Eight Low-Profile CPU Coolers For Your Compact PC, Reviewed
Tags:
-
Cooling
- Heatsinks
-
Tom's Hardware Top Picks
- Mini PC
Last response: in Reviews comments
Crashman
November 13, 2013 9:00:03 PM
A recent look at ASRock's M8 compact barebones PC saw us undervolting our CPU in order to run stably, overclocked. This forced us to ask the question: how much cooling can we fit inside a slim enclosure? Eight heat sink vendors helped us find the answer.
Eight Low-Profile CPU Coolers For Your Compact PC, Reviewed : Read more
Eight Low-Profile CPU Coolers For Your Compact PC, Reviewed : Read more
More about : low profile cpu coolers compact reviewed
CommentariesAnd More
November 13, 2013 9:18:28 PM
laststop311
November 13, 2013 10:00:53 PM
Related resources
- Questions about low-profile cpu coolers - Forum
- Is this Good Low-Profile CPU Cooler for overclocking? - Forum
- Good Low-Profile CPU Cooler? - Forum
- Looking for low-profile Micro ATX CPU cooler for i7-4790k - Forum
- Low-Profile CPU cooler for FX-8350 - Forum
lowguppy
November 13, 2013 10:28:34 PM
It is really nice to see a low profile round up when a year ago it was hard to find low profile coolers at all. I have to ask though, were these tested on an open bench or in an enclosure? I think to really judge them you have to put them in a box. Maybe not that silly ASRock chassis, but something a like a BitFenix.
Also, every mini-ITX motherboard is a little different. It would take some work, but it would be nice to see coolers cross referenced with different motherboards for compatibility. Just reading reviews it is pretty common to find one or two "Didn't fit my board" comments while other reviewers found the coolers to fit perfectly.
Also, every mini-ITX motherboard is a little different. It would take some work, but it would be nice to see coolers cross referenced with different motherboards for compatibility. Just reading reviews it is pretty common to find one or two "Didn't fit my board" comments while other reviewers found the coolers to fit perfectly.
Score
2
slomo4sho
November 13, 2013 11:50:10 PM
GoliathPtXs
November 14, 2013 2:13:25 AM
cheesyboy
November 14, 2013 2:27:29 AM
AJSB
November 14, 2013 2:52:29 AM
Those things are WAY TOO BIG for really compact mITX systems....
I'm using one from Titan that is really small: 107x70x12.5mm (official dimensions are incorrect) for the skived copper heatsink and can use 60mm or 70mm fans...i'm using a Titan fan that is 70x70x10.
Really compact....check my build at www overclock net
I i will add soon more pics and you will see something that is really small.
I'm using one from Titan that is really small: 107x70x12.5mm (official dimensions are incorrect) for the skived copper heatsink and can use 60mm or 70mm fans...i'm using a Titan fan that is 70x70x10.
Really compact....check my build at www overclock net
I i will add soon more pics and you will see something that is really small.
Score
1
Amdlova
November 14, 2013 5:13:16 AM
Yuka
November 14, 2013 6:16:34 AM
slomo4sho said:
I am surprised that the Cooler Master GeminII didn't make this list. I was going to post precisely that.
I have one for my A8 8350 (100W) and it does a wonderful job inside a TT SD200.
And this is the CM cooler we're talking about: CM GeminII M4
Cheers!
Score
0
expl0itfinder
November 14, 2013 6:31:10 AM
rolli59
November 14, 2013 6:39:22 AM
jerreddredd
November 14, 2013 7:08:35 AM
de5_Roy
November 14, 2013 7:10:10 AM
Yuka said:
slomo4sho said:
I am surprised that the Cooler Master GeminII didn't make this list. I was going to post precisely that.
I have one for my A8 8350 (100W) and it does a wonderful job inside a TT SD200.
And this is the CM cooler we're talking about: CM GeminII M4
Cheers!
toms asked the vendors. may be coolermaster chose not to participate or didn't meet the set conditions. 8 vendors sent their samples according to the article.
Score
0
RedJaron
November 14, 2013 12:38:44 PM
lowguppy said:
It is really nice to see a low profile round up when a year ago it was hard to find low profile coolers at all. I have to ask though, were these tested on an open bench or in an enclosure? I think to really judge them you have to put them in a box. Maybe not that silly ASRock chassis, but something a like a BitFenix. Also, every mini-ITX motherboard is a little different. It would take some work, but it would be nice to see coolers cross referenced with different motherboards for compatibility. Just reading reviews it is pretty common to find one or two "Didn't fit my board" comments while other reviewers found the coolers to fit perfectly.
I agree, these need to be tested in a tight case, preferably one where the low height is needed ( so no Prodigy, no HAF XB since those can fit normal tower coolers. ) The numbers here show what they can do in a normal ATX case, and that's a valid as some people don't like the torque of a 1kg sink hanging off their CPU. But since you were specifically asking for low-profile clearance for something like the Tiki and M8, these coolers need to be tested in that type of environment.
Guppy is right, you can't test every case and mboard combo, but if you could somehow finagle a run of three common boards and cases, it'd be very appreciated.
Score
0
noob2222
November 14, 2013 2:38:18 PM
If tested outside the case will change the results dratically if the heatsink is next to the lid and no exhaust holes directly above it. The shrouded fans will be struggling to get any air flow into it. This is where the silverstone, zalman, and silenx will be better.
Ths silverstone may even pull ahead since it has the lowest mounted fan in the group, the air wil still be pulled through the heatsnink. the zalman should be able to pull some air from the sides if mounted next to the lid.
the 92mm fan on the silenx is its major flaw.
Ths silverstone may even pull ahead since it has the lowest mounted fan in the group, the air wil still be pulled through the heatsnink. the zalman should be able to pull some air from the sides if mounted next to the lid.
the 92mm fan on the silenx is its major flaw.
Score
0
10tacle
November 14, 2013 3:00:30 PM
expl0itfinder said:
When is Noctua going to start making their fans in different color schemes? Their current pink on brown is the only thing that's holding me back.As an NH-D14 owner, I can't agree more. But the fan cowling color is not "pink". It's more of a very light pale beige... almost skin colored (typical non-tanned white person's skin). I honestly don't think Noctua could have chosen a more ugly color combo. Seriously. I took mine apart and painted it with matte (flat) black model paint (cowling, fans) and it looks awesome...disappears into the case if you will and doesn't look so obnoxious.
Score
1
16bit
November 14, 2013 5:42:02 PM
buzznut
November 14, 2013 7:10:14 PM
palibaya
November 14, 2013 7:23:35 PM
slomo4sho
November 14, 2013 11:23:20 PM
expl0itfinder said:
When is Noctua going to start making their fans in different color schemes? Their current pink on brown is the only thing that's holding me back.Definitely not pink

The word was that there would be black versions of the fans but there has been no official release date yet...

Then again, there is also these yellow ones...

Score
0
Crashman
November 15, 2013 1:12:10 AM
Someone Somewhere said:
Quote:
Several others asked us for a few additional millimeters of headroom, though that would have resulted in a viscous cycleDo you mean vicious? Because I'm fairly sure the cycle wouldn't be a thick liquid.
cheesyboy said:
Inches/Millimeters/Inches/Millimeters/Inches/Millimeters....It's good to see consistency
Score
1
Yuka
November 15, 2013 8:32:54 AM
de5_Roy said:
Yuka said:
slomo4sho said:
I am surprised that the Cooler Master GeminII didn't make this list. I was going to post precisely that.
I have one for my A8 8350 (100W) and it does a wonderful job inside a TT SD200.
And this is the CM cooler we're talking about: CM GeminII M4
Cheers!
toms asked the vendors. may be coolermaster chose not to participate or didn't meet the set conditions. 8 vendors sent their samples according to the article.
Yeah, it's a shame. I would have loved to see it up there in the charts.
Cheers!
Score
0
rwpritchett
November 15, 2013 10:18:18 AM
Excellent article.
The ITX board used in the review is atypical with its CPU layout, though. Most ITX board place the CPU right next to the PCIe. It would be nice if the review included a measurement of how far each heatsink extends beyond the Intel "square" that is drawn on the PCB to see if they would block the PCIe slot on a traditional ITX board.
The ITX board used in the review is atypical with its CPU layout, though. Most ITX board place the CPU right next to the PCIe. It would be nice if the review included a measurement of how far each heatsink extends beyond the Intel "square" that is drawn on the PCB to see if they would block the PCIe slot on a traditional ITX board.
Score
0
Crashman
November 15, 2013 11:09:32 AM
rwpritchett said:
Excellent article.The ITX board used in the review is atypical with its CPU layout, though. Most ITX board place the CPU right next to the PCIe.

rwpritchett said:
It would be nice if the review included a measurement of how far each heatsink extends beyond the Intel "square" that is drawn on the PCB to see if they would block the PCIe slot on a traditional ITX board.Score
0
rwpritchett
November 15, 2013 11:49:20 AM
Crashman said:
Most? I count two from my closet:To be fair, manufacturers are starting to have better layouts with 1150. For 1155 socket ITX boards, I count 10 out of 14 ITX boards on Newegg with the CPU crammed next to the PCIe. For AMD, it's 2 out of 4. Gigabyte and MSI still have the bad layout with 1150 ITX boards though.
More ITX or other tiny form factor articles please. I love these.
Score
0
wussupi83
November 15, 2013 1:31:02 PM
caamsa
November 15, 2013 1:35:53 PM
Crashman
November 15, 2013 1:53:14 PM
rwinches
November 17, 2013 8:18:50 AM
Considering the CM GeminII M4 only weighs 7.36 Oz it may not have performed well here.
That said it too like the Zalman has direct contact heat pipes so it would have been nice to see how it ranked.
Here is an extensive review of the CM GII M4
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1278-page1.html
That said it too like the Zalman has direct contact heat pipes so it would have been nice to see how it ranked.
Here is an extensive review of the CM GII M4
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1278-page1.html
Score
0
balister
November 17, 2013 11:42:03 AM
squirrelboy
November 17, 2013 12:16:51 PM
Crashman
November 18, 2013 2:20:36 AM
squirrelboy said:
can we PLEASE have measurements in mm or cm, and weight in kg? please. Can't you see that the imperial system just does not make sense?Sure a decimal system isn't optimal either, base-12 would have been the most useful, but at least it's consistent...
It's the reality of living in the USA. Furniture is measured in inches, so you pick a case to fit it in inches, and that leads to cooler height in inches. Fan frames have been standardized in millimeters, as have system temperatures. And if you give most US citizens a cooler weight in grams, they'll need a slide rule to figure out what that means.
Score
0
Crashman
November 18, 2013 10:15:32 AM
Someone Somewhere said:
How about one with the other in brackets? Because frankly I haven't got a clue what an ounce is without using Google.E.g. 120mm (4.7").
The US is the land of 12-ounce cans of beer and 20-ounce bottles of other beverages, except milk that typically comes in gallons, half gallons, and cups. But the one-cup container says "half pint" just to confuse people who can't do fractions
Score
0
RedJaron
November 18, 2013 12:02:13 PM
Crashman
November 18, 2013 12:24:06 PM
RedJaron said:
Crash, any chance we'll see some cooling numbers from these inside actual SFF cases? Maybe use the three smallest cases from the ITX SBM ( including the slimline bonus build? ) I know that'd require extra time, but it'd be incredibly useful to the SFF builders.Score
0
balister
November 18, 2013 1:41:01 PM
Someone Somewhere said:
How about one with the other in brackets? Because frankly I haven't got a clue what an ounce is without using Google.E.g. 120mm (4.7").
Surprisingly, the conversions are similar and relatively easy to remember (because the numbers are close)
1 inch = 25.4 mm
1 ounce = 28.4 g (1kg = 35.2 ounces or 2.2 pounds)
so quick rules of thumb (yes, this is off slightly, but it's relatively close)
100 mm (or 10 cm) ~ 4 inch
100g ~ 1/5th of a pound
Score
0
ECA
November 20, 2013 12:08:21 AM
I made a suggestion to some companies about case CLEANING..but no one wants it..
SO..
THESE ARE GREAT, if you can keep your case CLEAN.. WHO wants to CLEAN THE DUST out of these? considering the air flow, it will all be UNDER the fins..
My comment to a CLOSE BOX with a FORCED fan INPUT and OUTPUT...is that a vacumme cleaner?
SO..
THESE ARE GREAT, if you can keep your case CLEAN.. WHO wants to CLEAN THE DUST out of these? considering the air flow, it will all be UNDER the fins..
My comment to a CLOSE BOX with a FORCED fan INPUT and OUTPUT...is that a vacumme cleaner?
Score
0
Stevemeister
November 20, 2013 10:50:43 AM
I was looking at the Zalman Low Profile Cooler for my son's computer before this article was published and on the basis of the rating went and bought it. I can testify it works really well and is very quiet installed on an AMD Phenom II 965 - certainly way quieter than the stock cooler that made the computer sound like a jet engine once the CPU was loaded up.
Score
0
Crashman
November 26, 2013 3:36:39 AM
ceaky said:
After all, Noctua is much higher than any other. how many real SFF case can it fit?As for gaming cube cases made popular by Shuttle, you can go fairly big, usually just under 5". That's still too short for tower coolers though. The medium-compact cubes that came after give you around 4". And slim cases usually give you around 3".
Getting to the intent of your original question, it fits over half the Mini ITX cases I've tested.
Score
0
Crashman
November 26, 2013 5:59:43 AM
Someone Somewhere said:
Huh. I though SFF stood for Small Form Factor, not Shuttle Form Factor. You learn something every day (well, some days).
In fact, the definition of "form factor" is "a standardized set of dimensions".
Score
0
Crashman
November 27, 2013 2:22:28 AM
ceaky said:
in the market, no player now follows "a standardized set of dimensions". We have to check tons of information before we purchase anything. A Cube Case may house any of the coolers tested. But a "mini" one might take in half of them. So like I said, "small" is not a form factor. On the other hand Mini ITX is, and everyone who produces a Mini ITX case followed the Mini ITX form factor's fixed set of dimensions for the slot, standoffs, and I/O shield.
Score
0
Alec Bramlett
December 23, 2013 11:46:43 PM
nazgron
January 23, 2014 1:22:47 PM
Crashman
January 23, 2014 1:26:35 PM
nazgron said:
It is sad that tomshardware did this benchmark in open air which pretty much never happens in RL cases. Low profile hsfs are meant to be used in htpc & compact cases which are usually air tight.In other words, the best case for THIS roundup was no case at all. There simply isn't a "typical semi-compact" case that performs similarly to most other semi-compact cases.
Score
0
ArdentlyCore
May 25, 2014 2:33:07 PM
ArdentlyCore
June 4, 2014 2:41:15 PM
I'm installing the backplate of the Zalman cnps 8900 extreme, but there seems to be another backplate that's already on the motherboard that's interfering with the placement of the new one. Am I missing something? Should I remove this previously installed backplate? I didn't use the double sided sticky tape and loading block because the directions said socket 1155 didn't need it, though it said nothing about socket 1150 I'm using with the i7 4770k, Haswell core. Help!?!?! Feel free to PM me!
Score
0
- 1 / 2
- 2
- Newest
Related resources
- SolvedPlease suggest a premium low-profile CPU cooler Forum
- SolvedHelp! I cleaned my cpu coolers dust and dried thermal epox, now my Pc doesnt work properly Forum
- Compact Aftermarket CPU Cooler Forum
- Best compact sized cooler to buy for i7 2600K CPU? Forum
- Compact AMD CPU Cooler? Forum
- Need a good compact CPU heatsink/cooler Forum
- SolvedWhich CPU Cooler Will Fit My PC case? Forum
- After so many reviews / threads about CPU coolers Forum
- SolvedBest air CPU cooler for £1400 gaming pc? (i5 3570k) Forum
- SolvedWill this CPU cooler fit in my PC Case? Forum
- SolvedDoes this PC build need an extra CPU Cooler? Forum
- SolvedPC cabinet + CPU Cooler help Forum
- SolvedJust built a PC and it will not power on. When I push the power button, the CPU cooler fan begins to spin for just an instant Forum
- SolvedNeed suggestions for a CPU Cooler for my new gaming pc Forum
- SolvedPc random crash after cpu cooler change Forum
- More resources
!