It seems strange to us that Intel no longer includes a cooler with its fastest retail CPUs. This is, after all, the same company that seems to insist that we include our original boxed cooler any time we send in one of our purchased processors in for a warranty exchange. Instead, it now suggests that enthusiasts spend extra money on something that resembles Antec’s Kühler H20 620, but actually costs as much as the larger Kühler H20 920: Intel's own BXRTS2011LQ sealed liquid CPU cooling system.
The rationale behind this move does make sense in that the Core i7-3960X and Core i7-3930K are multiplier-unlocked products that specifically target overclocking enthusiasts. Enthusiasts typically won’t settle for anything as underpowered as its RTS2011AC downdraft cooler, and Intel doesn’t think hanging two pounds of copper and aluminum up to six inches from the surface of a motherboard is a great idea. And while that kind of leverage tugging on your expensive motherboard is probably ill-advised under the harsh conditions of shipping a machine cross-country, systems that are handled gently and don't get moved often tolerate the weight of big, heavy coolers without a problem.
We invited every major CPU cooler manufacturer (that's right, all of them) to show off their LGA 2011-compatible heat sinks, and fourteen responded with products ranging from $30 to $99. That takes either a great deal of confidence or a great leap of faith from the budget cooler companies, since everyone participating in this piece knew that we'd be basing our evaluation on overclocking. The wide price range allows us to really test how much we need to spend on cooling, and how much we can benefit from spending more money than necessary.
Following up on our earlier picture story, here’s a brief overview of each cooler’s basic features, grouped by price first and arranged alphabetically. Please pay special attention to each cooler’s base height, which is measured with the intake fan at its highest position, along with thickness and offset. If the fan overhangs your DIMM slots, its base height (plus around 0.3" for the CPU/LGA package) represents your maximum supported DIMM height.

| LGA 2011 CPU Cooler Features, Sub-$50 Models | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo | Corsair A70 | Enermax ETS-T40 | SilenX EFZ-120HA5 | |
| Height | 6.3" | 6.3" | 6.3" | 6.3" | 6.2" |
| Width | 5.5" | 4.7" | 4.9" | 5.5" | 4.9" |
| Rad. Thickness | 2.6" | 2.0" | 2.8" | 2.8" | 2.3" |
| Total Thickness | 3.8" | 3.1" | 5.1" | 3.6" | 3.4" |
| Base Height | 1.2" | 1.4" | 1.5" | 1.5" | 1.4" |
| Assy. Offset | 0.5" Forward | 1.1" Forward | Centered | 1.0" Forward | 1.1" Forward |
| Cooling Fans | 1 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 120 x 25 mm | 2 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Connectors | 1 x PWM | 1 x PWM | 2 x Three-Pin | 1 x PWM | 1 x Three-Pin |
| Weight | 32 Ounces | 22 Ounces | 41 Ounces | 23 Ounces | 23 Ounces |
| Web Price | $40 | $35 | $35 | $30 | $33 |

| LGA 2011 CPU Cooler Features, $50-79 Models | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akasa Venom Voodoo | Coolink Corator DS | Gelid GX-7 Rev. 2 | Xigmatek Venus SD1266 | |
| Height | 6.5" | 6.2" | 6.3" | 6.4" |
| Width | 5.1" | 5.5" | 5.1" | 5.2" |
| Rad. Thickness | 2.8" | 2x 1.8" | 2.5" | 2.8" |
| Total Thickness | 5.1" | 4.7" | 3.5" | 3.9" |
| Base Height | 1.3" | 1.5" | 1.4" | 1.5" |
| Assy. Offset | Centered | Centered | 0.4" Forward | 1.1" Forward |
| Cooling Fans | 2 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Connectors | 2 x PWM | 1 x PWM | 1 x PWM | 1 x PWM |
| Weight | 37 Ounces | 35 Ounces | 23 Ounces | 33 Ounces |
| Web Price | $55 | $50 | $65 | $65 |
.

| LGA 2011 CPU Cooler Features, $80-100 Models | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepcool Assassin | Noctua NH-D14 | Phanteks PH-TC14PE | Thermalright Archon SB-E | Zalman CNPS12X | |
| Height | 6.4" | 6.4" | 6.5" | 7.0" | 6.2" |
| Width | 5.8" | 5.9" | 5.8" | 6.7" | 6.0" |
| Rad. Thickness | 2x 2.0" | 2x 2.0" | 2x 2.1" | 2.1" | 2x 2.2" |
| Total Thickness | 6.0" | 6.2" | 6.3" | 3.1" | 5.2" |
| Base Height | 1.7" | 1.8" | 1.6" | 1.3" | 1.2" |
| Assy. Offset | 1.0" Forward | 1.0" Forward | 1.0" Forward | 1.0" Forward | 0.25" Left |
| Cooling Fans | 1 x 140 x 25 mm 1 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 140 x 25 mm 1 x 120 x 25 mm | 2 x 140 x 25 mm | 1 x 150 x 25 mm | 3 x 140 x 25 mm |
| Connectors | 1 x PWM 1 x Three-Pin | 2 x PWM | 2 x Three-Pin | 1 x PWM | 1 x Three-Pin |
| Weight | 37 Ounces | 45 Ounces | 47 Ounces | 36 Ounces | 36 Ounces |
| Web Price | $80 | $85 | $90 | $85 | $99 |
Since higher fan speeds typically increase cooling capacity at low cost, some of the more expensive models attempt to provide the best balance of cooling and noise. Today’s tests includes both heat and noise measurements, and we’ll even compare heat to noise, heat to price, and heat/noise to price!
With glory shots covered in our previous picture story, today’s article focuses on installation, testing, and results. We begin with Akasa’s sharp-looking dual-fan Venom Voodoo.

Akasa’s installation kit covers everything from AMD’s Socket AM2 to Intel’s latest LGA 2011, with screw-in standoffs separating today’s installation from the also-possible LGA 1366.

All the base plates go back in the box thanks to LGA 2011’s integrated cooler support, into which we threaded Akasa’s custom cooler standoffs.

The Intel-style top bracket is still required, and attached to the top of the Venom Voodoo’s base using four screws from the bottom.
We like simple installations, and were pleased to find that the cooler drops straight on at this point. The heat sink’s concave side should face the cooler’s intake fan, while the exhaust fan clips to the other side.

Yellow and black signify danger, which is why it’s frequently used by both bees and construction crews. In this case, the danger might be to your competitors as you show off the power of your overclocked Sandy Bridge-E-based PC!.
Arctic Cooling’s extremely simplified installation kit eliminates any LGA 1366 support plate in favor of LGA 2011-specific screws.

This could have even been considered a Sandy Bridge-only package if not for the fact that the included LGA 1155 hardware also fits LGA 1156. Even still, we're ignoring both of those interfaces in today’s installation.

Metal spacers fit over the LGA 2011’s integrated screw posts (foreground) before attaching each of the Freezer i30’s two adapter brackets (background).

With its fan removed, the Freezer i30’s integrated cross bracket screws onto its adapter brackets.

Plugging in the fan’s motherboard lead and clipping it to the heat sink completes Arctic Cooling’s Freezer i30 installation.
Cooler Master didn’t have a retail package available when it sent this Hyper 212 Evo sample, but instead included just the cooler, an LGA 2011 installation bracket, and a small tube of thermal paste.

The bracket folds to allow easy insertion between the heat sink’s base and fins.

The unfolded bracket simply screws into Intel’s integrated LGA 2011 support plate. A steel pin in the base’s aluminum top plate engages groves on the bracket to keep the cooler from twisting.

Plugging in the fan and clipping it to the cooler completes the installation of Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 Evo.
The Corator DS we received is an LGA 2011-specific model, containing nothing more than a set of nuts and standoffs to connect its universal-pattern Intel LGA brackets.

Standoffs screw into the LGA 2011 interface's included threads (foreground), and the cross brackets are then screwed onto them (background).

The Corator DS’ factory-mounted bracket then screws onto the cross brackets from the kit. What appear to be spring-loaded screws are actually threaded tubes, with a hexagonal cap and a #2 Phillips socket atop each.

The Corator DS’ single fan clips between its twin radiators, and plugging it into the motherboard power header completes the installation process.

Corsair’s installation kit resembles Akasa’s, but with two key differences. First, a clip-style bracket is used for AMD interface compatibility.

The second difference is far more pertinent to our installation: there are no special standoffs for use with Intel’s LGA 2011 integrated mounting plate. Instead, Corsair relies on a little-discussed feature of the LGA 2011 design to support this product:

LGA 2011 motherboards still have LGA 1366 mounting holes. These holes are covered by the factory-installed gasket, but we can see the gasket peeking through the holes in the photo above. These holes are likely intended to prevent damage from overly-long mounting screws when using the integrated support plate.

Corsair told us to simply pop the bracket’s hold-down screws through the gasket, but these screws weren’t sharp enough to go through easily. We instead poked slits in the LGA 2011 gasket using a pocket knife, and inserted the mounting screws through those slits.

The screws now stand atop the LGA 2011 interface the same way they did on our LGA 1366 motherboards.

As with Akasa, Corsair’s mounting bracket bolts atop the A70’s base using screws from its underside.

Nuts apply tension between the cooler’s bracket and support plate using those protruding screws.

Plugging the fans into their motherboard headers and clipping them onto the heat sink completes the A70's installation.
Deepcool's Gamerstorm brand brings us the Assassin, which is also distributed by Logisys. Although you can find this cooler by searching any of those names, we found the deepcool-us.com server more reliable than gamerstorm.cn.

The Assassin installation kit includes a support plate for Intel’s LGA 1155, 1156, and 1366, plus AMD’s Sockets AM2 and AM3. LGA 2011 users can throw the big plate back into the box, though, as separate screws and spacers allow the upper brackets to be screwed directly to their motherboard’s integrated support plate.

The split plastic spacers are too thick to fit properly, but a little wiggling achieves the approximate position (foreground). Each cross-bracket is then screwed onto the spacers (background).

The Assassin heat sink’s hold-down is then attached to the cross brackets using spring-loaded screws. This process is slightly more cumbersome than competing solutions because the hold-down bracket isn’t attached to the cooler.

Plugging the fans into motherboard headers and clipping them onto the sink completes the Gamerstorm Assassin installation.
Enermax's ETS-T40 fits Intel’s four-bolt LGA interfaces and replaces AMD’s four-bolt brackets. Four special standoffs add LGA 2011 to the support list.

Either set of cross braces (background) can be fit atop the LGA 2011 standoffs (foreground). Threaded studs on both sets of brackets engage clamping bolts for the top bracket.

Two pins in the top bracket position it precisely atop the ETS-T40’s base. We found that the two nuts that tighten this bracket cannot be completely tightened, though the space between it and the cross brackets is minimal.

Plugging the fan’s PWM connector into the motherboard’s header and clipping it onto the cooler’s face completes the installation of Enermax’s ETS-T40.

Gelid had not yet added the LGA 2011 installation kit to its GX-7 at the time we asked for review samples, but instead sent its $5 accessory kit for our installation.

Two brackets attach to the GX-7’s base using included screws.

Spring-loaded screws then apply even tension to the brackets, using LGA 2011’s integrated cooler support plate.

Connecting the fan to a motherboard and clipping it to the heatsink completes the Gelid GX-7 installation.

The SE2011 (Special Edition 2011) version of Noctua’s NH-D14 contains only the parts need to support Intel’s latest processor interface.

Universal-pattern Intel brackets mate to LGA 2011-exlusive studs using included nuts.

Spring-loaded nuts assure even pressure as the NH-D14’s integrated clamping bracket screws onto each bracket’s studs.

Connecting the fans to our motherboard’s PWM headers and clipping them to the sink completes the installation of Noctua’s NH-D14 SE2011.

Phanteks adds a diverse installation kit for Intel’s older LGAs and AMD’s four-bolt sockets, but LGA 2011 installation is made far easier through the use of its integrated support plate.

Four standoffs (foreground) space two cross brackets (background) above the socket, with threaded studs on each cross bracket made to engage the cooler’s hold-down strap.

Bolting the PH-TC14PE’s hold-down strap to the base keeps it from flopping around when installing the heat sink. Spring-loaded nuts at the end of that strap provide even pressure across the base as they're screwed onto cross brackets.

Plugging the fan leads into motherboard headers and clipping them onto the radiators completes the installation process for Phantek’s PH-TC14PE.

Note that both fans are 140 mm (5.5 inches) and can be clipped at several heights. DIMM clearance required us to raise the fan around ½” from center. Depending on the height of your DIMMs, this option may extend the fan beyond the closing point of your case’s side panel.

Also note that the fan clips touch metal components on the back of our video card. We tilted the card slightly to eliminate potential short circuits, but you might not have this option in a chassis.
SilenX's installation kit includes a top bracket that fits all popular desktop CPU sockets (LGA 775 to 2011, AMD Socket 939 to AM3+), a base plate that supports most popular performance-oriented processor interfaces (except for LGA 2011), and an extra set of mounting screws for LGA 2011’s integrated cooler support plate.

SilenX's universal top bracket screws to the sides of the cooler with its ears pointing towards the bottom, as shown.

The EFZ-120HA5’s top bracket is then attached directly to the LGA 2011 cooler support holes using spring-loaded screws. This is the point where everyone who doesn’t have LGA 2011 can start crying about all of the extra steps they're forced to endure.

The most difficult-to-install part of the EVA-120HA5 kit is its fan. First, four T-shaped rubber tacks must be pulled through the fan's mounting holes (on its back side). The top of the T must then be slid into groves on the heat sink.

Unfortunately, the fan’s hole spacing is slightly wider than the heat sink’s height, leaving each T dangling precariously, as only half of its length is supported by fins. The Ts are soft, the fins are rough, so the lightweight fan isn’t likely to shift. But getting it centered takes a couple of minutes.
With its fan’s power lead plugged into our motherboard’s header, SilenX's EFZ-120HA5 installation is complete.
The Archon SB-E includes the cooler and AMD/Intel universal installation kit from Thermalright’s Archon Rev.A, plus an LGA 2011-specific standoff set.

While other platforms get to this point using long nuts and a separate support plate, LGA 2011 standoffs screw directly to the motherboard’s integrated cooler mount.

The Archon SB-E’s top bracket is installed onto standoffs using small screws.

Self-adhesive vibration dampening pads are most easily stuck to the cooler before attaching it to the motherboard.

The cooler is then clamped down to the hold-down plate using an included strap.

Note that the strap only centers the CPU cooler front-to-back, leaving around ¼” of side-to-side adjustability.

The fan’s lead is then plugged into the motherboard, and the fan itself clipped to the heatsink. Note that the fan cannot be rotated 90° because its hole pattern is rectangular rather than square. No matter how far we slide the base, the Archon SB-E always hangs past our top video card slot. Thus, we were forced to test the cooler with our graphics card in slot position three, which means that it wasn’t tested in a standard configuration. We’ll make sure to mention this as we discuss our thermal findings.
Xigmatek uses the same bracket set as Enermax, though these are packed a little differently. Bushings for the aluminum pressure plate, for example, were found beside the plate rather than inside of it, and there’s no included wrench for the tension nuts.

Xigmatek labels its Intel and AMD brackets, though the AMD brackets are also drilled to fit Intel socket hole spacing.

This is how Enermax's installation would have appeared at the half-way point, had we used the other bracket set (minus the Xigmatek and Intel labels, of course). Cross brackets are mounted to LGA 2011-specific standoffs using thumb nuts.
With no wrench to play with, we tightened Xigmatek’s tension nuts using an electric screwdriver. The results are the same, with a slight space found between the cross brackets and the pressure plate when both nuts are fully tightened.

Like SilenX, Xigmatek uses rubber tacks to hold its Venus XP-SD1266 fan and heat sink together. Xigmatek’s design is better in a couple ways, including the fact that the sink is actually tall enough to hold the fan. The tacks are also slotted and hooked on from the sides, rather than forced in from above and below.
Zalman’s CNPS12X installation kit supports AMD’s Sockets AM2 through AM3+, in addition to Intel’s desktop LGA 775 through LGA 2011. LGA 2011-specific standoffs let you get rid of the irksome support plate in favor of the interface's integrated mounts.

Standoffs are threaded in first (foreground), followed by cross brackets and thumb screws (background).

At the edge of a factory-installed pressure bracket, factory-installed spring screws engage holes on the cross brackets to provide even pressure against the CPU.

Ah, but wait…isn’t that backwards? Zalman designed the CNPS12X with ¼” offset to clear the top of your case, your power supply, or whatever else is above your motherboard. Unfortunately, that causes the cooler to overlap our motherboard’s main graphics card slot.
We were left to either put our graphics card in the wrong slot and partially discredit the results (as we will with one other cooler) or mount it in such a way that some of the air pushed through it would already be warmed by our graphics card and power supply. Choosing the latter means that the test results represent a performance floor, by which we know it performs "at least this well."
A final installation issue that affected our build was that the CNPS12X overlapped our second DIMM slot and was just low enough to the motherboard that the fan tips barely touched our 1.55” DIMMs. Though we were able to make things work with a little adjustment, the solution wasn't long-term enough that we'd recommend this cooler to anyone with modules even a hair taller than 1.50”.
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-3960X (Sandy Bridge-E): 3.3 GHz, Six Physical Cores, O/C to 4.60 GHz at 46x, 1.40 V |
| Motherboard | Asus P9X79 WS, Firmware 0603 (11-11-2011), LGA 2011, Intel X79 Express, O/C at 100 MHz BCLK |
| RAM | G.Skill F3-17600CL9Q-16GBXLD 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR3-2200, Benchmarked at DDR3-1600 CAS 9 defaults |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 580: 772 MHz GPU, GDDR5-4008 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 470 Series MZ5PA256HMDR, 256 GB SSD |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Seasonic X760 SS-760KM: ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Gold |
| Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce 285.62 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.2.3.1020 |
Zalman’s ZM-STG2 thermal paste is used in this test not to favor its cooler, but because Zalman has long been our thermal paste provider. It works equally well with other cooler brands, and settling on a single substance reduces variability in testing.

Our CPU and voltage regulator pull around 300 W at full load at this O/C, using an old C0 stepping Core i7-3960X at 4.60 GHz and 1.40 V. We used this specific processor because it’s the one we can most easily afford to lose (due to heat damage) after long bouts of overclocking.
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Prime95 v25.8 | 64-bit executable, Small FFT's, 8-threads |
| RealTemp 3.00 | Highest core reading at full CPU load (60 minutes) Highest core reading at 30 minutes idle |
| Galaxy CM-140 SPL Meter | Tested at 1/4 m, corrected to 1 m (-12 db), dB(A) weighting |
Twelve threads of Prime95 provide 100% load. We were forced to test noise at extremely close distances to stay within our meter’s calibration range.
Noctua and Zalman are in a dead heat at the top of our CPU temperature chart, and its here where many readers will remind us that Zalman’s cooler was mounted backwards (where its intake air might have been slightly warmer).
We’d give Zalman the benefit of the doubt if the fitment issue wasn't such a concern. Besides, some builders (and some cooler manufacturers) prefer to see chassis exhaust fans mounted as an extra intake, though we can only suggest doing that with cases that have extremely good top-panel exhaust.

SilenX’s temperature here has to be recorded as an estimate as a result of processor throttling. You see, the displayed temperature is an average for all cores, and this processor begins throttling at 90° C. Without the ability to achieve lower (and less realistic) ambient temperatures, we simply couldn’t keep the warmest core below its throttle point.
After gauging the amount of time it took to reach throttle temperature at various ambient temperatures, we looked at our rough time to ambient temperature curve and estimated that this cooler could only keep our system at full speed with a room temperature below -4° C.
Enermax's ETS-T40 similarly required an unrealistically-low ambient temperature of 20° C at these overclocked settings. We say unrealistic because we never cool our offices below 22° C in the summer, and even our coolest cases are slightly warmer inside. Yet, we can say with certainty that the ETS-T40 is at least good enough to use with this processor at a lower frequency, since it barely crossed the borderline while using a fairly high 1.40 V core voltage and a full CPU load.

Thermalright offers the lowest fan speed, so we expect it to give off the least amount of noise. Yet, the same product manages to achieve respectable cooling performance in the middle of the pack thanks to its fan’s enormous size. Unfortunately, those same larger dimensions forced us to move our graphics card to a different slot. Proper fitment is an important variable, so this small configuration change negates any possibility for a cooling-to-noise award. As with SilenX, Thermalright’s cooling performance is simply an estimation.
Single-fan coolers have the lowest noise at any given speed, since each doubling of identical sound sources adds an extra 3 db to the reading (in audio theory). That same theory explains why Arctic Cooling and SilenX’s mid-speed individual fans take second and third place in silence, ahead of Zalman’s three low-speed fans.

We’d consider anything below 30 db in open air to be quiet, mostly because we use quiet cases to cut back on ambient noise even more. True seekers of silence might settle for nothing less than Thermalright’s Archon, however, even though it doesn’t fit our motherboard properly.

The Archon SB-E is so quiet, in fact, that it tops our Acoustic Efficiency charts, in spite of its mid-pack thermal performance. At the other end of the chart, the SilenX EFZ-120HA5’s cooling performance can't compensate for its second-place noise level.
The top three cooling performers, in order, are Noctua and Zalman, followed by Phanteks. The three coolers with the highest cooling-to-noise ratio are from Thermalright, Zalman, and Noctua. Wouldn’t it be nice if one of these companies could also top our cooling-to-price chart?

Alas, the least-expensive models take that prize. All three of the best cooling-per-dollar contenders use mid-speed fans, and only Corsair needs a pair of fans to achieve this value rating.
If we exclude Enermax from this overclocking-oriented cooler comparison due to its relatively low thermal performance, we’re left with the 31 db Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo battling Corsair’s A70. A temperature difference of only 1° C certainly makes it hard to argue against Cooler Master’s lower noise level, yet price parity will probably push many enthusiasts to take that 1° to the bank.
It’s at this point where we must wonder what would happen if we compare acoustic efficiency to price.

Cooler Master wins this time, and by a wider margin. If we were basing this review on Intel’s upcoming Core i7-3820, we might even hand out a value award and be done with the story.
But we’re not using a low-cost processor, and prices on Intel’s six-core models justify higher standards of cooling and noise. Putting cost aside, we like the low temperature and noise of Zalman’s CNPS12X. But it also doesn’t fit our motherboard in the desired orientation, or even provide proper memory clearance for our 1.55” tall DIMMs. Instead of using the CNPS12X backwards or trying to remove its fans and face them the other way, and then installing shorter memory that we didn’t even want, we’re forced to consider Noctua’s second-place performer as a perennial champion ever since its took the performance lead two years ago.

The problem with “Best of” awards is that the best often changes before we can even get a review published. Determining that something's the best also means we have to test all of its competition. If we trust that Noctua’s competitors put forth their best efforts for this comparison, two years of performance leadership make the NH-D14 deserving of our highest honor.
But how valuable is this award, really? The NH-D14 just earned this editor’s very first “Best of Tom's Hardware” in the award's four-year history!

