Nine Big Air Coolers For Intel's Haswell CPUs, Reviewed

By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Intel's Haswell-based CPUs have a unique cooling problem that leaves many overclockers in a quandary. Today, we're rounding up nine different sink and fan combinations to see if any can contend with the fourth-gen Core processor's copious heat.

Archon SB-E X2 Installation

Intel’s square LGA cooler mounts allow any cooler to be rotated 90°, but AMD’s rectangular bolt pattern doesn’t. Thermalright’s cooler bracket is notched on only two edges for AMD mounting, so the firm adds extra mounting studs to enable the same mounting flexibility on all compatible platforms.

Standoffs with factory-applied insulating washers screw into the support plate under the motherboard, and are then topped with the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is secured with nuts.

The X2’s revised cross brace includes factory-installed mounting nuts on each end and a pressure-adjusting screw in the center.

After attaching the cross-brace to the mounting bracket, the pressure-adjusting screw is tightened to the specifications outlined in Thermalright’s manual. The lack of any torque indication on the wrench requires builders to use their best judgment.

User-applied adhesive rubber tabs reduce the transmission of fan vibration to the heat-sink’s cooling fins. We had to move these a few times to find the best position.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
133 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Madn3ss795
    No NH D14?
    Reply
  • 016ive
    Thermalright Archon SB-E X2, That's one big as* cooler!
    Reply
  • jk_ventolero
    The CM H212 Evo has been a crowd favorite for quite some time now. :) I wonder how that might have performed. :D
    Reply
  • blackmagnum
    Water cooling is the best way forward: less noise, energy efficient and low maintenance.
    Reply
  • CaptainTom
    I hate to say it but all this article demonstrated to me is that Haswell is in no way better than Ivy Bridge. Even Ivy Bridge used 25% less energy with a 10% boost when compared to Sandy Bridge, and I can still get IB to 4.8 GHz on air.

    Haswell= 10% more power for 10% more energy and 10% less headroom. Oh and it costs more...

    Man I hope AMD can whip them back into shape with Steam Roller...
    Reply
  • s3anister
    I can't even fathom why one would spend this much time to write an article like this and still leave the NH-D14 out.
    Reply
  • spazoid
    It's funny how some of you guys still think Intel made Haswell with desktops in mind. This is a CPU architecture made for mobile. It's quite sufficient for desktops in every regard. Yes, it might not outperform IB by much, and it might run a bit hotter, but in a laptop, there is nothing that compares to Haswell.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    11158600 said:
    No NH D14?
    Noctua picked the NH-U14S instead of the D14. Please feel free to ask them why.

    Since Noctua chose not to feature the NH-D14 this time, you might want to look at its closest competitor. The article links a comparison of Phanteks TCP14E and NH-D14. Since Phanteks chose to keep its big cooler in the running but Noctua chose otherwise, this was the closest "frame of reference" available.

    11159094 said:
    I can't even fathom why one would spend this much time to write an article like this and still leave the NH-D14 out.
    I can't even fathom why you would repeat the first post without regard to any response. And speaking of a response, please read above.
    Reply
  • Shneiky
    Really disappointed that there was no be quiet! and Cooler Master representatives. I would enjoy seeing how a Dark Rock Pro 2 or a V8 GTS/V6 GT.
    Reply
  • flong777
    The comments are correct concerning the omission of the NH-D14 from this testing. It really doesn't matter a damn what "Noctua picked," that is not the issue. The FACT is the D14 is legendary for its cooling and to leave it out of any major test is just plain stupid. Don't forget that it won your last competition for best cooler.

    To say compare it's performance with the Plantek's performance is lame. Use some common sense when you do these reviews.
    Reply