, we wanted an AIO that performs great, offers every bit as much RGB as the competition, and comes with a useful add-on feature. For that, we turn to the GIGABYTE AORUS RGB 240mm AIO.

Gigabyte is a big name in gaming, and not just for peripherals but also main components. The AORUS line is typically the highest end Gigabyte line, offering the most features and customizability through RGB. This 240mm AIO is no different. Like the Cooler Master we recommended on a budget, there are RGB fans on the radiator and the CPU block offers more RGB. But this time, the CPU block has an LED screen that not only offers RGB customization, but also has six options for display (including things like CPU temperature or custom image rotator). This added screen combined with RGB and performance isn’t cheap, and with a price tag of around $190 you have to really want the LED screen in comparison to our budget AIO. But that added bonus (on top of the other great features) are what makes the AORUS our pick for best high-end RGB 240mm AIO.

Best Budget White 240mm AIO

Since we’re talking about aesthetics, and as we’ve mentioned in our past recommendations, some builders are looking to complete a certain theme and really tie the whole rig together via color matching. The most common of those themed builds is the ‘all-white’ build, and for a long time, this meant a very limited number of choices for cooling/fans that carried a heavy price premium. But recently, more and more options are appearing that are pure white (with some RGB) and promise not to put too big a hole in your wallet. Amongst those, the best value white 240mm AIO that promises great performance while fulfilling that specific color theme build is the ID-COOLING AURAFLOX x 240 SNOW. 

ID-Cooling is a relatively new name in cooling to enter the mainstream builder zeitgeist, but it has quickly become a favorite due to the very competitive pricing, the relatively strong performance, the overall good build quality, and the slew of options in black and white at all sizes. It might not have the same reputation as some of the other very established manufacturers, nor does it have the same history to back it up, but for the price, the ID-Cooling AURAFLOW x 240 SNOW is extremely attractive. The design is beautiful (and of course, all white), the RGB is tasteful and compatible with almost all motherboards, and the cooling promises to be perfect for your mid-power CPU. For right around $80, it’s hard to find a better buy for an all-white build that doesn’t cost nearly double the price.

Best High-end White 240mm AIO

But if you do have nearly twice as much to spend, there is one white 240mm AIO that occupies the high-end of the pricing line-up and offers that extra oomph in terms of performance, looks, and history. If you are familiar with the building scene, you are probably reading this article and thinking, they are missing one of the most prolific companies with some of the best AIOs out there! And you’d be right, but that’s because we saved one of the best for last due to the pure beauty of their white version AIO. For best high-end white 240mm AIO, we have to recommend the Corsair H100i RGB Platinum SE.

We could have found a Corsair AIO to compete in almost all of these categories, they just make great cooling products and have been a major player in the AIO (and generally gaming) world for decades. But this SE (special edition) version is really something special. The double loop CPU block lighting, the LL120 double light loop fans, and the pure white radiator combine to make one pretty package. The cooling performance is strong, getting close to some of the picks in the performance category, and Corsair boasts one of the best integration software with iCUE to help get the RGB and fan curve just right. If you have the budget to pay for this $170 cooler want the absolute best all-white 240mm AIO, this Corsair H100i RGB Platinum SE is truly breathtaking.

Conclusion

CPU cooling is a vital part of any build, and the best air coolers are nearly equal in many ways to 240mm AIOs. But their size and bulkiness doesn’t always look nice, and now that quality AIOs are available at almost any budget, more and more builders are looking to get their feet wet with liquid cooling. Whether you are a performance-focused buyer, are looking for a little extra RGB flash, or want to keep your snow-white build looking pure, our recommendations will make sure to help you keep your CPU cool, and to help your rig look good doing it.

The post 6 Best 240mm AIO Liquid Coolers for 2021 appeared first on PremiumBuilds.