What makes Cooler Master’s new V4 Alpha and V8 Ace 3DHP air coolers stand out against their competitors? Well, it’s in the name of the product – the company’s new 3DHP (3D heatpipe) technology represents a serious advancement in cooling.

Traditional copper heatpipes are typically formed in a “U” shape, and work well enough in most scenarios. But Cooler Master’s 3DHP heatpipes look more like a trident, with three ends instead of two. There’s more to the tech, which we will cover in more detail below.

Additionally, the V8 Ace 3DHP features two of the strongest fans we’ve ever tested from a Cooler Master product, with liquid crystal polymer blades and backed by a six-year warranty.

Let's take a look at the specifications and features of these coolers. Then we’ll go over thermal and noise benchmarks to decide if the V4 Alpha and V8 Ace 3DHP air coolers are good enough to make our list of the best CPU coolers we’ve tested.

Cooler specifications

Features of Cooler Master’s V4 Alpha and V8 Ace

▶️ Innovative 3DHP Heatpipes

Both the V4 Alpha and V8 Ace are powered by Cooler Master’s innovative 3DHP heatpipe technology. To simplify things somewhat, while most heatpipes are “U” shaped, with one prong of each heatpipe on the left and right sides of a heatsink, 3D heatpipes add a prong in the middle to give it more of a trident shape, enhancing the efficiency of thermal transfer.

Traditional heatpipe setups don’t usually fully saturate the fins of a heatsink, only providing 70% fin utilization, according to Cooler Master. This makes sense, as you’ll often see that temperatures continue to rise in extended-length cooler testing as the fins become more fully saturated. Cooler Master claims that with its 3D heatpipes, fin utilization is increased to 95% or more. We’ll see how that plays out in our benchmark testing shortly.

▶️ RAM Clearance

RAM compatibility is excellent with both of these coolers. The V4 Alpha doesn’t overhang or interfere with RAM DIMMs at all, allowing for compatibility with all sizes of DDR4 or DDR5 DIMMs.

The V8 also has wide RAM compatibility. Its intake fan does overhang the DIMM slots, but if your RAM is particularly tall – like our T-Force Xtreem DDR5-7200 featured below – the sliding rail system allows you to easily adjust fan position, so things fit properly. We had to raise the fan by a few millimeters for proper clearance, but I think the sticks I’m using are about the tallest on the market, at 48.8mm height. Officially, RAM up to 45mm in height is supported.

▶️ 30mm thick Liquid Crystal Polymer fans

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink. The included fans have a direct impact on aesthetics, noise levels, and overall thermal performance. The fans on the V8 Ace 3DHP are made for longevity, built with liquid crystal polymer (LCP) blades and loop dynamic fan bearings.

They come pre-installed with a sliding rail system, allowing for simple installation and height adjustment.

▶️ Aesthetics

You might notice the top of the V8 Ace 3DHP looks like it has eight gigantic heatpipes – but note they’re not actually real heatpipes. Does that mean it’s only decorative, and serves no real purpose? I wouldn’t say that. The “fake” heatpipes here seem to be made from metal and are cold to the touch, indicating that they do have the ability to absorb heat.

I decided to take the cooler apart for a better look at this piece, and it appears the primary function is actually to prevent air leakage. If you look closely at the picture below, you’ll see the fans are slightly taller than the heatsink. If that’s not a concern for you and you prefer an “old-fashioned” look that shows the ends of the copper heatpipes, the cooler works just fine without the top, though you’ll lose a small amount of thermal efficiency.

▶️ Packaging

The outer packaging highlights the design of the product in a colorful but subtle way, incorporating a purple background on the top and black on the bottom.

Pulling on the purple tab in the front reveals the fanciest inner packaging I’ve ever seen for an air cooler, seemingly designed for store displays.

Intel and AMD-specific models

Cooler Master sells versions of these coolers labeled specifically for Intel or AMD CPUs. We tested the AMD model with our 9950X3D. Both versions do come with mounting hardware for platforms from both companies, so you could install, say, an Intel-specific version of this cooler on an AM4 or AM5 CPU / motherboard.

But a Cooler Master rep told us that the AMD version has a flatter IHS, while the Intel version is more convex, to make the best contact with CPUs from each platform. The V8 Ace reportedly also has different internal liquid volumes to best target heat on each platform. We're told both versions target the same performance metrics, but you should use the correct cooler for your platform for the best results – as we did when running our benchmarks, shown below.

Included with the package are:

• Mounting hardware for AMD and Intel platforms
• 120mm fans
• Cryofuze thermal paste
• Installation manual

▶️ V8 Ace 3DHP AM5 Installation

To begin putting things together, you’ll first need to remove the default AM4/5 retention bracket. Next, place the studs over the exposed holes.

Afterwards, take the mounting bars and secure them with the included screws.

It’s time to apply the thermal compound. If you’re not sure how to do that, we have a handy thermal paste application guide that covers the different methods you can use.

After thermal paste is applied, take the CPU block and press it against the mounting bars, using the built-in screws to secure it in place.

Finally, you’ll want to attach both fans by sliding them into the rail system built into the cooler, then connect their cables to the motherboard’s PWM header.

Real-world testing configuration – AMD AM5 platform

We’ve tested coolers with both the Ryzen 9950X3D and its non-V-Cache sibling, the 9950X in the past year. There are some differences in how the 9950X and 9950X3D CPUs are impacted by thermal events. While the heat output of the CCDs of AMD’s 9950X3D is relatively balanced, the 9950X I used has one CCD that runs much hotter than the other, with a difference of over 10 degrees Celsius in some scenarios, shown below.

For now we’ve returned to using a 9950X3D for cooler testing, as it has a more balanced heat profile, and is almost certainly a more widely adopted CPU. The benchmark results shared in these reviews may differ from others because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means I generally test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many reviewers test coolers on open test benches, which have a combination of lesser airflow needs and lowered ambient temperatures. This results in making weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect real-world cooler conditions.

Our latest testing setup uses the FLOVA F50 computer case from Tryx.

This case features a unique “crossflow” fan that pulls air from the side, which the company claims is more effective than traditional intake fans. For air cooling tests, we’ve added a single Noctua NF-A12 G2 intake fan.

PBO Performance and maximum noise levels

We’re going to start by focusing on a traditional maximum performance test, with the CPU cooler’s fans allowed to reach their fastest speeds, for the best cooling possible.

Turning on PBO allows AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D to stretch its legs to an extent and consume over 260W. Enabling PBO enables high power consumption and heat output, when using MSI’s X870E Carbon Wifi motherboard the CPU will reach its TJ Max (peak temperature) of 95 degrees Celsius (203 Fahrenheit) and thermally throttle to some extent with most coolers. When this throttling occurs, I’ve measured the average power consumption to determine performance.

You’ll notice there are two results for Cooler Master’s V8 Ace 3DHP, one marked with an asterisk. I wanted to include a test to see if there’s any point to using stronger or more powerful fans. When we tested the first iteration of Cooler Master’s 3DHP technology in the Hyper 212 3DHP, replacing the default fans with Montech’s flagship E28 fans resulted in ~5% better thermal performance.

Fortunately, the fans included with the V8 are strong enough to extract the maximum thermal potential of the 3DHP technology – the results are basically on par with the best coolers on the market.

The included fans are also a bit different than your average 120x25mm PC fan, measuring 30mm thick. At 45.6 dBA, their maximum noise level is audible, but those who prefer silence will be satisfied with our noise-normalized results.

The V4 Alpha’s thermal performance might not seem impressive at first glance, until you consider its noise level. Measuring at a maximum of 38.9 dBA, it is the quietest cooler we’ve tested in over a year.

200W thermal benchmarks

For the next thermal test, I leave the motherboard settings at their defaults, which results in a power limit of 200W when running Cinebench R23.

Thermal results in this scenario were similar to our first test, with Cooler Master’s V8 Ace taking second place. The V4 Alpha’s results were on the low end of our charts, but that’s more or less to be expected with its quiet, low-power fans.

150W + GPU thermal results

Our next test runs Cinebench on the CPU with a 150W power limit, while also running Furmark on MSI’s RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3x OC. This causes the GPU to consume ~295W of power. This test is designed to emulate the thermals of games, which primarily stress the CPU and GPU.

You’ll see there are two results for Cooler Master’s V8 Ace: the result in blue was obtained after pairing the heatsink with Montech’s flagship E28 fans, which are extremely strong. The result in red was testing performed with the default fans included.

This test highlights the one “weakness” of Cooler Master’s 3DHP lineup – the reduced fin area results in worse thermal results when the internal temperature of the computer case is higher, such as you’d see in warmer environments or when your GPU is being fully utilized (like in gaming.)

Noise-normalized testing

Most testing is performed with the cooler tied to the default fan curve of our MSI X870E Carbon motherboard, but some of y’all prefer to see tests when the noise levels of coolers are equalized. This is especially important to those of you who prefer silent computers. This next test has the CPU cooler noise-normalized to 38.9 dBA, with PBO enabled for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU.

This test is especially difficult because in addition to the reduced noise from the CPU cooler, our current test bench’s system fans are configured to run extremely silently, below the floor of the noise meter I use to measure dBA.

Most coolers can’t keep the CPU from reaching its peak temperature (TJ Max) in this stress test. Cooler Master’s V8 Ace did especially well here, with the second-best result we’ve ever recorded. The V4 Alpha’s results aren’t as impressive at first glance, until you remember that it is powered by only two heatpipes – it outperforms other coolers with four to six heatpipes!

Karhu DDR5 RAM thermals testing!

Your CPU cooler does not operate in isolation. It has an impact on not just your CPU’s temperatures, but also the other components in your build, like your RAM and GPU. To that end, I’ve run the Karhu RAM stress test. This places a load of ~153W on the CPU and ensures system RAM (DDR5 in my case) is fully stable. In this type of scenario, most AIOs tend to produce worse results than air coolers.

Both of Cooler Master’s 3DHP coolers performed exceptionally well in this RAM thermal test. The V8 Ace outperformed all competing dual-tower air coolers, and the V4 Alpha tied with Arctic’s Freezer 36-S for the best results we’ve seen that don’t include a dedicated RAM fan!

Conclusion

Cooler Master’s V8 Ace is an engineering masterpiece, using two 3D heatpipes and four standard copper heatpipes, combined with a single-tower heatsink to deliver thermal performance that beats most dual-tower heatsinks with eight heatpipes. Installation is simple, and noise levels are reasonable.

There’s not much more you could want in a cooler – except for a lower price. But as with all new cutting-edge technology, there’s an early adopter tax with a price tag of $119.99 for the V8 Ace. If you’re looking for a similarly powerful cooler with a lower price tag, I’d recommend Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130. Alternatively, if you want a less-powerful, more-affordable option that incorporates Cooler Master’s three-pronged heatpipe tech, the Hyper 212 3DHP also impressed us in testing, and costs around $25. And of course there's the middle-ground V4 Alpha, which we also tested here and found to be one of the quietest air coolers you can buy. That model has a list price of $49, but was selling for $44 at Amazon when this was published.

I look forward to testing future products as Cooler Master continues to refine and improve its 3DHP manufacturing processes. I can imagine a future iteration of this technology will empower an air cooler stronger than anything previously possible.

The latest CPU cooler air cooler from Taiwanese manufacturer Montech PC is the NX600, a budget air cooler that incorporates six copper heatpipes to transfer heat from the CPU to the fin plates.

What sets the NX600 apart from the competition is the inclusion of two high-performance, thick E28 fans. And the price is right, at less than $30, which makes the purchase arguably worth it even if you’re only interested in the fans (and not the heatsink).

Let's take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal and noise benchmarks so you can decide if the NX-600 deserves to make our list of the best CPU coolers.

Cooler specifications

Features of Montech’s NX600 air cooler

● Dual-tower heatsink with six heatpipes

Six copper heatpipes transfer heat from the CPU contact plate to the fins of the heatsink. The heatsink features serrated edges – an engineering choice which generally results in lower noise from turbulence as air enters and exits the fin stack. There are interlocking “zipper” tabs on the sides of the fins, which improve structural rigidity and prevent the plates from squishing together to ensure proper airflow.

● Dual 120mm E28 performance fans

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink. The included fans directly impact on noise levels and cooling performance. The E28 fans are especially powerful, as we discovered in our review of Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 3DHP – dropping temperatures by over 3 degrees C compared to the default fan included with the 3DHP air cooler!

● Color scheme options

The color scheme of the NX600 model included in this review is black, grey, and silver, which might appeal to users who prefer old-school designs. There’s also a white option, shown below. ARGB and non-ARGB fan options are available with both heatsink designs, for about $5 more.

The top covers of the heatsink are mainly decorative, and can be removed if you so desire – as shown in the picture below.

● RAM Clearance

Standard-height DDR5 sticks 40mm tall fit well under the NX600 with the E28 fans installed, but taller sticks won’t fit perfectly underneath. Our current CPU cooler test bench incorporates TeamGroup’s Sakura Rose T-Force Xtreem DDR5-7200 sticks, 48.8mm (1.92 inches) tall.

If you also use taller RAM DIMMs, you’ll have to raise the intake fan’s placement by a few millimeters for things to fit properly. This might result in slightly lower cooling performance in certain scenarios, particularly those where the fans’ speeds are limited to ensure lower noise levels.

● Packaging

The heatsink towers are protected by soft coverings and foam inserts, with the fans and accessories packaged in cardboard. Included in the package are the dual-tower heatsink, two high-performance E28 fans, mounting hardware for Intel and AMD platforms, fan clips, and a small tube of thermal paste.

● AM5 Installation

You’ll need to first remove the default AM4/5 retention mechanism and then place the mounting studs around the exposed screw holes.

The next step is to place the mounting bars on top of the studs, securing them with the included screws.

Then, apply Montech’s thermal paste. If you’re not sure how to do that, we have a hadny thermal paste application guide that covers the different methods you can use. Afterwards, place the heatsink tower against the CPU and mounting bars, and use a screwdriver to secure it.

Once the heatsink is secured, attach the high-performance E28 fans to the cooling tower with the included clips. Lastly, connect the PWM and (optional) ARGB cables of the fans to the corresponding headers of your motherboard.

Real-world testing configuration – AMD AM5 platform:

We’ve tested coolers with both the Ryzen 9950X3D and its non-V-Cache sibling, the 9950X. There are some differences in how the 9950X and 9950X3D CPUs are impacted by thermal events. While the heat output of the CCDs of AMD’s 9950X3D is relatively balanced, the 9950X I used has one CCD that runs much hotter than the other, with a difference of over 10 degrees Celsius in some scenarios, shown below.

We’ve since returned to using a 9950X3D for cooler testing, as it has a more balanced heat profile, and is almost certainly a more widely adopted CPU.

The benchmark results shared in these reviews may differ from others because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means I generally test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many reviewers test coolers on an open test benches, which have a combination of lesser airflow needs and lowered ambient temperatures. This results in making weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect real-world cooler conditions.

Our latest testing setup uses the FLOVA F50 computer case from Tryx.

This case features a unique “crossflow” fan that pulls air from the side, which the company claims is more effective than traditional intake fans. For air cooling tests, we’ve added a single Noctua NF-A12 G2 intake fan.

PBO Performance and maximum noise levels

We’re going to start this review’s benchmark section by focusing on a traditional maximum performance test, with the CPU cooler’s fans allowed to reach their fastest speeds, for the best cooling possible.

Turning on PBO allows AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D to stretch its legs to an extent, and all air coolers I have tested with PBO enabled using MSI’s X870E Carbon Wifi motherboard reach the maximum CPU temperature of 95 degrees C (203 F) and thermally throttle to some extent.

Results from the liquid coolers we’ve recently tested aren’t shown above because they are able to keep AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D under TJ Max – and as such, power consumption figures aren’t quite comparable.

Montech’s NX600 does fairly well in this test. While it is technically beaten by Sudokoo’s SK700V & DeepCool’s AK620 G2, it only falls behind by a few watts. This means benchmarks will basically be the same, as any scaling gained from raising power consumption to 251W (compared to 248W) would be so small as to be irrelevant.

To give a wider variety of comparison examples, I’ve included a chart of the same tests from our last AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D cooling test bench. But keep in mind these results aren’t 100% comparable, due to a different case and fans being used. Our newest test bench used for this and other recent reviews incorporates a Tryx crossblade intake fan as well as a single Noctua NF-A12 G2 intake fan, which results in better air cooling performance.

Montech’s NX600 performs well, but a large part of that comes from the inclusion of its flagship E28 fans, which are a bit overpowered compared to the included dual-tower heatsink. As such, at full fan speeds, this cooler does not run at all quietly – with a measurement of 50dBA, it is the loudest air cooler I’ve ever tested.

200W thermal benchmarks

For the next thermal test, I leave the motherboard settings at their defaults, which results in a power limit of 200W when running Cinebench R23.

The result here was curious, as with a “stock” power profile, its thermal performance was not as strong as our previous test.

150W + GPU thermal results, noise levels

Our next test runs Cinebench on the CPU with a 150W power limit, while also running Furmark on MSI’s RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3x OC. This causes the GPU to consume ~295W of power. This test is designed to emulate the thermals of games, which primarily stress the CPU and GPU.

Montech’s NX600 did particularly well with this combined CPU and GPU thermal test; the included E28 fans seemed especially effective in helping to push the GPU’s heat outside of the case.

But again, the cooling potential provided by the E28 fans comes at the cost of noise – with the NX600 averaging 44.6 dBA. Between our current (shown above) and former (shown below) testing setup, this result is the third-loudest we’ve seen from any air cooler on this test.

Noise-normalized testing

Most testing is performed with the cooler tied to the default fan curve of our MSI X870E Carbon motherboard, but some of y’all prefer to see tests when the noise levels of coolers are equalized. This is especially important to those of you who prefer silent computers. This next test has the CPU cooler noise-normalized to 38.9 dBA, with PBO enabled for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU.

The results here were not impressive for the Montech. Perhaps the thermal transfer from the NX600’s CPU coldplate and copper heatpipes is not ideal, as performance should be better with these flagship E28 fans.

Another factor to consider when evaluating this benchmark is that my test bench utilizes DDR5 DIMMs that are 49mm tall – which requires lifting the front intake fan a few millimeters to fit. The particularly poor noise-normalized performance may be the result of reduced performance when the fans are set to lower noise levels and rotation speeds.

Karhu DDR5 RAM thermals testing!

Your CPU cooler does not operate in isolation. It has an impact on not just your CPU’s temperatures, but also the other components in your build, like your RAM and GPU. To that end, I’ve run the Karhu RAM stress test. This places a load of ~153W on the CPU and ensures system RAM (DDR5 in my case) is fully stable. In this type of scenario, most AIOs tend to produce worse results than air coolers.

The DDR5 temperature recordings from this test seem to be within expectations compared to other dual-tower air coolers, with Montech’s NX600 performing only 1.2 degrees C behind the best dual-tower air cooler in our setup.

Conclusion

Montech’s NX600 generally performs well, and has a very reasonable price of only $29.90, which makes purchasing this cooler worth it even if you’re “only” interested in the fans.

On the flipside, the included E28 fans seem overpowered compared to the heatsink, resulting in high noise levels during moderate to intensive workloads. If you’re looking for a quietly running system, you should consider alternatives like SAMA’s E360 air cooler instead.

If you’ve followed Arctic over the past few years, you probably think of oversized radiators, VRM fans, and thermal domination. The company's Liquid Freezer III Pro 360mm AIO is a favorite of ours, providing top-tier performance while retaining a relatively affordable price tag.

But not every system needs a thick 360mm radiator, and many smaller cases can’t fit radiators at all. And let’s be honest: While having the strongest performance is great if you’re pushing CPU limits with overclocking, more basic cooling options are sufficient for most consumers.

That’s where Arctic’s latest cooler, the Freezer 36-S, comes in. This is an entry-level air cooler available for less than $30, featuring only a single fan and tower connected by four direct-touch heatpipes.

Let's take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal and noise benchmarks so you can decide if the Freezer 36-S will make our list of the best CPU coolers.

Cooler specifications

Features of the Arctic Freezer 36S

● Four direct-touch heatpipes

Four direct-touch copper heatpipes, slightly staggered to ensure even heat distribution and transfer heat from the CPU into the tower’s fins.

The backside (shown above) is mostly flat, whereas the fan-touching frontside has a “chainsaw” design to it.

● Anti-bending CPU contact frame for Intel systems

Arctic includes an anti-bending CPU contact frame for Intel systems, which can help ensure consistent thermal performance – it’s especially useful for those who run high-intensity workloads, which subject the chip to more frequent thermal cycles.

However, using one of these frames is not without risk during the installation process. Improper installation can lead to RAM instability and other problems. It's not the best option for novice builders.

● High-speed 3000 RPM P12 Pro fan

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink; the included fans have a direct impact on noise levels and cooling performance. Arctic includes its high-performance P12 Pro fan here, which reaches up to 3000RPM and features 77 CFM (cubic feet per minute) airflow rating, with an impressive maximum static pressure of 6.9 mmH₂O – on paper, that's two to three times stronger than most fans on the market.

● Premium MX-7 thermal paste

Arctic includes a small 0.8-gram tube of MX-7, its newest thermal paste. We haven’t tested this paste independently (yet), but Arctic’s MX-6 already performs very well in our thermal paste testing, with performance similar to the most effective competitors on the market.

● Packaging

The heatsink and fan are in a cardboard-only package, reducing waste by forgoing plastic bags.

Included below is a picture showing all of the parts included: mounting bars for AMD systems, a contact frame for Intel systems, screws, the heatsink tower, and a 120mm fan.

● AM5 Installation

Intel systems require the use of a contact frame, but if you’re installing on an AMD Ryzen system, the process is much simpler. You’ll need to first remove the default retention mechanism, and then replace it with the included mounting bars.

The next step is applying the MX-7 thermal paste. If you’re not sure how to do that, we have a thermal paste application guide that covers the different methods you can use.

Place the heatsink tower against the CPU and mounting bars, then use a screwdriver to secure it.

Lastly, attach the 120mm P12 Pro using the fan clips and connect it to your motherboard headers to complete the installation process.

Real-world testing configuration – AMD AM5 platform

We’ve tested coolers with both the Ryzen 9950X3D and its non-V-Cache sibling, the 9950X. There are some differences in how the 9950X and 9950X3D CPUs are impacted by thermal events. While the heat output of the CCDs of AMD’s 9950X3D are relatively balanced, the 9950X I’m using has one CCD that runs much hotter than the other, with a difference of over 10 degrees Celsius in some scenarios, shown below.

We’ve returned to using a 9950X3D for cooler testing, as it has a more balanced heat profile and is almost certainly a more widely adopted CPU.

The benchmark results shared in these reviews may differ from others because I place an emphasis on having results that are comparable to real-world use.

This means that I generally test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods. Some people test coolers on an open test bench, with lowered ambient temperatures. This can make weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect real-world cooler conditions.

Our latest testing setup uses the FLOVA F50 computer case from Tryx.

This case features a unique “crossflow” fan that pulls air from the side, which the company claims is more effective than traditional intake fans. For air cooling tests, we’ve added a single Noctua NF-A12 G2 intake fan.

PBO Performance and maximum noise levels

We’re going to start this benchmark section by focusing on a traditional maximum performance test, with the CPU cooler’s fans allowed to reach their fastest speeds, for the best cooling possible.

Turning on PBO allows AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D to stretch its legs to an extent, and all air coolers I have tested with PBO enabled using MSI’s X870E Carbon Wifi motherboard reach the maximum CPU temperature of 95 degrees C (203 F) and thermally throttle, to a small extent.

Most of the coolers in this comparison are dual-tower, with two fans. As such, it isn’t a surprise that the single-tower Freezer 36S is outperformed by most of the competition here. What is interesting is that despite being only a single-tower, single-fan air cooler, it still manages to perform very closely to the larger heatsinks – falling only 6W behind DeepCool’s AK620 G2.

To give a wider variety of comparison examples, I’ve included some data of the same tests from our last AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D cooling test bench. But keep in mind these results aren’t 100% comparable, due to a different case and fans being used.

Arctic’s Freezer 36S performs rather well for a single-tower cooler, and part of the reason for that is the included fan – which features speeds of up to 3000RPM, about 50% faster than most fans included on consumer CPU coolers. These faster top speeds come at the cost of noise levels, though, with the 36S reaching 47.4 dBA.

200W thermal benchmarks

For the next thermal test, I leave the motherboard settings at their defaults, which results in a power limit of about 200W when running Cinebench R23.

With a “stock” power profile enabled, Arctic’s latest single-tower air cooler averages 54.3 ΔC (76.5C/169.7F) – less than 2 degrees C from the best result we have from dual-tower air coolers.

150W + GPU thermal results, noise levels

Our next test runs Cinebench on the CPU with a 150W power limit, while also running Furmark on MSI’s RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3x OC. This causes the GPU to consume ~295W of power. This test is designed to emulate the thermals of games, which primarily stress the CPU and GPU.

All of the air coolers here perform similarly, with a range of just 2.7 degrees C between the best dual-tower air cooler and the worst-performing result. Let’s take a look at the noise levels now, as that will be more important to most users in this scenario.

I measured 42.4 dBA from Arctic’s Freezer 36S with a Pyle PSP25 soundmeter. This isn’t exactly what I would call “loud,” but it certainly ain’t quiet, either. If you’re particular about noise levels, you might want to implement a custom fan curve.

Noise-normalized testing

Most testing is performed with the cooler tied to the default fan curve of our MSI X870E Carbon motherboard, but some of y’all prefer to see tests when the noise levels of coolers are equalized. This is especially important to those of you who prefer silent computers.

This next test has the CPU cooler noise-normalized to 38.9 dBA, with PBO enabled for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. Our results have it near the bottom of the list, which makes sense considering that it’s only a single-tower, single-fan cooler.

With this review, we have another noise-normalized benchmark, measuring the amount of time the cooler is able to keep AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D under its peak temperature (TJ Max) of 95 degrees C while running Cinebench R23 multi-core, all while the fan is noise-normalized to 38.9 dBA.

Karhu DDR5 RAM thermals testing!

Your CPU cooler does not operate in isolation. It has an impact on not just your CPU’s temperatures, but also the other components in your build, like your RAM and GPU. To that end, I’ve run the Karhu RAM stress test. This places a load of ~153W on the CPU and ensures system RAM (DDR5 in my case) is fully stable. In this type of scenario, most AIOs tend to produce worse results than air coolers.

The results here are extremely interesting. I had expected DDR5 temperatures to be worse than dual-tower air coolers, but both Arctic’s Freezer 36S and DeepCool’s AK400 G2 single-tower air coolers performed better than all traditional results – being outperformed only by Silverstone’s IceMyst Pro 360 when equipped with VRM fans.

Conclusion

Arctic’s Freezer 36S punches above its weight and price class, offering performance comparable to many dual-tower air coolers with only one fan paired to a single-tower heatsink – all with a price starting at just $28.49. It’s not the quietest cooler, and it requires installing a contact frame for Intel systems (which makes it a poor fit for novice builders), but if you aren’t trying to overclock and you don’t want to overspend on cooling to get something a bit quieter, it’s worth considering.

Ever fired up a high-end build only to hear loud fan noise ruining the experience? Would you like a cooler that looks as good as it performs, complete with a built-in screen showing performance metrics at a glance?

Well you’re in the right place, because we’re looking at two air coolers from manufacturer Sudokoo – a relatively new cooling brand that we first encountered at CES 2025. The SK620V and SK700V combine striking checkerboard aesthetics, rail-based fan installation, impressively low noise levels, and a unique digital display that actually shows useful information like CPU frequency, power draw, temperatures, and load.

Let's take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal and noise benchmarks so you can decide if the SK620V and SK700V deserve to make our list of the best CPU coolers.

Cooler specifications

Features of Sudokoo’s SK series air coolers

▶️ Supports AMD AM5 only, comes with a high-strength metal contact frame

The SK620V and SK700V we’re looking at today oddly only support AMD AM5 systems, and incorporate something you don’t see very often on Ryzen PCs: a solid metal anti-bending frame.

While a design like this has potential advantages, installation is more difficult (and riskier) because it requires complete removal of the default CPU retention mechanism.

▶️ Checkerboard Matrix fins and heatsink design

The engineering team seems to have been inspired by DeepCool, having incorporated a checkerboard matrix design into the heatsink fins, which is said to have an impact on overall static pressure.

Each heatsink (of course) utilizes copper heatpipes to transfer heat to the fin plates. The SK620V features six heatpipes in a traditional spacing split across two smaller towers, whereas the SK700V has seven staggered copper heatpipes feeding one wider tower.

▶️ Packaging

The heatsink and fan are protected by molded foam, with the remaining parts in a smaller brown box.

The box these coolers come in is designed to get your attention, with a photograph of the cooler in the middle and contrasting backgrounds on each side: white on the left, orange and dark pink stripes on the right.

▶️ Fans install via sliding rails

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink; the included fans have a direct impact on noise levels and cooling performance. While the fans on both the SK700V and SK620V are similar and installed via sliding rails, there are slight differences.

The SK700V includes only one fan, which runs at up to 2200 RPM while supporting a rated 66.29 CFM of airflow, and 3.74 mmAq air pressure levels.

The SK620V instead incorporates two quieter-running fans, with a lower air pressure of 2.93 mmAq, and each having airflow rated at 56.46 CFM. The rear exhaust fan can be lifted up and down as necessary, so it doesn’t interfere with your motherboard’s VRM heatsinks.

▶️ Digital display with CPU performance metrics

Both SK620V and SK700V air coolers have digital displays that show the frequency, load, power, and temperature levels of your AMD Ryzen CPU.

▶️ AM5 Installation

The installation process is both difficult and simple at the same time. It’s difficult because it utilizes a custom metal frame – which just like on Intel systems, requires removal of the entire default socket. To do this, I placed the motherboard’s backplate against my knee to keep it secure when removing the screws and socket and installing the frame.

After installing the custom metal frame, apply the included thermal paste. If you’re not sure how to do that, we have a handy thermal paste application guide that covers the different methods you can use.

The rest of the process is simple. Place the heatsink against the CPU block, and use the included screwdriver to secure it.

Once the heatsink is secured, all that remains is to slide the fans into place and connect the PWM and USB cables to your motherboard. Well, there is one last step: You’ll need to download and install Sudokoo’s MasterCraft software to configure the built-in display.

Real-world testing configuration – AMD AM5 platform

We’ve tested coolers with both the Ryzen 9950X3D and its non-V-Cache sibling, the 9950X. There are some differences in how the 9950X and 9950X3D CPUs are impacted by thermal events. While the heat output of the CCDs of AMD’s 9950X3D are relatively balanced, the 9950X I’m using has one CCD that runs much hotter than the other, with a difference of over 10 degrees Celsius in some scenarios, shown below.

We’ve since returned to using a 9950X3D for cooler testing, as it has a more balanced heat profile, and is almost certainly a more widely adopted CPU.

The benchmark results shared in these reviews may differ from others because I place an emphasis on having results that are comparable to real-world use.

This means that I generally test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods. Many tes coolers on an open test bench, with lowered ambient temperatures. This can make weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect real-world cooler conditions.

Our latest testing setup uses the FLOVA F50 computer case from Tryx.

This case features a unique “crossflow” fan that pulls air from the side, which the company claims is more effective than traditional intake fans. For air cooling tests, we’ve added a single Noctua NF-A12 G2 intake fan.

PBO Performance and maximum noise levels

We’re going to start this review’s benchmark section by focusing on a traditional maximum performance test, with the CPU cooler’s fans allowed to reach their fastest speeds, for the best cooling possible.

Turning on PBO allows AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D to stretch its legs to an extent, and all air coolers I have tested with PBO enabled reach the maximum CPU temperature of 95C (203F) and thermally throttle to a small extent.

We’ve tested three “600” series coolers and the SK700V for this review. Sudokoo’s SK620V trails slightly behind the competition, at 242W (compared to 248.3W for Montech’s NX600). The SK700V model is about on par with DeepCool’s AK620 G2, which is impressive for an air tower only using a single fan.

Results from the liquid coolers we’ve recently tested aren’t shown above because they are able to keep AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D under TJ Max – and as such, power consumption figures aren’t quite comparable.

Maximum noise levels of both coolers are rather reasonable: Sudokoo’s SK620V reaches 41.9 dBA, and the more powerful SK700V model reaches 43.4 dBA. That’s noticeably quieter than many competitors, and means you can actually enjoy using your computer instead of being annoyed by loud fans.

200W thermal benchmarks

For the next thermal test, I leave motherboard settings at their defaults, which results in a power limit of 200W when running Cinebench R23.

With a “stock” power profile enabled, DeepCool’s lead over Sudokoo’s SK700V is a bit more apparent, with the SK700V running 1.3 degrees Celsius hotter. The SK620V’s temperature of 79.4 is warmer than the competing air coolers we’ve tested here, but it’s also worth noting that it runs quieter than all the coolers shown above – as we’ll demonstrate in the next section’s benchmarks.

150W + GPU thermal results, noise levels

Our next test runs Cinebench on the CPU with a 150W power limit, while also running Furmark on MSI’s RTX 4070 Ti Super Ventus 3x OC. This causes the GPU to consume ~295W of power. This test is designed to emulate the thermals of games, which primarily stress the CPU and GPU.

All of the air coolers here perform similarly, with a range of just 1.2 C between the best and worst results. So let’s take a look at the noise levels in this test, as that’s going to be more important to most users.

Sudokoo’s SK620V and SK700V deliver extremely competitive performance when it comes to sound output. The SK620V’s noise levels registered at the lowest volume my noise meter is capable of measuring: 36.4 degrees C. This means that the cooler was likely running at a lower volume level – it was so quiet I had to double-check that the fans were spinning! If silence is your top priority, this cooler might just be the one for you. The SK700V ran just a hair louder, at 37.3 dBA. Both of these results are quieter than most competing coolers on the market.

Noise-normalized testing

Most testing is performed with the cooler tied to the default fan curve of our MSI X870E Carbon motherboard, but some of y’all prefer to see tests when the noise levels of coolers are equalized. This is especially important to those of you who prefer silent computers.

This next test has the CPU cooler noise-normalized to 38.9 dBA, with PBO enabled for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU.

We’ve got results of 241.9W (SK620V) and 246.2W (SK700V) in this test. The SK700V’s results are of particular interest, as it seems to be among the best air coolers when normalized for low noise.

Karhu DDR5 RAM thermals testing!

Your CPU cooler does not operate in isolation. It has an impact on not just your CPU’s temperatures, but also the other components in your build, like your RAM and GPU.

To that end, I’ve run the Karhu RAM stress test. This places a load of ~153W on the CPU and ensures system RAM (DDR5 in my case) is fully stable. In this type of scenario, most AIOs tend to produce worse results than air coolers.

These results are interesting, because this is the only test where the SK620V outperforms the SK700V thermally, due to the overall combined airflow of having two fans. This is great news if you prioritize RAM speeds above other factors, for overclocking competitors or competitive e-sports gaming.

Conclusion

Sudokoo’s SK620V and SK700V air coolers deliver premium style, near-silent operation, and solid performance. They’re also backed by a generous 5-year warranty, indicating the manufacturer’s confidence in the product’s longevity.

Many users will also appreciate the striking design of the heatsink, integrated display, and the decision to use a solid metal anti-bending frame for the installation process.

However, these coolers aren’t for everyone. With price tags starting at $74.99 for the standard version of the SK700, and going up from there. That puts them in competition with premium air cooler brands like Be Quiet and Noctua, and well into AIO territory. Still, if you like the look of these coolers, as well as the display, and prioritize silent cooling for your AMD AM5 CPU, they’re a solid option.

A TechTuber has constructed a bulbous 15x fan PC case side panel as a cooling experiment. If you think the mind-boggling design of the ‘Superdome’ is familiar, that’s probably because the fevered imagination of Major Hardware was also behind the custom domed 15x fans in the ‘Fanhattan Project’ we wrote about last month. How well does it scale to PC side panel use? Let’s see.

Major Hardware explains at the start of his new video that the Superdome was inspired by user comments on the prior project, suggesting the use of multiple standard NF-A12x25 120mm fans instead of tiny fans replacing a single unit. Thankfully, as the Noctua fans are $40 a piece, the cooling firm provided all the fans the project required — saving $600 for the maker. As a cherry on top, Noctua also generously provided spools of matching 3D printer filament.

The freebie Noctua fans arrived before the TechTuber had drafted the Superdome in 3D, but the idea was made to work with five fans around one on top of the dome, and nine surrounding them at the base of the dome, near the PC. Cabling routing was yet to be decided.

Next, we see Major Hardware 3D print the structure of the Superdome, and luckily, the Bambu Labs H2D and H2S build volume was just enough to prevent more design splitting than would be ideal. Still, it took days to output all the pieces.

The finished work looks great from the outside, but Major Hardware is the first to admit cable management is “a little bit of a disaster.” But it was “honestly pretty quiet,” as long as none of the cables swung into the fan blades. All the fans were configured to be intakes, so we guess that when attached to the PC, the build would have a soupçon of positive internal pressure.

Battlefield 6 gaming thermals test

The proof of any success from equipping the Superdome would come from an A/B Battlefield 6 gaming challenge, decided the TechTuber. With the standard glass panel equipped, he observed a top temperature of ~86°C in the Ryzen Master software. Swapping to the Superdome and playing a few more BF6 games, and Major Hardware saw that the CPU temps had dropped to approximately 67°C. “I dropped about 20°C just by putting the Superdome on the front of my PC,” noted the TechTuber. “This is pretty incredible, and it's not even loud.” However, sitting beside the PC, he felt “a constant breeze.”

Major Hardware has decided to share the 3D printing files on Thingiverse, so others with a Lian Li O11 case and a few spare fans can easily follow in his footsteps.

Every now and then, you come across a PC hardware experiment that dares to reach beyond efficiency. What if you tried to create something that performs as well as what inspired the idea, but without any of the sterile, boring factory polish? That's what YouTuber Major Hardware just did with his new project — he combined 15 tiny fans to form one giant one that looks like Noctua's legendary NF-A12x25... and perhaps also an early atomic bomb.

There was no Eureka moment behind the idea; the YouTuber just decided to build this contraption for fun after seeing those self-balancing toy drones you can find online. They have a bunch of little propellers inside that move a lot of air, so the same logic can be applied to a much larger device, like an actual PC fan, such as the Noctua NF-A12x25. The project thus began with 7500 RPM 4.5V DC motors bought from Amazon.

These motors will power tiny 30mm fans that were 3D-printed to look like miniaturized versions of the real NF-A12x25, which is a 120mm fan. Running the numbers, Major figured out that about fifteen of these small fans would be required to match the area of a 120mm fan, but those fifteen fans still need to fit inside a 120mm frame. To make this possible, he whipped up a dome-like design in SolidWorks that houses the fans around the cupola.

This was the point where this fan started to look more like the Gadget that was created at Los Alamos. Major attached the fans to their motors, and the motors went inside little slots that sat inside crater-like cutouts. They were friction-fitted in the structure, with wires dangling from each of the fifteen fans. But since this project's one goal was to maintain airflow, the YouTuber decided to reroute all those cables.

Each of those wires was run up and out of the intrados through tiny holes. Then they were bundled up and connected to some winding wire on the surface. The end result looked an awful lot like the first atomic bomb used in the Trinity test, as stated by the YouTuber himself. But the mission to keep the insides clear of any potential chokepoints was successful, and it was now time for testing.

The 'Fanhattan Project' was connected to a power supply, and it spun to life right away, moving a significant amount of air. Unfortunately, we didn't get exact cubic feet numbers, but the fan did reach 73 dB while running. And that remains consistent because there's no PWM control here; the fan (fans?) runs at full speed the whole time, so how well can it actually cool a CPU?

The test bench consisted of a Noctua NH-U12A mounted atop a Core i7-7700K running at 4.9 GHz for 20 minutes. Using the NF-A12x25, the CPU reached 69.5 degrees Celsius while the Fanhattan Project kept it limited to "just" 69 degrees. That's just a 0.6% difference, which means it's within the margin of error, and the entire experiment is thus deemed a success — same performance for more than triple the noise. Worth it.

It's safe enough to say that almost everyone in the PC building space is a fan of Noctua's wares. The Austrian company has distinguished itself from its peers by being very... well, Austrian, and obsessing about the quality of its coolers and fans — even if the price tags aren't the most inviting. Today, the firm is celebrating sending out its 500,000th CPU cooler mounting upgrade kit.

The story harkens back two decades ago, to the ancient times of 2006 and AMD's release of the AM2 socket, necessitating a mounting kit for existing coolers. Noctua opted to make the upgrade completely free since then (including shipping), by just sending out one to anyone who asked and had a valid receipt. A tradition it has kept up ever since.

Not only are the kits free, but they're always available at Noctua's website, whereas many other brands make them hard or impossible to obtain, and often at costly prices.

The result is that two decades later, Noctua is sending out upgrade kits for CPU mounting coolers that are going on 20 years old. The blog post even recounts a story about a Finnish customer asking for an AM5 kit for an NH-U12P cooler, setting the record of 17 years between purchase date and upgrade. Since buyers have reasonable assurance they'll be able to reuse their coolers, the high initial asking price can pay off for itself on every new build(s).

Noctua also points out that just creating an upgrade kit isn't just machining some new parts, as the cooler itself needs to be designed in a way that will easily accept new parts. Reviewers have consistently praised the coolers' mounting hardware, so it's fair to say the Austrians know what they're doing. Additionally, the company points out that its free upgrade program contributes to reducing e-waste.

I have personal experience with Noctua's wares and upgrade kits and can attest that it really was as simple as going to the website and requesting one; the exact parts arrived in the mail within two or three weeks. This was in sharp contrast to what happened with another brand's cooler, for which an upgrade kit technically existed but might as well be made of unobtainium.

You won't be asked for more than a purchase receipt, too. Even if you don't have one, Noctua will take invoices for CPUs and motherboards, or even a photo of your existing cooler with a piece of paper visible. If you prefer to have one shipped out faster, you can also find them at Amazon and other e-tailers for cheap.

TrashBench, a hardware enthusiast and YouTuber that we've covered in the past, has a specific talent for clever-but-chaotic PC experiments. In his latest video, he's managed something that has tripped up far bigger channels before him: he successfully ran a desktop PC at –28°C inside a household freezer, benchmarked it, overclocked it, and pulled the hardware out afterward cold and bone-dry.

The concept of the freezer PC is obviously not a new idea. Plenty of creators, including Linus Tech Tips, have tried putting PCs in freezers, only to be defeated by condensation, thermal instability, or both. TrashBench's twist was realizing that the freezer itself was the limiting factor, and that solving the problem wasn't about exotic coatings, or insane insulation, or extreme temperatures, but instead, size and patience.

The exotic cooling enthusiast didn't risk modern flagship silicon here, and that restraint was probably a factor in the experiment's success. The setup consisted of an ASUS ROG Maximus XI Apex motherboard, an Intel Core i7-9700KF, an ASUS ROG GeForce GTX 1070 (despite charts briefly claiming GTX 1060; chalk that up to beer, not malice), a Thermalright Phantom Spirit air cooler, some G.SKILL Trident Z RGB memory, and a SilverStone Strider 750 EF power supply. Everything except the PSU went into the freezer.

By 2026 standards, this is firmly 'old hardware,' but that's exactly the point. If something went catastrophically wrong, the loss was survivable, and just as importantly, these parts draw far less power than modern high-end CPUs and GPUs. Lower heat output matters when your 'cooling system' is a household freezer with a compressor designed to deal with groceries, not a 600 W load spike.

Instead of resting components on shelves or freezer walls, TrashBench completely emptied the freezer and instead suspended them in mid-air using flexible straps. Cables were carefully routed and sealed to minimize moisture ingress from outside air. At the bottom of the chest freezer, he placed silica gel packed into breathable socks, acting as an active desiccant system. That combination of large freezer volume, minimal airflow turbulence, and aggressive moisture control is what allowed the system to stabilize instead of instantly fogging up and dying.

TrashBench tested performance before freezing, inside the freezer at stock clocks, and again after manual GPU overclocking. The benchmarks included 3DMark Time Spy, 3DMark Fire Strike, Cyberpunk 2077, Far Cry 6, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, all venerable tests well-suited to the 2016-vintage hardware. Simply placing the PC components into the –28 °C freezer resulted in very marginal performance improvements. In most cases, the difference was within the noise; the only clear hardware-level gain was a 51 MHz increase in sustained GPU clock, thanks to lower operating temperatures.

Manual GPU overclocking of around +240 MHz on the core produced more noticeable gains, albeit still nothing earth-shattering. The largest uplift was in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which gained about 8% (102 FPS to 110 FPS), and then 3DMark Fire Strike improved about 7%. Other tests showed smaller improvements, and TrashBench didn't specify exact in-game settings, so the results should be taken as directional rather than definitive. In other words: freezing your PC won't magically turn a GTX 1070 into a monster.

After benchmarking, TrashBench was able to remove the parts from the freezer and verify that they were not only still cold (at just 9°C), but in his words, "dryer than a GPU market." In YouTube comments, he added that he didn't actually expect the experiment to work at all. So why did his test work when others failed? The secret wasn't that the freezer was cold — it's that it was big. Smaller freezers heat up almost instantly under load, causing rapid temperature swings and repeated crossings of the dew point, which happen to be the exact conditions that create condensation.

In contrast, a large chest freezer acts less like an air conditioner and more like a cold reservoir. Hundreds of liters of air pre-cooled to –28 °C can absorb several hundred watts of heat for minutes before warming significantly, thanks to thermal inertia slowing temperature changes, reduced hot air recirculation thanks to open space, more cold wall surface area for passive heat absorption, and lower relative humidity spikes, even with minor air leakage.

The silica gel worked because the environment was stable. In a small freezer, the desiccant is quickly overwhelmed. In a large one, it actually has time to scrub moisture from the circulating air. TrashBench didn't try to make the freezer continuously cool a running PC, which would be an impossible task. He treated it as a temporary thermal battery, spent carefully during the benchmark runs.

TrashBench's conclusion is cheeky in a typically-Australian way: 'Like everything in life, size does matter.' He also notes that this kind of setup only really makes sense if you're planning to push overclocking harder than he did here — and doing that for long would almost certainly overstress the freezer's compressor. The takeaway: size matters, but so do expectations.

MSI has shown off some rather intriguing hardware so far at CES 2026, but something that really caught our eye while touring the show floor is the company's latest dual-tower CPU air coolers: the MPG CoreFrozr AP15 and AP17. Your eyes can't help but be drawn to the displays affixed to each unit.

The MPG CoreFrozr AP15 features a Digi-Display that provides real-time readouts of your system vitals. The LCD is split into four segments, showing CPU temperature, CPU load, and the fan's current RPM. There's even a weekly calendar function in the lower left-hand segment.

The MPG CoreFrozr AP17 takes things a step further with an absolutely massive 6-inch LCD. Not only can it display the same system information as its lesser sibling, but it also offers fully customizable output. You can even add custom visuals to give your system some added flair that matches the aesthetic of your gaming rig. The displays are also removable, though I don't really see the need to remove them if you're paying a premium for that functionality in the first place, but I digress.

When it comes to actual cooling performance, both feature dual cooling fans. However, their approaches differ slightly from there. The MPG CoreFrozr AP15 was specifically optimized to work with the AMD Ryzen X3D family of processors and features a copper base along with six heat pipes. The MPG CoreFrozr AP17 ups the stakes with a nickel-plated copper base and eight heat pipes.

MSI also designed both coolers to be user-friendly, especially in tight confines. As a result, there is sufficient clearance under the heat pipes to avoid interfering with your motherboard's DIMM slots.

At this time, MSI hasn't announced pricing for the MPG CoreFrozr AP15 or AP17. However, for reference, the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 is available for around $53.

Blade-themed PC accessory company, Scythe, has been delivering cooling products mainly aimed at low noise and quiet performance for over 20 years. The company’s Fuma series of coolers, including the Scythe Fuma 3 we reviewed in 2023, is a community favorite. Unlike some of its competitors, Scythe is a fabless company that partners with factories in China and Taiwan for the manufacturing of its air coolers, fans, and other PC hardware.

And despite some recent troubles in Europe, the company is still prodicing new products, like the Big Shuriken 4 we’re looking at today. Despite the name, this cooler has a petite profile designed to be compatible with SFF Mini-ITX builds. The diminutive design packs six heatpipes and features the new Kaze Flex II 120AH fan to move heat away from the processor below.

Will this low-profile cooler limbo its way onto our best CPU cooler list? We’ll cover the features and benchmark results, then you can decide for yourself if it is worth purchasing.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

Both Scythe’s Big Shuriken 4 and the smaller Shuriken 3 arrive in small blue and white packages, just large enough to protect and house the cooler.

The CPU cooler and fan are protected with molded foam, and the accessories are housed in a small brown box.

Included with the product are the following:

• CPU heatsink
• Kaze Flex 120 II Slim AH PWM fan
• Small tube of thermal paste
• Mounting for AMD and Intel platforms
• Installation manual

Features of Scythe Big Shuriken 4

▶️ Slim 67mm height for SFF builds

This cooler is designed for the smallest Mini-ITX SFF systems on the market, with a height of just 67mm.

▶️ Six copper heatpipes

To transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink’s fins, the Big Shuriken 4 incorporates six standard-sized copper heatpipes.

▶️ Full RAM compatibility

The cooler does not interfere with or overhang DIMM slots. All sizes of RAM, regardless of height, are compatible with this cooler.

▶️ Kaze Flex 120 II Slim AH PWM

Scythe includes its newest 15mm (height) fan, the Kaze Flex 120 II Slim AH, with the Big Shuriken 4.

AM5 installation

1. AMD users will first have to remove the default mounting mechanism and then place the grey standoffs around the CPU.

2. Take the mounting brackets and place them on top of the standoffs, using the included screws to secure the brackets.

3. Apply thermal paste to the CPU. If you’re unsure of the best way to do this, you can follow our thermal paste application guide.

4. Press the heatsink against the mounting bars and use a screwdriver to secure it through the holes on top of the heatsink (in red below). You’ll want a thin screwdriver for this purpose, as larger ones may not fit.

5. The last step is to attach the fan’s PWM cord to the corresponding motherboard header.

Real-world testing configuration – AMD AM5 platform

My results may differ from others because I focus on outcomes that are comparable to real-world use. This means I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods. Many test CPU coolers outside of a case on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. Some publications have used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions.

That being said, I am using my standardized testing setup for this review, which features a full-size case and motherboard. As with every review, your mileage may vary, as every case and its airflow are different. However, you may notice larger differences here, as I’m not testing in a Mini-ITX case.

Today’s test bench has yielded more limited results than normal, as our 9950X3D system has suffered an unfortunate failure. As such, we’ve begun testing coolers on a system with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X.

There are some differences in how thermal events impact the 9950X and 9950X3D CPUs. While the heat output of the CCDs in AMD’s 9950X3D is relatively balanced, the 9950X I’m using has one CCD that runs much hotter than the other, with a difference of over 10 degrees Celsius in some scenarios.

One of the purposes of today’s review is to establish how well, or poorly, a smaller SFF CPU coolers handle AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X processor. While this review will focus on the Big Shuriken 4, we’ve tested and will also go over the results of the smaller Scythe Shuriken 3 CPU cooler.

Maximum noise levels

In terms of maximum volume, both Scythe’s Big Shuriken 4 and Shuriken 3 had relatively low noise levels, measuring 39.6 and 40.3 dBA, respectively.

PBO Performance

Enabling PBO allows AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X to stretch its legs and guzzle power, but those legs won’t stretch very far with SFF cooling. Despite the limitations of a small heatsink, the Big Shuriken 4 is still able to handle 90% of this CPU’s default power limit in Cinebench R23.

The smaller Shuriken 3 doesn’t fare as well, dropping to 134W. But that’s kind of impressive, considering that cooler is about the size of a pack of cigarettes.

150W

For the next thermal test, I’ve set the power limit to 150W. This is about the highest power limit I would recommend for users considering the Big Shuriken 4 to keep their CPU under TJ Max, as the average temperature was measured at 79.5 degrees Celsius.

The smaller Shuriken 3 isn’t able to handle this workload, so it has been omitted from the results in this chart.

150W Noise measurements

Now, as the 150W thermal measurements demonstrated above are similar to what users might encounter in gaming scenarios, I’ve measured the noise levels of coolers in this benchmark to see how loud they get in everyday situations.

Scythe’s Big Shuriken 4 measured 39.3 dBA, a moderately low volume level.

100W thermal results

Our next test is the least-demanding benchmark featured in this review, with a workload that consumes only 100W. With this lower power limit in place, both of Scythe’s latest SFF coolers can handle the CPU with relative ease. Scythe’s Big Shuriken 4 reached a temperature of 62.7 degrees Celsius, only 5-6 degrees behind traditional single tower air coolers.

Noise-normalized testing

While the preceding results used the default fan curve of my MSI x870E Carbon motherboard, I understand many readers prefer data where cooler noise levels are equalized. For this review, two noise-normalized tests were conducted. The first test was run with Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) active to allow for the highest possible power consumption.

Looking at this first round of results, what stands out to me is how little performance is lost when the CPU’s fans are set to 39.6 dBA and the system fans are reduced from 60% to 25% PWM.

The Big Shuriken 4 cooled 178.7W with fans set normally, but only lost 1.2W of cooling power – practically a margin of error difference when noise levels were lowered and standardized.

The other noise-normalized test we have for this review also stresses the CPU to its maximum, as above, but also adds the heat of a GPU to the mix – our MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super consumes ~295W.

Conclusion

Scythe’s Big Shuriken 4 is a worthwhile choice for builders targeting SFF systems. Its slim 67mm profile, combined with low-noise operation, delivers cooling performance superior to that of smaller SFF alternatives. It’s a compelling balance of price, performance, and size for any system where space is at a premium.

Austrian firm Noctua produces cooling hardware that's simultaneously silent and super-effective at its primary purpose: removing heat from PC parts. However, despite top-tier performance, Noctua's products are also notoriously expensive, which is exactly why only one of its aluminum finstacks appears on our list of the best CPU coolers. If you've purchased a Noctua heatsink for your new CPU recently, don't despair at having to dole out for another one when Intel's next platform launches, because Noctua has just confirmed earlier speculation that its current CPU coolers for extant Intel platforms will fit just fine.

LGA 1700 is, of course, the socket used by Intel's 12th- through 14th-generation Core processors, and then LGA 1851 is the socket used by the current-generation Core Ultra 200-family chips. Enthusiasts are a little down on Arrow Lake due to its mediocre gaming performance, but the multi-threaded throughput is undeniably potent. There's a refresh of Arrow Lake on the way early next year; those chips will socket into existing boards. The LGA 1954 that Noctua is talking about is for Intel's generation-after-next parts, known as the Nova Lake platform.

If you're in the faction that has already discarded Intel as an option, you may want to keep one eye peering in Team Blue's direction, because Nova Lake is looking pretty stout. The new chips will come with new CPU architectures for both P-cores and E-cores, a redesigned interconnect, and, at least on some SKUs, an enormous 144-megabyte last-level cache, which could allow them to finally compete against AMD's 3D V-Cache CPUs in gaming.

This news probably isn't actually that exciting to current Noctua owners. Indeed, one of the perks of the high-priced Austrian-made chilling apparatus is that the company will happily spot you fresh mounting hardware for your older coolers, as long as you can prove you purchased it with your invoice. I'm still using an NH-C14 that I purchased many years ago—specifically to use with a Core 2 Quad system—on a current Socket AM5 machine, all thanks to Noctua's amazing customer support. So saying, even if Nova Lake had required new heatsink mounting hardware, Noctua would have provided it to its customers regardless.

Strictly speaking, Noctua's message doesn't mean that all coolers for Intel 12th, 13th, and 14th-generation CPUs, as well as extant Core Ultra desktop CPUs, will necessarily fit on a Nova Lake CPU. Practically speaking, though, it nearly does. Aside from strange edge cases, this message from Noctua is essentially confirmation that the upcoming LGA1954 socket is fully compatible with cooling hardware for essentially all extant systems. Good news for DIY builders and enthusiasts, but also for VARs and OEMs who are likely breathing a sigh of relief that they don't have to redesign all of their systems for Intel's Nova Lake-powered comeback tour.

PC cooling specialist Noctua has introduced a Chromax variant of its latest flagship CPU cooler, the NH-D15 G2. Launched in July 2024 in its traditional brown and beige aesthetics, the cooler is now available in an all-black finish with a listed price of $189.90 in the U.S. on Amazon and €159.90 in Europe. That makes it $40 or €10 more expensive (depending on your region), unless you don’t mind the company’s traditional color scheme. Noctua has also introduced Chromax versions of the NF-A14x25r G2 (round frame) and NF-A14x25 G2 (square frame) 140mm PWM fans, which start at $44.90 in the U.S. and €39.90 in Europe.

According to Noctua CEO Roland Mossig, the G2 series products have been well-received by the PC-building community, and the company is confident that the new chromax.black versions will be suitable for users who prefer a “stealthy, unobtrusive look.”

If you are interested in the new Chromax NH-D15 G2 CPU cooler or the NF-A14x25 G2 and NF-A14x25r G2 140mm PWM fans, you can grab them from Amazon using the following links.

The NH-D15 G2 features eight heat pipes as opposed to six on its predecessor. It also comes with denser asymmetrical fin stacks that are claimed to deliver 20% more surface area for convective heat dissipation. The cooler also features an offset design that is said to offer better clearance for the top PCIe x16 slot on most modern motherboards.

Rounding up the NH-D15 G2 are two NF-A14x25r G2 round-frame 140mm PWM fans which are made out of Noctua’s patented Sterrox liquid-crystal polymer (LCP). This material is said to offer high tensile strength and low thermal expansion characteristics compared to traditional thermoplastics. The fans feature a Progressive Bend impeller design with a Centrifugal Turbulator hub, winglets, and a tight tip clearance of 0.7mm, which results in improved performance-to-noise efficiency over the previous generation models.

Noctua suggests that cooling efficiency and low-noise performance of the new Chromax lineup should be similar compared to the non-Chromax variants. In our in-depth review, the Noctua NH‑D15 G2 delivered improved thermal performance over the original NH-D15, cooling about 10W more load (around 240W sustained) while maintaining a quiet profile. We also recorded temperature drops of about 2-degrees celsius under mixed CPU and GPU loads, and an overall improvement in CPU temperatures of up to 3-degree celsius compared to its predecessor.

Today we’re testing Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 3DHP. And yes, this feels like the 20th iteration of the company’s Hyper 212. The company has certainly rebranded the Hyper 212 numerous times, but this revision might be the most significant air cooler release in the past decade.

What makes the Hyper 212 3DHP so important? It's in the name of the cooler – the company’s new 3DHP heatpipe technology. Traditional copper heatpipes are typically formed in a “U” shape, and work well enough in most scenarios. But Cooler Master’s 3DHP heatpipes are formed in a trident-like shape, with three ends instead of two.

Will this new cooler make our list of best CPU coolers on the market? Well, let’s put it this way: It features genuine innovation – a rarity in the rather stale air cooling market, and features a nearly silent fan. Let’s go through the features and benchmarks of this cooler, and you can decide for yourself if it is worth sinking $29.99 of your cooling budget into.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The cooler arrives in a simple brown box, with a purple label showing the design of the product and its specifications. Inside are two smaller boxes: One contains the heatsink and fan, while the other includes the mounting accessories.

Included with the product are the following:

• 1x 120mm fan
• Single tower heatsink with two 3DHP copper heatpipes
• CryoFuze thermal paste
• Mounting for AMD and Intel platforms
• Installation manual

Features of Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 3DHP

▶️ Innovative 3DHP copper heatpipes

This isn’t just another Hyper 212 rebrand – the Hyper 212 3DHP is the first cooler on the market with Cooler Master’s new heatpipe technology. Most traditional heatpipes are formed in a “U” shape, but the 3DHP heatpipes are trident-shaped. As you’ll see in our benchmarks, this groundbreaking and effective design allows for just two of these new heatpipes to outperform four traditional direct-touch copper heatpipes!

Part of the reason these heatpipes perform better is that they more effectively remove heat from the center of the CPU. As an example, Cooler Master has kindly provided this thermal image showing how the hotspot of the CPU is reduced with this new heatpipe design.

▶️ Single tower aluminum heatsink

The Hyper 212 is Cooler Master’s entry-level air-cooling line, and as such, it features a single-tower aluminum heatsink, shown in the photo above.

▶️ Copper CPU plate

The base of the CPU plate is pure copper.

▶️ Full RAM compatibility

As the picture above demonstrates, the Hyper 212 3DHP does not interfere with or overhang DIMM slots in any manner, ensuring compatibility with all sizes of RAM, no matter how tall.

▶️ Low noise 120mm fan

The fan included will appeal to enthusiasts who prefer a PC with the lowest volume levels possible, with our noise measurements reaching just 38.2 dBA. The version reviewed features ARGB support, but there is a solid black version of this cooler without ARGB, if you don’t want lights in your rig.

AM5 and 1851 installation

The installation of the cooler is fairly simple for AMD systems – but it’s somewhat of a pain on Intel systems because the backplate of the cooler must be held in place during the install process.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will remove the default mounting mechanism.
2. Next, you’ll need to install the mounting bars onto the cooler.

3. Apply thermal paste to the CPU. If you’re unsure of the best way to do this, you can follow our thermal paste application guide.
4. Place the heatsink on top of the CPU, and secure it with the included screws.
5. Attach the fan with the included fan clips, and then connect the PWM/ARGB headers to your motherboard – installation is now complete!

Real-world testing configuration –AMD AM5 platform

My results may differ from others because I am looking for results that are comparable to real-world use. This means that I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. Some publications have used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is used.

CPU-only thermal results with AMD Ryzen 9 9950X

Today’s review is going to be a little different than our recent ones, partly because our main testing 9950X3D system is encountering problems at the moment, but also because we wanted to have this review focus on the technological improvement that comes with the 3DHP heatpipes.

We’re using AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950Xm and tested the Cooler Master Hyper 212 3DHP (Single tower, 2x 3DHP heatpipes) against Montech’s NX400 (Single tower, 4x traditional heatpipes) and a prototype dual-tower heatsink with six heatpipes and two fans.

100W thermal results

We’ll start today’s review on the low end, focusing on a 100W workload.

For today’s tests, I’ve compared the Hyper 212 3DHP against Montech’s NX400 and a dual-tower air cooler. Montech’s NX400 is one of the best single-tower air coolers on the market, utilizing four copper heatpipes and a high-power E28 fan. Even with those advantages, the Hyper 212 3DHP outperforms the NX400 by 1.2 degrees Celsius!

It is also worth noting that the Hyper 212 3DHP ran virtually silently in this scenario, with noise levels lower than I could measure, whereas the NX400 was still audible.

200W

For this next test, we’re testing the CPU at its maximum stock power consumption – 200W, twice the thermal load of our previous test.

Here again we see the Hyper 212 3DHP slightly outperforming Montech’s NX400, by 0.8 degrees C.

150W, with fan normalized testing

After completing the first two tests, I started to wonder if the fan on the Hyper 212 3DHP might be holding back the potential of the 3DHP heatsink. After all, it runs very quietly – no more than 38.2 dBA.

To test this theory, I switched out the default fan included by Cooler Master with the newly released high-power E28 fan that comes with Montech’s NX400 – and boy, the results were interesting!

The Hyper 212 3DHP with its default fan continued to outperform the NX400 by a small amount, but when paired with a stronger fan it had significantly higher performance – trailing a dual-tower air cooler by only 0.6 degrees C!

The noise measurements here are intended to show you just how quietly the Hyper 212 3DHP runs with the default fan. In this scenario, it was only 37.3 dBA. In all lower power scenarios, the fan runs quieter than I can measure.

PBO Performance with fan normalized testing

Without power limits enforced, the hottest CPUs on the market – like the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X tested today - will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers on the market in intensive stress testing.

When the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

Like our previous test, the results are most interesting with Cooler Master’s 3DHP when it is paired with a high-power fan. In this configuration, it trails a prototype dual-tower cooler by only 13W! This is extremely impressive to see two heatpipes competing with a dual-tower air cooler that has six heatpipes!

If you prefer to use the stock fan, overall cooling performance will only be slightly better than Montech’s NX-400 – but its noise levels will be low, as detailed in the next section.

Maximum noise levels

In terms of noise levels, Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 3DHP is one of the quietest on the market – reaching only 38.2 dBA according to our measurements! This basically makes it the go-to cooler for those who want an entry-level heatsink with low noise levels.

Conclusion

Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 3DHP is an exciting addition to the air cooler market. Its two 3DHP heatpipes are genuinely innovative, improving cooling performance and efficiency. It’s also reasonably priced, at $29.99 in the U.S.

Don’t expect this cooler to surpass the best big air coolers, like those from Thermalright. But keep in mind that’s not what Cooler Master is trying to do here. The company will also release higher-end air coolers with its 3DHP tech, which we look forward to testing soon. If those larger coolers can scale up the 212 3DHP’s capabilities, while keeping costs and fan noise in check, Cooler Master may soon be making a run for a few spots on our Best CPU Coolers list. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a quiet cooler with impressive mainstream performance, the Hyper 212 3DHP is easy to recommend.

Cooler Master's Hyper 212 Pro aRGB air cooler is on a steep discount just before Amazon Prime Big Deals Day kicks off next week. The budget air cooler is now even more budget-friendly, and is 49% off, making it one of the cheapest tower-style air coolers on the market right now. Its regular price is $34.99, but with the discount, that price drops to just $17.99.

• Check out this deal on Amazon

The Hyper 212 Pro is the latest iteration of Cooler Master's Hyper 212 series, which began with the Hyper 212 EVO in 2011. The Hyper 212 Pro, launched in 2024, is a twin-sibling to the Hyper 212 Black Edition, sporting the same black single-tower heatsink design but with an upgraded aRGB-illuminated 120mm fan strapped onto it.

The 212 Pro is capable of cooling up to 230W TDP processors and has full RAM clearance. The cooler is powered by four superconducting composite heat pipes that utilize various evaporator and condenser wick structures to dissipate heat from the CPU. The integrated Sickleflow Edge 120 ARGB fan produces up to 70.7 cfm of air flow at 32.8 dBA. The cooler measures 152mm in height, making it compatible with the vast majority of PC cases.

The CPU cooler market hasn't been kind to Cooler Master, with newer companies, such as Thermalright, redefining what budget CPU coolers should be priced at. This is one reason why Cooler Master air coolers are not on our list of the Best CPU Coolers for 2025 (although we do have three Thermalright air coolers on our list).

But, at just under $18, the Hyper 212 Pro aRGB is a very compelling option in the cramped air cooling CPU market. Its 49% discount puts it on the same price level as the Thermalright Assassin X 120R SE V2, which is currently our favorite air cooler under $20.

We haven't specifically tested the Hyper 212 Pro aRGB against the Assassin X 120R SE V2, but at just $18, the Hyper 212 Pro is a bargain regardless of how it compares to its Thermalright competition. Chances are, you are not looking to pair an $18 cooler to your Ryzen 9 9950X3D, so its cooling performance should be more than enough for any budget CPU you will likely be pairing with it. Better still, the Hyper 212 Pro aRGB comes in a fully blacked-out aesthetic, making it arguably the superior option for aesthetically minded builders.

If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, or CPU Deals pages.

Cooler Master showed off its 3D Heatpipe technology back at Computex 2025, and now it's finally coming to the public just a few months later. This quick turnaround time can be attributed to perhaps the ingenious simplicity of this solution. Instead of having the heatpipes only go up against the edges of the heatsink fin stack, another one cuts through the center, allowing for more even heat dissipation — and now Cooler Master is bringing it to its legendary Hyper 212 lineup, as reported by TechPowerUp.

If you've been in the PC community for even a smidge, the name Hyper 212 must ring a bell. Originally launched almost two decades ago, the Hyper 212 has gone through countless revisions, modernizing it for every generation of PC gaming. The latest in this line of iterations is the aforementioned 3D Heatpipe technology, dubbing the new cooler "Hyper 212 3DHP." To understand why this is special, we should first look at how (most) standard air coolers work. Generally, these tower coolers feature a dense heatsink with multiple fins stacked atop each other, through which a U-shaped heatpipe runs.

This pipe takes heat from the CPU's IHS and carries it across the finstack, where the mounted fans blow fresh air onto it to cool it down. This is a pretty decent thermal exchange, but it can be made better. Instead of just two heatpipes at the periphery of the fin stack, Cooler Master introduced a third one running through the middle, essentially forming a trident-like shape. This results in much more efficient distribution and dissipation of heat, since each pipe will not only be responsible for less heat now, but they will cover a larger area on the fin stack.

If you’ve never heard of SAMA, you’re not the only one. The company was established in 2003 as an OEM, but has recently rolled out its own lineup of computer hardware in the U.S. and elsewhere, including cases, power supplies, air coolers, and liquid coolers. The company announced several products at Computex 2025, including the focus of today’s review, the Sama A60E air cooler.

Sama’s A60E is a dual-tower air cooler with a traditional silver and black aesthetic, which should appeal to many enthusiasts. There is a version of this cooler with ARGB, if lighting is a priority for you. Will this new cooler make our list of best CPU coolers on the market? We’ll first go over the features, then get to the benchmarks with AMD and Intel CPUs, so you can determine if this cooler is right for you.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging for the cooler is cardboard brown, with the cooler’s image printed on the front.

The heatsink is protected with molded foam, plastic, and cardboard cutouts.

Included in the box are the following:

• Dual-tower heatsink
• Two 120mm fans
• Installation manual
• Sama sticker
• Mounting accessories for Intel and AMD platforms
• Freezee thermal grease

Features of Sama’s A60E air cooler

▶ Dual-tower heatsink

The A60E has a traditional dual-tower heatsink, with black fans. There is no ARGB lighting, though a version of this cooler with ARGB fans is available. The design of the intake and exhaust fins is shown below.

▶ Six copper heatpipes

Like most higher-end dual-tower air coolers on the market, the A60E incorporates six copper heatpipes to move heat from the CPU block and into the fins of the heatsink.

▶ Etched Metal aesthetic

This cooler sports a black and metal aesthetic, which should appeal to those wanting an “old school” look without ARGB bling. The tops of the cooler’s heatsink are etched metal plates, with Sama’s logo on the side.

▶ Two 120mm fans

Included with the A60E are two 120mm fans, which are solid black. The technical specifications are listed below.

▶ Freezee thermal paste

Sama includes its high-performance Freezee thermal paste with the cooler. We’ve put Freezee through two types of tests, and as you’ll see in the benchmarks section, it performs pretty well!

▶ RAM Clearance

Most DDR5 modules shouldn’t have a problem fitting underneath the first fan of SAMA’s A60E. I measured clearance at approximately 42 mm. If you’re using taller DIMMs, you’ll need to adjust the fan up a few MM, or alternatively move it to the rear of the heatsink.

▶ Etched metal adhesive token

Some of y’all like decorative bling, and Sama has you covered with an adhesive etched metal sticker that you can attach to the outside of your PC, your refrigerator, or any other place you’d like to place it. It’s not quite the case badges of yesteryear, but it is arguably more interesting than the paper stickers that still ship with some expensive motherboards.

AM5 and 1851 installation

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will need to remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next, you’ll need to install the standoffs.

3. Take the mounting bars and apply them to the standoffs, then secure them with the included screws.

4. Apply the included Freezee thermal paste to your CPU. If you aren’t sure how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

5. Remove the middle fan from the cooler. Place the heatsink on top of the CPU, and secure it with a screwdriver.

7. Reinsert the middle fan and connect the wires together.

8. Finally, connect the PWM cable to the corresponding motherboard header.

Real-world testing configuration: Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform

My results may differ from other reviewers because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means I test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many sites test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they really are.

Some publications have used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is used.

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

We’ve recently added testing of AMD’s new flagship sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This impressive CPU provides the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market, and it can prove quite challenging thermally, particularly when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

Thermal paste benchmarks

Before covering our traditional air cooling benchmarks, I wanted to go over the included thermal paste, especially since it’s from a brand most readers aren’t familiar with.

We’ve been testing thermal compounds this year on AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X, and the results from the included Freezee thermal paste were very good, showing the third-best performance among traditional thermal pastes.

One observation I had with the above testing: Thermal Grizzly’s Kryosheet performs extremely well when paired with an AMD Ryzen 9000 series CPU, so I also tested the A60E with both the included Freezee paste and Kryosheet.

There are a few differences to point out in this test that you should keep in mind when comparing the two paste testing results.

• I used AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D instead of AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X.
• The test above uses a liquid cooler, while the test below uses the Sama A60E air cooler
• There is a lower power limit of 215W
• This test measures the maximum temperature, while the previous test measures the average temperature

With a 215W power limit imposed on AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X, the A60E had only one degree of difference when I tested the Freezee thermal paste against Thermal Grizzly’s Kryosheet. This seems pretty decent, but there might be bigger differences if I had raised the power limit to 225W. You should also keep in mind this last test measures the maximum temperature. Still, if you’re buying a $59 air cooler, my testing shows you shouldn’t worry much about the thermal paste Sama includes with the A60E.

Maximum noise levels

Reaching a peak of 44.2 dBA, Sama’s A60E has a moderate maximum volume – similar to Noctua’s NH-D15 (G1) and BeQuiet’s Dark Rock Elite.

CPU-only thermal results with PBO enabled: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Without power limits enforced, the highest-end consumer CPUs will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle during intensive stress testing. This happens with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers. For the best liquid coolers we’ve tested, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature.

However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled, to best compare performance. Note that the thermal performance of any cooler can scale differently, depending on the CPU / platform being used.

We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU.

The strongest 360mm AIOs on the market can handle this workload without reaching the CPU’s peak temperature. With the disclaimer that we’ve only had a limited amount of time to test AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D with coolers, only two AIOs have passed this test thus far: Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro and NZXT’s Kraken Plus 360.

Sama’s A60E didn’t perform as well as we expected in this test, cooling 232W – but it performs much better in lower power scenarios, as you’ll see below.

CPU-only thermal results with power limits removed: Intel’s i7-14700K

Now let’s switch it up and take a look at how this cooler performs with Intel’s i7-14700K. Looking at the results here, we can see that some coolers scale better with Intel Core CPUs than they do on AMD’s platform.

Sama’s air cooler performed well with our Intel system, with similar results to ID-Cooling’s Frozen A620 and Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140.

200W Power Limit – AMD Ryzen 9950X3D

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but readers have indicated they would like to see more CPU-only tests. Listening to that feedback, I’ve tested thermal and noise performance for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock CPU settings, which limits power consumption to 200W.

This test showed some interesting results, with Sama’s A60E performing on par with Jiushark’s JF15K and LevelPlay’s Combat CL240 AIO. Noise levels were moderate at 43.8 dBA.

Noise Normalized CPU-only thermal results

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running your fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited, and most users prefer a quieter system.
We’ll be looking at two different, distinct tests here. First, traditional noise-equalized results with Intel’s i7-14700K, which places a full CPU-only workload with the cooler’s noise levels set to 38.9 dBA. To make comparison to other air coolers easier, we’ve removed AIO results from this chart.

After setting the cooler’s noise level to 38.9 dBA, we found that Sama’s A60E performed on par with many of the best coolers on the market, like Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140 and ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 GDL.

Now let’s take a look at our noise-equalized tests utilizing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. Two changes (in comparison to our previous test) have been made to increase the difficulty of this challenge. The noise level of the CPU coolers has been reduced further, to 37.3 dBA, and I’ve also run a full load on MSI’s RTX 4070 Ti Super GPU at the same time to increase the difficulty of this benchmark. One other challenge presented in this test is that the system fans have been reduced to 25% PWM, to emulate a low airflow environment.

These results weren’t quite as good as we saw the cooler do elsewhere. The A60E cooled 191.3W, with our other results from dual-tower air coolers ranging between 189W and 210W.

150W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but it doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear. It makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job because there’s extra heat to move out of the case.

A CPU power limit of 150W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming among various tech outlets covering AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. My personal experience has shown that most games use much less power, but this might be biased by the games I play.

With this benchmark, we’re seeing better performance than expected, with the A60E outperforming DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite, and just a little bit behind Thermalright’s flagship Royal Pretor 130.

I’ve also started to record GPU temperatures for this test, but there hasn’t been much variation so far.

And of course – we need to go over the noise levels of the CPU cooler in this scenario, too. At 39.6dBA, Sama’s A60E was one of the quietest recorded in this test.

140W CPU results

The last round of test results we’ll look at is with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is dramatically easier to cool for most CPU coolers – and as a result, this is the easiest test we’ll run with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU for most reviews. But I’ve recorded lower power results for comparisons with SFF and air coolers for future reviews.

In this test, most of our coolers deliver similar performance. The more important factor here is the noise level of the cooler. And at only 37.3 dBA, Sama’s A60E is the second-quietest result on this chart.

Conclusion

Sama’s entrance to the air cooling market with the A60E is a reasonable one. It provides generally good performance, low noise levels, and will appeal to those who want a more traditional look without ARGB. But its real challenge is price. At $59, it’s hard to strongly recommend when top-tier air coolers like Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 sell for as little as $40.

While Jiushark isn’t a well-known brand in U.S. enthusiast and PC building circles, we’ve covered the company in the past, highlighting some of its unique products like the Jiushark M.2 Three SSD cooler the JF800 dual-tower air cooler, which performed extremely well.

Next up from the company is another unique product, the JF15K, an air cooler that’s very different than traditional designs. It features heatsinks almost twice as wide as traditional coolers, with a length of 179mm, and is cooled by four 100 mm fans instead of one or two larger fans.

Will Jiushark’s latest make our list of best CPU coolers on the market? Let’s look at its features and our test results first. But even if you love the JF15K, it’s not available in the U.S. You’ll have to import it from Asia through a site like Taobao if you want one for your PC!

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging for the cooler showcases the cooler’s size and its RGB lighting, with the specifications listed on the side. Opening the box reveals the manual and mounting accessories.

The cooler sits underneath, protected by molded foam and cardboard.

Included in the box are the following:

• Dual-tower heatsink
• Four 100mm fans
• Installation manual
• Mounting accessories for Intel and AMD platforms
• Thermal grease

Features of Jiushark’s JF15K air cooler

▶ Double-wide dual-tower air cooler

This cooler is unlike any other on the market, incorporating two double-wide heatsinks to dissipate heat.

▶ It isn’t as big as it looks!

It might appear to be similar in size to a 240mm AIO, but it’s not quite that long. Most 240mm liquid coolers have a length of approximately 277 mm, while the Jiushark’s JF15K is “only” 179 mm long.

▶ Six copper heatpipes

The cooler uses six copper heatpipes to move heat away from the CPU into the fins of the heatsinks. Its CPU coldplate, however, looks like it might benefit from being a bit beefier.

▶ ARGB lighting strips

The tops of the cooler incorporate large ARGB light strips to help it stand out even in the dark. For those who don’t like illumination, a non-ARGB version of this cooler is also available – or you could just leave the ARGB cable disconnected.

▶ Four fans – yes, four

Because the JF15K incorporates two double-wide heatsinks, it follows that it would use four fans. But these aren’t your typical 120 or 140 mm fans, they’re a bit smaller than normal. Jiushark lists these fans as being 100 mm, but they appear to be 90mm based on the 179mm width of the heatsinks.

▶ RAM airflow

The unique design of this air cooler has two fans above RAM slots, providing airflow, which may be useful to those looking to overclock their memory for the fastest performance possible.

AM5 and 1851 installation

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next, you’ll need to install the standoffs.

3. Take the mounting bars and apply them to the standoffs, then secure them with the included screws.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy how to apply thermal paste guide.

5. Remove the middle fans from the cooler, then set the coldplate against the CPU and secure it with a screwdriver.

6. Reinsert the middle fans.

7. Finally, connect the PWM and ARGB cables to the corresponding motherboard headers and you’re done.

Real world testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform

My testing emphasizes results that are comparable to real-world use. This means I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods. Many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they actually are. And some publications have used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions.

I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is used.

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent socket bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

We’ve recently added testing of AMD’s flagship sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is one beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market – it can also prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

Maximum noise levels

For an air cooler, Jiushark’s design can get pretty noisy – reaching 47.2 dBA in our measurements. It’s the second loudest air cooler we’ve tested in recent history. Given its four smallish fans, perhaps that’s not so surprising.

CPU-only thermal results with PBO enabled: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Without power limits enforced, the hottest CPUs on the market will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers; even most liquid coolers available can’t keep these chips from throttling during intensive stress testing. For the best liquid coolers on the market, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature. However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled. Note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with AMD’s gaming flagship, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU.

The strongest 360mm AIOs on the market can handle this workload without reaching the CPU’s peak temperature. With the disclaimer that we’ve only had a limited amount of time to test AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D with coolers, only two AIOs have passed this test thus far: Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro and NZXT’s Kraken Plus 360.

Performance here was fairly good, with Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 being the only air cooler to outperform Jiushark’s double-wide tower cooler!

CPU-only thermal results with power limits removed: Intel’s i7-14700K

Now let’s switch it up and take a look at how this cooler performs with Intel’s i7-14700K. We can see some coolers, including the JF15K here, seem to scale better with AMD Ryzen than they do with Intel Core CPUs.

Jiushark’s massive air cooler outperformed classics like Noctua’s NH-D15 (G1), but was outperformed by dual tower coolers from DeepCool, Thermalright, and even Jiushark’s own JF800.

200W Power Limit – AMD Ryzen 9950X3D

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. Listening to that feedback, I’ve tested thermal and noise performance for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock CPU settings – which limits power consumption to 200W.

This test showed some interesting results. Jiushark’s JF15K performed a little bit behind Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex and DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite, but better than 240mm AIOs from LevelPlay and MSI, and single tower air coolers from Thermalright and Endorfy.

Noise levels weren’t quite as pleasant, though, averaging 46.9 dBA.

Noise-normalized CPU-only thermal results

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited, and many users prefer a quieter system. We’ll be looking at two different, distinct tests.

We’ll first look at our traditional noise-equalized results with Intel’s i7-14700K, which places a full CPU-only workload with the cooler’s noise levels set to 38.9 dBA. To make comparisons to other air coolers easier, we’ve removed AIO results from this chart.

The first thing you might notice in this chart is that Jiushark’s JF15K is listed twice. This is because I wanted to see if moving the exhaust fan above the cooler would improve performance. But it didn’t seem to make much of a difference, with both results being within the general margin of error. With 231W cooled, performance here was similar to most traditional air coolers.

Now let’s take a look at our noise-equalized tests utilizing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. Two changes (in comparison to our first test) have been made to increase the difficulty of this challenge. The noise level of the CPU coolers has been reduced to 37.3 dBA, and I’ve also run a full load on MSI’s RTX 4070 Ti Super GPU at the same time to increase the difficulty of this benchmark.

The JF15K wasn’t very impressive here, with only 189W cooled on average. This is the second-worst result we’ve seen in this low-noise, low case airflow test. It likely indicates that for best performance, you’d want this cooler installed in a case with good airflow.

150W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear – it makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job due to the increased heat within your computer case.

The CPU power limit of 150W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming amongst various tech outlets covering AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. My personal experience has shown most games to use much lower amounts of power, but this might be biased by the games I play.

Looking at the unique design of Jiushark’s JF15K, I figured that it might help with the temperatures of the GPU in this scenario. The data I have shows better GPU temperatures than both Endorfy’s Fortis 5 Black and Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro in this test. This might mean that the JF15K could be useful in smaller cases that don’t have much room for airflow. But given the cooler’s size, it’s realistically not going to fit in cases that are all that small.

If you’re wondering why we have only three results above, the simple answer is I didn’t think I would be comparing GPU temperatures for a CPU cooler review, and as such, I usually didn’t save this information when testing coolers previously.

Looking at CPU temperatures, Jiushark’s JF15K performed reasonably compared to traditional dual-tower air coolers, just a hair behind Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex and DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite.

That said, noise levels were again louder than most coolers that we’ve tested with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

140W CPU results

The last round of test results we’ll look at in today’s review is a test with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is dramatically easier to handle for most coolers – and as a result, this is the easiest test we’ll run with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU for most reviews.

In this test, most of our coolers have similar performance. The more important factor in this test is the noise level of the cooler – and while the JF15K wasn’t exactly loud, it was among the noisiest results we have for this benchmark.

But wait, there’s more!

There’s an additional advantage that this cooler provides, that I haven’t tested in detail – it provides airflow over RAM, having two fans directly above the DIMM slots of the motherboard. This might prove useful for those looking to run the fastest memory kits and/or those who wish to overclock their RAM.

Conclusion

Jiushark’s innovative double-wide dual-tower air cooler is an interesting engineering experiment, providing particularly impressive results in some scenarios, but that is balanced by other situations where it performs worse than expected.

The fans above RAM slots may prove useful for those looking to run the fastest memory speeds and/or overclock their DDR5. I’d like to see a version of this cooler produced with more heatpipes (or thicker ones), and perhaps stronger fans that aren’t as noisy.

DeepCool has been delivering innovative, interesting, and often budget-conscious PC cases and cooling products for more than a decade. Its current lineup includes air and AIO coolers, computer cases, keyboards, power supplies, and other accessories. We’ve been impressed by the company’s AK620 and Assassin IV air coolers in the past. In 2024, the Beijing-based company was banned from selling products in the U.S., but has continued to produce and improve its cooling products for markets elsewhere.

Today we’ll be testing the successor to the Assassin IV, the Assassin VC Elite, as its name implies, features an upgraded vapor chamber coldplate that DeepCool claims increases cooling performance to the point it’s rated to handle CPUs with up to a 300W TDP.

Will DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite make our list of best coolers on the market? On its merits, yes. But again, if you are in the United States, you’ll have to looke elsewhere, no matter how good the Assassin VC Elite’s performance is – and make no mistake, its performance is excellent.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging for the cooler is similar to the Assassin IV, having a square brown box with a cover which showcases the cooler and its design. The cooler is protected by a plastic cover and foam packaging, with the accessories contained in an adjacent box.

Included in the box are the following:

• Heatsink with fans pre-installed
• Intel backplate
• Mounting adapter for a third fan
• Thermal grease cleaning packet
• DeepCool DM9 thermal paste
• Screwdriver
• Mounting accessories

Features of DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite

▶️ Enhanced vapor chamber coldplate and seven copper heatpipes

To transfer heat away from the CPU, this air cooler features seven copper heatpipes connected to the newest feature present in the Assassin VC Elite, which also gives it its name – a vapor chamber (VC) coldplate.

This new design is said to increase the cooling power of the Assassin VC Elite by 20W compared to the Assassin IV, with a TDP rating of up to an impressive 300W.

▶️ Change from quiet to performance modes at the flick of a switch

Like its predecessor, the Assassin IV, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite supports two modes of operation: Performance and Quiet modes. Performance mode allows the cooler to run at its full speed, whereas quiet mode places a speed limit on the fans to ensure low noise levels.

▶️ Checkerboard Matrix fin design

One of the eye-catching features of the Assassin VC Elite is its use of a checkerboard matrix on its fins, a design choice which is said to help maintain increased levels of air pressure.

The checkerboard matrix is only incorporated into one side of the cooler; the other sides of the heatsinks use a jigsaw-style fin design.

▶️ Sturdy metal backplate

For users of Intel platforms, a sturdy metal backplate is included – much stronger than typical backplates included with air coolers!

▶️ Complete RAM Compatibility, no matter the size of DDR5

On standard AMD and Intel systems, the DeepCool Assassin VC Elite will not overhang or interfere with DIMM slots in any way, ensuring full compatibility with the tallest DDR4 or DDR5 RAM sticks.

▶️ Premium DM9 thermal paste

DeepCool includes its premium DM9 paste with the Assassin VC Elite, which is one of the best thermal pastes out there,on par with ID-Cooling’s Frost X45!

▶️ Mixed size fans

Like its predecessor, the Assassin IV, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite sports two fans of mixed sizes – 120mm and 140mm, which is said to create a “vortex” effect that increases static air pressure.

▶️ Adapter for (optional) third fan

For those who want the absolute best performance possible, DeepCool has included a bracket adapter that will allow you to install a third fan to the unit if you desire. But as we’ll see in testing, that’s not necessary for most setups.

▶️ Two-in-one screwdriver with Torx and Phillips support

DeepCool also includes a basic screwdriver that supports Phillips screws on one end and torx screws on the other.

▶️ Real world testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform:

I place an emphasis on having results that are comparable to real-world use. This means I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods. Many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. And some publications have used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions.

I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is used.

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

We’ve recently added testing of AMD’s new flagship sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is one beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market – and can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

AM5 and 1851 installation

As with previous DeepCool products, this cooler’s installation is fairly easy.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next you’ll need to install the standoffs. Intel users will slide the black standoffs onto the backplate’s studs.

AMD users will instead take the silver standoffs and screw them against the motherboard.

3. Next, you’ll want to take the mounting bars and apply them to the standoffs, then secure them with the included screws.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy how to apply thermal paste guide.

5. Next, you’ll need to take the unit’s cover off, and pull the middle fan from the unit – make sure you disconnect the PWM cord before doing so. Then take the cooler, press it against the mounting bars, and secure it with the included screwdriver.

6. Reinsert the middle fan.

7. Reattach the unit’s cover and connect the PWM cables to your motherboard, and you are good to go.

Maximum noise levels

When it comes to noise levels, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite runs quieter than the competition, reaching only 42.9 dBA in its performance mode! Those who prefer silent environments can enable the low-noise mode, reducing volume to only 38.9 dBA.

Noise Normalized CPU-only thermal results

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited, and many users prefer a quieter system. Many users consider these tests to be the most important of all, so we’ll start today’s review looking at noise-normalized performance.

We’ll be looking at two distinct tests. We’ll first look at our traditional noise-equalized results with Intel’s i7-14700K, which places a full CPU-only workload with the cooler’s noise levels set to 38.9 dBA.

The noise-normalized performance of DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite topped our air-cooling charts when paired with an Intel Core i7 CPU! The only other air cooler we’ve tested with similarly strong results was Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130!

Now let’s take a look at our noise-equalized tests utilizing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. Two changes (in comparison to our first test) have been made to increase the difficulty of this challenge. The noise level of the CPU coolers has been reduced to 37.3 dBA, and I’ve also run a full load on MSI’s RTX 4070 TI Super GPU at the same time to increase the difficulty of this benchmark.

The results in this even more difficult noise-normalized test are simply impressive – the best we have from any air cooler we’ve tested with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D thus far!

CPU-only thermal results with PBO enabled: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Without power limits enforced, the hottest CPUs on the market will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers. This happens even with most liquid coolers on the market in intensive stress testing. For the best liquid coolers on the market, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature.

However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare cooler performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, with the disclaimer that I’ve only had a limited amount of time to test coolers with this system.

The strongest 360mm AIOs on the market can handle this workload without reaching the CPU’s peak temperature but only two AIOs have passed this test thus far: Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro and NZXT’s Kraken Plus 360.

Performance here was reasonable, but not chart-topping as with our previous noise-normalized tests. The Assassin VC Elite cooled an average of 238W here, with results from both the quiet mode and performance mode being essentially the same.

CPU-only thermal results with power limits removed: Intel’s i7-14700K

Now let’s switch it up and take a look at how this cooler performs with Intel’s i7-14700K. Looking at the results here, we can see that some coolers scale better with Intel Core CPUs than they do on AMD’s Ryzen lineup – including today’s subject, DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite.

The results here were extremely strong! Cooling an average of 255W during testing puts DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite on par with Jiushark’s JF800, and a few watts behind Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130.

200W Power Limit – AMD Ryzen 9950X3D

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. Listening to that feedback, I’ve tested thermal and noise performance for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock CPU settings, which limits power consumption to 200W.

Starting with this benchmark, I opted to only test the DeepCool Assassin VC Elite in its low noise-mode, because our earlier tests didn’t show much of a difference in thermal results between the two modes.

The temperature of the CPU averaged 77.7 degrees C in this test, taking second place among our tested air coolers – outperformed only by Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130. Noise levels were also superb, reaching only 38.2 dBA.

150W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear – it makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job due to the increased heat within your case.

The CPU power limit of 150W below was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming amongst various tech outlets covering AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. My personal experience has shown most games to use much lower amounts of power, but this might be biased by the games I play.

The thermal results in this test are more or less in line with our previous one, with DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite delivering the second-best thermal results for an air cooler, with an average temperature of 69.4 degrees C.

Noise levels from the cooler were barely above our minimum measurement, reaching only 36.9 dBA. In short, this means if you’ve set the cooler to its low noise mode, it will run virtually silently in most situations.

140W CPU results

The last round of test results we’ll look at in today’s review is a test with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is dramatically easier to cool for most CPU coolers – and as a result, this is the easiest test we’ll run with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU for most reviews – but I’ve recorded lower power results for comparisons with SFF and air coolers for future reviews.

In this test, most of our coolers have similar performance. The more important factor in this test is the noise level of the cooler, which was lower than the lowest measurement our sound meter can measure!

Conclusion

DeepCool’s Assassin VC Elite is simply one of the best air coolers currently being manufactured. The design is reminiscent of a Borg cube. It features strong performance, low noise levels, full RAM compatibility, and the ability to add a third fan for even more cooling performance, if you somehow find yourself in need of even more heat dissipation.

Again though, you can’t buy this cooler in the U.S., so if you’re in the states and searching for a similar level of cooling performance, Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 is the only air cooler we’ve tested that matches or bests the VC Elite. It’s not as quiet as DeepCool’s competitor, and its design feels less refined, but it is at least readily available, selling for around $50.

Korean cases and cooling specialist Zalman Technologies has released the jet-engine inspired Zet5 CPU cooler to retail. According to Korea’s Quasar Zone, this appealingly curvy cooler has been released on its home turf with a special offer. The black model with be marketed at 77,00KRW ($55.60) and the white model for 79.000 KRW ($57.00), with prices expected to rise after August 25. First impressions are that enthusiasts will be paying a premium for the unique design. We expect that those prices include 10% VAT for locals.

We saw the Zalman Zet5 CPU cooler at Computex in May and noted that the new lineup (which included a smaller Zet4 and Zet3) was a complete revamp of the firm’s dated CNPS9000 series of circular tower coolers.

The flagship Zalman Zet5 stood above its brethren with five nickel-plated heatpipes and its range-topping rating, which suggested it would be capable of handling CPUs with up to 200W TDP. As a reminder, the Zet4 is rated to 180W, and the Zet3 for 150W. They all share the same design language, but Zalman prunes back fans/heatpipes for cheaper, lower TDP models.

Shifting focus back to the Zalman Zet5, in particular, and Quasar Zone shares some tasty packaging and unboxing images to give a good idea of the retail experience. It had samples of both the black and white Zet5. In the box, you appear to get a manual, mounting hardware (naturally), a small tube of ZM-STC10 thermal paste, and a promotional pass of some sort.

MSI is returning to the air-cooling space with the MAG Core Frozr AA13, after a nearly 10-year break from its last release. However, it doesn’t mean that its old air cooler lineup has already disappeared — in fact, Amazon is still selling the MSI Core Frozr L for $5,340.25.

The Core Frozr L launched in 2016. Not only is it available, but you also have to pay a premium to get your hands on it. It’s currently priced at $5,340.25 on the online marketplace, a far cry from its $49.99 MSRP at launch. Even if you account for inflation, the cooler should only be priced at just $66.71.

The latest chips compatible with this air cooler are the 6th to 9th generation Intel Core processors and the AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPUs. While the newest Intel CPUs may no longer be compatible with this cooler, you can still make it work with AMD processors, such as the Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which was launched just last month.

We wouldn’t recommend that, though, as we’re unsure how capable it is when it comes to the latest from Team Red, although the listing says it can dissipate up to 200W of heat from the CPU. At more than $5,000, that makes it more expensive than a decent gaming rig capable of playing games at 4K.

As spotted by momomo_us, MSI has discreetly announced a new CPU air cooler, the MAG Core Frozr AA13. This model, available in black or white, marks MSI's comeback to the CPU air cooling market after nearly a decade-long absence.

MSI is generally recognized for a variety of products; however, CPU coolers are less prominent within its portfolio. Nonetheless, the company launched several models between 2016 and 2019 as part of its Core Frozr series. The lineup was not extensive, comprising only three variants: the Core Frozr S, Core Frozr L, and Core Frozr XL.

The company has slightly revamped the Core Frozr branding, though. The new Core Frozr series now hails from under the MSI Arsenal Gaming (MAG) sub-brand, which encompasses mainstream products for gamers and enthusiasts.

If you own a gaming rig, there’s without a doubt a big chunky fan in the middle of your computer just sitting there blowing air. That’s attached to what's called a CPU air cooler, and while even the most rookie of PC enthusiasts know that its job is to cool down your CPU and keep temperatures in check, the majority of us have never really given much thought to how that massive block of cooling hardware actually comes together behind the scenes.

Well, it seems like today’s the day. Over on the YouTube channel SatisFactory Process, which is all about China’s top manufacturing facilities, a video has been uploaded showcasing DeepCool’s main production facility in Beijing. It gives complete insight into how some of their premium CPU air coolers are put together, and shows how raw materials, precision machinery, and the human touch all come together to help bring your CPU temps down.

The manufacturing process starts with copper tubes, which form the backbone of today’s coolers, whether for a CPU or a graphics card. Often called 'heatpipes,' these are made from scratch entirely on site, and it’s the part of the process that involves the most significant use of machinery. And that’s just step one. There are over 15 different steps, including automated filling, precision cutting, multi-stage cleaning, and packaging, each one as intricate and complex as the next.

Manufacturing a top-end CPU air cooler takes more than just machines

Chinese PC cooling solutions manufacturer Jiushark has come up with one of the beefiest CPU air coolers that we have seen in a long time. The latest JF15K Diamond incorporates a wide dual-tower heatsink design that can accommodate four cooling fans, six heat-pipes, and a cooling capability of up to 280W.

In case you haven’t heard of the brand, we don’t blame you. Jiushark is predominantly active in Asian countries and doesn’t have a strong presence in the U.S. However, you may remember that the company launched the JF13K Diamond air cooler, which we tested a couple of years ago, featuring a one of a kind top-down airflow design with a 240mm heatsink and dual 120mm slims fans at just $40. This was soon followed by the JF13K Diamond Mini, a smaller version offering a similar design but with smaller 100mm fans with standard thickness.

In ancient Rome, the term Pretor (more commonly spelled Praetor) was given to magistrates and commanders of armies – and boy, does the title fit Thermalrights' latest flagship air cooler, the Royal Pretor 130. The performance of this latest product is ferocious, blurring the lines between what you should expect from air and liquid coolers.

Will the Royal Pretor 130 make our list of the best coolers? Yes. As we’ll see in testing, it’s the best air cooler on the market! Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance with both Intel and AMD CPUs, as well as noise levels.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging for the cooler features a slick white and black design. Opening it reveals the parts, protected by molded foam, cardboard, and plastic coverings.

Included in the box are the following:

• One 28x120mm fan
• One 28x130mm fan
• Dual-tower heatsink
• TF7 Thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms
• Installation manual

Features of Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130

▶ Dual-tower heatsink

The heatsink has two silver towers, with a black etched metal top showcasing Thermalright’s brand name and logo.

▶ High-quality TF7 thermal paste

Thermalright includes its TF7 thermal compound with the cooler, which offers good performance, only a couple of degrees away from the best pastes you can buy.

▶ Six copper heatpipes

The Royal Pretor has six 6mm copper heatpipes to move heat away from the CPU and into the fins of the towers.

▶ Two fans of different sizes – 120mm, 130mm

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. This cooler arrives with two different types of fans. Both are 28mm thick, but one is 120 mm and the other is 130 mm.

Real world testing configuration: Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform

My results may differ from others because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means that I test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which makes weak coolers appear stronger than they are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions a CPU cooler is used in.

My previous reviews have tested Intel’s latest platform, using the Core Ultra 9 285K Arrow Lake CPU. But we’re retiring this from our testing suite. Between BIOS changes and Windows updates, Arrow Lake’s thermal characteristics have changed in some scenarios, rendering much of our previous testing data useless.

With today’s review, we’re also testing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is a beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market. It can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

AM5 and 1851 installation

The installation of this cooler is simple for both Intel and AMD CPUs.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next, you’ll set the rubber standoffs on both Intel and AMD systems.

3. Then you’ll want to take the mounting bars and place them on top of the standoffs, securing them with the included screws.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

5. Mount the heatsink on top of the CPU, using a screwdriver to secure the screws in the middle of the unit.

6. Attach the fans to the heatsink using the included clips, and then use the included PWM cable to connect the fans to the motherboard.

Noise Normalized CPU-only thermal results

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system. Many consider these tests to be the most important of all, so we’ll start today’s review by looking at noise-normalized performance.

We’ll be looking at two different, distinct tests. We’ll first look at our traditional noise-equalized results with Intel’s i7-14700K, which places a full CPU load with the cooler’s noise levels set to 38.9 dBA.

The performance of Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 was astounding on htis test, blurring the line between air and liquid coolers, with 243W cooled during this test – on par with ID-Cooling’s DX360 Max, a budget 360mm AIO. This is a full 7 W better than the best results we’d previously seen with an air cooler, from Chinese manufacturer Jiushark’s JF800 which cooled 236W in the same scenario.

Now let’s take a look at our noise-equalized tests utilizing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. Two changes (in comparison to our first test) have been made to increase the difficulty of this challenge. The noise level of the CPU coolers has been reduced to 37.3 dBA, and I’ve also run a full load on MSI’s RTX 4070 Ti Super GPU at the same time to increase the difficulty of this benchmark.

At this moment, I only have a limited amount of data for this noise-equalized test with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D – so I’m hesitant to make definitive judgments based on these four results. With that disclaimer out of the way, this test has the heat of a GPU added to it, makes it more difficult than typical CPU cooler tests. And yet, Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 still managed to cool over 199W! What this means is that this air cooler will also be strong enough to handle the full heat of AMD’s CPU (at stock settings, this CPU does not consume more than 200W), even with low noise levels – if you’re running typical CPU workloads.

CPU-only thermal results with PBO enabled: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Without power limits enforced, the hottest CPUs on the market will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers on the market in intensive stress testing. For the best liquid coolers on the market, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature. However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with AMD’s newly released Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, with the disclaimer that I’ve only had a limited amount of time to test coolers with this system.

The results on AMD’s Ryzen 9950X3D were very good. Thus far, I’ve only tested one cooler that can keep AMD’s flagship CPU under its peak temperature in a full-strength workload – Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro!

Of these other coolers tested, Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 shows the best performance we’ve seen thus far, on par with the infamous Hyte THICC Q60 AIO!

CPU-only thermal results with power limits removed: Intel’s i7-14700K

Now let’s switch it up and take a look at how this cooler performs with Intel’s i7-14700K. The performance here is insane, matching many 360mm AIOs and almost able to handle the full heat of the CPU. Keep in mind that I test coolers at 23 degrees Celsius.

Maximum noise levels

A cooler’s maximum performance can’t be considered the only important metric, because some coolers run louder or louder than others. The maximum noise level this cooler operates at is 45.4 dBA. Most users will find this an acceptable volume, but some users might want to limit its speed if they are particularly sensitive.

200W Power Limit

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. Listening to that feedback, I’ve tested thermal and noise performance for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock CPU settings – which limits power consumption to 200W.

Thermalright’s Royal Pretor does very well at the CPU’s default power settings, outperforming a 240mm AIO from LevelPlay by two degrees. Noise levels are slightly reduced here compared to the previous tests, averaging 44.9 dBA.

150W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear – it makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job due to the increased heat within your computer case.

The CPU power limit of 150W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. My personal experience tells me most games to use much lower amounts of power, but this might be biased by the games I play.

The results here are slightly flipped compared to our previous chart, with LevelPlay’s 240mm AIO taking a 3-degree lead ahead of Thermalright’s flagship air cooler. This is simply a reflection of the fact that when GPU heat is added to a workload, AIO coolers have a thermal design advantage that air coolers can’t quite overcome.

That said, the noise levels of the Royal Pretor 130 are very reasonable in this scenario, at only 40.9 dBA!

140W CPU results

The last round of test results we’ll look at in this review is a test with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is much easier for most CPU coolers to handle. As a result, this is the easiest test we’ll run with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU for most reviews. But I’ve recorded lower power results for comparisons with SFF and air coolers for future reviews.

Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 kept the CPU at an average of 60.9 C in this scenario, which only stresses the CPU. Based on the results collected thus far, I expect most high-end cooling products to maintain a temperature similar to this.

The noise level of the cooler is slightly reduced in this scenario, at 40.3 dBA. As a reminder, if you prefer the lowest noise levels, our noise-normalized results above show that this cooler performs excellently even when limited to 38.9 or 37.3 dBA.

Conclusion

Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 shattered my expectations, raising the bar for what I consider possible with air cooling both in terms of maximum theoretical performance and when its fans are set to run quietly! The price of this cooler is extremely reasonable at only $52.90 USD, so if you’re looking for the best air cooler on the market, the Royal Pretor 130 is what you should buy.

I first heard that Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 air cooler had impressive performance from users in China, but I had no idea quite how much it would impress me. Despite its medium size, it provides performance competitive with larger dual-tower air coolers. Cooler Master claims its performance is enabled by new superconducting heatpipe. And while normally I would ignore such claims as marketing fluff, the Hyper 612 Apex has the performance to back it up!

Will the Hyper 612 Apex make our list of the best CPU coolers? It certainly has the performance to warrant consideration. But the price of $79 is higher than most of the air-cooled competition, especially from tough competitors like Thermalight. Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance with both Intel and AMD CPUs, as well as noise levels.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging features Cooler Master’s dark purple and pastel design, showcasing the product in the center. Inside, the packaging is separated into two separate parts.

Included in the box are the following:

• Single-tower heatsink with pre-installed fans
• Cryofuse thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms
• Installation manual
• PWM splitter cord

Features of Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex

▶️ Heatsink Design

At first glance, you might think this is a thick single tower cooler – but look again!

If you take off the top cover, it becomes apparent that the heatsink isn’t as large as it might appear – almost half of the unit’s thickness is from the fans that come with it.

▶️ High-quality Cryofuse

Cooler Master includes its Cryofuse thermal compound with the cooler, which offers good performance only a couple of degrees away from the best pastes we’ve tested – but as you’ll see in our benchmarks below, it really doesn’t an edge from its thermal paste!

▶️ Sturdy metal backplate

For users of Intel platforms, a sturdy metal backplate is included that won’t bend under pressure.

▶️ Six superconducting copper heatpipes

The design of this unit’s heatpipes are interesting. Cooler Master has mentioned that the company was using machine learning to improve its heatpipes in the past, and this cooler appears to be the first to utilize these advances.

Looking at the cross-section of the Cooler Master image above, you can see that the heatpipes have been staggered to evenly spread heat through the aluminum fins of the tower. Cooler Master makes some interesting claims about the heatpipes themselves. I’ve included one of the marketing slides below.

And here’s a bottom photo of the sample we were sent for testing, showing how the heatpipes are weaved for maximum heat dissipation.

▶️ Complete RAM Compatibility, no matter the size of DDR5

Unlike liquid coolers, which generally don’t interfere with memory DIMMs on a motherboard, many air coolers overhang the DDR5 or DDR4 slots, creating compatibility concerns. This is not an issue for Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex, which does not overhang them in any manner, ensuring compatibility no matter how short or tall your RAM sticks are.

Real world testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform

My results may differ from others because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means that I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which makes weak coolers appear stronger than they are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is typically used.

My previous reviews have tested Intel’s latest platform, using the Core Ultra 9 285K Arrow Lake CPU. But we’re retiring this from our testing suite. Between BIOS changes and Windows updates, Arrow Lake’s thermal characteristics have changed in some scenarios, rendering much of our previous testing data useless.

With today’s review, we’re also testing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is a beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market. It can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

AM5 and 1851 installation

The installation of this cooler is simple for both Intel and AMD CPUs.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will need to remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next, you’ll need to install the standoffs against the mounting holes.

3. Take the support bars and place them on the mounting standoffs, and secure them with a screwdriver.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

5. Mount the heatsink on top of the CPU, using a screwdriver to secure the screws on each side of the tower.

6. Slide each fan into the appropriate spot against the heatsink

7. Place the cover on top, and then use the included PWM splitter cable to connect the fans to your motherboard.

CPU-only thermal results with PBO enabled: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Without power limits enforced, the hottest CPUs on the market will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers on the market in intensive stress testing. For the best liquid coolers on the market, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature.

However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled, to best compare their performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, with the disclaimer that I’ve only had a limited amount of time to test coolers with this system.

The results on AMD’s Ryzen 9950X3D were very good, though not as impressive as some of the other results you’ll see below. Despite the smaller amount of comparison data in this chart, we can see that the Hyper 612 Apex manages to outperform Thermalright’s Royal Knight 120SE and is only beaten on the air cooling side by the larger Royal Pretor 130!

CPU-only thermal results with power limits removed: Intel’s i7-14700K

Now let’s switch it up and take a look at how this cooler performs with Intel’s i7-14700K. The performance here is insane, matching many 360mm AIOs. It’s almost able to handle the full heat of the CPU.

I’ve trimmed this list to only show air coolers (omitting liquid cooling results) in order to make it easier to discern the strength of this little single tower air cooler. At 245W cooled, it sits between the performance of ID-Cooling’s Frozen A620 GDL and Thermalright’s fan-favorite Peerless Assassin 140! To see this level of performance from any single tower air cooler, even one with dual fans, is quite impressive!

Maximum noise levels

A cooler’s maximum performance can’t be considered the only key metric, because some coolers run louder or quieter than others. The maximum noise level this cooler operates at is 45.6 dBA. Most will find this an acceptable volume, but some users might want to limit its speed if they are particularly sensitive.

200W Power Limit

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. Listening to that feedback, I’ve tested thermal and noise performance for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock CPU settings, which limits power consumption to 200W.

Performance here is still very much punching above the single-tower weight class with this lowered power limit, with the Hyper 612 Apex trailing the flagship Royal Pretor 130 by only 1.6 degrees C!

150W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear – it makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job due to the increased heat within your computer case.

The CPU power limit of 150W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. My personal experience tells me most games use much lower amounts of power, but this might be biased by the games I play.

The results here line up with our previous ones, with the Hyper 612 Apex trailing our best air cooling results with a dual tower by only 2 degrees C. While this is expected from a cooler with a price tag like the Hyper 612 Apex carries, it isn’t as expected from a cooler with just a single heatsink tower!

140W CPU results

The last round of test results we’ll look at in today’s review is a test with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is dramatically easier to cool for most CPU coolers – and as a result, this is the easiest test we’ll run with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU for most reviews – but I’ve recorded lower power results for comparisons with SFF and air coolers for future reviews.

Interestingly, in this lower power scenario, the Hyper 612 Apex didn’t perform quite as well compared to its competition. Still, it is less than a single degree behind our best air cooling result in the limited comparisons above.

Noise Normalized CPU-only thermal results

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system. Many users consider these tests to be the most important of all, so let’s take a look at the cooler’s noise-normalized performance.

We’ll be looking at two different, distinct tests. We’ll first look at our traditional noise-equalized results with Intel’s i7-14700K, which places a full CPU load with the cooler’s noise levels set to 38.9 dBA.

The performance of Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex was again extremely impressive for its size, stronger than any other single tower air cooler I’ve seen before – and on par with most modern high-performance, dual-tower air coolers.

To be honest, at first I thought I had screwed something up or perhaps some setting was incorrectly applied. I ended up remounting this cooler three times to be sure, and resetting my BIOS settings, but the results were consistent (within margin of error) on each test.

Now let’s take a look at our noise-equalized tests utilizing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU. Two changes (in comparison to our first test) have been made to increase the difficulty of this challenge. The noise level of the CPU coolers has been reduced to 37.3 dBA, and I’ve also run a full load on MSI’s RTX 4070 TI Super GPU at the same time to increase the difficulty of this benchmark.

The noise-normalized results with an AMD CPU seem to be even more impressive than on Intel, outperforming the mighty Thermalright Royal Pretor 130, if only by a few watts!

Conclusion

Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex is an impressive cooler that shows that there are still ways air cooling can be improved, delivering thermal performance comparable to some of the best dual-tower air coolers on the market. It has a clean, minimalist aesthetic that will look great in your PC’s case. Its noise-normalized performance is also almost unbelievably strong. The only downside to this cooler is the cost. At $79.99, it is one of the pricier air-cooling options. But then, no one said that compact air cooling perfection was going to be cheap.

Thermalright is well known for delivering quality competitive coolers at rock-bottom prices, often raising the bar in performance and value. The company can do this because it typically directly manufactures its own products, having strong vertical integration as part of its business model. Its latest budget air cooler, the Royal Knight 120 SE, is currently available for just $30 on Amazon, making it one of the cheapest dual-tower air coolers you can buy.

Will the Royal Knight 120 SE make our list of the best CPU coolers? Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance with both Intel and AMD CPUs, as well as noise levels.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The cooler packaging is a plain brown box that showcases the design of the heatsink. The inner contents are well protected by molded foam and plastic coverings.

Included in the box are the following:

• 15mm TL-C12015B 120mm fan
• 25mm TL-C12B V2 120mm fan
• Offset Dual-Tower heatsink
• TF7 Thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms
• Installation Manual

Features of Thermalright’s Royal Knight 120 SE

▶️ Dual-tower heatsink

The heatsink has two towers, with one side thicker than the other. It has a simple black and silver aesthetic, with no unnecessary bling.

▶️ Offset heatsink for RAM compatibility

The heatpipes of the cooler are angled to give the cooler an offset so that it doesn’t interfere with RAM slots. All sizes of DDR5, no matter how tall the heat spreader, are supported with this cooler.

▶️ Two fans of different thicknesses

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. This cooler arrives with two different types of fans. The first is a low-profile 15 mm fan that also helps avoid RAM compatibility issues. The center is more typical, at 25 mm thick.

▶️ Real-world testing configuration: Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5

My results may differ from others because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means that I test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods – many will test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which makes weak coolers appear stronger than they are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions a CPU cooler is used in.

My previous reviews have tested Intel’s latest platform, using the Core Ultra 9 285K Arrow Lake CPU. But we’re retiring this from our testing suite. Between BIOS changes and Windows updates, Arrow Lake’s thermal characteristics have changed in some scenarios, rendering much of our previous testing data useless.

With today’s review, we’re also testing AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is a beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market. It can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

AM5 and 1851 installation

The installation of this cooler is simple for both Intel and AMD CPUs.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users will need to remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next, you’ll set the rubber standoffs on both Intel and AMD systems.

3. You’ll now want to take the mounting bars and place them on top off the standoffs, securing them with the included screws.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

5. Mount the heatsink on top of the CPU, using a screwdriver to secure the screws in the middle of the unit.

6. Attach the fans to the heatsink using the included clips, and then use the included PWM cable to connect the fans to the motherboard.

CPU-only thermal results with PBO enabled: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Without power limits enforced, the most thermally demanding CPUs will hit their peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers in intensive stress testing. For the best liquid coolers I’ve tested, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature. However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, with the disclaimer that I’ve only had a limited amount of time to test coolers with this system.

Thermalright’s results on AMD’s Ryzen 9950X3D were reasonably good, with the cooling 234W on average. I expect this level of performance from most dual-tower air coolers, but users wanting the very strongest performance will want to look at something like Thermalright’s Royal Pretor 130 instead.

CPU-only thermal results with power limits removed: Intel’s i7-14700K

Now let’s switch it up and take a look at how this cooler performs with Intel’s i7-14700K. The performance in comparison to other coolers is much better here, the second-best results I’ve seen from an air cooler thus far. That said, I haven’t yet tested the Royal Pretor 130 on this system yet – I expect extremely strong performance based on the performance seen above on AMD’s Ryzen 9950X3D.

But of course, a cooler’s maximum performance can’t be considered in isolation. You should also consider the noise levels of a cooler. The loudest this cooler operates at is 43.4 dBA, a moderate level that most users should find acceptable.

Noise Normalized CPU-only thermal results

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited, and many users prefer a quieter system.

We’ll be looking at noise-normalized testing in two different, distinct tests. We’ll first look at our traditional results with Intel’s i7-14700K, which places a full CPU load with the cooler’s noise levels set to 38.9 dBA.

While the cooler performed well when its fans were allowed to run at full speeds, the noise-normalized performance here is underwhelming – cooling only 222W. That’s less than FSP’s NP5 single tower air cooler and equivalent to Thermalright’s own single tower air cooler.

I’ve recently started noise-normalized testing on AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Two changes have been made to increase the difficulty of this test. The noise level of the CPU coolers has been reduced to 37.3 dBA, and I also run a full load on MSI’s RTX 4070 TI Super at the same time.

With the disclaimer that I’ve only had a limited amount of time to collect data for this test, Thermalright’s Royal Knight 120 SE did not perform well in this scenario, cooling roughly 23W less than Endorfy’s Fortis 5 Black. I suspect the poor performance with lower noise levels is related to the low static pressure of the fans included with this cooler.

200W Power Limit

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many readers have indicated they would like to see more CPU-only tests. So we’re going to look at thermal and noise performance for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock CPU settings, which limits power consumption to 200W.

This test has more promising results for Thermalright’s cooler, keeping the CPU at 79.2 degrees C on average. That places it just behind LevelPlay’s 240mm AIO, and a few degrees ahead of Endorfy’s Fortis 5. Noise levels reach 42.9 dBA on average in this test.

150W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear – it makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job due to the increased heat within your computer case.

The CPU power limit of 150W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming amongst various outlets covering AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. My personal experience has shown most games to use much lower power, but this might be biased by the games I play.

Keeping the CPU at 70.6 C in this test, we can see the Royal Knight 120 SE is plenty strong enough for even the most intensive gaming scenarios. The average noise level was 42.4 dBA, a moderate level that won’t bother most users.

140W CPU results

The last round of test results we’ll look at is with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is much easier for most CPU coolers to handle. As a result, this is the easiest test we’ll run with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU for most reviews, but I’ve recorded lower power results for comparisons with SFF and air coolers for future reviews.

Thermalright’s Royal Knight 120 SE kept the CPU at an average of 61.2 degrees C in this scenario. I expect this result to be about average, but as you can see if you’re really picky above you can bring CPU temperatures closer to 52C with something like Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro. Noise levels reached 40.9 dBA. While this isn’t loud per se, I feel like most coolers should run quieter on this low-intensity test.

Conclusion

Thermalright’s Royal Knight 120 SE is a reasonable deal at only $32 USD, and provides good performance in general – especially on Intel systems. However, its noise-normalized performance is rather poor. Users who prioritize silent operation should consider an alternative cooler instead.

Korean computer hardware manufacturer Zalman has introduced three new air coolers at Computex 2025 under its ZET lineup. A complete revamp of the company’s dated CNPS9000 series of circular tower coolers, these new models feature plastic shrouds and a design that is inspired by aircraft engine turbines. The company has plans to launch the new ZET5, ZET4, and ZET3, each targeting different TDPs and price ranges.

The flagship ZET5 features five nickel-plated heat pipes running through a circular fin stack and is rated to handle up to 200W TDP. Its two fans attach magnetically to the main body and use a pogo-pin system to connect to the motherboard via a PWM and an ARGB cable. The fans utilize hydro bearings, can reach speeds of up to 2000 RPM, and deliver a maximum airflow of 44.48 CFM. The cooler will be available in black and white variants and include three ARGB lighting rings.

Most of my cooling reviews are designed to let you know what the best and most powerful cooling solutions are. But not everyone is looking to overclock the hottest Intel i9 CPU. Instead of focusing on the best possible performance, today’s review will be looking at Endorfy’s Fortis 5 air cooler, which won’t win any overclocking competitions, but runs quietly while delivering enough cooling performance to satisfy the needs of mainstream consumers and gamers.

Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance so you’ll know how cool it will keep your computer’s processor. We’ll also look at noise measurements to let you know how silently this product operates.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The exterior of the box isn’t flashy, but it showcases the features of the product well.

Included with the box are the following:

• 140mm fan
• Thick single-tower heatsink
• Thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms

Features of Endorfy Fortis 5 ARGB

▶ Rigid backplate

The included backplate is extremely strong, and won’t bend even under pressure.

▶ AM Clearance

There’s no reason to worry about RAM clearances with Endorfy’s Fortis 5 ARGB. As you can see in the picture below, the fan doesn’t interfere or overhang DIMM slots, allowing full compatibility no matter how tall (or short) your RAM is.

▶ Six Direct Touch Heatpipes

It is generally rare to see coolers with more than four or five direct-touch copper heatpipes, but Endorfy’s Fortis 5 has six of them! In theory, direct touch heatpipes should allow for more efficient heat transfer. Is that really the case? Well, we’ll get to the benchmarks soon enough and you can decide for yourself based on our tests.

▶ Thick single tower heatsink

Most air coolers incorporate one or two smaller heatsink towers, but Endorfy’s Fortis 5 incorporates one larger, thick heatsink.

The backside of the cooler incorporates a canyon in the middle. While Endorfy didn’t specifically comment on this design, other companies with similar designs have claimed it helps increase to static pressure of airflow.

▶ 40mm Fluctus ARGB fan

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. The included Fluctus ARGB fan has 9 blades, with teeth on the edges of each fan blade. I’m not sure if those teeth serve any real purpose, but they sure look menacing!

Many cheaper products include fans with MTTF ratings of only 40-60,000 hours of operation, but not Endorfy. They indicate confidence in the quality of their product with a rating of 100,000+ hours for the Fluctus 140 ARGB fan.

Real world testing configuration: Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platform

My results may differ from others because I place an emphasis on having results that are comparable to real-world use.

This means that I test CPU coolers inside of a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods. Open benches have lower ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they really are. Some publications have also used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions.

I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is used.

My previous reviews have also tested Intel’s latest platform, using the Core Ultra 9 285K Arrow Lake CPU. We’re going to be retiring this from our testing suite. Between BIOS updates and Windows updates, Arrow Lake’s thermal characteristics have changed in some scenarios, rendering much of our previous testing data useless.

With today’s review, we’re also testing AMD’s recently released Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This is a beast of a CPU, providing the best gaming and some of the best multithreaded performance on the market, and can prove quite challenging thermally when PBO is enabled for overclocking.

LGA 1700 and AMD AM5 Installation

The installation of this cooler is simple and should be easy to complete for most users. It’s also pretty much the same process for Intel and AMD systems.

1. You’ll first need to place the backplate against the rear of the motherboard on an Intel system, using the standoffs to secure it. AMD users will need to remove the default mounting mechanism and replace it with the included standoffs.

2. Next, place the mounting bracket on top of the standoffs and secure it with the included screws.

3. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

4. Place the CPU block on top of the CPU and secure it with a screwdriver.

5. Attach the fan and then connect the PWM cable to your motherboard, and installation is complete.

CPU-only thermal results without power limits

Because the CPU reaches its peak temperature (TJ Max) with air coolers like the one we’re looking at with this review, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance. This is why you won’t see results from the best AIO coolers in this chart.

It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with. First, we’ll look at results with Intel’s i7-14700K.

Looking at the results with Intel’s Raptor Lake CPU, you might think this cooler isn’t very impressive. It’s the worst-performing result I have in this chart, outside of a compact SFF cooler. Let’s take a look at how it handles AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D now.

This is a much more impressive result. With 219W cooled on average, Endorfy’s Fortis 5 is able to handle the full “stock” power of AMD’s flagship CPU (~200W) and has a little bit of room to spare to let PBO push the CPU beyond its typical performance.

Noise levels are where this cooler shines. While thermal performance on Intel’s hottest CPUs isn’t the greatest, this cooler isn’t designed to win overclocking competitions. It’s designed to provide quietly running, essential cooling performance. With a maximum noise level of 37.3 dBA, this cooler is the quietest product I’ve tested on Intel’s Z790 Platform.

CPU-only noise normalized thermal results

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system.

For noise-normalized testing with Intel CPUs, I typically set the noise levels of the cooler to reach 38.9 dBA. But this presents a problem: Endorfy’s Fortis 5 doesn’t reach that level of noise! Because this issue prevents a proper comparison to the other results I’ve collected, I’ll be skipping noise-normalized tests on Intel’s Core i7-14700K.

Let’s take a look at my initial noise-normalized results using AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D instead. This chart is still lacking the amount of comparison results I’d like, as I’ve just started sting with this CPU. That said, let’s take a look at what I have recorded thus far.

This test was run a little differently than I have done with previous tests on Intel CPUs. I’ve lowered the noise threshold of the CPU cooler down to 37.3 dBA, as some readers have indicated they consider 38.9 dBA “too loud” for this type of test. The other change is that I’ve measured the thermal performance of the cooler while also running Furmark 2 on MSI’s RTX 4070 TI Super, increasing the heat inside the case and increasing cooling difficulty.

The results here are encouraging. With 195W cooled, that’s almost the full power budget of AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at “stock” settings while the system also handles the full heat of a GPU. It performed significantly better than Thermalright’s impressive Royal Knight 120 SE in the same scenario!

“Stock” 200W results

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many have indicated they would like to see more CPU-only tests. So let’s take a look at how Endorfy’s Fortis 5 handles the Ryzen 9950X3D with default power levels, which limits consumption to ~200W.

Going by temperature data alone, the results aren’t very impressive here. The CPU reaches a toasty 83.7 degrees. But that really doesn’t matter, because it keeps the CPU under its peak temperature and does so while running very quietly, at or below the lowest measurement my noise meter can measure, at 36.4 dBA. This means the true measurement of noise level might actually be lower.

150W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. If your GPU is running a full load, that heat doesn’t just disappear – it makes it harder for your CPU cooler to do its job due to the increased heat within your computer case.

The CPU power limit of 150W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I’ve seen reported in gaming with AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D. In my personal experience, most games use much lower power, but this might be biased by the games I play.

Again, looking at thermal performance alone would give you the incorrect assumption that this cooler is not impressive. The important thing is that the CPU is operating well under its peak temperature, and the cooler is running whisper quiet – 36.4 dBA!

140W CPU results

The last round of test results we’ll look at in today’s review is a test with a 140W power limit imposed. This level of power is much easier for most CPU coolers to handle. But I’ve recorded lower power results for comparisons with SFF and air coolers for future reviews.

As with previous results, Endorfy’s Fortis 5 keeps the CPU within reasonable thermal values while running whisper quiet.

Conclusion

Endorfy’s Fortis 5 ARGB is a single tower air cooler with whisper-quiet noise levels, intended for users who value silent operation over maximum thermal performance. It’s powerful enough to handle AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D at stock settings, handling 219W when power limits were removed. However, the performance on Intel CPUs was not as impressive. If you’re looking to compete in overclocking competitions or running a previous-generation Core i9, you might want to pass on this one. But for everyone else, this is the level of cooling I’d recommend for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D, so anything lesser should also run below thermal thresholds and extremely quiet with this cooler.

PC components maker DeepCool has taken the wraps off some of the treats it has in store for Computex 2025, which kicks off next week. It headlines a pre-show announcement with its Assassin VC Elite WH vapor chamber-enhanced CPU air cooler. However, perhaps more interesting and on-trend is the confirmation that it has added wood panel options to its AK G2 CPU air coolers. There’s a couple of new AiO liquid coolers and PC cases too.

Respecting Deepcool’s announcement order, let’s look at the Assassin VC Elite WH vapor chamber-enhanced CPU air cooler first. Heralded as an air-cooler “for hardcore gamers and premium builds,” DeepCool says that this new design is a good choice for high-TDP CPUs from both AMD and Intel. It will handle them with “whisper-quiet performance” too, it asserts.

The WH suffix on this model name indicates this is a white model which, for some reason, DeepCool seems to have announced ahead of any black option. DeepCool’s first vapor chamber (VC) air cooler design was a black model, though - the Assassin IV VC Vision (with digital display). We reviewed the DeepCool Assassin IV (not a vapor chamber design) in July 2023.

If you are interested in the new Assassin VC Elite WH, there’s already a fully populated product page on DeepCool’s site (linked above). We don’t have pricing or availability nailed down yet.

More timber touches for PC builders

DeepCool seems pretty proud of its AK series CPU air coolers, which have become well established in the PC DIY community, even though they debuted as recently as 2021.

Now it is ready to announce the second-generation AK G2 air coolers. These some with “upgraded thermal control alongside 0-RPM Startup with Activate Clearing Tech (ACT), AI Smart Mode for noise-performance balance, a refined design, and an offset mounting solution supporting Intel LGA1851 and AM5,” explains the firm.

Strangely, though DeepCool has been teasing the wood finish AK designs on its worldwide social media accounts, its PR doesn’t even mention the new finish option. It is there to see, though, and in the gallery above you will also see some AK G2 digital display models that are on the way. Seems like if you want wood, you can’t also have the digital display, which is a shame.

We don’t see DeepCool AK G2 product pages yet, so we will have to be patient for a fuller reveal, availability, and pricing info - perhaps next week.

Sticking to CPU cooling products for now, DeepCool is introducing two new flagship AiO liquid coolers. The new Spartacus model comes with what DeepCool says is a “massive” LCD, at 3.4-inches (sorry, that isn’t that big DC). But this premium aluminum constructed design comes in either 360mm or 420mm models, which is admittedly sizable.

Its other new AiO is the LQ Ultra, equipped with an ARGB Halo pump, which also includes an LCD status / monitoring display. This one is going to be available in 240mm and 360mm models.

Liquid cooling cases

DeepCool also has a couple of new PC cases lined up for Computex 2025. These are purposely designed to accommodate liquid cooling apparatus, namely the bulky radiators, which are standard in such designs. If you wanted to fit something like the aforementioned Spartacus AI at 420mm, you would have to opt for the new Genome III.

The Genome III is the successor to the II, which came out in 2016. Key features include its liquid cooling reservoir, which runs the height of the case, visible in the front panel. The design also features a 5.5-inch display built into the PSU shroud and easily glanceable through the glass side panel.

While Jiushark isn’t well known in U.S. enthusiast and PC building circles, we’ve covered the company in the past, highlighting some of its unique products like the Jiushark M.2 Three, an M.2 SSD cooler that uses a dual heatpipe radiator and fan, much like a mini CPU cooler. We’ve also tested the JF13K Diamond low-profile CPU cooler.

Today, we’re looking at the new Jiushark JF800 Diamond dual-tower air cooler, available in white and black, with the company claiming cooling capabilities of up to 280W!

Will Jiushark’s latest make our list of best CPU coolers on the market? There’s no question that it deserves a shot because, spoiler, this is the strongest performing dual-tower cooler we’ve ever tested, on both Intel Raptor Lake and Arrow Lake CPUs. But it’s also pretty hard to come by in the U.S., unless you’re willing to order it directly from China.

Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler. Then we’ll go over thermal performance and noise levels.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

Opening the compact box reveals the accessories, neatly packaged above the cooler.

Included in the box are the following:

• Two 120 mm fans
• Dual-tower heatsink
• Thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD and Intel platforms
• Installation manual

Features of Jiushark’s JF800 Diamond

*️⃣ Six copper heatpipes

The Jiushark JF800 Diamond moves heat away from the CPU using six copper heatpipes – but as you’ll see in our benchmarks, it offers performance superior to similar air coolers we’ve tested.

*️⃣ Heatsink Design

The towers of the JF800 feature what appears to be a fairly basic fin design.

The tops of the heatsinks have a grille reminiscent of cattle guards, adding some nice aesthetics with the ARGB lighting shining through them.

*️⃣ Two 120mm fans with ARGB lighting

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans significantly impact cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. The included fans here have nine blades, and there are models with or without ARGB lighting, according to your preference.

As you’ll see in the benchmarks below, the fans help enable superior thermal performance, but can be a little noisy.

Testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and LGA1851 platform

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

To prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below.

Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs on two motherboards. And while one showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no temperature diffrence! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

I’ve also tested this cooler with Intel’s latest platform, Arrow Lake and the LGA 1851 socket.

LGA 1700 and 1851 installation

The installation of this air cooler is easy with the included mounting hardware.

1. You’ll first need to place the backplate against the rear of the motherboard after assembling it.

2. Next, you’ll need to take the rubber standoffs and slide them against the poles of the backplate.

3. Then, you’ll take the mounting bars and place them on top of the rubber standoffs, securing them with the included screws.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy how to apply thermal paste guide.

5. Remove the middle fan from the cooler, then place the cooler on top of your CPU. Use a screwdriver to secure it using the screws in between the two towers, shown below.

6. Once complete, connect the PWM and ARGB cables to the corresponding motherboard headers. Installation is now complete.

CPU-only thermal results without power limits

Without power limits enforced on Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K and i7-14700K CPUs, the CPU will hit its peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with with almost all air coolers and even most liquid coolers on the market. For the best liquid coolers on the market, the results of this test will be shown using the CPU’s temperature. However, when the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

We’ll start by looking at the performance of this cooler with Intel’s Arrow Lake Core Ultra 9 285K, as these are rather interesting!

Normally, when I’ve tested air coolers with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285k, they run with the CPU operating at peak temperature and experience small amounts of thermal throttling as a result. Every air cooler I’ve tested thus far has demonstrated this behavior – until now! When I tested Jiushark’s JF800 did momentarily peak at maximum temperature, but operated without throttling – the first air cooler I’ve tested to accomplish this.

That said, Arrow Lake’s thermal characteristics have changed a bit since the launch due to both Windows and BIOS updates, which have altered its behavior. I’m going to need to retest coolers like Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140 as a result. It’s quite possible that other coolers can also manage this feat with Arrow Lake now.

Again, CPU coolers can scale (and perform) differently depending on the CPU they are paired with due to differences in manufacturing processes and the location of hotspots on the CPU. We’ve also tested Jiushark’s JF800 Diamond with the harder-to-cool Raptor Lake Core i7-14700K to see if its amazing performance would hold up with other CPUs.

With 254W cooled during the course of testing, Jiushark’s JF800 Diamond is again impressive! This is better cooling performance than I’ve seen from any other air cooler and competitive with many AIOs!

To achieve these levels of thermal performance, the fans of this cooler reach up to 48.9 dBA. This is much louder than it needs to be. I don’t understand why Jiushark allowed these fans to run so loudly, especially since – as the next section will show – they perform well even when limited to low noise levels.

CPU-only thermal results with noise normalized to 38.9 dBA

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system.

With this noise-normalized test, I’ve set noise levels to 38.9 dBA using the i7-14700K system. This level of noise is low, but slightly audible to most people. Jiushark’s JF800 continued to offer the best performance we’ve seen from any air cooler here, with 236W cooled during this test.

253W results

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. In response, I’ve started testing Intel’s “Arrow Lake” Core Ultra 9 285K with a 253W limit.

Testing with the default power limits of 253W shows very good performance, on par with Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140!

135W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. I’ve incorporated two tests with a power limit imposed on the CPU, while also running a full load on MSI’s GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G VENTUS 3X.

The CPU power limit of 135W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I observed in gaming with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, which was in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

In this test, the JF800 Diamond continues to impress. With a temperature recorded of 66 degrees Celsius, it again takes the spot for the best air cooler, outperforming rival options from ID-Cooling, Thermalright, and Ocypus! Noise levels weren’t bad, but they were near the loudest of the results we’ve recorded thus far.

85W CPU + 290W GPU results

Our second round of CPU + GPU testing is also performed with Arrow Lake. The power limit of 85W was chosen based on typical power consumption in gaming scenarios using the Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. This should be fairly easy for most coolers. The main point of this test is to see how quietly (or loudly!) a cooler runs in low-intensity scenarios.

With a CPU temperature of 54 degrees C, Jiushark retains its lead over other air coolers. Its noise level was also relatively low in this test, averaging 38.2 dBA.

Conclusion

Jiushark’s JF800 Diamond is the best air cooler on the market that you can’t (easily) purchase. It outperforms its competitors in every thermal benchmark, even when the fans are noise-normalized. My only complaint is the lack of availability, at least in the U.S. If you want this amazing CPU cooler, you’ll need to import it from AliExpress or another Asian distributor, at least until there is better availability stateside.

Before AIO liquid coolers, the air cooler ruled the roost, and Thermalright's Peerless Assassin is one of the best out there. With fantastic performance on modern CPUs, and at a price that AIO coolers just cannot compete with. This has been a top pick at Tom's Hardware for a long time, thanks to its great benchmarking performance and affordable price.

The cooler received our Editor's Choice award, and scored full marks when we reviewed the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE. It's more affordable than the competition without holding back on quality and build standards, the Peerless Assassin 120 SE outperformed peers while still offering astounding value for PC builders on a budget.

You can find this excellent deal over at CCL Computers, where the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB CPU cooler is just £17. The usual list price for this cooler is £30, which is still a good price, but being able to grab this cooler for just £17 makes it a no-brainer.

Using a solid copper base with six copper heat pipes running to dual aluminum fin stacks, the Peerless Assassin 120 SE dissipates heat away from your CPU and quietly draws cool air over the heatsinks with two 120mm TL-C12C PWM fans. Included brackets and mounting options give compatibility for Intel 115X, 1200, 1700, 17XX sockets, and AMD AM4 and AM5 platforms, if you kept hold of the original AMD motherboard backplate.

Cooler Master just launched the Hyper 612 Apex, the newest generation of its Hyper 612 V2 CPU air cooler, which has long since been discontinued. The Cooler Master page lists the new version as 30% smaller than the previous model while offering better performance, in part delivered by the two Mobius 120P fans that can go as high as 2,400 RPM to supercharge its cooling capacity. Perhaps it will be good enough to make it to our best CPU cooler picks.

The single-tower heat sink also features a stealthy visual design, with a sleek, removable top cover hiding the top of the fins from view. The ‘stealth’ moniker indicates here that it doesn’t have LED lights, which might not be to your liking if you want everything to light up inside your case. Conversely, if you’re looking for a clean, sleeper build, then this air cooler could be exactly what you’re looking for. The company also claims that the plain plastic cover makes it easier to customize the heat sink, as you can easily apply a sticker to it and change its look as you please.

Today’s review features a cooling newcomer I’d never heard of until recently – Ocypus, which was founded in Shenzhen in 2023. We’ll be taking a look at a few of the products they offer in the near future, but today we’re focused on the Iota A62 WH Digital air cooler, which offers a distinctive aesthetic that includes a dot matrix display, making for a striking cooler – but sometimes looks can be deceiving.

Ocypus claims its cooler can handle up to 260W of thermal dissipation. Does the Iota A62 WH deliver on this claim? In short, yes it does,unlike many other coolers that feature TDP ratings that lean toward pure fantasy. When paired with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, we actually found better cooling performance than Ocypus advertised, cooling 285W compared to the 260W advertised by Ocypus! Does this mean the Iota A62 WH is strong enough to earn my recommendation and be featured in Tom’s Hardware’s list of best air coolers? You’ll have to read the full review to find out.

Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance and noise measurements, so you’ll know how cool and quiet this cooler can keep your rig.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The exterior of the packaging is a silver grey, advertising the product contained within.

The cooler is protected by molded foam, and a small cardboard box carries the accessories needed for installation.

Included with the box are the following:

• Two 120mm fans
• Dual-tower heatsink
• Thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms

Features of Ocypus Iota A62 WH digital air cooler

▶️ RAM Clearance

In the default configuration of the A62, one of the fans will overhang RAM sticks and there is limited spacing. As such, if you are using taller DIMMs you’ll want to put one of the fans on the rear of the unit instead of the front. Alternatively, you could just raise the fan a few millimeters higher.

When I used Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 (seen below), which has a 35mm height, there was just a tiny bit of room between the RAM and CPU cooler’s fan in the default configuration.

▶️ Thermal paste… and a rubber sticker!

Included with the AIO is a small tube of Ocypus branded thermal paste. Also included is a small rubber sticker, which can be applied to the top of the Iota A62 WH or another object of your choosing.

▶️ Dual-tower heatsink with six copper heatpipes

This cooler features a dual-tower heatsink to move heat away from the CPU. Six copper heatpipes help transfer heat into the fins, which feature a weaving design.

▶️ Dot Matrix display for monitoring CPU or GPU temps

One way the Iota A62 WH stands out from the competition is the inclusion of a digital dot matrix display where that you can use to show the temperature of the CPU or your GPU.

After installing the cooler and booting Windows, you’ll get a pop-up to download a zip file. This scared me at first, but it’s nothing to be worried about. The software is super simple, as you can basically only choose to display CPU or GPU temperatures. Ocypus tells me that future cooling products will offer more advanced displays and customization options.

▶️ High-quality backplate

The backplate included is sturdy and won’t bend under typical conditions.

▶️ Two 120mm fans

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. Ocypus includes two 120mm fans of unspecified model with the Iota A62 WH. These are all white and include a silver etched metal cover above the fan bearings. This version of the A62 doesn’t feature ARGB lighting, but there are models with ARGB fans for those who desire it.

One thing I appreciated about these fans is that on the lower end of fan curves, their noise levels remained relatively low – ensuring quiet operation in common workloads.

Testing configuration, Intel LGA1700/1851 platform

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

To prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

I’ve also tested this cooler with Intel’s latest platform, Arrow Lake and the LGA 1851 socket.

The information provided in this review will let you know the following:

1. The maximum thermal performance of this cooler

2. The maximum noise levels of this cooler

3. If the cooler performs well when noise-normalized to a low volume level

4. Temperature and noise levels when tied to a default motherboard fan curve in common scenarios like gaming

5. Thermal results when Intel’s recommended PL2 of 253w is enforced.

LGA 1700 and 1851 Installation

The installation of this cooler is simple and should be easy to complete for most users.

1. You’ll first need to place the backplate against the rear of the motherboard, and then use the included standoffs to secure it.

2. Next, you’ll secure the backplate by attaching the mounting bars and securing them with the included screws.

3. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

4. Place the CPU block on top of the CPU and secure it with a screwdriver. You’ll need to remove the middle fan to do this.

5. Re-attach the fan and then connect the PWM cables of the fans to each other and then to your motherboard. You’ll need to connect the USB cord to utilize the dot matrix display.

6. Afterwards, power on your computer as the installation is complete.

CPU-only thermal results without power limits

Without power limits enforced on Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K and i7-14700K CPUs, the CPU will hit its peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers. Because the CPU reaches its peak temperature with air coolers like the one we’re looking at with this review, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance – so you won’t see results in this graph comparing it to the strongest liquid coolers on the market.

It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

Looking at the results here with Intel’s “Raptor Lake” Core i7-14700K, the average watts cooled was 241. This is roughly what I would expect from a modern dual-tower air cooler. This is a level better than Noctua’s original NH-D15 (now known as the G1), and just a hair behind ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620

It is important to remember that CPU coolers can scale (and perform) differently depending on the CPU it is paired with due to differences in manufacturing processes and the location of hotspots on the CPU – and it seems that this cooler performs slightly worse with Arrow Lake.

Looking at the results with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, there’s a larger gap between the Iota A62 WH and ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620. That said, it cooled 285 watts during the course of testing and still managed to outperform Thermalright’s Hyper Vision 360 AIO!

When it comes to maximum noise levels, the Iota A62 WH was moderate, only reaching 44.2 dBA – and as you’ll see in our other benchmarks, it runs much quieter in common workloads.

CPU-only thermal results with noise normalized to 38.9 dBA

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system.

For this test, I’ve set the noise levels of the air cooler to reach 38.9 dBA. Ocypus’ A62 cooler performed well enough in this scenario, cooling 234W – essentially on par with the best result I’ve recorded thus far on this system with FSP’s closest competitor, the MP7.

253W results

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. In response, I’ve started testing Intel’s “Arrow Lake” Core Ultra 9 285K with a 253W limit.

The results here are reasonably good. Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin delivered the best results for an air cooler, but the Iota A62 is only behind that by 2 degrees C, while slightly outperforming FSP’s MP7.

135W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. I’ve incorporated two tests with a power limit imposed on the CPU, while also running a full load on MSI’s GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16G VENTUS 3X.

The CPU power limit of 135W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I observed in gaming with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, which was in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Thermal performance is good in this scenario, on par with Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin in terms of CPU temperature. Iota’s A62 WH manages this while running quieter than the Peerless Assassin, and only reaches 38.9 dBA in this test!

85W CPU + 290W GPU results

Our second round of CPU + GPU testing is also performed with Arrow Lake. The power limit of 85W was chosen based on typical power consumption in gaming scenarios using the Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. This should be fairly easy for most coolers, the main point of this test is to see how quietly (or noisily) a cooler runs in low-intensity scenarios.

With a CPU temperature of 56 degrees C, Ocypus’ Iota A62 WH performs in line with other air coolers like ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 and Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140. It does this while reaching only 37.3 dBA, which is a nicely low volume level.

Conclusion

Ocypus makes a splash into the cooling market with its Iota A62 WH, which features low noise levers in common workloads, good temperatures, attractive looks, and a unique dot matrix for displaying CPU or GPU temperatures. This version of the cooler runs for $65 USD, but if you don’t need the display other variants can be found for a much cheaper $39 USD.

Everyone in the PC enthusiast community is familiar with cooling manufacturer Thermalright – or at least should be. The company has established a reputation for quality competitive coolers at comparatively low prices, repeatedly raising the bar for value in the PC cooling realm.

Most of my past Thermalright reviews have focused on the company’s best-performing products, like the excellent Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO, which sits at the top of our air cooling list of the best CPU coolers.

Today we’re looking at Thermalright’s Assassin Spirit 120 V2 Plus, from the other end of Thermalright’s lineup – a single tower air cooler that costs just over $20. You won’t be using this cooler to win overclocking competitions, but it provides essential performance sufficient for gaming and other common use cases. This model sets itself apart from competitors by including a 120mm rear reverse fan for cooling the heatsink, in addition to a standard 120mm fan.

Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of the cooler, then we’ll go over thermal performance so you’ll know how cool it will keep your computer’s processor and noise measurements to let you know how loudly it operates.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

This is an entry-level cooler, so there’s not much to the packaging. The outside of the box showcases the design of the unit and a few company logos.

Included with the box are the following:

• Two 120mm fans, one in reverse configuration
• Single-tower heatsink
• Thermal paste
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms

Features of Thermalright’s Assassin Spirit 120 V2 Plus air cooler

*️⃣ RAM Clearance

If you’re only using slots two and four of your motherboard, you won’t run into any compatibility issues whatsoever. However, there might be a chance for issues with the thickest RAM modules if you’re using the first slot. This is easily rectified by raising the fan up a few millimeters, which shouldn’t have a significant impact on performance.

*️⃣ Thermalright TF4 Thermal Paste

Included with the AIO is a small tube of Thermalright’s TF4 thermal paste. This is the company’s entry-level thermal paste, but it performs well enough, as you can see in our best thermal paste tests.

*️⃣ Simple single tower heatsink with four direct-touch heatpipes

This cooler features a single tower heatsink to move heat away from the CPU. The design of the fins is simple; there’s nothing exotic or out of the ordinary.

Heat is moved into the fins (shown above) via four direct-touch copper heatpipes (shown below). You don’t see many direct-touch designs on larger coolers due to engineering challenges, but on a smaller cooler like this one, it can help improve the cooler’s efficiency.

*️⃣ Basic backplate

The backplate included is basic – just enough to do the job. It is primarily made of plastic and bends easily.

*️⃣ Two 120mm fans, including one reverse fan

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. Thermalright includes two 120mm fans with this cooler, one of which is a standard design (left) and one featuring a reverse design (right) for aesthetic reasons – essentially so you don’t have to stare at the rear frame of a fan from any angle.

Testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and LGA1851 platform

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

I’ve also tested this cooler with Intel’s latest platform, Arrow Lake and LGA 1851.

LGA 1700 and 1851 Installation

The installation of this cooler is simple and should be easy to complete for most users.

1. You’ll first need to place the backplate against the rear of the motherboard. Adhesive strips are included to make this step easier, if desired. I personally avoid using adhesive, but that’s mainly because I change coolers on my system fairly frequently and adhesive makes removal a little more difficult.

2. Next, you’ll secure the backplate by attaching the included standoffs. You’ll then place the mounting bars on top of the standoffs, and secure them with the included screws.

3. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

4. Place the CPU block on top of the CPU, and secure it with a screwdriver.

5. Attach the fans using the included metal clips. Once complete, connect the PWM cables of the fans to each other and then to your motherboard.

6. Afterwards, power on your computer as the installation is complete.

CPU-only thermal results without power limits

Without power limits enforced on Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K and i7-14700K CPUs, the CPU will hit its peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers. Because the CPU reaches its peak temperature with entry level coolers like the one we’re looking at with this review, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance – so you won’t see results in this graph comparing it to the strongest liquid coolers on the market.

It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

Looking at the results here with Intel’s “Raptor Lake” Core i7-14700K, the average watts cooled was 225. This is what I would expect from an entry-level air cooler, and to be honest it’s hard to expect more from a $22 cooler – I had hoped that the rear fan would have provided a thermal improvement that would distinguish itself from competitors, but it did not.

It is important to remember that CPU coolers can scale (and perform) differently depending on the CPU it is paired with due to differences in manufacturing processes and the location of hotspots on the CPU – and it seems that this cooler performs better with Arrow Lake.

Looking at the results with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, Thermalright’s Assassin Spirit 120 V2 Plus takes a small lead over its competitors from FSP and MP5 when paired with Arrow Lake – that’s probably due to the inclusion of the rear fan.

When it comes to maximum noise levels, the Assassin Spirit 120 V2 Plus is one of the quieter options on the market – reaching only 41.4 dBA! This is a nice touch, as many of the cheapest air coolers with dual fans can get quite noisy.

CPU-only thermal results with noise normalized to 38.9 dBA

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system.

For this test, I’ve set the noise levels of the air cooler to reach 38.9 dBA. Thermalright’s cooler performed well enough in this scenario, cooling 222W – a loss of only 3W compared to the fans running at full speed! However, it was still slightly behind FSP’s closest competitor, the MP5.

253W results

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. In response, I’ve started testing Intel’s “Arrow Lake” Core Ultra 9 285K with a 253W limit.

The results here aren’t very impressive. The CPU averaged 96 degrees C, but occasionally peaked at TJ Max. That’s a little bit behind FSP’s MP5, but not by much. I don’t want to make any judgments here though, because this chart only contains one comparison of a single tower cooler, and for its price I’m not expecting jaw-dropping thermal performance from Thermalright’s Assassin Spirit 120 V2 Plus. This is an entry-level cooler, and so expectations need to be set accordingly.

135W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. I’ve incorporated two tests with a power limit imposed on the CPU, while also running a full load on MSI’s GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16G VENTUS 3X.

The CPU power limit of 135W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I observed in gaming with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, which was in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

In this test, we’ve got two comparison single tower coolers other than Thermalright’s Assassin Spirit 120 V2 Plus – and it outperforms both of them. That’s a win for Thermalright!

Not only does the Assassin Spirit 120 V2 outperform its entry-level competitors in thermal measurements, but noise measurements are great here as well – reaching only 38.9 dBA as opposed to the 40.3 dBA of FSP’s MP5.

85W CPU + 290W GPU results

Our second round of CPU + GPU testing is also performed with Arrow Lake. The power limit of 85W was chosen based on typical power consumption in gaming scenarios using the Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. This should be fairly easy for most coolers, the main point of this test is to see how quietly (or loudly!) a cooler runs in low-intensity scenarios.

With a CPU temperature of 60 degrees C, the thermal performance here was alright but not impressive. But again – this is an entry-level cooler we’re looking at. Noise levels were good in this test, averaging only 38.2 dBA.

Conclusion

Thermalright’s Assassin Spirit 120 Plus V2 is an entry-level, single-tower air cooler that provides good value, priced at just $22 in the US. What more can I say? Most mainstream users and gamers will be well served by this cooler.

Most of my recent reviews have focused on high end AIOs for users who are looking for the best cooling available for their computers, but the simple fact is that most folks would be well served by a basic single- or dual-tower air cooler. Today we’re going back to basics and examining two air coolers by FSP, a company better known for power supplies like the Vita GM 850W, although we’ve also covered the FSP CMT520 Mid-Tower ATX RGB Case.

Will FSP’s NP5 and MP7 make our list of the best coolers on the market? Let’s take a look at the specifications and features of these products, then we’ll go over thermal performance and noise levels to see where they stand.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging for the FSP air coolers is efficient, with no excess. The contents are protected primarily by molded foam, but the accessories are packaged inside plastic bags.

Included in the box are the following:

• 120mm fans
• Single (NP5) or dual tower (MP7) heatsink
• Thermal paste tube
• Mounting accessories for modern AMD & Intel platforms
• Screwdrivers (MP7 only)
• Installation Manual

Features of FSP’s MP7 and NP5 air coolers

▶️ Thermal Paste Tube

FSP’s air coolers arrive with a thermal paste tube that’s large enough for multiple installations.

▶️ Direct touch copper heatpipes

The entry level NP5 cooler has four direct-touch copper heatpipes for the most efficient heat dissipation. The MP7 includes six standard heatpipes, as it is very difficult to create coolers with more than six heatpipes and make them direct-touch.

▶️ Basic tower radiators

The design of the radiators on the NP5 and MP7 are essentially the same, with a basic no-frills look.

The covers of each heatsink tower are embossed with FSP’s logo.

▶️ Full RAM compatibility

A problem posed by some air coolers is incompatibility with tall RAM. But with FSP’s NP5, there are zero RAM compatibility issues at all!

This is mostly the same for the more powerful MP7 model. You won’t have any compatibility issues if you are using RAM slots two and four. However, you might have issues with the tallest RAM DIMMs if you’re populating all four slots.

▶️ 120mm fans

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. The fans included are simple and standard, with an all-black aesthetic and an etched metal disc covering the hub with FSP’s logo.

Testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 and LGA1851 platform

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance in your system, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

I’ve also tested this cooler with Intel’s latest platform, Arrow Lake and LGA 1851.

LGA 1700 and 1851 installation

The installation of both coolers is relatively simple. The entry-level NP5 is especially easy to install.

1. You’ll first need to place the backplate against the rear of the motherboard, (optionally) using the adhesive strips to secure it.

2. Next, you’ll need to take the mounting studs ( which include plastic spacers) and push them against the backplate’s screw holes. Once complete, they will be secure, which makes installation easier if you choose not to use the adhesive strips.

3. Next, take the mounting plate and orient it as appropriate, then secure it with the included screws. The NP5 installation is shown below, but you’ll want to rotate the plate for the MP7’s installation.

4. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

5. Place the CPU heatsink on top of the mounting plate and secure it with a screwdriver. This is easiest on the NP5 model, as both mounting screws are exposed and you can see where you’re aiming.

The installation of the MP7 may be slightly more difficult, depending on your motherboard and skill level. It can be difficult to tell where you’re aiming with the MP7’s installation because the screws are located underneath the heatsink. But the included long screwdriver and screwdriver holes are there to guide you.

6. Once complete, connect the PWM cable to the CPU fan header and turn on your computer.

CPU-only thermal results without power limits

Without power limits enforced on Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K and i7-14700K CPUs, the CPU will hit its peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers on the market. When the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I have measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

FSP’s MP7 does fairly well here – outperforming the rival Peerless Assassin 140 from Thermalright as well as the Dark Rock Elite by BeQuiet! and the Frozn A620 from ID-Cooling – at least when paired with Intel’s Core i7-14700K!

However, just because it does well with Intel’s Core i7-14700K doesn’t necessarily mean it will perform as strongly with other CPUs. When I tested it with the “Arrow Lake” Core Ultra 9 285, which has a shifted hotspot, the MP7 didn’t perform quite as well – being beaten by both ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 and Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140. I would expect similar behavior to occur on AMD Ryzen-based systems.

To achieve these levels of thermal dissipation, the fans of the FSP MP7 reach up to 46.3 dBA. This is a little louder than most air coolers on the market. FSP’s entry-level model, the NP5, has much lower noise levels – only reaching 42.4 dBA, one of the quietest results in our recent testing.

CPU-only thermal results with noise-normalized to 38.9 dBA

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system.

With this noise-normalized test, I’ve set noise levels to 38.9 dBA using the i7-14700K system. This is a low volume level, but slightly audible to most people. Both of FSP’s air coolers did well here! The MP7 slightly outperformed competing models from Thermalright and ID-Cooling. FSP’s MP5 cooled 227W, significantly more than the 213W cooled by Thermalright’s Assassin X 120 R SE!

253W results

My earlier reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of y’all have indicated that you would like to see more CPU-only tests. In response, I’ve started testing Intel’s “Arrow Lake” Core Ultra 9 285K with a 253W limit. My current results for this test are limited, but this will grow as I have time to test more coolers.

Testing with the default power limits of 253W shows reasonable performance, but the FSP coolers are inferior to that provided by competing Thermalright and ID-Cooling options.

135W CPU + 290W GPU results

Testing a CPU Cooler in isolation is great for synthetic benchmarks, but doesn’t tell the whole story of how it will perform. I’ve incorporated two tests with a power limit imposed on the CPU, while also running a full load on MSI’s GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16G VENTUS 3X.

The CPU power limit of 135W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I observed in gaming with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, which was in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

In this test, FSP’s MP7 performed reasonably but was again slightly outperformed by competing products from Thermalright and ID-Cooling. I need to test more air coolers on this system for more complete comparative information.

The noise levels weren’t bad, per se, but they were the worst I’ve measured in this test thus far at 42.4 dBA for the FSP MP7. The entry-level FSP NP5 was a bit quieter, only reaching 40.3 dBA.

85W CPU + 290W GPU results

Our second round of CPU + GPU testing is also performed with Arrow Lake. The power limit of 85W was chosen based on typical power consumption in gaming scenarios using the Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. This should be fairly easy for most coolers. The main point of this test is to see how quietly (or loudly) a cooler runs in low-intensity scenarios.

With a CPU temperature of 55C, FSP’s MP7 surprised me by outperforming competing coolers from both Thermalright and ID-Cooling. However, that victory came at the cost of noise levels. While the result of 39.6 dBA isn’t loud per se, it is the loudest result of all coolers I’ve tested in this scenario. The weaker NP5 model runs quieter at only 38.2 dBA, with the tradeoff of higher temps.

Conclusion

FSP’s MP7 and NP5 are both reasonably well-performing air coolers. I found the entry-level NP5 to be more impressive because it is easier to install, performs more consistently, and retains almost all of its maximum performance when noise-normalized. At only $27.99 USD, it has everything you need from a basic air cooler.

Noctua appears to be attempting to break out of its PC DIY niche with a recently penned blog post about efficient home heating. In an article dubbed What is active radiator ventilation and why you should consider it? the Austrian thermal specialist claims that dotting its fans around your home (mostly on or around heat sources) is "a win-win for you and the environment." As it isn't April 1, the idea is worth a closer look, but the images it shares in the blog make us pine for the long-delayed chromax.white fan series.

Heating a home through winter is expensive. Moreover, much of Europe got used to cheap Russian gas in the years leading up to the Ukraine war. The onset of that war would have fast yet significant impacts on fossil fuel pricing, particularly gas used to heat homes and fire power stations. Fuel price pain has meant homeowners are turning down the thermostat a little more and/or seeking heating efficiencies from tech like heat pumps, better insulation, and other measures.

Noctua thinks that with the increase in popularity of heat pumps, which deliver water at generally lower temperatures, active convection has a more prominent role to play. It explains that radiators running at cooler temperatures can warm up a room more quickly with the help of active ventilation (like fans). The heat source powering your radiators will also "work less to maintain desired temperatures, cycling less frequently or at lower intensity," it says.

Active fans are a solution to common problems in modern, well-insulated homes. Fans pushing air can help minimize areas with poor airflow, which might be prone to cold spots, stagnant air, moisture buildup, or mold growth. Conversely, active ventilation is touted in old homes as a compensator for heat loss through windows and poorly insulated walls.

Naturally, Noctua touts its fans as a high-quality, quiet solution to your home heating efficiency problems. "For a typical radiator setup using 2-3 fans, the cost ranges from €50 to €105, depending on the model," it says. Adding gaskets, fan controllers, cabling, and power could up the cost per radiator to nearly €200 ($208), though, it admits.

To convince readers to invest in Noctua fans and accessories, the firm touts "an estimated 5-10% reduction in heating costs" from adding active fans to home heaters. Depending on the scale of your current heating bill, this could mean a pretty quick payback of the initial investment—if Noctua's figures are accurate.

As mentioned in the intro, though, Noctua's difficulties in developing white fans to which it is willing to put its name may hinder its acceptance throughout the home. Even if they blended into the décor a bit more, some would consider brown or black PC fans dotted around the house to look like electronic clutter, incongruous, or messy.

This home heating efficiency post from Noctua appears to have been inspired by a scientific research paper on forced convection published last year.

In addition to Arrow Lake-S CPUs for desktop PCs we saw earlier this week, Intel is also introducing a series of refreshed stock cooler designs. These next-gen units replace the previous, weaker stock coolers across the board.

The most notable upgrade offered by these new stock cooler designs, which we noticed thanks to @momomo_us on Twitter, isn't immediately visible. But last time around, lower-end coolers used less-conductive aluminum for the baseplate instead of just the fins. The more conductive copper is a far superior material for a baseplate, and Laminar RH1 had it, while Laminar RM1 and RS1 did not. However, the new Laminar RH2 and RM2 CPU cooler designs include copper baseplates.

Besides the copper baseplate, there's also an immediately noticeable improvement in aesthetics. While I'm as much a fan of gaudy technology as the next guy, the excessive lighting and hard blues on the last-gen coolers have been toned down significantly for RH2 and RM2.

Intel also claims 2.2 BA "near-silent" Sound Power Level on Laminar RH2 and 3.6 BA "quiet" performance on RM2, marking .4 and .3 improvements in noise levels over last gen (RH1 2.6 BA and RH2 3.9 BA), respectively. Sound Pressure Level reaches 23 dBA on Laminar RH2 and 30 dBA on Laminar RM2, so these seem like reasonable targets for air coolers not intended for overclocking.

Both new coolers have a three-year limited warranty and the aforementioned copper base heatsink. In addition to being larger and quieter, the Laminar RH2 also provides ARGB lighting via a light ring, though the inevitable blues present will somewhat limit your range of mixable colors.

For more detailed specifications on coolers you'll never be purchasing on their own, Intel's official documentation for Laminar RH2 and Laminar RM2 should fill in the rest of what you may need to know. Overall, these are just renewed stock coolers meant to support 65 Watt desktop CPUs running in standard conditions, now with improved aesthetics and reportedly decent performance gains versus the last-gen options thanks to some key upgrades.

Of course, anybody hoping to do serious overclocking with Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs will want to skip stock coolers entirely and instead choose from the best, market-proven CPU coolers beyond the basics Intel is willing to give its non-overclocking enthusiast customers.

Ventiva has just launched its innovative ICE9 thermal management suite that works completely silently and without any moving parts. It will launch with devices packing up to 25W processors at CES in a few days, but it is expected to be able to cool partner laptop designs up to 40 watts TDP by 2027.

According to Ventiva (PDF), ICE9 uses the firm's Ionic Cooling Engine (ICE), which allows it to cool electronic devices without any moving parts. This device is claimed to be far more efficient than the Frore AirJet solid-state active cooling released a couple of years ago, although it’s still slightly less efficient than an actual fan.

However, what makes Ventiva’s ICE9 thermal management suite better than the typical fan is its completely silent operation and ultra-compact form factor, with a device height of just 12 mm. This makes it the ideal solution for thin-and-light laptops, allowing OEMs to use relatively high-powered processors while preventing thermal throttling. So, aside from letting laptop makers build sleek devices, it could also allow them to insert additional components to extend the function of their device, like Framework’s dual M.2 module that slots in the empty space between the fan of its Framework Laptop 16 Expansion Bay.

“Our ICE technology is transforming the electronics market, enabling a new wave of silent, intelligent heat-transferring thermal management solutions, and our latest results underscore the remarkable scalability of our ICE9 solution,” said Ventiva CEO Carl Schlachte. “Initially demonstrated within the 'thin and light' category of laptops at around 15W TDP, the ICE9 device now enables laptop manufacturers to extend these benefits to higher performance systems, paving the way for the launch of entire product families of silent computing products."

The company says that it has ICE9 solutions that can accommodate as much as 25 watts TDP right now, meaning it could handle some of the new breed of low-power and highly efficient processors from AMD and Intel, as well as Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips. However, it’s also working with OEMs to develop cooling solutions that could handle as much as 40 watts TDP, allowing it to easily handle some of the latest AI processors from Intel and AMD. Moreover, it is open to partners leveraging 'hybrid' solutions mixing ICE9 and fan(s) for ultra-quiet computing.

While Ventiva is currently focusing on laptops for the ICE9’s application, it can also be used in a variety of other devices, like smartphones and tablets, especially given its particularly small size. However, it does have one weakness — the ICE9 has such low static pressure that OEMs cannot just drop it in in their current designs if they want to maximize the technology's cooling performance. Instead, they need to think about a hybrid solution or build a case specifically designed for the product that allows them to transfer heat efficiently from all heat-generating parts of the laptop so that the ICE9 can cool it directly, instead of relying on the airflow that a typical fan would generate. If laptop makers can solve this problem, we should be prepared to see impressive steps made in silent computing performance.

The latest air cooling from ID-Cooling to land on our test bed is the Frozn A620 GDL, a limited production model that incorporates gold-color accents into the design of its towers and fans – “GDL” in its name stands for “gold line.”

Earlier this year, we tested the standard version of the A620 with Intel’s i7-13700K and found it to be a strong performer. For today’s review, we’ll take a look at its performance with the newer “Raptor Lake” Core i7-14700K and “Arrow Lake” Core Ultra 9 285K CPUs to determine how well (or not) ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 GDL performs. Does the Frozn A620 GDL have what it takes to make our list of best performing coolers? Let’s take a quick look at the unit’s specifications, then we’ll dive into its features and the benchmarks.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The outside of the box advertises the essential design of the unit and its gold accents.

The contents are well-protected on the inside by a combination of cardboard and plastic coverings, with the main parts of the cooler in one larger box and the accessories inside a smaller one.

Opening the larger box reveals the heatsink and fans, protected by individual coverings.

Included with the box are the following:

• Two 120mm fans
• Dual-tower heatsink
• Fan clips for up to three fans
• PWM splitter
• Frost x35 thermal paste
• Mounting for modern AMD and Intel platforms

Features of ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 GDL

Gold accents

The main thing that sets this version of the Frozn A620 apart from its competition, or even other SKUS of the A620, is the incorporation of gold-plated accents. They give the cooler some extra aesthetic appeal without incorporating ARGB lighting, which many will appreciate. I think it looks especially nice in a black case, as you can see in the image below.

If you’re not looking for a gold-accented look, you might want to look at the standard version of the Frozn A620 instead – which is often on sale at a cheaper price.

Fans

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. In this product’s case, the looks are the primary selling point – and like the rest of the unit, the fans have been accented with gold-colored plating next to the fan blades and in the center of the fan.

Six copper heatpipes, nickel-plated copper base 

To transfer heat away from the CPU, the unit incorporates six 6mm copper heatpipes into two radiator towers. All of these parts are black, with the exception of the gold accents visible from a top-down view.

Frost X35 Thermal Paste

Included with the AIO is a tube of ID-Cooling’s premium Frost X35 thermal paste, rated at 14.2W/M-K. While this isn’t the best thermal paste on the market, its performance is close enough and works well with this CPU cooler.

Extra pair of fan clips

ID-Cooling recognizes that some users will want to mount a third fan for maximum cooling potential, and has included an extra pair of fan clips for those users.

Dual tower heatsink

The Frozn A620 GDL incorporates a dual-tower heatsink. Some of y’all like to see detailed photos of the fin design, so I’ve included a side-shot below.

RAM Compatibility

The Frozn A620 has moderate RAM compatibility – you won’t have any problems with standard-size RAM modules under 35mm, but if you’re using something taller like GSkill Trident DIMMs you’ll have to lift the fan up a few milimeters for everything to fit properly.

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

I’ve also tested this cooler with Intel’s latest “Arrow Lake” platform, using the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K CPU.

LGA 1700 and 1851 Installation

1. You’ll first need to place the backplate against the rear of the motherboard, and then secure it using the included standoffs.

2. Place the mounting bars on top of the standoffs, and secure them with the included thumbscrews.

3. Apply the included Frost X35 thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions on how to do this properly, please refer to our handy guide on how to apply thermal paste.

4. Place the cooler on top of the CPU, and secure it with a screwdriver.

5. Attach the fans to the CPU cooler using the included fan clips.

6. Connect the fans to the included PWM splitter cable, and then connect that cable to your motherboard’s PWM CPU header – and installation is complete.

CPU Thermal results without power limits

Without power limits enforced on Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K and i7-14700K CPUs, the CPU will hit its peak temperature (TJ Max) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers and even most liquid coolers on the market. When the CPU reaches its peak temperature, I’ve measured the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled to best compare their performance. It’s important to note that thermal performance can scale differently depending on the CPU it’s being tested with.

When tested with Intel’s Core i7-14700K, the Frozn A620 GDL cooled an average of 243W – placing just a little ahead of BeQuiet’s Dark Rock Elite and just a little behind Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140.

Things are a little different when testing on Arrow Lake – Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140 and ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 GDL performed on par with each other when paired with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, both cooling 304W on average.

In terms of maximum noise levels, however, the Frozn A620 GDL runs a little bit louder than the competing Peerless Assassin 140.

Thermal results with noise normalized to 38.9 dBA

Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quieter system.

With this noise-normalized test, I’ve set noise levels to 38.9 dba using the i7-14700K system. This level of noise is a low volume level, but slightly audible to most people. The cooler managed to handle 231W in this test. Like our first test, this puts it right between Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin and BeQuiet’s Dark Rock Elite in terms of performance.

253W results

My recent reviews have focused more on tests with both the CPU and GPU being stressed, but many of readers have indicated they would like to see more CPU-only tests – so I’ve started testing Intel’s “Arrow Lake” Core Ultra 9 285K with a 253W limit.

Here, ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 GDL is just a hair behind Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin. Noise levels are the same as previously recorded, because in this test I’ve run the coolers tied to the default fan curve of a MSI Z890 Carbon Wifi motherboard, which runs at full speed at and above 80 degrees C.

120W Cinebench results

Another test I have with results showing the cooler’s performance with CPU-only workloads is a 120W CPU-only test with Intel’s i7-14700K. For this test, I’ve only recorded the noise levels, because this is not a thermally demanding scenario.

The i7-14700K’s build has a moderate minimum noise level of 38.2 dBA. The Frozn A620 GDL doesn’t rise above this minimum noise level. As you will see in the last set of CPU + GPU noise benchmarks with Arrow Lake featured below - the Frozn A620 actually runs quieter than this chart would indicate. Because of this build’s moderate minimum noise measurements, I intend to eventually transition away from this test.

165W CPU + 275W GPU results

Earlier this year I updated my testing methodology to better represent the scenarios a user could actually encounter in real-life use. The first of these new tests was designed to emulate, though not perfectly, a CPU in an intensive game with a full GPU load using ASRock’s Steel Legend 7900 GRE GPU. Most of the time Intel’s i7-14700K will use less than 165W in games, this value was chosen because it was the peak power consumption I observed in Far Cry V. I would consider these values closer to what you might see with an overclocked setup.

Here the cooler performed on par with BeQuiet’s Dark Rock Elite, both slightly ahead of Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin 140. In terms of noise, the cooler ran a bit quieter than its competitors at only 40.3 dBA.

135W CPU + 290W GPU results

Our second round of CPU + GPU testing is performed with Arrow Lake. The power limit of 135W was chosen based on the worst CPU power consumption I observed in gaming, which was in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Here we have parity with the Peerless Assassin 140 in terms of thermal performance, but slightly better noise levels with ID-Cooling’s Frozn A620 GDL.

85W CPU + 290W GPU results

Our third round of CPU + GPU testing is also performed with Arrow Lake. The power limit of 85W was chosen based on typical power consumption in gaming scenarios using the Core Ultra 9 285K CPU. This should be fairly easy for most coolers. The main point of this test is to see how quietly (or loudly) a cooler runs in low-intensity scenarios.

In terms of thermals, the Frozn A620 GDL averaged 56C – on par with Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin and a single degree ahead of Cooler Master’s Hyper 622 Halo. Noise levels were also good, only reaching 37.3 dBA.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a strong air cooler with eye-catching bling without ARGB lighting, ID-Cooling’s A620 GDL and its gold accents will serve you well. If this cooler appeals to you, I’d advise purchasing it soon rather than waiting – the Frozn A620 GDL is a limited production model, and as such may not be available for a long time.

Japanese PC enthusiasts have demoed Arctic’s new 8,000 RPM case fans running at max speeds. Staff at PC Ones got their hands on some Arctic S12038-8K case fans, fixed them to some chassis, and powered them up.

The Twitter/X video they shared shows a stack of boxes blown off the table from about 10 feet away. Moreover, PC Ones comments, "The wind itself is powerful enough to make the air conditioner controller lid on the far wall plop” (machine translation).

In the video, you will hear a quiet click as the PC Ones technician flicks the PSU power switch. Immediately, the quartet of Arctic fans started to spin up, making a noise similar to how an air raid siren begins. These would maintain the “high note,” though.

Another PC Ones tech stood about 10 feet away, facing the fans, with a stack of boxes in front of him. The force of the wind caused the boxes to start to topple and scatter in about five seconds.

PC Ones' build-to-order department was testing the fans, and in a follow-up post, they explained that they were testing the Arctic S12038-8K units. They said these were re-release samples, as they still don’t have Japanese pricing or availability dates. However, we see the fans were launched a few weeks ago in Europe, and Artic’s product pages say the Arctic S12038-8K fans are €18.99 (around $19.88) each and available now.

Let us look at the specs of these powerful 120mm wind generators. Arctic describes the S12038-8K case fans (and their S12038-4K brethren) as server fans. The fans measure 120mm in diameter and are 38mm thick. Systems makers can control the fan speeds via PWM, ranging from 800 to 8,000 RPM.

The S12038-8K case fans are advertised as offering high airflow and static pressure, as expected. Specifically, Arctic says these fans can deliver 220 CFM and 37 mmH2O static pressure. Even with such incredible rotational speeds, these fans still have a 6-year warranty, partly due to the dual ball bearing with brass housing construction. Arctic also says these fans can run in ambient temperatures between -10°C~70°C. The fans are reassuringly weighty at 367g.

Cooler Master launched the Hyper 411 Nano to rival the best CPU coolers. The Hyper 411 Nano is the successor to the Hyper 410R, which gave life to the Amazon Basics CPU Cooler.

The Hyper 411 Nano is a single-tower air cooler with a single black fan, perfect for placing in small form factor PC builds. This little cooler is compatible with multiple generations of Intel and AMD processors, so you can pick this cooling solution whether you’re building a PC with the latest parts or just changing your current computer’s cooling solution. The 411 Nano has an all-black aesthetic, although Cooler Master says it will launch an ARGB version in early 2025.

The Hyper 411 Nano is Cooler Master’s latest addition to the Hyper series of air coolers, expanding its portfolio of small CPU coolers with an even smaller model that would fit the most compact CPU cases. This cooler has four heat pipes that directly contact the processor’s integrated heat spreader (IHS) for more efficient heat removal, while it uses a single 92mm fan that spins up to 2,500 RPM for airflow.