Air cooling rankings right now

[GreiverBlade]

Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev. A good price/perf ratio too, it compete in the 75€ segment with a price of ~45€ but the size of it can be a hinder, Raijintek Ereboss is good too but just a copycat of the macho less excentered with a slim 140 to compensate, higher RPM than the Macho to beat it with 1° difference (1600RPM Ereboss vs 1300RPM Macho), Raijintek Aidos : Cooler Master Hyper TX3 (a bit better tho unless TX3 in push pull setup) Raijintek Themis : Cooler master Hyper 212S (again a bit better unless push pull 212S)

Alpenfön Brocken 2 also a good one with the Scythe Ashura

Macho min/max regular gaming with a 3.5-3.9ghz Xeon E3-1275v2

 

[mastrdrver]

I still like my Noctua NH-D14. When I still had my i7 920, I could put ~1.20v (with HT) through it and load up LinX. Stress it all day. With a passive NH-D14, the core temp would never go over 80C. I did this in my 932 HAF with all the factory case fans running their 12v speeds. Used to play games all day with it like that and never once had a CPU temperature problem.

I've never had the 212, but the old OCZ Vendetta 2 and Xigmatek S1283 direct touch coolers did very well for how cheap they were. The 4 pipe Xigmatek did just a little better too (S1284F).

 

[Mr.Scott]

i am using a hyper 212 evo with push pull and its blocking none of my slots.
i suppose you have used a badly designed motherboard for reviewing -.-

If you think a 790X-UD4P, a 890FXA-UD5, and a Sabertooth 990 FX are badly designed, then yes.

I like the Phanteks PHTC12DX. If the two PWM fans aren't enough, throw two deltas on it. I hate CM212's mounting system and the stupid wiggle it does when it never tightens down all the way. The Phanteks is better in every way to the CM212 when you consider you get two high end fans and a tube of Noctua paste with the Phanteks, while with the 212 you get one junk fan and a mounting system that wiggles.

FYI: Phanteks and Noctua products are made by the same OEMs.

For twice the price, it better be.

 

[de.das.dude]

If you think a 790X-UD4P, a 890FXA-UD5, and a Sabertooth 990 FX are badly designed, then yes.

those are indeed.
i dont expect the 790 to be desinged that good. but considering the current size of sinks and how the sabertooth adn the other one is are actually flagship products, you should expect more right?
this is one of the many reasons i veered off from asus and onto asrock. i have a 990fx extreme 4, with vrm fan cooling, push pull on a hyper 212 evo, and even have the rams in first and 3rd slots, all fitting snugly. this isnt good design, but this is PROPER design.

 

[Kursah]

I gotta agree, that in more builds I do, when it comes to cooling many folks often don't think of putting a good solution in their budget and then want to overclock. It's not easy to convince someone to pay $70 for a good air cooling solution or even AIO (though I prefer air). That's where the ACF7 and CM212+ Evo come in handy. Generally the CM is on sale more and is also a good bit more effective than the ACF7P part but both work well...and when it comes down to mild OC's both are quite capable at keeping temps within the safe boundries...especially when a case that has at least somewhat decent airflow is involved. Most builds I generally utilize cheaper rosewill cases that thankfully have decent airflow...I try to push for the designs that have the rear and top exhausts even if the top has no fans just for the sake of heat rising and having somewhere to go.

I will say I push more for the 212+ even if it's more expensive than the AC part...but neither compares to my much more expensive Noctua U14S which I am very happy with...even with just the single 150mm fan. It's been great, especially when I swapped out my rear 120mm exhaust with a Corsiar SP120. Very effective combo on my Haswell build.

Even other Haswell OC builds I have done have worked out quite well on both the ACF7P and CM212+ Evo...honestly both are great coolers and I'm surprised the AC part is still around after having used one as my first heatpipe tower cooling solution to cool my e6300 conroe OC build many years ago. If you need a nice and little and effective cooling solution, it's a great choice imho. The 92mm fan can get a little noisy at full speed but I am still impressed how effective this cooler really is. Both coolers stick to a solid design...and I do agree the 212's mounting solution is kind of odd and can a pain the first time...it's easy after that and not a big deal imho.

 

[Mr.Scott]

those are indeed.
i dont expect the 790 to be desinged that good. but considering the current size of sinks and how the sabertooth adn the other one is are actually flagship products, you should expect more right?
this is one of the many reasons i veered off from asus and onto asrock. i have a 990fx extreme 4, with vrm fan cooling, push pull on a hyper 212 evo, and even have the rams in first and 3rd slots, all fitting snugly. this isnt good design, but this is PROPER design.

LOL. Whatever.
I see Asrock fanboy in your post, and it has nothing to do with air coolers or what I choose to do reviews on. Troll on, I'm done.

 

[Rickkins]

I have the Noctua NH-D14 and I can honestly say it cools fantastic on my fx-8150.

I swapped out my H-80i for the Noctua and I feel like a genius for doing so.
Cold & Quiet....

 

[rtwjunkie]

LOL. Whatever.
I see Asrock fanboy in your post, and it has nothing to do with air coolers or what I choose to do reviews on. Troll on, I'm done.

Wow...do you even know what you're saying? de.das.dude is the last person anybody on here would accuse of being a troll. He gave a very good reason why HE went to ASRock instead of ASUS. He didn't jump up and down saying everything else sucks, ASRock rules, or anything even close to that.

Take the time to actually read what people write before you react, and your time here will be much more enjoyable. This is one of the most polite and respectful forums on the internet, and members go out of their way to help each other, so please help keep it that way. People won't always agree with you....that doesn't make them a troll.

 

[Jeffredo]

I just ordered a Thermalright True Spirit 140 last night. The place I ordered from had a 15% off coupon code and for $34 its definitely the best I could get. I already have one in my other PC and its great - easy to install (motherboard out) and pretty darn good cooling capacity. Plus its very quiet.

https://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=FAN-BW140

 

[Mr.Scott]

Wow...do you even know what you're saying? de.das.dude is the last person anybody on here would accuse of being a troll. He gave a very good reason why HE went to ASRock instead of ASUS. He didn't jump up and down saying everything else sucks, ASRock rules, or anything even close to that.

Take the time to actually read what people write before you react, and your time here will be much more enjoyable. This is one of the most polite and respectful forums on the internet, and members go out of their way to help each other, so please help keep it that way. People won't always agree with you....that doesn't make them a troll.

That's not what I got out of that. I got that flagship boards from reputable companies (Gigabyte and Asus) are designed improperly and only Asrock was of proper design. Maybe you need to re-read post #31, and maybe you should be minding your own business instead of crapping the thread defending your buddy, instead of offering any real content.

 

[sneekypeet]

Okay everyone cleared the air with their opinion on that matter, can we please get back to the topic?

 

[DF is BUSY]

how do you guys feel about single rad 120mm or single rad 140mm compared to the elite air coolers?

is elite air >>>>>>> single rads, hands down/no questions?

 

[sneekypeet]

depends on the fans and head unit, if you are speaking of AIOs here.

 

[GreiverBlade]

how do you guys feel about single rad 120mm or single rad 140mm compared to the elite air coolers?

is elite air >>>>>>> single rads, hands down/no questions?

elite ... hum ... if by elite you mean price (because pricey = performance! ofc ) ok ok i stop the joke.

little personal comparison HR-02 Macho Vs H70 push pull with 2 SST AP-121 1° less in idle for the Macho and 2-3° less in load for the H70, but the H70 is a 50mm thick rad so for a 120mm it is almost efficient as a 240mm Aio as the H100/100i Seidon 240 etc (same goes for the other 38mm thick H80/80i, CM Seidon 120XL and the Antec Kühler 920 ) for me the reason i went back to the HR-02 was the aesthetic.

 

[EarthDog]

how do you guys feel about single rad 120mm or single rad 140mm compared to the elite air coolers?

is elite air >>>>>>> single rads, hands down/no questions?

Last i saw, no single rad could keep up with the highest end air coolers....assuming the both had the same fans of course.

 

[GreiverBlade]

Last i saw, no single rad could keep up with the highest end air coolers....assuming the both had the same fans of course.

single thickness indeed but double width 120mm are not bad, i would rarely recommend a single width 120/140mm over a air cooled-

it was on a i7-980X so the "stock" cooler is a beefier one and nosy as hell, just like a H70 with default 2000rpm fan but with 2 SST AP-121 its much better

 

[adsubzero]

Thermalright HR-02 Macho Rev. A good price/perf ratio too, it compete in the 75€ segment with a price of ~45€ but the size of it can be a hinder, Raijintek Ereboss is good too but just a copycat of the macho less excentered with a slim 140 to compensate, higher RPM than the Macho to beat it with 1° difference (1600RPM Ereboss vs 1300RPM Macho), Raijintek Aidos : Cooler Master Hyper TX3 (a bit better tho unless TX3 in push pull setup) Raijintek Themis : Cooler master Hyper 212S (again a bit better unless push pull 212S)

Alpenfön Brocken 2 also a good one with the Scythe Ashura

Macho min/max regular gaming with a 3.5-3.9ghz Xeon E3-1275v2
View attachment 53135

I have to say, Brocken 2 is one great cooler.
It's dead silent, I can't hear it on max rpm even when the case is open, and it's got a great performance/price ratio.
Beats lot of other more expensive coolers while being silent.

 

[Digital1]

My TT nic c5 has arrived and is installed. With my old stock cooler I was getting temps between 68-73c when playing Bioshock Infinite. I'm now getting between 36-41c. The fans that come with the cooler aren't the quietest, even on the low speed setting. Especially noticeable when you tend to leave the pc running over night. I will replace those with a couple of Noctua's NF-S12A FLX in the new year though, and sure i'll be running quiet and content. The cooler is very good imo, easy to install and no ram slots blocked. Shame they couldn't have put as much fine detail into the fans design, as they did into the cooler itself, but at least it's a small flaw that can be remedied with another dip into the PayPal account.

 

[vega22]

i have a d14 and the older silver arrow called the ifx14.

it is better than the d14 so the new silver arrow sb-e should be able to remove more heat than it does.

it would be my pick if i was i in the market for a new blower today.

Last i saw, no single rad could keep up with the highest end air coolers....assuming the both had the same fans of course.

antec h20 920 is on par with the best air, but it is very fat and hold much more liquid than most 120 aio loops.

 

[GreiverBlade]

i have a d14 and the older silver arrow called the ifx14.

it is better than the d14 so the new silver arrow sb-e should be able to remove more heat than it does.

it would be my pick if i was i in the market for a new blower today.



antec h20 920 is on par with the best air, but it is very fat and hold much more liquid than most 120 aio loops.

indeed a H20 920 or corsair H70/80/80i cooler master seidon 120XL have a real good cooling potential.

i also have a IFX-14 a pretty beastly cooler

 

[EarthDog]

antec h20 920 is on par with the best air, but it is very fat and hold much more liquid than most 120 aio loops.

Well, the amount of fluid really means quite little in cooling capacity. The more liquid in a loop, assuming we are not talking going from a Liter to a pond, just means it will take longer to reach the equilibrium. So, if I had a loop that used 1L and temps after an hour reached 60C, if I had 1.5L it would take longer but the temps would remain the same.

But yeah, I already conceded the 'thick' radiators may be in the ballpark. Truth be told, it depends on what review you look it as to what the results are.

 

[vega22]

seen it with my own eyes and know how these coolers stack up.

along side h50/h60 and many other air coolers.

the phantec i do not know, as i have yet to play with one of those, so it could be best but with its design i expect it to be very much akin to the d14.

 

[GreiverBlade]

seen it with my own eyes and know how these coolers stack up.

along side h50/h60 and many other air coolers.

the phantec i do not know, as i have yet to play with one of those, so it could be best but with its design i expect it to be very much akin to the d14.

it's not the quantity of liquide who play a role but the dimension of the heat exchange surface in the radiator (also the number of fans but a H60 dual SST AP 121 is way under a H70 with same setup)

doube thick rad : Antec Kühler H2o 920/Cooler Master Seidon 120 XL/Corsair H80/H80i =38mm the H70 is a 50mm (H90 is another story since its a single thick rad but 140mm instad of 120mm)

while they are quite noisy if you push them, once you remove the stock fan and put a set of good SP fan with around 1900RPM (Scythe S-flex G or like me Silverstone SST AP-121) they can fight in the same league of a good air cooler IE: for me my Macho and H70 don't show much differences, just a shame that i lost the AMD bracket ... my poor H70 is in a box idling while my AMD setup has a stock cooler on it ... duh ...

H50/H60 : good at low RPM in a HTPC with a fixed RPM under 1300, as long as you don't have a "bubble noise" pump it's pretty decent and silent, i assembled a A10-5800k in a Fractal design Node 304 with a H60 (originaly with a Hyper TX3 : no comparison ... and stock : no way in hell obviously

the reviews still show a H70 being above a NH-D14 but welcome to hell of noise if you keep the 2k RPM corsair fan ahahahhahaha and Megahalems over a NH-D14 hell a single tower over a dual? ok right the TR SA SB-E/SB-E extreme and IFX-14 should beat the D14, for the Phantek : it should tag along... with Silverstone Heligon HE01 (which is cheaper tho) and TR SA SB-E, but i know they offer a large panel of color still the price of that cooler is not interesting over a TR SA SB-E

 

[markaflias]

Got a 212 and a noctua 9 cm and they almost do "same" temps , difference ? The price . Got a very good experience with a scythe yasya , its a bit loud but he does his job very good

Noctua 14 cm is top-notch but you have to pay its price


I agree with #15 , these are the best you can got out there.

 

[GreiverBlade]

i am still wondering why Noctua fans and coolers are so popular ... i mean come on ... they are on the lower half of most of the charts and perform only a few ° lower or even worse, higher than lower priced units, their fans where i live are around 10 to 15chf (12-17$) more than other brand, ok i know they have a good accessory bundle and they are mostly quiet but it's kinda weird ...

see the NH-C14 in the chart above? or even the D14 ? top notch but have to pay the price... bah!