Innovative London-based PC cooling firm Billet Labs is back with another water-cooled system, this time aiming for a completely passive, fanless build. The video below explains why this interesting build was conceptualized, how it was built, its benefits and drawbacks, and how it performs, all with an eye on thermals.

Felix from Billet Labs starts the video presentation standing next to another of the firm's special projects – Walley. This machine is wall-mounted and shows plenty of Billet Labs signature flair. Its multiple powerful fans can get rather noisy when the system is under duress, though. If the fan speeds are scaled back, things start to get uncomfortably warm. The new custom build, therefore, targets a gaming PC that is much quieter.

Regular readers may be familiar with Billet and founder Felix on YouTube, most recently for ‘Raddy,’ the Victorian radiator PC. However, Raddy proved to be a bit noisy for a living room gaming machine, and it included some fans, so its performance components are being reused here.

Felix reveals that the hulking cast-iron radiator cooled beast known as Raddy wasn’t silent due to cavitation bubbles in the pump, which necessitates radiator flushing once a week. Not a trivial task. Also, Raddy wasn’t a fully passive design as it incorporated fans.

So, the new PC and Raddy share a lot of the same components, particularly the performance parts like an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080, and an Aorus Pro B850 motherboard.

The new build used a trio of radiators in different sizes, ranging from large to very large. They were arranged above the heat-generating components, taking advantage of what Felix describes as a convection chimney effect.

For about the next 30 minutes of the video, we get to witness the skills behind the Billet Labs build process. The main stages roughly consisted of building the platform (based on an 8mm aluminum plate), mounting the PC parts, adding cooling, and then plumbing. From about 33 minutes in, we get to see the new living room gaming PC fire up Windows 11 for the ‘first time,’ and performance / thermal testing commences.

Felix isn’t satisfied with the silence of the building at first. So he had to turn off the motherboard fan and also adjust the pump speed to 80%. The machine was then tested until temperatures began to level off, over various workloads. Testing began with idling for half an hour, playing Peggle for a while, and then running Cinebench for half an hour. Things got serious as Halo 3 was fired up for a session. In the real gaming tests (Halo 3, Expedition 33, Cyberpunk 2077), the GPU never thermal throttled, but the CPU would a little as it hit 95 °C or more.

More stress testing was initiated, culminating in running Cinebench and FurMark simultaneously. This pulled over 450W of power and brought the radiator water temps up to 60C+, which is the maximum rated level for the pump. A throttling CPU was observed again in these tests. A full table of tests, power output, and temperatures is shared in the Reddit post embedded below.

Fan-less gaming PC - 5080/9800x3d/32gb/2tb - Yes I’ll probably add fans next from r/pcmasterrace

In conclusion, Felix reckons passive water cooling alone isn’t really enough for a powerful modern gaming rig. Even a single case fan would probably be enough to make a world of difference. So, stay tuned for a follow-up video where you can see how the same Billet Labs PC performs with a 120mm fan atop, pulling air upwards, accelerating that chimney effect.

AMD’s incredibly powerful new Threadripper Pro 9995WX doesn’t come bundled with a cooler. However, Geekerwan might have the perfect answer for this processing Goliath that can casually consume over 1,000W. The Chinese TechTuber decided to remove the radiator and pump from his BMW M4 high-performance coupé, to see how it could tame the heat from Shimada Peak.

AMD’s $11,699 Threadripper Pro 9995WX is designed to deliver breakthroughs, as the “World’s Fastest Workstation Processor,” according to AMD. Checking through the full Threadripper 9000 specs table we published last week, the 9995WX is right at the top, as the newest flagship, featuring the Zen 5 architecture, a 384MB cache, and boasting 96 cores and 192 threads, running at up to 5.4GHz - given the opportunity (power and cooling) to do so.

While it has a quoted TDP of 350W, if you want to squeeze every ounce of performance out of the 9995WX, you will turn to PBO and overclocking techniques. With these performance-enhancing technologies turned up to 11, the king of the Shimada Peak processors can quickly demand 1,000W of power, or much more. That’s a lot of heat to dissipate.

BMW (and Toyota) to the rescue?

Geekerwan asserts that the BMW M4 has “the best cooling performance in the world” for a civilian vehicle (machine translated). Holding aloft the radiator, ripped from his precious M4, he highlights that the hefty rad in his hands is about 600 x 350mm, or about the size of five 360mm radiators stuck together.

Geekerwan’s BMW radiator shenanigans begin around 7 minutes. Closed captions translated to English are available.

Of course, a suitable pump is also required to make the most of the BMW radiator, and naturally, the M4’s pump was also commandeered for this Threadripper 9000 cooling task. The M4's automotive cooling pump can push 1,200 liters per hour (0.33 liters per second!).

There’s one more essential to building an automotive AIO for a CPU, and that is the fans. Geekerwan didn’t opt for the typical Arctic, Noctua, or Cooler Master spinners, though. Here’s where Toyota came in, with a Highlander 4x4’s fans borrowed for pushing air through the M4 radiator. Two of these 30cm fans were used and required 100W alone to do their duty.

Still can’t beat a flask of LN2

Dust deposits are bad for electronic devices, and particularly bad where good airflow and cooling are required. Despite dust filtration becoming a standard feature of modern PCs and laptops, the simple meshes used aren’t that effective at keeping particulate matter (PM) at bay. Trying to increase dust filtering efficiency using tighter meshes creates tricky trade-offs against airflow. However, a recent research paper that was “inspired by the natural filtration abilities of mucus-coated nasal hairs” might have some answers.

This research work outlines the poor air filtration delivered by traditional air filters and proposes filters that mimic the human nasal passage, packed with hairs coated with a sticky substance. Tests by scientists from Chung-Ang University in South Korea show that this ‘Bioinspired capillary force-driven super-adhesive filter’ isn’t just a crazy dream.

The effectiveness of the bio-inspired filtration tech was verified in a number of field tests around Seoul, as well as in the University labs. In the wake of field tests, the scientists claimed that the new filters capture significantly more PM than traditional alternatives. Moreover, they were effective for two to three times longer than the current filtering panels. Going by these results, new bio-inspired filters should therefore also be more cost-effective than traditional filters.

There are other advantages to mimicking Mother Nature, too. In the real-world tests, it was noted that particle redispersion was minimized – that’s where a gust of air can blow captured PM back out of the filter.

One of the key design aspects behind the success of the new filters is the ‘mucus’ substitute used to leverage the phenomenon of capillary adhesion. It was found that 200–500nm thick layers of a specially formulated bio-compatible silicon oil were the best for filtering efficiency.

The latest NVMe SSD cooler to land on our testbed is the G-M2HP04-F (isn’t that a mouthful?) from German manufacturer Graugear. If you’re not familiar, Graugear specializes in niche storage peripherals like thefunky Playstation 5 SSD cooler which takes advantage of that console’s CPU fan. Also included in its lineup are a variety of internal and external storage adapters, USB hubs, and other types of SSD coolers and heatsinks.

What sets the G-M2HP04-F apart from the competition? Two copper heatpipes, aluminum fins, and a fan for active cooling. Is this enough to become one of our recommended SSD coolers and heatsinks? Let’s take a dive into the specifications and features of this unit, then we’ll go over its thermal performance and our recommendation.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The packaging is fairly simple, with the cooler arriving in a small box just large enough to contain the product. Included in the box is the heatsink and fan, the base, two sets of thermal pads, a screwdriver, and documentation.

Features of Graugear’s G-M2HP04-F

▶️ Two copper heatpipes

The first thing that sets Graugear’s heatsink apart from the competition is its incorporation of two 5mm copper heatpipes.

▶️ Aluminum fins, like a mini CPU cooler

The copper heatpipes of the SSD cooler connect to aluminum fins, much like a mini CPU cooler. In fact, with a little bit of tinkering, one could adapt this product to cool a low-power CPU!

▶️ Active 25mm fan

But heatpipes and aluminum fins aren’t the only tools this Graugear SSD heatsink uses to keep your drive cool – it also features a small 25mm fan to push heat away from your NVMe drive.

Testing configuration and methodology – LGA1700 platform

Today’s review will be the last of a heatsink tested on my last-generation platform, which was limited to PCI- 4.0 speeds. To test the effectiveness of a SSD heatsink or cooler, I run a custom IOMeter script that stresses both the SSD’s controller and NAND. The SSD heatsink is installed in the M.2 slot next to the CPU, which is cooled by an AIO.

Cooling an SSD on a PCIe 5.0 system can be more difficult, and whether your CPU is cooled by an AIO or air cooler can impact the performance of SSD heatsinks. To see how this might impact results, I encourage you to visit my recent review of iHTP’s SSD heatsink – which features testing on a modern Arrow Lake platform that supports PCIe 5.0 speeds, and has tests performed with both an air cooler and AIO cooler.

Please keep in mind that if you’re wondering if you need an aftermarket SSD heatsink at all, the answer is likely “no.” These types of devices will be most useful for those users who have storage and IO-intensive workloads in an environment with a high ambient temperature, like servers. For most common users, the benefit of a stronger SSD heatsink will be limited to increasing the longevity of your SSD.

Heatsink Installation

The installation of an SSD heatisnk is simple, and if you’ve seen one you’ve basically seen them all. There’s very little variance in installation procedures, due to the similarities of these units.

1. Take the base of the unit and apply the first thermal pad. Then place the SSD on top of the first thermal pad.

2. Place the second thermal pad atop the SSD.

3. Place the heatsink above the top thermal pad, and then secure it with the included screws.

4. Finally, place the unit into an M.2 slot on your motherboard and then connect the PWM cable. I’ve installed this unit in the slot between my GPU and CPU cooler, but you may need to use another slot if you have a particularly wide air cooler.

Noise Levels

When I’ve tested NVMe heatsinks with fans in the past, I always test them with my motherboard’s default setting, shown below. I never bothered to adjust this because at this setting, none of the units I’ve tested ran louder than my system fans at idle – and I like a nice, quietly running system. But I recognize that many of you might be interested in this data and I will record it for all reviews going forward.

Generally, it’s completely unnecessary to run any of these heatsink fans at full speed. You won’t gain any performance, and truthfully this heatsink performs well even without the fan powered on! Really folks – don’t run the fans at full speed. It doesn’t make any real impact other than increasing noise levels!

Stress test thermal results with AIO Cooling

This heatsink was tested with only an AIO on the CPU. Results with air cooling can vary to an extent. For more information about how this can impact results please refer to my recent review of iHTP’s SSD cooler.

For this test, I run a customer IOMeter script that stresses the Phison E26 controller of the SSD as well as the NAND of the device at the same time. This is a stress test run for 30 minutes, and is specifically designed to test the strength of the SSD’s heatsink. Most users will never encounter a workload this stressful.

Reaching only 50C at the end of the 30-minute stress test, Graugear’s G-M2HP04-F is one of the strongest results observed on this system – tied for sixth place in the best out of 30 heatsinks tested!

Conclusion

Graugear’s G-M2HP04-F features strong thermal performance, enabled by two copper heatpipes, aluminum fins, and a small fan. Truthfully, with little bit of modification, this unit could work well to cool a low power CPU. However, the price for this level of thermal performance is “expensive” (compared to other units) with a price of $29.95 USD.

You might want to consider a unit like ID-Cooling’s M15 instead. Its thermals are not quite as strong, but still much stronger than common users will need – and it is half the price of the Graugear unit.

Whether they are controlled by your motherboard or by a dedicated controller, your PC's case fans cycle up and down based on how hot the control software thinks your computer is. The problem: most computers get temperature and usage readouts for the CPU and GPU, but not for the exact area where your case fans live. You might have case fans that are very far away from your hottest components and perhaps they could be spinning less (or more) based on the temperature on the top of your case or the front or the bottom.

Thermaltake's new TS120 and TS140 case fans are the company's first to have built-in temperature sensors which allow each one to know exactly how hot or cold it is in that section of your case. Then the upcoming TT Plus RGB 3.0 software will allow you to view the temperatures and control the fan curves, presumably (though this hasn't been confirmed) on a fan-by-fan basis.

Due out in Q1 for $89 for a pack of three 120mm fans or $94 for three of the 140mm, the TS120 and TS140 aren't the very first case fans to have built-in temperature sensors. We believe that honor goes to Corsair, whose QX120 fans debuted in 2023. However, Thermaltake's fans will be selling for about $40 less, even at their MSRP and integrate nicely with the brand's rich ecosystem of coolers, cases and peripherals.

The TS120 / TS140 snap together using MagForce 2.0, a magnetic connection that makes them easy to put in rows together. Available in black or white, they have rich ARGB rings around the fan itself, along with stacked sets of RGB lines on each side. Each set of three connects to a dedicated controller. The fans run at a maximum speed of 2,000 rpm.

I had a chance to see the TS120 / TS140 fans at Thermaltake's CES 2025 booth and I was both impressed by their bold looks and their advanced functionality. Being able to set temperatures by-the-fan is a recipe for both cooler temperatures and a quieter system overall.

The creator of MSI Afterburner, Alexy Nicolaychuk dubbed "Unwinder" on the software's development forum, has confirmed that the software will see a new update close to the retail launch of Nvidia's RTX 5080. For context, the latest stable release dates back to April 2023, almost two years ago. The new update promises independent fan monitoring on triple-fan GPUs. Alexy also hints that MSI's upcoming slew of RTX 5080 offerings might integrate individual per-fan controllers for more granular control.

Controlling the speed of each fan individually requires some underlying changes on the GPU's PCB. Even across premium high-end triple-fan GPUs, many AIBs choose to connect all fans to a single header or two. So, while it is possible to independently adjust the speed of the first two fans, the third fan is fixed in relation to them.

The forum comment states that RTX 5080 GPUs (likely from MSI) provide three independent fan controllers which is a step up from the previous generations. Now that the hardware part is all sorted, software-level implementation will arrive in the form of an upcoming MSI Afterburner update near the RTX 5080's release. This indicates that the RTX 5080 will be the first Blackwell GPU to hit shelves, corroborating previous rumors of a January 21 release date. Keep in mind that not all RTX 5080 GPUs may have this feature.

Alexey says that there will be a new Afterburner button for asynchronous speed control for the third fan. With independent control over all fans, you can set custom speeds and curves for each fan, individually. The actual meaning of the second last line could be lost in translation, However, the update will likely be compatible with GPUs from other vendors as well; provided if their GPUs have three fan controllers.

Nvidia's RTX 5080 is rumored to adopt the GB203-400-A1 die outfitted with 10,752 cores or 84 SMs, 16GB of 30 Gbps GDDR7 memory, and a 256-bit memory bus. With 10% more CUDA cores than its predecessor, we can expect a moderate uplift in performance but most of that depends on how good Blackwell is, on an architectural level. As of writing, only 36 hours remain until Nvidia's keynote. We can expect a full-fledged overview of Blackwell at the event.

AMD has purportedly revealed renders of the Radeon RX 9070 XT. Videocardz reports that AMD accidentally showed off the GPU's reference design in a Reddit ad featuring an undisclosed graphics card.

The rendered RX 9070 XT reference cooler features a black color scheme comprising several shades of black and a triple-fan cooler design with an apparently illuminated Radeon logo pointing downwards at the top left of the shroud. A grill-like pattern flanks the central fan, with silver accents in the middle that make the appearance of an "X."

The design takes direct inspiration from AMD's current-gen RX 7000 series reference coolers but differs significantly in several areas. The biggest differences are the fans and the shroud architecture itself. The fans are more circular and significantly less angular, potentially providing higher static pressure performance compared to the RX 7000 series. The shroud has four perfectly linear sides with rounded edges. By comparison, the RX 7900 XTX/XT reference cooler's shroud was broken up with angular tidbits around the top and bottom of the central fan.

Become the hero of your story and get in the game this holiday season. Play and save with AMD. Game Every Holiday with AMD. from user/AMDOfficial

The triple-fan cooler design also signals a higher potential power draw for the RX 9070 XT compared to mid-range RX 7000 variants. Its potential predecessor, the RX 7800 XT, functioned on a dual-fan cooler design for the reference design rather than a triple-fan design. The RX 7700 XT never received a reference variant. Still, logically, the card would have received a dual-fan cooler design if it did (given the RX 7600 also offered a dual-fan design, albeit much more compact compared to the 7800 XT's version.)

That said, AMD is apparently changing its nomenclature for its next-generation GPUs, so we cannot officially confirm if the RX 9070 XT will be the official successor to the RX 7800 XT and/or RX 7700 XT.

Rumors suggest that the RX 9070 XT might be the flagship SKU for AMD's next-gen GPUs, with previous rumors stating that AMD won't be making a flagship Navi 31esque successor on the RDNA 4 architecture similar to the RX 5000 series. Along with this big change, AMD is rumored to significantly alter its nomenclature, skipping the RX 8000 series altogether and using the RX 9000 moniker for its RDNA 4-based GPUs. As you might have already figured out, AMD is also rumored to be changing the very way it names its GPUs, going to a numbering system that is identical to Nvidia (save for the "RX" and "XT" branding).

Arctic has released a new cooling fan archetype for server use, the S12038-4K and -8K. The fan is instantly visually unique thanks to its seven bonus fan blades in its direct center, creating a fan-within-a-fan effect. The fan offers class-leading static pressure, though Arctic seems reticent to advertise its new standout.

The S12038's spec sheet is rather impressive on several fronts. Its advertised power consumption at max load, 3.96W, is 12% lower than the next closest server-grade competitor. It generates an insane 11.45 mmH₂O of static pressure, around 3X-6X greater than Arctic's stable of standard case fans. This high static pressure and airflow level is near the best in class for server hardware. As the name implies, the S12038 can be had in flavors of 4,000 or 8,000 maximum RPM.

The fan achieves this power using a dual ball bearing design, with two ball bearings turning the fan, rather than the standard fluid dynamic bearing style. The extra fan blades in the center of the impeller serve to cool the shaft, providing a motor temperature of 5-10 degrees Celsius lower than that of Arctic's press materials (Arctic's press materials disagree on this number). Arctic claims this additional shaft cooling helps double the fan's effective lifespan. It also includes a dust cover sticker for the central fans to protect the fan in highly dusty environments, though why anyone would choose to cover up the majesty of the bonus fan blades is beyond me.

Those interested in using the fan for extra style points in a non-server PC setting should take special consideration before picking the S12038-4K. The fan is 38mm tall, 11mm taller than standard PC cooling fans. It also lacks rubber pads for quieter mounting, as the fan will generate higher noise and vibrations no matter what. As a server fan, this is not optimized for silent operation like most consumer PC fans today.

Arctic seems surprisingly disinterested in advertising its new fan, even though it represents a step up in performance in its class. The company deletes or ignores Arctic subreddit posts, press releases are difficult to find, and very few outlets have reported on the fan's real-world performance. Those interested in using the extreme high-pressure fan in 3U+ servers or workstations can find it for $14.99 from Amazon.

Noctua developed a custom 120mm fan grill for the Seasonic Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition built for silence, and now anyone can get it for free. The company posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account that it’s sharing the high-efficiency fan grill on Printables, allowing anyone with a 3D printer or laser cutter to make one of their own.

According to Noctua, the fan grill “ensures smooth pressure gradients as the fan blades pass the radial struts,” which results in higher airflow and a noise reduction of about 2dB(A) versus the stock power supply grill found on the Seasonic power supply.

The high-efficiency Noctua 120mm fan grill, as the company calls it on the 3D model database, is licensed under Creative Commons 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). That means you can remix it and share it anywhere you like if you attribute its original creator, do it for non-commercial purposes, and your creation should have the same license as the original (i.e., CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

This isn’t the first thing that Noctua and Seasonic have for free in recent weeks. The two collaborated on a keychain merch giveaway that’s up for grabs for users who commented on the Seasonic Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition post on the Chinese video-sharing site BiliBili. These events seem to celebrate the successful launch of the PSU, an improvement of Seasonic’s flagship power supply. This ultra-quiet version retains the exact excellent specifications and performance but reduces the noise generated by replacing its cooling fan with Noctua’s 120mm NF-A12x25 fan and this unique fan grill.

Seasonic and Noctua might also have no problems releasing this fan grill for free, especially with the price that this high-performance PSU demands. The vanilla Seasonic Prime TX-1600 has a retail price of $539.99 on Amazon, while you have to pay a $30 premium to get the Noctua Edition. Nevertheless, you’re getting a good power supply for the price, with the TX-1600 being one of our recommended options in our best PSUs of 2024 list. So, if you need that much power and have grown tired of the cacophony of multiple noisy fans, this ultra-quiet PSU might just be exactly what you need for a quieter workspace.

Noctua has also shared several other 3D designs you can download, like the NV-AA1-12 Airflow Amplifier, which will turn your 120mm Noctua fan into the $100 NV-FS1 desk fa (without the stand), the NA-FD1 Fan Duct, designed to improve the performance of Noctua fans with SFF cases that has a significant gap, and the NA-FMA1 120mm/140mm Adaptor for Noctua 120mm fans. Aside from its excellent fan designs (and controversial color choices), this tendency to share some of its designs for free is one of the reasons why Noctua is loved by its fans love Noctua.

Whether you’re after the highest clock speeds possible or looking to build a PC that's near-silent under load, you should to choose your CPU cooler carefully. The best CPU cooler for your build will dictate your processor's temperatures and contribute to its fan noise.

In high-end systems, a great cooler can also deliver better performance by keeping your CPU's boost clocks higher for longer periods. We test dozens of PC air coolers and all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler models every year. You'll find our picks for the best coolers below to keep your CPU temps under control. And if you're after a liquid cooler in particular, check out our Best AIO Coolers page for even more excellent cooler options for your system's CPU.

ASRock has dipped its toes into AIO liquid cooling market, some with a pumpless design, we'll see at CES. The plan to release coolers across the Taichi, Phantom Gaming, Steel Legend, Challenger, and Pro, and workstations lineups with most using a more traditional pump configuration. We also have a visits scheduled with Cooler Master, Corsair, Lian Li, and others who are expected to show off some new coolers and AIOs for 2026; some which could make our best list. Keep an eye out here for updates!

While AIOs and air coolers come with their own fans, case fans are also critical in keeping temperatures down. The cooler the air hitting AIO or heatsink, the cooler your CPU temperatures will be. That said, we've started fan testing at Tom's and have published our first Best PC Case Fans article covering several recent PC fans including some from Noctua, Arctic, Phanteks, and more. Find out which fans perform best for your needs, be it quiet operation, high-performance, or RGBs, we have you covered and expanding testing testing more fans as we speak.

Best Air Coolers

Best AIO Coolers

The Best Air Coolers You Can Buy Today

Best Air Cooler for Most People

Thermalright's Peerless Assassin 120 SE lives up to its name, delivering the best performance from an air cooler that we've tested on Intel's Alder Lake at a price that undercuts the competition. In our tests, it performed so well when cooling our Core i9-12900K that we re-tested it multiple times to be sure the results were correct. The Peerless Assassin 120 SE cooled the CPU when it was drawing over 200 watts better than our tested competition, and at lower thermal/TDP settings, it performed much better than the competition.

The cooler's two 120mm fans did their job of dissipating all that heat at low noise levels, making at just 34.5dB at max speed, and 33dB at 50% speed. It's also available in in silver/gray, white or black, so it should fit in with most build themes if you care about matching aesthetics. Whether you care about value or not, you should consider this cooler for your next system build, so long as your case has room for it.

Read: Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE review

Best Big Air CPU Cooler

Thermalright has long been delivering impressive cooling at prices that most of competition can't match. But the Royal Pretor 130 shattered my expectations, once again 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. And unlike big air alternatives from brands like Noctua or Be Quiet, the price of this cooler is reasonable, typically selling for just above $50 in the U.S.

That said, unless you're running one of the highest-end consumer CPUs under sustained productivity workloads that task all all available cores, or you need the quietest possible performance, most people should be happy with a lower-end, lower-priced cooler like Thermalright's Peerless Assassin 120 SE, which typically sells for $15-$20 less than this cooler. But if you’re looking for the best air cooler on the market and don't mind spending around $50, the Royal Pretor 130 is what you should buy.

Read: Thermalright Royal Pretor 130

Best Mid-size Air CPU Cooler

With the Mugen 6, Scythe brings performance and noise levels comparable to high-end models available from BeQuiet! and DeepCool, at a lower price. If you’re after a well-performing air cooler with low maximum noise levels, the Mugen 6 and Mugen 6 Black Edition are well worth considering.

There aren’t many other quiet coolers at this price level, aside form Thermalright’s Phantom Spirit 120. It can dissipate slightly more watts for high-end CPUs, but it does so at higher maximum noise levels.

Read: Scythe Mugen 6 review

Best Entry-Level Air Cooler

You shouldn't use it for overclocking, but for those looking for an aftermarket cooler on a tight budget, Thermalright’s Assassin X 120 R SE is the best option on the market at the moment. Our testing shows it delivers essential cooling performance sufficient for most users, while also keeping noise levels low. Its one-year warranty is less than most of the competition. But if the fan goes in a couple of years, you can probably afford to replace it considering how affordable this cooler is.

Read: Thermalright Assassin X 120 R SE review

Best Fanless CPU Cooler

Noctua’s NH-P1 is a unique fanless cooler that delivers truly silent cooling, at the cost of slightly reduced cooling thermal performance. Don't look to this cooler if you need every last bit of performance for overclocking. But if you’re a user who prefers silence and runs more common workloads, it's a great option. Even if you run intense multi-core workloads, there won’t be much of a performance loss, as we saw in our Cinebench R23 tests using AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

Not only is Noctua’s NH-P1 the strongest fanless solution available for typical PC users, it's also the only one that is easily available for purchase. The $119 USD price will be tough for many to take, but that’s the price of a niche product with strong performance.

Read: Noctua NH-P1 review

Best AIO Coolers You Can Buy Today

Best 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler

If your primary cooling concern is the lowest possible CPU temperatures and you don't want to pay extra for RGB or a screen, Arctic's 360 mm Liquid Freezer III Pro is, hands down, the best option I've ever tested, whether you're using a high-end AMD or Intel CPU. Nothing else even comes close.

Just note that its radiator and fans together are 63 mm thick, so it won't fit in every case. And its default settings are arguably overkill for even a 9950X3D or a 14900K. So if you're sensitive to fan and pump noise, you'll want to tune things down a bit. Aslo, Intel users will have to install an included contact frame, which makes installation more complicated. Installation is pretty standard for AMD users.

Aside from performance, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro also wins on price. Its $125 U.S. MSRP is competitive or below many other big-name cooling brands. But the cooler is also often on sale for much less. When we wrote this, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 mm was selling for just $88 on Amazon. At that price – or really at any price around $100 – it's hard to argue for any other AIO cooler.

Read: Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro review

Best Budget Curved Screen AIO

If you’re in the market for a new AIO and like huge screens, Thermalright’s Wonder Vision 360 UB ARGB is one of the best we’ve recently tested. Sporting a large, high-resolution 6.7-inch detachable curved screen that sets it apart from most of the competition, good cooling performance, low noise in common scenarios, and a lower price than competing curved-screen AIOs, this makes a great cooling solution for anyone who wants a screen on their AIO without the sticker shock.

Our testing revealed that the Wonder Vision handles more than 255W with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X CPU; however, they said it gets loud when maxed out (47 dBA peak). Quiet isn’t its specialty during high-load scenarios, but it operates quietly in other scenarios. Still, the claim to fame for this AIO is the detachable 6.7-inch, 2,400 x 1,080-resolution anamorphic screen that can be mounted elsewhere, even outside your case. Thermalright stands behind this AIO with a long six-year warranty, too.

Read: Thermalright Wonder Vision 360 UB ARGB Review

Best 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler Alternative

Thermalright continues to prove it's a market leader, raising the bar for performance and value with the Grand Vision 360. This 360mm AIO’s thermal results were better than previous coolers we’ve tested, both with Intel's current Core Ultra 9 285K and the older Core i7-14700K.

Its cooling performance wasn't drastically better than close competitors from Be Quiet and NZXT, but at $129 in the US, its more affordable than those alternatives, while offering up more features.

Unlike most AIOs in this price range, the Grand Vision 360 includes a fancy LCD screen with tons of preset customization options. And while not everyone wants or needs that in their cooler, Thermalright at least delivers the feature at a lower price than most competitors, and doesn't sacrifice cooling performance for a flashy LCD. If you’re looking for an LCD-equipped AIO that cools extremely well and doesn’t break the bank, Thermalright’s Grand Vision 360 is the liquid cooler you’re looking for.

Read: Thermalright Grand Vision 360 Review

Best Budget 360mm AIO Cooler

ID-Cooling, much like rival Thermalright, has established itself as a company that delivers solid colling performance at budget-friendly prices. Its FX360 INF 360mm AIO, while not the cheapest in the company's lineup, is still quite affordable at around $80. For that price, you get RGB fans and an infinity mirror on top of the CPU block, a tube of one of the best thermal pastes we've tested, and shockingly great performance for the price.

The ID-Cooling FX360 INF was within striking distance of the best coolers we've tested, just one watt below the best results we've seen cooling the Core i7-14700K with no power limits. And it kept our newer Core Ultra 9 286K more than 10 degrees Celsius below its throttling threshold. And even more impressively, it did all that with a maximum noise level of just 44.4 dBA – and when tied to our test system's default fan curve during our heavy gaming test, the cooler topped out at just 40.9 dBA. Those are both some of the quietest results we've seen from an AIO.

You could spend more – and you'll likely have to spend a lot more – to get slightly better cooling performance and / or aesthetic features like a customizable screen on the water block. But if all you care about is keeping your CPU cool and your system quiet while adding some RGB lighting to your rig, ID-Cooling's FX360 INF is one of the best – and most affordable – 360mm options we've tested to date.

Read: ID-Cooling FX360 INF review

Best Multipurpose AIO Cooler

There is still room for innovation in the CPU cooling market, as evidenced by Silverstone's IceMyst AIO line. The 360mm model we tested performed generally quite well in our testing, but apart from that, this cooler lets you add multiple additional fans (which cost $16 each) on top of the CPU block that can easily be positioned to help cool VRMs, RAM, SSDs, or other nearby components. While not everyone needs this additional cooling, it's a unique option not available from any other AIO or air cooler. And the IceMyst is also priced less than most high-end AIO coolers.

We tested both the 360 and 240mm IceMyst AIOs and they performed well overall, generally landing close tot he best-performing alternatives in terms of thermal dissipation. But if you set the IceMyst cooler's fans to a quiet 38.2 dBA, as well as its competitors, Silverstone’s 360mm cooler performed better than any cooler we've tested, dissipating 237 watts. The 240mm model also did well, removing 228W of heat.

The only real downside is that you'll have to do some fan speed tweaking to get the best results. By default, Silverstone sets the IceMyst's fan speeds higher than they need to be, making them louder than necessary. But take a few minutes to set a custom fan curve in your BIOS or motherboard software, and these coolers offer the best noise-normalized performance we've tested so far. Plus, if you want to add some additional cooling to components around your CPU, you can do so for as little as $16 extra.

Read: Silverstone IceMyst 360 and 240mm AIO Review

Best 280mm AIO Cooler

With the right design, you don’t need a 360mm AIO or a loud cooler to keep modern high-end CPUs from throttling -- and Lian Li’s Galahad II LCD 280 proves it. Its performance is amongst the best we’ve seen from any AIO, and its limited 280mm radiator size means that it will fit in many cases where a 360mm model won’t. The LCD screen atop the cooling plate is vibrant and adds eye-catching functionality, too.

At $229, the Galahad II LCD 280 is on the fairly expensive, but if the LCD display isn’t important to you, the non-LCD versions of the Galahad II are available for $159.99 for the 360mm version and $119.99 for the 240mm model. That's a lot more affordable for what should be performance that's just as impressive as this model.

Read: Lian Li Galahad II LCD 280 Review

Best 240mm AIO Liquid Cooler

I never imagined that a 240mm AIO would have this level of thermal domination. Lian Li’s Galahad Trinity II Performance 240mm got surprisingly close to and even outperformed 360mm AIOs in our testing that were previously considered among the best available.

You can’t go wrong with Lian Li’s Galahad II Trinity 240mm if you're after a cooler that performs well. Our testing shows it's the best-cooling AIO of its size on the market. It's also quiet under most conditions, and is reasonably priced at only $119.99.

Read: Lian Li Galahad II Trinity Performance 240 Review

Best 240mm AIO Liquid Cooler Alternative

After testing, I found Cooler Master’s new MasterLiquid 240 Atmos especially impressive. The company improved its flagship AIO in several key areas: Noise levels are low in most common workloads, and despite its smaller 240mm profile, this is one of only a handful of AIOs I’ve tested that can keep Intel’s i7-13700K under its peak temperature, even in the most thermally demanding scenarios.

Cooler Master also backs the quality of this product with rated lifespans of over 160,000 hours for the fans and 210,000 hours for the pump, combined with a 5-year warranty.

Lian Li's Galahad II Trinity Performance 240 cools just slightly better and sells for a little less. But Cooler Master's Atmos includes an ARGB controller box for syncing your lighting with other components. If you have a use for the controller, which would cost about $20 on its own, these two coolers are effectively evenly priced.

Read: Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 Atmos Review

Best 120mm Closed-Loop Liquid Cooler

Why you might not want a 120mm AIO

Generally, you can get better performance with air cooler at a lower price than a small 120mm AIO. And an air cooler won't add the underlying hum of pump noise to your PC. But there are certain systems, whether they be extremely compact, or just with very little clearance above the CPU socket and no space to mount a larger 240mm radiator, where 120mm AIOs are your best (or perhaps only) option.

We tested four popular models of these compact liquid coolers. And while Enermax LiqMaxFlo SR 120mm wasn't hands-down the best performer when it comes to cooling, it offered the best balance of cooling ability, quiet noise levels, and price (selling for around $80 when we wrote this).

Enermax's cooler also has a unique feature in its CPU-block-mounted RGB fan, which adds a splash of color while also helping to circulate air around your VRMs and RAM. In extremely tight cases where you might have to use a 120mm AIO, that extra airflow can be a very helpful feature.

Read our 120mm AIO roundup: Testing Be Quiet, Corsair, Cooler Master, and Enermax models

Intel Core Ultra Arrow Lake S cooling tests

If you're considering building around one of Intel's latest Core Ultra desktop processors, you won't need to spend as much as you might think on cooling. Arrow Lake S sports a more efficient design (though there are some serious tradeoffs in performance, particularly in gaming), so you shouldn't need as much cooling performance as you would or did with previous-gen Raptor Lake chips.

Our testing links below will tell you what kind of cooler you'll need to keep the latest Ultra 7 and Ultra 9 CPUs running fast and cool.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K cooling testing

Intel Core Ultra 7 265K cooling testing

Quick Shopping Tips

When choosing the best CPU cooler for your needs, consider the following:

Memory specialist Patriot has launched a new PCIe 5.0 SSD to compete with the best SSDs on the market. The Patriot Viper PV573 is now official, but we’ve seen it before. We enjoyed a hands-on with the device during CES 2024 back in January. 

Though several months have passed, the Viper PV573's attractions remain the same: it will be available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, includes a chunky blower cooler for comfortable thermals under load, and delivers up to 14,000 MB/s sequential reads.

With the product ready for prime time, let’s recall the specs as a table and compare it with Patriot’s current premium gaming offering, the Viper PV553.

Interestingly, from the data that we have at hand, the new Viper PV573 and established Viper PV553 PCIe Gen5 M.2 SSD designs have identical vital specs but deliver different performance levels. This suggests some hardware tweaks haven’t made it to the product spec sheets, new firmware, better cooling, or a combination of factors to achieve the modest headlining performance bump and new product number. Other brands have managed to get 14,000 MB/s out of the Micron 232 layer NAND and Phison E26 combo, so it isn’t that surprising to see Patriot bump the speeds and present the Viper PV573 as a revised product.

A feature of the Patriot Viper PV573 that we don’t see in spec sheets for the PV553 is that its active fan spins at up to 8,000 RPM. This 16.5mm high thermal conductivity aluminum alloy heatsink and heat flow design delivers a 40% improvement in cooling. However, Patriot doesn’t say what is being compared here, and the PV553 claimed the same 40% reduction. At CES, we saw Patriot assert that the new Viper PV573 could maintain temperatures below 45 degrees Celsius under stress – a more helpful metric for performance SSD shoppers.

If you are interested in the new Viper PV573 SSD, consider its size and connection requirements. The device’s 16.5mm Z-height may preclude some install locations, even though it is described as “low profile.” Buyers will also want to make sure they can provide a SATA and four-pin Molex plug to power the device’s cooling system. There is no RGB lighting.

Expect the Patriot Viper PV573 SSD to become available at retail soon. The firm hasn’t hinted at pricing, but these SSDs should be available at a similar cost per TB as rival PCIe 5.0 devices.

With the need for fast external storage, enclosures that can house the latest NVMe drives are always available. Akasa has listed an aluminum enclosure that promises to provide USB4 speeds up to 40 Gbps for PCIe 5.0 SSDs, hence supporting USB4 and Thunderbolt 3.

The enclosure includes a heatsink with a couple of thermal pads for NVMe drives between 2242 and 2280 spec and has a built-in fan. To take full advantage of the output bandwidth, the enclosure supports up to PCIe 5.0 SSDs. It has a USB Type-C port and a small Type-C cable, supporting multiple operating systems, including macOS and Android. The casing is made of aluminum and has vents on its sides to allow airflow.

However, one couldn't say if the 8,000 RPM fan will be compelling enough or overkill to cool off SSDs with hot controllers. The heatsink with two thermal pads also helps with heat dissipation. The rest of the specifications are as follows:

The USB-IF specifies that the USB4 has a power delivery of up to 100W with a minimum requirement of 7.5W. While Akasa confirms the theoretical bandwidth the enclosure's output provides, it doesn't list any specific transfer speeds—apart from a CDMark benchmark screenshot with its Sequential 1M read/ write speeds of 3,629.72 and 3,475.02 MB/s—but doesn't list the drive it is paired with. There's also no confirmation of compatibility with dual-sided NVMe drives.

The ZikeDrive is one of the fastest enclosures we've tested. If Akasa can match its speed with no compatibility issue with any SSDs (or at least the one we test with), many may look forward to it, depending on the pricing. Naturally, the speed depends on the SSD you're using and its connected device.

The benefit of such enclosures is the ability to swap drives internally. Akasa's enclosure might be tricky since you need to apply the thermal pads and heatsink before mounting the drive. That said, there are USB4 drives with thinner profiles, such as the Adata SE920, so it largely depends on your requirements, preferences, and the investment you intend to make for an external drive.

For now, this drive is not listed on Amazon. However, we should see it listed soon, as Akasa tagged this enclosure as 'upcoming.'

AI-embracing musicians and audiovisual artists Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst have a new exhibition where you can see and hear their “GPU organ” in action. Herndon explains that the new-fangled pipe organ “plays music acoustically by controlling the RPM of each fan.”

In the embedded Tweet, above, you can listen to a sample of the GPU organ playing. Images show an ornately designed pipe organ with a wall of fans that control the airflow and thus audio output of the instrument. The hardware isn’t explained in any proper detail, but we don’t see any GPUs. Rather, we think that the GPU organ is just a catchy name for a PWM fan-powered pipe organ.

Some GPUs may well have been used in this art project though, as the music you hear is based on AI modeling techniques. The Serpentine site explains that “To train the AI, Herndon and Dryhurst have composed a songbook of hymnals, singing exercises, and a recording protocol, traveling with the Serpentine Arts Technologies team to record fifteen community choirs across the UK.” The spatial audio installation (i.e. the GPU organ) uses these trained models to create the audioscape you hear.

In some further informative Tweets, Herndon discusses the training, and says that the music is generated from a diffusion model, creating new songs based on the training data and “can generate infinite scores.” For some exhibition user interactivity, Herndon says there is “a new polyphonic call and response model, developed with @Ircam, that allows you to sing to the model and receive a response back.” There is also a video demo of this in the Tweet thread if you wish to witness some haunting-sounding AI choir call-and-response audio action.

If your interest in the GPU organ has been piqued, and you are visiting London, you can go and experience The Call at the Serpentine Galleries in Kensington. The exhibit is open to the public until February 2025. Let us know if you see any GPUs.

Major AMD graphics AIB partner Sapphire launched the Pure Radeon RX 7700 XT Frostpunk 2 Edition video card on Newegg. This mid-range GPU, priced at $449.99, features 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM but has a higher core clock of 2,226 MHz and a unique port configuration of two HDMI 2.1 and two DisplayPort 2.1 ports. Sapphire also gave the card ARGB lighting instead of the original one, which had only red LEDs. Aside from that, it comes with a code for the Deluxe Edition of Frostpunk 2 — slated to arrive on September 21 and priced at $75 on launch.

This Frostpunk 2 Edition GPU isn’t the most affordable option among Sapphire’s RX 7700 XT lineup, with the two-fan Sapphire Pulse at just $399.99. But if you’re a fan of the indie game, then the $50 premium you pay with this GPU is worth it, as you’re effectively getting a $25 discount if you buy it at launch. Even if you pre-purchase the title today, you’ll still save $17.50, which makes it a steal.

Furthermore, our review of the vanilla RX 7700 XT Pure, which costs a pretty penny at over $700 on Newegg at the time of writing, shows that it’s one of the quietest GPUs you can get in the 7700 XT range — so, even if you’re not interested in a game that covers snow and the breakdown of society, you’re ultimately getting tremendous value with the Frostpunk 2 Edition GPU.

Sapphire also included three Frostpunk 2 enamel pin badges, white F and P, and two keycaps for those who are really into the game. While these trinkets don’t offer much for your gaming experience, you can add them to your Frostpunk-series merch collection to show your dedication to the title.

The 7700XT isn’t a beefy graphics card designed for 4K gaming. Instead, it’s more comfortable playing games at 1440p and 1080p. This partnership also gives us a preview of the system requirements for the sequel to the popular city-builder/survival game. Steam lists its recommended specs as AMD Ryzen 7 / Intel Core i7 2.8 GHz, 16GB RAM, and an RX 5700, RTX 2060, or Arc A770 GPU, all of which sport 8GB of VRAM. So, the 12GB VRAM on the RX 7700 XT Pure should be more than enough to run the game smoothly and on higher-quality settings.

Over on Chinese videosharing platform Bilibili, user 苏打baka uploaded a lengthy video showcasing the building, iteration, and operation of a true fan PC build, by which we mean the entire PC has been built into the center of a giant box fan painted to look like a case fan. This video demo should not be mistaken for an actually-viable Mini PC project, and does not constitute any PC cooling advice.

苏打baka's name is a combination of the Chinese characters for "soda" and Japanese-Romanized "baka" meaning "fool", so their name can effectively be translated as "Sodabaka", "Sodafool", or "Soda-foolish", depending on how semantic you feel like being. We'll use Sodabaka. Besides this project, they also do lots of other PC hardware and gaming-centric content on their Bilibili channel.

Now, let's talk a little more about the details of the PC build in question. Sodabaka essentially took an old Intel Sandybridge-era Mini ITX motherboard and tested its operation while attached to a spinning fan. 

The first attempt at this used a smaller CPU heatsink that didn't adequately cool the system, even while it was spinning, with tests showing the processor reaching 100 degrees Celsius. However, this did function as a general proof of concept that you could make a PC spin violently at the center of a fan and still have it operate without issue.

So, when moving onto the final testing of the fan PC build, Sodabaka instead used an even larger passive air cooler — which may have been a good idea, if the final testing of the PC build didn't also include steadily ramping up the speed of fan upon which the entire PC spins. While the beefier-cooler version of the fan PC does seemed to work, as far as its principle functionality went, its final testing run ended in disaster.

So, what happened? Did the static buildup short out the PC or something? Fortunately, nothing so mundane. Instead, the fan PC was tested at increasingly higher speeds until the weighty cooler was violently flung from the PC in the last moments of the original video. No wonder Sodabaka hid behind a riot shield for much of the video demo.

XFX posted a teaser via X (formerly, Twitter) that suggest it will be releasing graphics cards with swappable fans for the global market, unlike its Phoenix Nirvana series that was originally announced to be exclusive for the Chinese market.  

It is highly likely that each of the Phoenix series models, including the RX 7900 XTX, 7900 GRE and the AMD Radeon 7800 XT will feature these swappable fans. The rather limited information afforded by the post means that we don't know anything about its performance or bearing type but it does suggest that this series will be available globally. Aftermarket fans may provide alternative performance or be purely aesthetic and provide different colours- either from XFX or otherwise. In any case, removable fans give the ability to clean the fan blades and get better access to blow the dust away from the heatsinks once the fans are removed. But likely these are not  purely offered as the means to allow better cleaning. They could also provide an easier repair path should a fan stop working.

While such features are useful, it is not a key selling point since users don't replace GPUs unless needed. Graphics cards have fan curves that keep the fans off until it reach a certain threshold, enhancing the lifespan of its fans. Hence the primary purpose is likely to provide customization options. Sapphire had a similar concept which was showcased during Computex 2017 under its Nitro Gear series of accessories where it offered swappable 95mm LED backlighted fans with translucent blades and used dual-ball bearings. But it was never featured in subsequent models after the RX 400 and RX 500 series.

This isn't new for XFX either as it did sell HSF 100 swappable fans which had built-in LED lights with three colour options eight years ago.

One of the other interesting features of the XFX's Radeon RX 7900 XTX Phoenix Nirvana is the use of Honeywell's PTM7950 phase-change thermal pad to provide the best possibility of thermal conductivity. One would be curious if XFX is planning to use the same thermal pad on these variants for the global market, and maybe not exclusive to its flagship AMD Radeon graphics card.

Regardless, perhaps providing better fans with quieter operation would be preferred by users over swappable fans? The best example of this would be a collaboration between Asus and Noctua that began two years ago and has been showcasing newer models to date. In any case, either one of the features would command a certain premium.

Power supply specialist Seasonic and air cooling expert Noctua exhibited the latest product of their collaborative efforts at Computex 2024. The Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition is an enhanced version of the vanilla Prime TX-1600 with Noctua's cooling optimization.

The Prime TX-1600 belongs to Seasonic's flagship Prime series that flaunts exceptional performance and quality. The 1,600W power supply has obtained certifications, including 80 Plus Titanium, Cybenetics Titanium in the efficiency area, and Cybenetics Lambda A in terms of noise level. The Noctua Edition should retain the same certifications since Noctua only provided its expertise in cooling, and it's unlikely that Seasonic has messed with anything else inside the unit. Assuming that's true, the power supply should have the exact dimensions as the original, 8.3 x 5.9 x 3.4 inches (210 x 150 x 86 mm).

Noctua has tailored an optimized fan grill for the Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition, proudly sporting the brand's characteristic brown color. There are divided opinions on Noctua's color themes. But given the power supply's normal orientation, it's unlikely to be visible in your case. The plus is that the redesign will help with airflow, which is more important than the visual makeover.

The Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition has a capacity of 1,600W. That equals 133.3A on the +12V rail, enough to power a multi-GPU setup. Although Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossFire are pointless nowadays, the power supply will be helpful to professionals or users who want to assemble several graphics cards for AI workloads.

The regular Prime TX-1600 employs a 135mm HA13525H12SF-Z fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) cooling fan from Hong Hua. The fan, which features a seven-blade design, has a rotational speed of 2,300 RPM. In contrast, the Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition leverages Noctua's NF-A12x25, a more petite 120m fan than the Hong Hua. It also spins a tad slower, achieving a maximum speed of 2,000 RPM. Noctua claims that the NF-A12x25 lowers the power supply's noise level by up to 10 dB(A). Depending on how fast the fan is spinning, the fan contributes six to eight decibels, and the fan grills around two decibels towards improvement. The Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition retains the semi-passive fan control system where the NF-A12x25 will stay off until 50% load at up to an ambient temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.

The Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition complies with the ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards and provides users with the new 12V-2x6 connectors so they don't have to worry about 16-pin meltdowns on Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40-series graphics cards, such as the flagship GeForce RTX 4090. The power supply is fully modular, meaning you only connect the cables you need to reduce cable clutter. Being a Noctua Edition product, the braided cables carry the Noctua theme (black and brown), which may be a letdown for non-hardcore Noctua fans.

Seasonic will launch the Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition in the fourth quarter of this year. Pricing-wise, the new model likely carries a $30 premium. The regular Primx TX-1600 retails for $599.99; therefore, the Noctua Edition should cost around $629.99. Since it's just an offshoot of the Prime TX-1600, we expect the Noctua Edition to have the same limited 12-year warranty.

Hyte is pretty new to the cooling space, but the company came out of the gate swinging with its impressive THICC Q60 240mm AIO liquid cooler, which was unveiled at last year's Computex and dropped earlier this year. The brand is back at Computex 2024 with two new coolers: the THICC Q80 Trio, a triple-fan, 360mm version of the Q60; and the THICC P60 Duo, a slimmer and more affordable 240mm AIO that Hyte promises will offer the "same exceptional performance" as its thicker, pricier counterpart. 

Hyte says the THICC Q80 Trio is the "most THICC, cool, quiet, and intelligent AIO ever made." This 360mm AIO is 52mm thick (or, I suppose... THICC), and features Hyte's new 32mm THICC FP12 Trio fans (also announced at the show). The fans feature the same fiberglass-reinforced liquid crystal polymer blades as their predecessors (rated at 105.8 CFM for airflow and 8.14 mm-H20 static pressure), but are now built into a single frame (triple or double) and have omnidirectional aesthetics for "uninterrupted visual flow." They are the same thickness as their predecessors, however, so, like the Q60, the Q80 Trio will be a whopping 84mm thick (and 360mm long). 

The THICC Q80 Trio comes with a 5-inch HD display, which can display everything from system metrics to custom animations and videos, as well as a 42-pixel qRGB array so you can also fill your case with bright, diffused RGB lighting. The display, lighting, and cooler's performance are configurable via Hyte's Nexus software, which the company says will soon be able to integrate directly with motherboard PWM and ARGB headers (so you'll be able to control the fans/RGB of anything plugged into said headers). 

The THICC Q80 Trio will come in both black and white colorways, and will be available in August 2024.

If you like the idea of the THICC Q60 but not the $300 price tag, the THICC P60 Duo is Hyte's answer to your problems: a sleeker, more affordable version of the Q60 that delivers the "same exceptional performance." This 240mm AIO liquid cooler comes with Hyte's new FP12 Duo fans (single frame, omnidirectional aesthetics) and notably does not feature the Q80/Q60's 5-inch screen but instead has "category innovating projector lenses" that "collect scattered rays of qRGB light, focusing them into a beam of mesmerizing color." (So, qRGB lighting, somewhat diffused but still very bright.) 

Hyte says the THICC P60 Duo will offer the highest cooling performance per dollar of any of its coolers (all... three of them), but at the moment the price is still to be determined. The THICC P60 Duo will come in both black and white colorways and will be available in September 2024.

In addition to robust cooling solutions, Hyte also showed off some components that will work with its Nexus Link ecosystem to make the inside of your case prettier. The qRGB Noodle is a flexible qRGB lighting strip with 215 degrees of smooth, saturated diffused lighting. The strip bends easily and comes with mounting clips, so you should be able to easily fit it inside any case (though it's designed specifically to complement Hyte's Y-series cases). It will come in both black and white colorways when it launches; no price or release date has been announced yet. 

For expanding your PC's I/O capacity (and keeping your cables in order), Hyte also demoed its internal universal hub — a USB 2.0 header with four powered USB 2.0 outputs. The internal universal hub features a low-profile design with a clear frosted case (for lighting, naturally), embedded magnets so you can easily stick it anywhere inside your case, and a rotary power switch. Like everything else Hyte announced, there's no pricing just yet, but it should be available in September 2024.

PC cooling specialist Noctua has unveiled its first foray outside of the PC market. The new Noctua Home series seeks to leverage the firm’s “superior, award-winning fan technology,” in products such as desk fans and accessories that facilitate Noctua fan usage in homes, offices, and for multi-purpose ventilation. Currently, this market is "plagued by noisy, low-quality fans," asserts Noctua, and it wants to change this - but the new Home products aren't cheap. 

It is good to finally see Noctua launch its long-anticipated desk fan, the NV-FS1, which is available at $99.90. Other members of the Noctua Home range include the NV-FS2 multi-purpose device cooling fan set and a plethora of accessories like mounts, power supplies, and gaskets.

Pondering over the main attraction first, the NV-FS1 provides quiet but powerful air cooling in an angled adjustable frame. Central to the design is one of Noctua’s well-regarded fans, the award-winning NF-A12x25 PWM 120mm fan. This is fronted by an NV-AA1 airflow amplifier (available separately), and cradled by a pivoting steel mount/stand. The included NV-FM1 stand (available separately) has dampening, magnets, zip-tie slots, and screw mounting holes for flexible placing and fixing.

The final important component of the NV-FS1 desk fan is its power supply setup. When you buy the desk fan you get Noctua’s Noctua’s NV-PS1 230/115V universal power supply as well as an NV-EC4 1m extension cable. We see the NV-PS1 is currently available separately, but not the NV-EC4.

Noctua’s NV-FS2 is the other major product in the new Home range, priced at $79.90 on Amazon. The cooling firm envisions customers buying (multiples of) this product to mount to hot-running electronic devices around the home. Examples given are A/V receivers, stereo equipment, routers, game consoles, and storage solutions. Again we see Noctua leveraging its NF-A12x25 PWM 120mm fan.

Other important components of the NV-FS2 include its soft mounting pads and gaskets, as well as a fan controller. Last but not least Noctua’s NA-FG1 fan grill makes sure this product doesn’t cause hurty fingers, and the NV-PS1 power and NV-EC4 1m extension are bundled again.

As mentioned in the intro, Noctua also released a series of bits and pieces to support its Home range. As well as the components that would allow you to make up your own desk fan (except the power extension cable), there are things like fan hubs, fan sets, pads, and gaskets. These have all been chosen to help facilitate your DIY home optimization projects, big or small.

Don't be surprised if the next best SSDs don't come with a Phison or Silicon Motion controller. Chinese publication MyDrivers reports that Yingren Technology, aka InnoGrit, has commenced mass production on the YRS820, the company's first consumer PCIe 5.0 SSD controller.

Yingren started producing the YR S900, an enterprise PCIe 5.0 controller, last year, so it was only a matter of time before the manufacturer focused its time and resources on a consumer product. The YRS820 shares many similarities with the YR S900. For one, the YRS820 is likely a domestic controller that Yingren has developed for the Chinese market. Similar to the YR S900, the YRS820 depends on the RSIC-V architecture to avoid infringing U.S. export restrictions.

The company is taking advantage of the AI hype and has reportedly integrated AI features into the YRS820 controller. It didn't go into detail, but claims that the YRS820 is excellent for AI PCs and has AI-powered data acceleration to minimize latency and enhance performance for specific applications.

Like lots of tech coming out of China, the YRS820 still has some mysterious aspects. For example, Yingren doesn't reveal who makes the controller or what node it's based on. While we know it uses RISC-V, there is no core count or clock speed information. According to the presentation, the YRS820 sports a four-channel PCIe 5.0 interface with support for up to eight NAND flash memory channels. Vendors can pair the YRS820 with 3D TLC or QLC NAND. The controller happily embraces NAND with a transmission rate of up to 2,667 MT/s. The maximum supported capacity is 8TB, which is more than enough since that's the current ceiling for M.2 SSD drives.

On paper at least, the YRS820 has what it takes to rival Phison and Silicon Motion. Yingren paired the YRS820 controller with YMTC's 232-layer X3-9070 TLC NAND. The duo achieved sequential read and write speeds over 14.2 GB/s and 12.4 GB/s, respectively. Meanwhile, random performance was at 2,000,000 IOPS reads and 1,500,000 IOPS writes. The X3-9070 runs at 2,400 MT/s, so there is still some untapped potential in the YRS820.

Yingren claims that the YRS820 delivers on performance claims with a fanless design. We'll have to see this with our own eyes, as current PCIe 5.0 SSDs run hot and require bulky heatsinks and active coolers to maintain their performance when under heavy load. It would appear that Yingren presented the numbers on a slide, but didn't perform a live demonstration of the controller.

The company is still validating the YRS820 with domestic NAND and DRAM manufacturers to expand its domestic ecosystem in China. In the meantime, we know it gels well with YMTC's NAND. Yingren only confirmed that the YRS820 is already in mass production but didn't share a specific date on when YRS820-powered SSDs will hit the retail market.

At an event in China earlier this week Lenovo took the wraps off its latest Legion series gaming laptop. The new Lenovo Legion 9i's claim to fame is that it includes the "thinnest water cooling in the industry." It will also be on many portable PC gaming enthusiast wish lists due to other premium components such as the Core i9-13980HX CPU and GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. 

Tech site MSPowerUser shared rendered images of the laptop in its coverage of this announcement, but VideoCardz helped make the announcement more interesting by confirming the presence of a water cooling system in this upcoming flagship, as well as unearthing a tech specs list.

According to some of the supporting presentation slides at the Lenovo Legion 9i unveiling event, the cooling system is one of the slimmest water cooling implementations yet. In some official renders we see the liquid cooling loop, various heatsinks and the position of a trio of cooling fans. It is explained that the liquid cooling isn't necessary until the GPU temperature hits 84+ degrees Celsius. After this threshold "the liquid pump starts to work quickly to reduce the GPU temperature," says a translated slide. An AI-based system is claimed to optimize the cooling / performance of this laptop.

So, the text confirms the liquid cooling and twin fans on the GPU side of the motherboard are all to keep the GPU cool, while the fan on the right will be there for the CPU. Some other information from the source asserts that Lenovo has used '3D blades' in its cooling fans and used liquid metal for its hard to beat thermal interface properties. All of this is housed in a slim 18.9mm profile, with a distinctive finish to the laptop provided by a carbon fiber material.

This new flagship gaming laptop is claimed to be destined for a fuller reveal at IFA 2023 (Sept 1 to Sept 5, in Berlin). We don't have details about pricing or release dates as yet. We hope it will be released in time to be a contender for our regularly updated Best gaming laptops of 2023 feature.

Cases and cooling specialist Raijintek has decided to go big with its latest PC chassis release. The Raijintek Zofos Ultra full tower case will barely fit under a standard desk at just under 2 feet tall and deep. However, power users may find the Zofos Ultra alluring thanks to its impressive-looking cooling and max compatibility figures, as well as its headlining ability to comfortably fit in up to fourteen 3.5-inch drives.

The Raijintek Zofos Ultra demands to be described in terms of its sheer size and capacity. The case measures 254 x 598 x 597 mm which is a little over 45 liters in volume. A standard desk height is about 720 mm from the floor to the desk top, and smaller desks might only be 600 mm from front to back. Nevertheless, under-desk placement will make the Zofos Ultra top right corner-mounted I/O ports comfortable to reach. If you place this case next to your monitor, though, it will mean the I/O ports are out of sight and only just within reach while sitting. The Zofos Ultra is 17 kg (37.5 pounds) unpopulated.

Raijintek's new case has such a large physical size that it offers great capacity and max compatibility figures. For those who appreciate loads of local storage for their digital treasures, there are 14x 3.5-inch HDD brackets in the Zofos Ultra, as well as 3x 2.5-inch drive bays. The specs mention there is a 5.25-inch bay at the front / top of the case, but adding one there sacrifices one of the front 10x 3.5-inch HDD slots.

Motherboard choices for buyers of this case are wide open, with compatibility for EEB, E-ATX, ATX, Micro ATX, and even Mini-ITX claimed. Moreover, this 1.0 mm SPCC steel and 4 mm tempered glass case offers access to ten PCI slots. Users will also be able to fit a CPU cooler up to 190 mm tall, and a GPU up to 370 mm long (540 mm with front 10x HDD cage removed) in this case.

Raijintek's Zofos Ultra also has ample room for rear cable management, which can be covered up with an "iron cover," once the build is complete.

Another important aspect where this case goes big is in cooling support. Users can fit up to 15x 120mm case fans in this chassis. Liquid cooling aficionados will also be attracted by the sizable and flexible array of options for radiator size (up to 480 mm) and placement.

Users who want to add some RGB LED lighting frills can enjoy cable-less convenience and control of front panel lighting. However, the product pages and install manual don't give a lot of detail about this feature.

To the upper right corner of the case, Riajintek's I/O panel offers power and reset buttons plus two USB 3.0 Type-A, one USB 3.1 Type-C, and an HD Audio port.

Raijintek has blitzed its social media channels with promotional details, images and videos of the new Zofos Ultra, but we don't have the pricing and availability details at the time of writing. Looking at previous high-capacity case releases from this company we would expect Zofos Ultra pricing to sit between $169 and $199.

SilverStone maxed-out one of its best known SFF chassis series at Computex this year. The latest iteration of the SilverStone Sugo chassis comes in a segment busting 23.5 liters, with the firm’s own SFF definition being 23 liters or less. However, for those who don’t mind the extra half liter, there are lots of advantages to the Sugo 17, in terms of its capacity for the most powerful components available in 2023.

One of the major stand-out features of the new Sugo 17, is its GPU support. Regular readers can’t have failed to notice that mid-to high end GPU dimensions have ballooned with the latest generation graphics cards from both AMD and Nvidia. Thus, SilverStone’s Sugo 17 getting support for quad-slot GPUs will be very welcome to power-users.

In our images of the SilverStone Sugo from the halls of Computex, you can see that the firm has installed one of the latest and greatest GeForce cards to show it can fit, with room to spare.

Another aspect of the panels-off images you cannot fail to notice is the array of other fans accommodated by the chassis. SilverStone says that the Sugo 17 can fit 360mm radiators top and side, but you could also add in six 120mm case fans. The picture appears to show one radiator at the side for CPU cooling, plus a trio of 120mm case fans up top.

If we look at the other side of the open case, a quartet of 80mm case fans are visible across the upper portion of the case. These fans are meant to speed the evacuation of hot air from your GPU out through the case vents. Thanks to this design, SilverStone reckons that even a GeForce RTX 4090 can run within the confines of the SG17 at full speed.

Another nicety with the new Sugo 17 is buyers can choose and install a full sized ATX power supply. Opening up this option is a smart move with the capacity and cooling here encouraging users to equip the most powerful CPUs and GPUs.

We also noticed that SilverStone claims the Sugo 17 is both Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX compatible. This opens up a lot more motherboard choices with this generation, as the Sugo 16, Sugo 15 and Sugo 14 were all limited to Mini-DTX and Mini-ITX choices, according to the firm’s product pages. You might be thinking that anything is possible if you simply inflate the chassis size / capacity, but 23.5 liters isn’t a lot bigger than the previous generations. Admittedly, the Sugo 16 was comparatively small 13 liters, but the Sugo 15 and Sugo 14 were both over 19 liters.

SilverStone is probably best known for its SFF PC cases, though it also sells a good selection of larger cases, cooling accessories, and power supplies. We highlighted the innovative IceMyst AiO coolers with directional fans during Computex week, and we took a closer look at the interesting Alta F2 premium super tower chassis in the same article.

Pulsing RGB LEDs seemed to be present in nearly every product on show at Xigmatec's Computex 2023 booth. Peering through the light pollution, we spotted an alluring new PC test bed. The as yet unnamed easy-access component testing chassis is resplendent in white (with a black option also on display), and features RGB LED cooling fans (of course).

In our images you can see the Xigmatek test bed with its easy access hinged motherboard platform on full display. With the motherboard angled up, we can see plenty of room for components such as PSUs, storage, and so on, along with plenty of room for rummaging around. Of course, Xigmatek has put an RGB extension cable in there for added lighting.

With the hinge closed you can see plenty of room for cable routing around and behind the motherboard mounting area. The design also offers eight PCI slots, a backplate cover, the stylish angled cooling array, and a decent number and variety of ports, power, and a reset button up front.

Xigmatek didn't have a name for this test bed case right now, so it's unsurprising that we don't don't yet have information on things like pricing and availability.

Xigmatek Cases - Plenty of Room, With a View

Another major draw at the Xigmatek booth was the array of cases on offer. The most high profile new cases we saw were the new Aqua Ultra series. These are three sided tempered glass PC cases. In the image below you can see a black, white and pink Aqua Ultra sitting beneath one of Xigmatek's new test beds (in black) which has been encapsulated in a glass box.

These are big PC cases, as you can probably tell, fitting otherboards up to E-ATX, CPU coolers up to 185 mm tall, graphics cards up to 430 mm in length, up to triple 360 mm cooling radiators, room for up to 8 HDDs, and PSUs up to 220 mm long.

Xigmatek has designed the Aqua Ultra cases to be tool-less for easy access. Also, there are some pleasing build options, like being able to choose a full sized vertical GPU installation, plus lots of fan and radiator options.

The Xigmatek Elysium II and Endorphin range of PC cases are also new for Computex. We don't have the specs for the Elysium II, but you can see that it is also a substantial design with a largely transparent section. It certainly looks tall with the five (seemingly 120 mm?) fans up front, and it looks like the top is level with the counters used in the booth (about 700 mm).

Moving on to the Endorphin range, our image shows the Endorphin 9, Endorphin 6, and Endorphin 3 in a line. The case volume reduces in accordance with the numerical suffix. Xigmatek uses a glass corner design here, so there should be more airflow / cooling options. We have the specs of the Endorphin 9, which are reproduced below.

Xigmatek is also pretty well known for its PC cooling. Its new Starlink fans had a cool "flexible modular design" where fans can be clipped together into neat arrays. Similarly, power/data cabling clips into place. The fans support PWM control, ARGB Sync, ARG passthrough, and work with the Galaxy II remote control.

In the above slides you can also see Computex showcased Xigmatek products like AiO coolers, and air coolers.

Among many other products, Noctua has unveiled the highly-anticipated 2nd Generation NH-D15 CPU air cooler at Computex. The new cooler provides a much-needed update to the NH-D15, which launched in 2014 as the successor to the legendary NH-D14 and used to be one of the best CPU coolers on the market.

The second-generation NH-D15 doesn't deviate from the dual tower design characteristic of Noctua's previous installments. However, Noctua made multiple improvements to the design that may not be visible at first glance. First, the company has optimized the tailored fin stacks on the cooler by reducing the fin pitch. As a result, the second-generation NH-D15 has a fin pitch of 1.6mm instead of 1.9mm, equivalent to 20% more surface area for improved heat dissipation.

Besides the compact fin pitch, the second-generation NH-D15 has more heat pipes. It's a welcome upgrade since the transition from the NH-D14 to the NH-D15 saw the same six-heat pipe layout. However, Noctua has implemented two more heat pipes on the second-generation NH-D15, bolstering the number of heat pipes to eight to enhance the cooler's thermal performance further.

Despite being a big cooler, the NH-D15 was compatible with many motherboard configurations. Noctua continues to improve compatibility, which is good since graphics cards are becoming overly thicker and more intrusive. The second-generation NH-D15 has an offset design to offer better clearance space with the primary PCIe expansion slots on motherboards. According to Noctua, the design allows for 9mm less overall depth.

The second-generation NH-D15 will leverage a pair of next-gen Noctua 140mm cooling fans that flaunt an optimized pressure/airflow (P/Q) curve. In addition, the cooler retains the Torx-based SecuFirm2+ mounting system, which is easy and quick to install. Noctua will include the company's latest offset mounting system for the AMD AM5 socket with the second-generation NH-D15. The 7mm offsets slightly move the heatsink over the chip's hotspot to provide better contact with the Core Compute Dies (CCDs), resulting in a more uniform heat distribution. According to Noctua's tests, it could help lower temperatures by up to three degrees Celsius. The offset mounting system is available separately for $3.90 via Noctua or $4.90 on Amazon.

The cooler is compatible with Noctua's new direct die mounting kit, which the vendor has launched for those brave AMD owners that have de-lidded their Ryzen 7000 chips. Consumers can use the direct die mounting kit with the offset mounting system for even more gains. The direct die mounting kit works with most Noctua coolers since 2005 and will retail for $4.90 on Noctua starting June 2023.

The second-generation NH-D15 includes a tube of Noctua's NT-H2 thermal compound, an NM-SD1 Torx T20 head screwdriver, and an NA-TPG1 thermal paste guard for AM5 processors.

Barring any setbacks, Noctua plans to launch the second-generation NH-D15 in the second quarter of 2024. However, the company didn't reveal the pricing of the cooler. Previous editions, such as the NH-D14 and NH-D15, retailed for $89 and $99; therefore, the second-generation NH-D15 could debut with a similar price tag.

Lian Li, which makes some of the best PC cases, is rolling out a set of four new chassis this week at Computex 2023, with each having glass on two or even three sides. The company is also showing off a brand new case fan that has an LCD screen in the middle, something we haven't seen before.

The O11 Vision, shown in the lead image, has glass on its front, left side and even on the top. There isn't even a support beam in the front left side to block your view. The top panel is a one-way mirror that makes reflections on the inside of the case but is see-through from the outside. You can attach a 240mm radiator and have it vent out of the back. There's also a removable motherboard tray.

We had a chance to look at the O11 Vision at Lian Li's Computex booth and were impressed by just how much of the internals you can see clearly. If you want to use this case, you better practice good cable management and plan to put it on top of your desk where everyone can see it.

The O11D Evo RGB has a seamless glass view from the front and left side. However, the top can be used to mount radiator fans and case fans can vent out of the bottom or the back. It also has diffused RGB strips on the top and bottom. 

We noticed that the mesh on the right side also gives you a nice view into the case. We were able to see the custom cooling loop and RGB lights from the right side without seeing the ugly cables that were stashed in the right back.

The O11D Evo XL, shown below, is an e-ATX case with class on both the front and left sides, along with a removable support column. The motherboard tray is height adjustable so you can change its position. 

The SUP 01 Concept case, shown below, is meant to be tall and thin. In order to achieve its svelte dimensions, you have to mount the GPU upright. It also has three tempered glass glass panels and room for fans to exhaust out the right side. 

The O11 Vision, O11D EVO RGB, and O11D EVO XL are all due out in Q3 for prices ranging from $139 to $244. The SUP 01 will come in Q4 for $144.

UNI FAN TL LCD Has Its Own Screen

Lian Li is also releasing some new coolers and case fans. The highlight is the UNI Fan 2nd Gen TL LCD. Like other UNI fans, this 120mm spinner can connect to its siblings magnetically. However, what makes it stand out is that it has a a screen that can show animated GIFs, MP4 videos, still image or system information. 

At Lian Li's booth, the company had two different displays with the fan. The first was showing the temperature while the second was showing a Pac-Man animation. The colors were bright when we viewed them straight on, but they faded a bit at wider viewing angles. The company says that the fans will be available with the blades facing either way so you can configure them for exhaust or intake.

The Uni Fan TL LCD will launch in Q3 for $139 for a three pack. According to Lian Li the screen size is still pending and could be either 2.1 or 1.6 inches. It will run at up to 2,100 RPM. 

If you want a very compact PC case that's more classy than blingy, Cooler Master's new NCore 100 Max could be the chassis you've been waiting for. Unveiled at the company's Computex 2023 demo suite, the NCore 100 Max is a mere 6.1 to 6.7 inches (155 to 172mm) thick with a height of just 18.9 inches (481mm) and a width of 8.3 inches (212mm) and yet it can fit an RTX 4090 CPU that's up to 14 inches (357mm) long. 

We got a look at the NCore 100 Max and were blown away by the ITX chassis' tiny dimensions and attractive bronze or deep green aluminum shell. There's no wide window here and no RGB lighting at all, but you can see inside the case a bit, thanks to the large pattern of bents that adorn the anodized aluminum panels (one for each side).

The NCore Max 100 comes with a PSU on board in the form of an 850W SFX Gold unit and it has its own custom cooling solution for CPUs built-in with a nice thick radiator and a 2,400 rpm Silencio fan. Cooler Master claims that it has tested the cooler with a 13900K using 250 watts and saw no thermal throttling.

You can fit a GPU that requires either 3 or 4 slots. However, if you use the fourth slot, you do gain about 0.6 inches of thickness. 

The tool-less design looks easy to build with, especially since the radiator and PSU come preinstalled. However, you won't have much room for customization and there's room for only a single, 2.5-inch SSD.

There's no word yet on pricing or availability for the NCore 100 Max. However, it looks like when it goes to market, it has the potential to compete with the best PC cases in the compact segment.

Update 5/10/23 - Noctua contacted us with the following statement: We're currently focusing all our energy on getting key products like the next-gen 140 mm fans and the next-gen NH-D15 ready. This means that we are devoting less resources to comparably low priority projects like the white fans. This doesn't mean that they have been scrapped entirely, and we'd say there's still a chance that we may have them before 2025, but we're currently not pushing hard on this and therefore don't feel confident giving an ETA.

Cooling specialist Noctua has updated its roadmap with an edition marked 'Version 5/2023'. The previous update was back in January, and we note there have some interesting changes, both additions and subtractions, from the list. Our headlining observation is that the highly anticipated white fans from Noctua have been completely removed from the roadmap. They were previously penciled in for 2024.

Other changes of concern are Noctua notifying us of delays with respect to a host of other products. Looking at the positives, we observe that the next-gen Threadripper coolers are due in Q3, and a trio of existing desktop CPU coolers are getting the chromax.black treatment scheduled for Q4 this year.

PC builders like to have options, and Noctua's products are no stranger to our list of the best CPU coolers. Those that are repelled by the signature Noctua colors of coffee and cream will often favor neutral shades like black or white. The bad news is it looks like modders and DIYers waiting for white Noctua fans have entered a new indeterminable period of want. We have dropped a line to Noctua in the hope that the omission of white fans on the latest roadmap is an oversight, rather than a product planning decision. While we wait, we must assume the following: in its official roadmap small print Noctua says that anything not on the roadmap "will usually take at least another year to be released."

In our handy  Jan / May roadmap comparison, above, you can also see that the following products have slipped by (another) quarter, or more: 8-way fan hub, slim 60mm fans, 24V 40mm fans, next-gen 140mm fans, and the next-gen NH-D15 CPU cooler. The latter product might be delayed by more than a quarter as the final column of the roadmap simply reads "2024," with no mention of any quarter.

Noctua's next-gen NH-D15 has been the most problematic when ti comes to schedule slippage. This is far from the first time it has been pushed back, as it was originally expected to debut in 2021. In our Noctua roadmap update story from last October we noted that the NH-D15 was "on schedule for launch in Q1 2023," and now it is listed as being ready sometime in 2024. The original NH-D15, an update to the legendary NH-D14, was released a decade ago, but buyers of new retail units get SecuFirm2 mounts for the latest AMD and Intel desktop CPUs. What will change in the next-gen version remains to be seen.

New on the Noctua roadmap in its May 2023 edition are the next-gen AMD Threadripper coolers, which are scheduled for the next quarter (Q3 2023). These look timed to coincide with the launch of the new (TR7 platform) AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 chips, coming to HEDT and workstation platforms.

Lastly, those thinking about building an air-cooled PC system where the Noctua NH-D12L, NH-D9L, or NH-L9x65 are on the short list might be interested to know chromax.black versions of those should become available in Q4 this year.

Dire situations call for desperate measures — especially when your PC performance is at stake. When SamoesA DIY’s graphics card started running too hot, he knew a solution was necessary. Armed with a 3D printer and a few extra components, SamoesA DIY devised a creative solution to the problem by designing custom housing for a bigger fan that wasn’t in any way originally intended to cool a graphics card.

According to SamoesA DIY, the GPU started overheating a while back. In an effort to resolve the issue, a temporary solution was to attach a couple of CPU fans. However, this proved to be a futile effort as the heating issue reared its ugly head once again. This time, a more permanent solution was necessary and SamoesA DIY had just the tool — a server fan. This unit was much bigger than the processor fans he had before, measuring in at 120mm. The biggest hurdle here would be finding a way to mount it to the graphics card.

In a video shared to YouTube, SamoesA DIY shows us the complete design process for his 3D printed solution. He created a fan shroud totally from scratch with exact parameters to mount the fan to the graphics card. At the end of the video, he includes a few charts that show how well the setup does at lowering the overall temperature.

To print the final design, SamoesA DIY used a Creality Ender 3 S1. We reviewed this printer last year and regard it overall as a quality printer. While it can be a bit pricey, the performance results speak for themselves which is evident here in SamoesA DIY’s demonstration video. In this case, SamoesA DIY created the design using Solidworks, a paid CAD application used by both professionals and hobbyists alike. That said, you could create something similar using something open source, such as Blender.

If you want to get a closer look at this custom 3D-printed solution, take a look at the video shared to YouTube by SamoesA DIY. The video is mostly just a timelapse of the design and build process but it gives great insight into how the project developed from beginning to end. We really appreciate not only the work he put into the build also the inside look at how the housing was created.

Computers rely on a steady stream of cool air to perform their best. There are many ways to arrange your case fans, and relying on the case or system manufacturer to choose that for you isn’t always the best choice. Opening up your PC case and rearranging components can be a daunting task. We’re here to help.

The good news is that fans are one of the simplest components inside your PC. They’re usually connected to clear mounting points and use only four screws to attach. Each fan uses a single connector for power, plus another if it has customizable RGB. There are a few things you need to know to get started organizing and arranging your fans. But once you do, arranging them for peak performance isn’t difficult or exceptionally time consuming.

Case Fan Basics

Before deciding how to arrange your case fans, there are a handful of things to know, including some key terms and specs. It’s important to choose the right fan for the job, and that they’re oriented and connected correctly. Here are the most important things to know. 

Most Cases Come with Pre-Installed Fans: Most cases come with one or more fans already installed. Nearly all will include a rear fan to exhaust hot air out the back of your PC. The quality of case fans varies, but usually aligns with the quality of the case. The best PC cases often include very good fans, while lower-end options tend to use lower performance (and often louder) fans.

Fan Size: Fans come in a wide range of sizes, but the most common are 120mm and 140mm, with big 200mm spinners seeing a bit of a resurgence lately as well. The benefit to a larger fan is that it’s able to move the same volume of air at a lower RPM, thereby reducing fan noise. Be sure to check your case to see which sizes it supports and where they can be installed.  

CFM, RPM and Noise: The volume of air a fan can move is measured in Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM). This number can range widely depending on fan size, RPM, and how it balances noise levels, but a “good” case fan will typically output upwards of 50 CFM.

RPM, or Rotations Per Minute, is how fast a fan spins. The higher the RPM, the more air it is likely to move; however, these high speeds often come at the cost of noise, measured in decibels (dB). A fan that spins exceptionally fast is likely to have a more powerful motor and to generate more vibrations that you’ll hear when using your PC. If fan noise bothers you, try to aim for a fan below 30dB.

When shopping for case fans, look for the best balance of CFM and dB that fits your budget. RPM is less important so long as the fan is able to move plenty of air without making your PC sound like a jet engine. If you’re technical and have a computer that supports it (prebuilt systems oftend don't), you can even go into your system’s BIOS and create a custom fan curve to balance cooling performance with noise levels.

Another option is to add more or larger fans to your system. Since multiple fans and those with larger blades can move more air, making these changes allows you to run them more slowly, lowering the total noise of your system. Depending on the case fans you select, this can cost more than using fewer smaller fans but gives you some extra control over your PCs acoustics.

Fan Orientation: Like any fan, the blowers in your PC have intake and exhaust sides. If you’re not sure which is which, check the edges of the fan for a small arrow. Manufacturers will often place this symbol along one edge of the fan to indicate the direction of airflow. If this isn’t present, you can simply use your hand to feel the direction the air is moving. Usually, the pretty brand sticker is also on the intake side, since it’s more likely to be visible through glass or mesh side panels.

Installation: Installing case fans is very easy. Your case should have set mounting points on the front, rear, top, bottom, and sometimes even the sides. Every case supports certain fan diameters (usually 120mm and 140mm), so be sure to consult its documentation. 

Installation is as simple as inserting the fan into the case, lining it up with the mounting holes, and screwing in four fasteners to lock it in place. Then, connect the power cable to the matching fan header on your motherboard (and RGB header if your fan has customizable RGB lighting). Removing the fan is just as easy: disconnect the fan from its power and RGB connectors, unscrew the fasteners, and you’re done. Of course, any time you are taking off your side panel to do something inside your system, be sure the system is powered down and unplugged. 

The Fundamentals of Airflow and Case Pressure

Generally, the goal of positioning fans in a PC case is to create an airflow channel from the right side/front of your case to the upper left/rear. This channel should bring cool air across the CPU, GPU and other heat sensitive components and then exhaust out of the back and/or top. This path causes the air to heat up as it travels, creating a cycle of cool air in, hot air out. 

Another important concept is case pressure. The amount of fans you have blowing cool air in versus exhausting hot air out will create positive or negative pressure. When they are perfectly balanced, this is considered neutral pressure.

Positive case pressure is when the fans are oriented to push more air into the case than out. Negative pressure is created when there are more fans blowing air out than sucking in. Neutral pressure is when there is an equal amount of intake and exhaust. Because computer cases are not sealed, and the number and power of fans can be mixed, you’ll usually lean slightly one way or the other. 

While there are proponents of both positive and negative pressure arrangements, there are also benefits to both. A positive configuration makes sure your components are always fed with fresh, cool air (which has the side benefit of pushing dust away from your computer). A negative configuration quickly exhausts heated air so it doesn’t stagnate.

Both pressure systems can succeed at creating an airflow channel, so your components stay cool. Because of this, many users find it beneficial to balance their intake and outake fans, focusing more on the direction they would like the airflow to travel. Regardless which you choose, it’s wise to make sure your intake fans are blowing cool air toward your GPU and CPU as directly as possible. This means they should generally be on the front of the case, although if you have a case with a vented bottom and feet that lift it significantly off the ground, intake fans on the bottom can be a good option, too – just make sure your case isn't sitting on thick carpeting, blocking fresh air from getting to the fans.

Common and Ideal Fan Arrangements

There are a number of different ways to configure your fans. The ideal fan arrangement is one that draws in lots of cool air with a direct path up and out of the PC. Beginning with the best configuration, but requiring the most fans, and proceeding to less effective arrangements, the most common fan configurations can incorporate both positive or negative pressure, depending on the number of fans used in each location.

Front, Rear, Top, and Bottom: In this configuration, the front and bottom fans draw air into the case, while the top and rear fans exhaust hot air out. This creates a clear channel across the core components of your computer while also feeding additional cool air directly upwards. It is similar to the traditional Front and Rear configuration (described below) but with added air volume to increase the rate of flow. This scenario provides cool air directly to the GPU and pushes that air upward, toward the CPU and exhaust fans.

Front, Rear, and Bottom Configuration: This fan arrangement is similar to the above, but relies on a single rear exhaust fan. It is still a very solid configuration, but is generally less effective due to the reduced exhaust out of the top of the case. If you’re considering this configuration and have more than one case fan at the bottom of the PC, consider moving it to the top of the case for the best cooling. That's provided, of course, that your case has vents and fan mounting areas at the top.

Front and Rear Configuration: This is the most common cooling configuration and is how most PC cases with more than one included fan come pre-configured; this can work very well. In this arrangement, one or more fans draw air through the front panel of the case and blow it directly toward the motherboard. There, the air is consumed by the GPU and CPU and blown into the channel of the rear exhaust fan, creating a flow from front to back. Keep in mind, though, that this option won't work nearly as well as it should if your case front doesn't provide lots of airflow to your intake fans.

Front, Rear, and Top Configuration: This fan organization is all about drawing the air through the case. It can be less effective than the Front, Rear, Bottom configuration as it lacks the upward push the bottom case fan provides. Given strong enough front fans, this can still be an effective arrangement – again, provided your case front is well ventilated.

Top and Bottom (Chimney) Configuration: This configuration isn’t especially common these days, but is an option that can work well when mounting front and rear fans isn’t an option. In this arrangement, fans draw in air from below the case and blow it upward, across the motherboard, and exhaust it out of the top of the case. It is best suited for vertical mounted GPUs, as graphics cards plugged directly into the PCIe slot (when the motherboard is mounted in a standard orientation) can block the flow of cool air from reaching the CPU.

Rear Fan Only: Some PC cases, especially very cheap ones, come with a single fan. And when they have a single fan, it’s usually mounted in the rear exhaust. This is a poor solution and will only work well for low-end components. Without a source of cool air, components quickly become too hot. Air movement is minimal with this setup, so if you can, get another fan or two to mount at the front of the case for intake.

Front Fan Only: This configuration is perhaps the least effective, and is not a good cooling solution. With a single front fan, cool air is drawn in and then stagnates without an exhaust fan to draw it back out. Air temperature increases and that hot air hovers until it naturally rises out of the case. 

If you only have two fans, we recommend positioning them in a front, rear configuration. If you have three fans and a dedicated GPU, we recommend placing them in the front, rear, and bottom of your case. With additional fans, consider the arrangement of your components, any wires or structures that might impede airflow, and position your fans accordingly to draw air in from the bottom right (front), flowing to the upper left (rear) of your case.

What About AIOs?

If you’re using an all-in-one CPU cooler, it will come with fans that should be mounted at the position recommended by the manufacturer. These components use special, high static pressure fans to force air through the tight fins of the radiator. There are particular fan arrangements that go along with these coolers, however.

Push: In this arrangement, the fans push air through the radiator. This is the most common configuration and the one manufacturers most often recommend. Depending on whether your case is mounted in the top (as pictured below) or the front of the case, this will either be pushing warm air out through the radiator and out of the case or cool air in through the radiator into the case. Ideally, any air that passes through the hot fins of the radiator will be immediately expelled from the case; however, mounting options and aesthetic needs can sometimes limit this choice.

Pull: A pull configuration reverses the fan position to suck air through the fin-stack. It is not as common and generally not as effective as push-oriented fans. The same principles about positioning and expelling warm air apply here.

Push-Pull: This is a popular choice that can increase the effectiveness of an all-in-one CPU cooler, but requires additional fans and space within your case. A push-pull configuration uses the AIO’s included fans to push air through the radiator and then one to three additional fans mounted on the other side, also oriented to blow in, pulling the air through. It makes for a bulky radiator but increases its performance overall.

Also note that, when possible, it's best to mount your AIO at the top of your case (or the rear if it's a 120mm AIO) rather than the front. This way, the heat that the AIO moves from your CPU to the radiator gets immediately exhausted out of the case. When a radiator is placed in the front in a pull or push-pull orientation, the cool air from the outside gets warmed by your CPU heat as it travels through the radiator, then into the case and across your other heat-generating components before being exhausted out of the rear and/or top. Obviously, having cooler outside air that hasn't been pre-heated by your CPU is better for keeping your components cool.

Conclusion

Cooling is one of the most important considerations for anyone looking to optimize their PC. With this information, you’re armed to make the best decision for your particular setup. Ensure that your components have cool air and active airflow, choos one of the best CPU coolers that we've tested, and you’ll ensure the best PC performance possible this side of custom water cooling.

Launch day for the much-anticipated AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors is finally here, which means you can start writing your shopping list if you want to build a PC around this new chip. 

The ASUS lineup of X670 and X670E boards is comprehensive; there’s something for everyone in this range, with models to suit every purpose and budget. At the top of the stack is the ROG Crosshair line, designed for top-end gaming rigs. Next come the ROG Strix boards for mid-level machines, followed by the TUF Gaming range. Creators should look at the ProArt boards, and the Prime lineup is there for getting in on the X670 action at an accessible entry point.

Before we get into the specifics of the ASUS boards, let’s have a quick review of the new X670 series platform. Gone are the days of AM4—the Ryzen 7000 series chips go in the brand new AM5 socket which is an LGA (Land Grid Array) design. This means the pins are on the board as opposed to the CPU so there’s less chance of accidentally bending them. AM5 supports up to a 170W TDP, which is a significant boost compared to the previous generation. 

X670 and X670E specifications both support PCIe 5.0, but in slightly different ways. The X670E boards (E is for Extreme) always have a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for your graphics card as well as at least one PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket. That’s just the minimum for the specification though; the higher end boards have several more than that. On X670 units, you might see a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot only. 

Another major boon is of course the support for DDR5 RAM, and the ASUS models have some great optimizations to enable advanced memory overclocking.

ASUS Q-Design features

So that’s the platform. Now let’s delve into how ASUS has put its own spin on things. With this lineup, ASUS has put a lot of effort into making PC-building as easy as possible, and they’ve developed some great features that make adding and removing components much easier. For example, the PCIe Slot Q-Release button lets you release your graphics card from the slot with one press instead of struggling with a normal latch behind the card.

Similarly, all the X670E motherboards have the ASUS single-sided Q-DIMM latching design that spares you from having to fiddle with a tricky second latch that’s too close to the graphics card. You’ll also find that installing M.2 drives is easier thanks to the Q-Latch, which works without a screw.

Case fan control tech

The X670E and X670 lineup is the first range to use the ASUS AI Cooling II tool, which continuously monitors system load and calculates the lowest fan speed required to maintain the right temperature. It can reduce system fan noise by up to 5.7dB under sustained loads, and will make case fans much quieter when you’re performing simple tasks. 

The FanXpert tool has been updated with ASUS’ full set of calibration and control options, so you get temperature input mapping and fan response mapping within the Windows app. 

In addition, you’ll see many M.2 slots on the ASUS boards with dual-sided heatsinks to accommodate larger M.2 SSDs that produce a lot of heat.

Overclocking options

ASUS certainly hasn’t let us down in the OC department—this new range of motherboards has multiple advanced features for taking control of your CPU’s vitals. 

For a start, all the X670E models have ASUS’ Dynamic OC Switcher, a feature we first saw on the ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero at the start of last year that enables the system to switch automatically between PBO and an all-core overclock according to a threshold set by you. Configure your manual overclock, select current and temperature thresholds and it will automatically switch between the two modes as required.

Another very cool feature is Ryzen Core Flex, which enables you to manipulate power, current, and temperature limits independently for a really fine degree of control. For example, you can configure it to reduce CPU power according to your own current or temperature breakpoints.

For those interested in professional-level overclocking, the top two models in ASUS’ range come with their own USB oscilloscope kit. The ROG True Voltician gives you real-time voltage information that you can use to finetune your configuration. It’s bundled with the ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme and the ROG Crosshair X670E Gene.

Top of the range: ROG Crosshair

Now onto the actual boards themselves. ROG Crosshair is the top-tier line for gaming, and there are three models within this brand. The ROG Crosshair X670E Hero is the most accessible and it’s an ATX size. Next there’s the ROG Crosshair X670E Gene, a MicroATX board, and at the top of this range is the EATX ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme.

ROG Crosshair X670E Hero

Bridging the gap between professional PC builders and everyday gamers, the Hero sits at what will likely be a popular point in the overall X670 and X670E series from ASUS. There’s a Polymo lighting design across the I/O shield that features two RGB patterns, styling your rig with a unique luminous effect. It has 18 + 2 teamed power stages rated for 110A, substantial integrated heatsinks, and a wide array of headers that give you plenty of options for cooling. 

There are two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, one of which you could use for the included PCIe 5.0 M.2 card which would give you a third Gen 5 M.2 slot in addition to the two onboard PCIe 5.0 slots. You also get audiophile-grade sound, WiFi 6E and dual rear USB4 ports.

ROG Crosshair X670E Gene

The Gene is the MicroATX-sized board of the Crosshair range, and the big difference compared to the Hero is that it has one PCIe x16 slot as opposed to two. With this model, you get a ROG Gen-Z.2 riser card which has an M.2 slot on either side, one supporting PCIe 5.0 and the other PCIe 4.0. There’s another PCIe 5.0 M.2 on the board, so you’ve got plenty of storage options.

This model has 16 + 2 teamed power stages rated for 110A, two DDR5 DIMM slots that will take you up to 64GB, and like the Hero there’s WiFi 6E and a great range of high speed ports. None of these boards is unadorned; the Gene has RGB LED accents on the VRM heatsink which are customizable with Aura Sync.

ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme

As the flagship of the entire range, the ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme is the choice for those who want to pull out all the stops. Visually, it lives up to its name. For added impact it has the AniMe Matrix display, an array of LEDs that can show off custom retro-style animations. 

The Extreme has 20 + 2 teamed power stages rated for 110A, and four DDR5 DIMMs for a upto 128GB memory. There are two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, and like the Gene it has a ROG GEN-Z.2 card. In total you have five M.2 slots, and every one of them has its own heatsink so they can accommodate the heftiest SSDs. On top of this, there are six SATA 6Gbps ports for an even bigger storage array. 

ROG Strix for gamers

The ROG Strix line is the mid-level series for gaming PCs and it consists of three ATX boards and one Mini-ITX.

ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming WiFi

This is the highest-performance board of the Strix family, with 18 + 2 teamed power stages rated for 110A and two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots. There are another three PCIe 5.0 slots for storage, and the thick M.2 Combo-sink is there to keep all those SSDs cool.

ROG Strix X670E-F Gaming WiFi and ROG Strix X670E-A Gaming WiFi

There’s no point in buying hardware you don’t need, so if you only require one PCIe x16 slot, these boards could be a good option for you. They share many of the same elements; the main difference between them is the visual design.

ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi

Cramming this much hardware into such a tiny form factor in a way that allows for effective cooling poses a tricky engineering challenge. With this board, ASUS has come up with an ingenious solution: the ROG Strix Hive, an add-on that houses the audio hardware as well as physical Flexkey and BIOS Flashback buttons and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. Moving these components off-board saves space and also gives you a convenient audio controller.

TUF Gaming for understated style

Not every gamer wants a dramatic and flashy-looking board with a colorful lighting effect, and the TUF range is the one that caters for those builders. These are straightforward, no-frills designs that nevertheless carry some hefty hardware. 

TUF Gaming X670E-Plus and TUF Gaming X670E-Plus WiFi

These motherboards share many of the same features as the higher-end ROG Crosshair and ROG Strix boards, but have a more understated presentation. You can put up to 128GB of RAM on these models, and there’s a great range of high speed ports. There’s a PCIe Gen 5.0 x16 slot and a total of four M.2 slots, one wired for PCIe 5.0, two for PCIe 4.0, and one for PCIe 3.0.

The ProArt range for creatives

Gamers aren’t the only ones interested in this platform. The ProArt line is designed with creative professionals in mind and prioritizes their needs for connectivity, high-speed networking and storage.

ProArt X670E-Creator WiFi

With the ProArt X670E-Creator WiFi you get two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and four onboard M.2 slots, two of which are wired for PCIe 5.0. Among its comprehensive set of high-speed ports are two USB4 ports on the rear I/O panel, and a front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 connector with support for Quick Charge 4+. You also get fantastic networking: a Marvell 10Gb Ethernet port, 2.5Gb Ethernet and WiFi 6E.

ASUS Prime motherboards

The Prime motherboard family is the most accessible way to build a PC based on the new AMD platform. The specifications of these boards have been pared down to make them affordable, but they’re still really powerful; the Prime X670E-Pro WiFi even has a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. Take your pick from this selection to build a Ryzen 7000 series PC for a great price.

Whether you're building a fancy gaming rig or a professional machine for work, there’s a board on this list for every type of PC builder. If you’d like some more help from ASUS, head over to their PC DIY portal for information on the newest products and advice on building a system of your own. Learn more about the ASUS X670 & X670E today!

Cooler Master has launched a new lineup of performance optimized fans called Mobius featuring both non-RGB and ARGB flavors in a 120 mm form factor. Cooler Master has employed a new architecture it is calling Ring Blade Design, that connects all the fan blades together. This reportedly improves airflow, while eliminating unwanted vibrations at the same time.

The company says the fans are available today, but didn't make pricing immediately available. 

Cooler Master is releasing two 120 mm variants right now, in both a standard and an ARGB version, called the Mobius 120 and the 120P ARGB. The Mobius 120 will feature a fully blacked out look with a black shroud and even dark fan. The RGB variant will feature ARGB lighting with frosted fan blades to increase the lighting dispersion. 

Despite the lighting differences, the ARGB model is a higher performing on paper compared to the Mobius 120, as well. The ARGB model features a maximum speed of 2400 RPM and a maximum noise level of 30 dBA, with a CFM rating of 75.2. The non-ARGB model on the other hand features a lower fan speed of 2050RPM and a maximum air flow rating of 63.1 CFM. But thanks to the lower fan speed, the noise level is significantly reduced to 22.6 dBA.

Both fans are rated for up to 200,000 hours of use, and require 4-pin PWM output to function. The ARGB variant will require an additional 3-pin ARGB header to be present as well for lighting functionality.

The Mobius series of fans are reportedly very stable under load in a number of different orientations. The fans use a new Ring Blade Design that connects all the fan blades together at the tips with a ring, which can reduce unwanted air turbulence that can vibrate the spinning blades.

For even more stability, Cooler Master has employed the use of dynamic loop bearings as well, which keeps the bearings better lubricated compared to more traditional methods. This in turn, improves the reliability of the bearings and improves fan stability. Cooler Master has also added a magnetic ring to the bearing shaft to prevent the fan from tilting in unorthodox orientations (such as 45 degree angles).

All these factors combined have allowed Cooler Master to tune the Mobius fans to a 6dBA noise level or lower, without compromising performance. These fans are designed to function both as chassis fans and static pressure fans for CPU coolers, hard drive cooling and radiators.

Nagao Industries has created an innovative new cooling system for motherboard VRMs, that works in almost every single chassis. Dubbed the N-VRM-FSTY60, the cooling system relies on twin 60mm fans mounted to a 120mm/140mm chassis fan bracket, which in turn gets installed onto the rear 120mm or 140mm chassis fan mount in your case next to the rear I/O panel.

These two fans blow at the rear portion of the VRMs. Thankfully, the mount works with the rear fan installed, so there's no need to remove the chassis fan. The idea is to keep the VRMs cool, even if you're using an AIO or tower cooler that otherwise wouldn't move much air across the VRM heatsinks.

A device like this might seem like overkill, as most power delivery systems on mid-range to high-end boards are overbuilt on purpose. They need to provide adequate power to Intel or AMD's most power hungry CPUs without causing the VRMs to overheat. But power requirements are going up for CPUs — Intel was already there with Alder Lake and Raptor Lake maintains the status quo, but AMD's Ryzen 7000 will be goosing power delivery to more or less equal Intel's socket power.

With power creep becoming a legitimate concern on both Intel and AMD CPUs, a VRM cooling solution like this could become very useful. Alder Lake chips are already capable of running upwards of 240W or higher under specific workloads, which is extremely high for a central processing unit. Just a few years ago, you were lucky to hit 200W on a mainstream Intel chip (not HEDT) even with overclocking.

Thankfully, modern day motherboards won't explode or crash when the power delivery systems get hot, but once the system hits a certain temperature, the motherboard will throttle down the CPU to keep temperatures in check. This can be especially problematic on entry-level and some mid-range motherboards, where VRM power and cooling capabilities are sacrificed to keep manufacturing costs down.

Adding this funky fan setup to such a PC could seriously improve VRM performance, unlocking more performance at the same time. Since VRMs are traditionally passively cooled, direct VRM cooling can make a night and day difference to motherboard component temperatures.

Each fan measures 60 x 60 x 20mm, featuring hollow bearings (an improved variant of fluid dynamic bearings) and a maximum fan speed of 3000RPM. Despite that very high RPM speed, the fans are rated for just over 21 dBA, which seems impossible to believe. We don't know what RPM level the noise level specification was taken from, so take that 21 DBA with a grain of salt. Each fan runs on a 3-pin connector so they will work with almost every motherboard in existence.

Unfortunately pricing and availability are unknown at this time, and of course this would add the to cost of budget and mid-range boards. Still, $20 for higher performance and better cooling (if it's that cheap) might be a good idea.

Lately, we're seeing a slew of small systems with with big processors seem, so we were weren't too surprised to see the Aaeon EPIC-TGH7 SBC reported in the pages of CNX Software. This four-inch (165 x 115mm) board has a list of compatible processors that begins with the Intel Celeron 6600HE, but which makes its way through the i-numbers to the mighty Xeon W 11865MRE. 

None of these processors would make our list of the best CPUs for gaming. However, the config with the Xeon W 11865MRE promises workstation class power on a motherboard that's significantly smaller than a mini ITX motherboard (170 x 170 mm), the smallest mainstream size.

The TGH7 appears to come with the Tiger Lake H CPU+GPU combo soldered to the board; only the i3 and i7 models are listed on Aaeon’s site, and they’re both out of stock at the time of writing. But theoretically you could get one with a Xeon W installed, and run ECC memory with it too. This appears to be the only benefit of the workstation chip, which in every other way is identical to the i7 11850HE.

These two hot chips (their temperature rating tops out at 100°C or 212°F) both run to eight cores and 16 threads, with a top boost speed of 4.7 GHz, two memory channels, and identical integrated graphics. They both draw the same 45W, and don't appear to come with any cooling solutions, though holes for a CPU fan are visible on the board.

Elsewhere on the board, you’ll find a lot of ports crammed into the small space. There are two DisplayPorts and an HDMI port, four USB 3.2 Type-A sockets, a pair of Ethernet ports - one gigabit, the other 2.5Gb - a pair of SATA ports, a PCIe 4.0 x8 slot supplying a maximum of 25W, and two M.2 slots, one of which can take NVMe storage, while the other is for optional modules such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, or a cellular modem. 

Drivers for Windows 10 are available, raising hopes it will work under Windows 11 as well, while a single ‘peripheral’ driver exists for Ubuntu 20.04.2. 

Assuming availability picks up a bit, you should be able to get the boards direct from Aaeon’s eshop, with pages online for the i3 ($812) and i7 ($1,167) boards. 

Apart from monitors, everything in computing tends to get smaller over time. While power supplies have remained the same size for many years, Fanless Tech has discovered this passively cooled ATX PSU from HDPlex that’s only slightly larger than an iPhone, and claims to be the world's smallest at 170 (D) x 50 (W) x 25 (H) mm. 

The model in question only provides 250W, so probably isn’t one to get for a gaming rig (though you can combine two using a sync cable to make a 500W unit, one for the motherboard and the other for the GPU), but the sheer size of them makes them perfect for custom small-form-factor builds.

The PSUs are fanless and should be  completely silent in use. They offer 94% efficiency and use a unibody flat transformer to eliminate noise from vibration, making it ideal for home theater PCs. The copper PCB and aluminum casing are tuned for heat dissipation, and if you get one of HDPlex’s fanless chassis, it will act as a heat sink.

The trick to the compact nature of the PSU is the use of auto-grade Gallium Nitride in the FETs for the PFC and LLC stages, allowing a high power density of 1.18W per cubic centimeter. 

Gallium Nitride is a binary III/V semiconductor used as an alternative to silicon. It helps improve power density by allowing much higher sustained switching frequencies, which mean smaller working parts, and can keep working under higher temperatures. An equivalent field effect transistor made from silicon would require cooling, taking power away from the device it was trying to drive. The cost of production for GaN devices is also lower, as they are smaller and don’t require cooling fans to be built in. It’s the technology behind the ever-smaller and more powerful USB chargers that are proliferating on online stores, and other compounds of gallium, such as gallium arsenide, demonstrate significant improvements in electron mobility when used to create transistors.

The PSU will be available from June this year, and is priced at $145 with free shipping worldwide. The package contains the PSU, sync cable, and five modular power cables.

Highly regarded CPU coolers and fans maker Noctua has updated its roadmap, including delays to highly anticipated products. The company has pushed back its white Chromax fans and a next-gen NH-D15 CPU cooler until the first quarter of 2023. Noctua first teased an update to the 2014 vintage NH-D15 at Computex 2019, so it has been a long time coming.

We reported on the last update to the Noctua roadmap in January, and fans of the brand were quite excited about the white fans and the NH-D15 upgrade, so I imagine there will be a number of disappointed PC builders.

Noctua hasn't commented on the specific changes in the new roadmap. In some small print above the new roadmap it indicates that it is just a reflection of current plans and that these goals, and specifically the timing of product releases, might change as the months march on.

Reasons for the delays include "further research and development, fine-tuning, manufacturing capacities or coordination with other projects." Noctua adds, with some pride, that its products are so well refined they "often require extra time to perfect."

Above you can see the roadmap as it was in January, with the April 2022 update underneath. You'll see that Q2 2022, the current quarter, is missing the 24V to 12V converter and 8-way fan hub that were expected. Instead we are going to get a previously unannounced release of Noctua-branded fan grills.

Noctua's next-gen 140mm fans and 24V 40 mm fans have been bumped by a quarter and the current best estimate for them to be released is Q4 2022. The next-gen Xeon CPU coolers still appear to be on track for Q3 2022 though. A new entry appears in Q4 2022 and that is for slim 60 mm fans.

Last but probably most significantly for our readers the whole of the previously Q4 2022 product launch lineup has been shifted to Q1 2023. This includes the highly anticipated white fans, Noctua's next generation NH-D15 cooler, and what is expected to be a fun desktop fan for erm… fans of Noctua.

One thing we can be sure of, when the next NH-D15 does arrive, it will support both Intel 12th Gen Core processors in LGA1700 sockets and AMD AM5 processors in LGA 1718 sockets.

Silverstone has launched a new range of high-performance cooling fans, claiming the new Shark Force addressable RGB fan series offers extreme cooling and spectacular lighting. Interestingly, these fans feature a new blade design, using a texture that mimics the surface of shark skin.

Silverstone claims that its inspired-by-nature fan surface texture design pushes air with enviable hydrodynamic properties because they provide "a drag-reducing mechanism to improve their aerodynamic property."

Breaking down the sharkiness in PC cooling fan terms, Silverstone says that Shark Force series fans passively alter the airflow to improve pressure, resulting in improved overall airflow and reduced noise. These are much sought-after characteristics in all PC systems and component cooling fans.

There are just two Silverstone Shark Force fans available at launch — a 120mm fan and a 160mm fan.

The 120mm design features fans speeds from 0 – 2,500 RPM for static pressure of up to 4.66mm H2O and airflow of 100 CFM, while the 160mm design runs from 0 – 1,600 RPM for static pressure of up to 2.21mm H2O and airflow of 160 CFM. If you wonder why Silverstone has launched a 160mm fan instead of a 140mm to sell alongside the smaller unit, this 160mm fan is designed with 140mm mounts. However, please check this will play nicely in your intended application by checking the full product specs, with particular attention to measurements and clearance.

Both fans use a Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) and a three-phase, six-pole motor design for long product life and smooth and low-noise operation. The fan speeds are controlled by PWM and can go down to zero RPM, as long as your system supports it.

These fans are also aRGB LED equipped. They use standard aRGB 4-1 pin cables for compatibility. You will need an aRGB controller or suitable motherboard to get the most from the color combinations and effects these fans can be part of. Silverstone's sharkskin fan blades are translucent, which makes a nice diffuse effect with the LEDs.

The Shark Force series fans have modular cable connectivity. Of course, you'll need a power cable, but you may wish to disable lighting for some reason. The modular cabling should also be handy for replacements and cable management work. Moreover, Silverstone provides four types of cable in the box to suit various common cabling requirements and daisy chaining.

Both the Silverstone Shark Force SF120-ARGB and SF160-ARGB are available now from the usual distributors, worldwide. MSRPs are $27.99 and $34.99, respectively.

Austria-based cooling specialist Noctua has updated its public product roadmap for 2022. There are three mentions on the new roadmap that have caught our eye; White Fans and a next-gen NH-D15 cooler arriving in Q4, and it appears that we will soon see Noctua launch an as-yet unnamed "120mm dual tower cooler."

Moving through the trio of tantalizing highlights chronologically, the current quarter will see Noctua intro a dual tower CPU cooler which uses 120mm fan(s). That means a new cooler will join the premium-grade NH-D9L and elite-class NH-D15 in Noctua's dual tower stables. With the existing NH-D9L and NH-D15 sporting 92mm and 140mm fans, respectively, a new 120mm model will fit in nicely. The new model should also provide a bit more thermal headroom than the single-tower 120mm fan equipped NH-U12S series.

The next highlight on the Noctua roadmap might be the "Next generation NH-D15." Noctua originally introduced its NH-D15 cooler way back in April 2014, based on the 2009 vintage NH-D14. In October 2019 it added a chromax.black model to the range. Noctua first teased this improved NH-D15 as long ago as Computex 2019, and it was originally planned for Q1 2020, so it is hard to understand the significant slippage. Admittedly, the NH-D15 is one of the cornerstones of Noctua's CPU cooler series, so an upgrade needs to be worthy to avoid reviewer scorn. The Coronavirus pandemic and shipments situation may have had an impact on the timing of the next-gen NH-D15 but there seems to be more to it, with such a lengthy launch extension.

White fans from Noctua will certainly appeal to a segment of the PC DIY and enthusiast market. Coincidentally, these were also pictured at Computex 2019 and there was talk of them arriving in Q2 2020. White is the natural next shade for the chromax series to expand to extensively, and we have seen a few chromax.white minor accessories already such as the NA-HC4 chromax.white edition heatsink covers for the NH-D15.

Some of the other coolers, fans and accessories in the new roadmaps might interest you, so please check over the roadmap image if you are thinking about upgrading a fan hub, will be looking for a next-gen Xeon cooler this year, or even fancy a Noctua branded desk fan for your computer room.

Acer is the first PC gaming company officially announcing a desktop using Intel's 12th Gen "Alder Lake" desktop processors. But don’t expect to be able to pick one up in the near future. The Acer Predator Orion 7000 will launch in the first quarter of 2022 in China, Europe, the Middle East and Africa and in the second quarter of 2022 in the United States.

While the Predator will be utilizing existing Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards, a lot of the other tech will be new. Acer will utilize up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM at 4,000 MHz (PCs today are on DDR4), and the company describes the computer as "PCIe Gen 5 capable," though it will come with up to two 1TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs, alongside a hot-swappable 2.5-inch hard drive bay.

Acer is using its own Predator FrostBlade 2.0 fans, with a pair of 140 mm spinners at the front and a 120 mm for exhaust. And although it probably won’t ship in every configuration, the unit we saw at a UK event had a 240 mm AIO up top.

The 19.8 x 19 x 8.6-inch  chassis has a tool-free design. There's plenty of ARGB lighting from the case fans, the water cooler pump and the motherboard. And you'll be able to see that colored lighting through a tempered glass side panel.

On the front, there are three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port and a pair of audio jacks. The rear includes three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C, twin USB 2.0 ports and three more audio jacks.

It's also running Windows 11. We'll see what that new scheduler does for Alder Lake when it releases.   

The Predator Orion 7000's U.S. pricing hasn't been disclosed, but it will start at €2,199 in Europe and 20,000 renminbi in China.

Acer is also announcing a Predator Gaming desk with a 55-inch desktop, as well as a mouse pad that covers the entire desktop, a cup holder, headphone hook and an odd rack for holding discs and possibly game controllers. The desk will only be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa but pricing hasn't been finalized.  

Lian Li has unveiled its latest version of a no-compromises PC case, the Odyssey X, which was designed in collaboration with popular overclocker Der8auer. This chassis can accommodate almost anything, with up to nine fan mounts and three configurations. But you'll have to pay the hefty price of $500 to obtain the Odyssey X.

The chassis is classified as a full-tower case, with support for up to EEB and E-ATX motherboard options, and comes in two colors: black or silver. The biggest selling point of this chassis its monstrous capacity to house large liquid-cooled components within its cavernous chamber.

Another feature is its triple configuration options, which lets you orient the case in three distinct ways depending on the build you're trying to set up.

Dynamic mode is the case's default configuration and looks identical to your standard ATX tower. The motherboard sits to the middle rear of the case, with fan housings to the top and front.

Dynamic-R mode is a complete180-degree spin from Dynamic mode, traditionally called an inverted mode. This config moves the motherboard to the top of the chassis, with the rear I/O sticking upward. Fan mounts are placed to the bottom and front of the case.

Finally, there's a Performance mode that turns the case completely on its back end, giving the case a more vertical appearance. We're not sure why this mode is called 'Performance', but the vertical layout allows the case fans to be much closer to your system components and graphics card, which should allow for better cooling potential.

You have a maximum of nine fan mounts that can be housed within the Odyssey X. All nine mounts are only accessible in Dynamic Mode, with Dynamic-R and Performance modes limiting you to 'just' seven  120mm fans. You can also house 140mm fans in any configuration, but expect fewer fan mounts if you go this route. (You'd think Performance mode would give you the most amount of fan options)

Of course, those fan mounts can also handle radiators as large as 480mm, depending on the configuration.

Besides the case's cooling potential, it also has a decent amount of storage options, with three 3.5-inch HDD trays or three 2.5-inch slots for hard drives or SSDs. The drive trays can handle either drive size.

Cable management to the rear of the case should be very easy to maintain, as there are three large rubberized grommets, allowing cables to pass thru the rear with plenty of cables tie-down points across the whole back part of the case. This is where you'll also find three hard drive slots as well.

Aesthetically the case is quite striking, with the angled double tempered glass side panel doors, plus a fully ventilated front panel. The use of high-end brushed metal and tempered glass gives the case a very premium look.

Currently, Newegg.com lists the Odyssey X's for $499.99 on pre-order, with availability in late July.

Akasa has released an external SSD enclosure called the Vegas SSD Mate that, as spotted by Hermitage Akihabara, features a cooling fan adorned with RGB lighting.

The Vegas SSD Mate is a tool-free aluminum enclosure said to fit both PCIe and SATA SSDs with the M.2 2280, 2260, 2242, and 2230 form factors. Equipping the enclosure with an M.2 SSD should be as easy as lining up the drive and snapping it into place.

Akasa said the enclosure connects to a system using USB 3.2 Gen 2, which means the Vegas SSD Mate's maximum data transfer rate should be 10 Gb/s. It's also backwards compatible with connections based on USB 2.0 and USB 3.2 Gen 1.

The same can be said of most recent external SSD enclosures. The Vegas SSD Mate stands out thanks to its fan, which Akasa said "improves and maximises natural air convection to keep the SSD cool and running optimally." (Emphasis theirs.)

Should that be necessary? Not really. Most external SSD enclosures manage their drive's temperatures via heatsinks and thermal pads. A fan might actually prove detrimental to people who don't want their drives to be exposed to debris.

On the other hand, the fan is surrounded by RGB lighting, and there's no denying that people love making their accessories shine with the brilliance of, well, several LEDs. (Akasa didn't say how many LEDs the enclosure features, but it can't be very many.)

More information about the Vegas SSD Mate is available via Akasa's website. The enclosure is currently available via Amazon for $74.99, but at time of writing there are only two left in stock, so either Akasa didn't make many or the demand for an RGB-lit external SSD enclosure is higher than many of us would have expected.

Noctua today announced two new members of the Redux product line: An updated NH-U12S, the line’s first CPU cooler, and the NA-FK1 second fan kit to complement it.

The company billed the NH-U12S Redux as “a streamlined, accessibly priced version” of the original cooler that features “the same proven heatsink layout.” But there are some notable differences between the NH-U12S Redux and its predecessor.

Noctua said the NH-U12S Redux boasts four heatpipes to the original’s five; lacks a soldered interface for those heatpipes and cooling fins; and ships with a single NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM fan rather than the dual-fan setup offered by the original.

Those changes were accompanied by a slight increase in operating noise volume: Noctua puts the NH-U12S’ acoustical noise rating at 22.4 dB(A) and the NH-U12S Redux’s at 25.1 dB(A). The revised model also lacks a low noise adaptor or second fan clip.

That’s where the NA-FK1 comes in. Noctua said the kit “contains a second NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM fan, fan clips, anti-vibration pads, a y-cable and Low-Noise Adaptors” that can be used to improve the NH-U12S Redux’s performance.

The NH-U12S Redux features the SecuFirm2 mounting system for use with Intel LGA 115x, 1200, and 20xx sockets as well as the AMD AM4 socket. (AM3 socket support wasn’t listed in the official specs.) It also comes with pre-applied thermal paste.

We’ll have to test the NH-U12S Redux to determine if it‘s worthy of a spot on our list of the best CPU coolers, but it would have to aim for the value crown. Noctua made it clear that it wanted to offer a more affordable NH-U12S, not a more powerful one.

To that end: The NH-U12S Redux and NA-FK1 are both available now via Amazon. The cooler’s priced at $49.95, and the second fan kit costs $16.95 at the time of writing. Their combined total of $66.90 comes in right under the NH-U12S’ $69.95 price tag.

When you think of Asus, generally, you only think of its as a motherboard, graphics card, and laptop manufacturer. But the company has expanded its influence over the past few years to include PC peripherals, PC cases, and AIO liquid coolers. So it should come as no surprise that Asus is entering the case fan market with its own ROG Strix XF120 120mm chassis fan. 

The XF120 features high-end specs. Similar to the ML120s from Corsair, the XF120 comes with a MagLev bearing, reinforced fiberglass material, grooved fan blades with rounded edges, and anti-vibration pads.

The operating range for the XF 120 is quite good, with its minimum RPM targeted at just 250RPM and a maximum RPM of 1800RPM. This is perfect for a case fan, as generally, case fans don't need to run at the same RPM levels as CPU cooler fans.

XF120 Specs:

Acoustics:
22.5dba

Cooling Stats:
62.5CFM/3.7mmH20

Longevity:
400,000 hours

For Asus' first chassis fan, the specs for the XF120 are quite good; compared to big case fan brands like the Silent Wings 3 from Be Quiet! or the Fractal Design Venturi, the XF120 brings similar performance with better acoustics.

But compared to Asus' biggest competitor, the Corsair ML120, that fan has better cooling performance specs-wise. But that fan also has a much higher RPM range and is optimized towards airflow and static pressure, whereas Asus' XF120 is optimized purely for airflow, not static pressure.

The Asus XF120 looks promising, but we still don't know what it will cost – all we know is a release target for April. Hopefully, we can get a few of these XF120s in our lab to test in the future.

If you're a fan (*cough*) of cool hardware, the Apexgaming AC-120Ti should be right up your alley. The AC-120Ti isn't your ordinary case fan as it actually features what the brand calls a "nano photocatalyst air purification" system that purifies the air that goes into your computer case.

Apexgaming's description of the AC-120Ti is a bit overwhelming for those of us that didn't pay more attention in our chemistry classes. The AC120Ti comes with a front filter, which basically acts as a dust filter, to help block large dust and other external materials from entering the fan. According to Apexgaming, the filter mesh comes with a coat of titanium dioxide (TiO2), whose purpose is to serve as a photo-oxidation catalyst. The filter can be easily cleaned by just washing it with water.

But the purification doesn't stop there. The fan includes an ultraviolet lamp that's the key component in the entire purification process. It essentially shoots ultraviolet rays at the catalyst to form hydroxyl radicals that absorb stuff like bacteria, odorous cells, and pollutants to decompose them into carbon dioxide and water molecules. The final product, at least according to the company, is air that's free of unpleasant smells, formaldehyde, germs, viruses, and allergens.

Apexgaming has all the certifications that prove that its UV LED is safe for human eyes and skin. The company is also touting an impressive baterial elimination rate up to 95.56%. For optimal operation, Apexgaming recommends installing the AC-120Ti in the front of your case as an intake fan.

The fan checks in with dimensions of 120x120x25mm and draws power from a standard 4-pin connector. Its sleeve bearing can spin at up to 1,000 RPM.  The fan boasts an airflow and air pressure up to 34 CFM and 0.9 mmH2O, respectively. The maximum noise level is around 16 dBA. Apexgaming rates the AC-120Ti with a lifespan of 40,000 hours at 25 degress Celsius.

Apexgaming sells the AC-120Ti for $29.99 via the company's online store. We doubt the AC120Ti is going to help you get more FPS out of your games, but if you want to turn your PC into an air purifier, the AC120Ti is the fan for the job. At the very least, it might keep your PC from catching a virus.

But please: No one get any ideas about building an SFF with one of these fans and strapping it to your face. If you want to mix your love of gaming with the ability to feel a bit safer around others, maybe hold out to see if Razer ever brings a version of Project Hazel mask to market. 

Adata's XPG division has announced plans to start selling its own fans, which is a natural way for the company's components business to expand. One of the first fans from Adata — the XPG Vento Pro 120 PWM — will use a Nidec's design and will be available starting mid-January, 2021. 

Over the past few years Adata's XPG business has expanded from memory modules and solid-state drives to a much broader operation that now includes PCs, peripherals, accessories, and other computer components. After cases, cooling systems, and PSUs, it is natural for Adata to begin selling its own fans, which is what the company plans to do starting from January 14. One of the first fans from Adata — the XPG Vento Pro 120 PWM — is based on Nidec's legendary Servo Gentle Typhoon AP-15 design that has been used by various suppliers for about a decade now. 

Adata says that its XPG Vento Pro 120 PWM fan is not a rebadged Nidec's AP-15, but is actually a revamped version that continues to offer a high static pressure and high airflow, but has certain enhancements, such as four anti vibration rubber pads, that make the fan quieter than Nidec's original. 

The Adata XPG Vento Pro 120 PWM is a 120-mm double-ball bearing 4-pin PWM-controlled fan that spins at a speed between 900 and 2150 RPM. The fan produces an airflow of up to 75 CFM as well as a static pressure of 3.15 mm H₂O at noise levels between 10 dBA and 28 dBA. The fan consumes up to 1.56 Watts of power. 

Adata rates the fan for 250,000 hours at 25 Celsius as well as 60,000 hours at 60 Celsius, which is in line with the original Nidec design. Also, each fan comes with a five-year warranty. 

Adata yet has to announce pricing of its XPG Vento Pro 120 PWM fan, but expect their MSRP to be comparable to that of other Nidec Servo Gentle Typhoon AP-15-based fans.

Asus has launched the ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT Gaming for consumers that don't dig chunky Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics cards. Asus' iteration, which features a 2.2-slot design and a length of 27.7 cm, will require spacing in your case for the 240 mm radiator, though.

The ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT's intricate cooling solution is a mix between liquid cooling and traditional air cooling. A cold plate transfers heat away from the Navi 21 die and surrounding GDDR6 chips to the 240 mm radiator. Once the heat gets to the radiator, a pair of 120mm ARGB cooling fans make sure the heat is properly disposed of. Additionally, the graphics card also incorporates a heatsink with a blower-style cooler to dissipate the heat from the power-delivery components.

The graphics card's RGB lighting works as part of Asus' Aura Sync ecosystem so you can synchronize it with other Asus hardware and peripherals. The ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT comes with two 4-pin fan headers so you can attach your case fans to the graphics card to help with cooling.

The clock speeds for the ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT are currently unknown. If the three 8-pin PCIe power connectors are any indication, the graphics card could arrive with a nice factory overclock. In fact, Asus recommends a 850W power supply for feeding its liquid-cooled rendition of Big Navi.

The display output configuration, on the other hand, adheres to AMD's reference design. This means that you have one HDMI 2.1 port, two DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and one USB Type-C port at your disposal. The setup can support up to four maximum displays.

Asus didn't share the pricing or availability for the ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT.

If you've been wondering where and how to buy an RTX 3070 card,  the best answer is: in a prebuilt gaming PC. As we've documented, Alienware has some Aurora R10 and R11 desktops with RTX 3070 inside, but these start at close to $1,800 with just 8GB of RAM and a hard drive inside (getting a good config is closer to $2,000).

Right now, Newegg has the ABS Gladiator Gaming PC with RTX 3070 inside and a host of other goodies, including a 1TB SSD, 16GB of RAM and a Core i7-9700F CPU, for just $1449. That's $50 off its regular price of $1499, but what really makes it one of the best Cyber Monday gaming PC deals, is that you can get a fully-loaded RTX 3070 computer for less than $1500. 

ABS's attractive-chassis is loaded with both cooling and RGB. It has two front case fans, an RGB rear case fan and an RGB cooler. It also has RGB lighting on the front panel. A 650W power supply provides more than enough juice.

With RTX 3070 inside, you should be able to game at 2K at high settings or even 4K at modest settings. And you'll have great support for ray tracing while you far exceed the Cyberpunk 2077 system requirements. 

While it's true that the Core i7-9700F CPU is a last-gen, Coffee Lake part, it's plenty fast with a base clock speed of 3 GHz and a boost speed of 4.7 GHz. It has 8 cores and 8 threads for strong multitasking. 

For more savings, check our list of best Cyber Monday deals overall, best Cyber Monday monitor deals, best Cyber Monday SSD deals, best Cyber Monday CPU deals, best Cyber Monday graphics card deals, best Cyber Monday laptop deals, best Cyber Monday gaming PC deals and best Cyber Monday Raspberry Pi deals.

Deepcool's new single 140mm air cooler, the AS500, resembles half of the company's Assassin III large tower cooler. If the nickel-plated cooling heatpipes and black accent trim on the AS500 attributes to its proper, tuxedo-like appearance, consider the lighted accent top plate the dynamic aRGB bow tie.

The Deepcool AS500 will be available in UK (£54.99) and European markets around October 20, 2020, arriving sometime in November in the US, for $59.99. With simple installation and support for most current Intel and AMD CPUs (sorry, no Threadripper), the AS500 shines as an intermediate option between budget and large air cooling options.

Deepcool AS500 Specifications

Deepcool ships the AS500 with an assortment of nickel-plated mounting hardware and a universal backplate which provides mounting compatibility with most current Intel and AMD CPU sockets, although AMD Threadripper does not make the list. Spring clips are provided for those wishing to run an additional fan on their AS500 for push/pull operation, while a syringe of thermal paste and an aRGB control module round out the accessory package.

Deepcool covers the AS500 with a 3-year warranty.

The AS500 features a set of five nickelplated heatpipes which converge at the base of the cooler between the mounting plate and a milled baseplate. Tension screws are fixed within the mounting plate bracket, providing simplified installation.

Deepcool provides a 140mm TF140S PWM fan rated at 70.8 CFM at 1200 RPM. The trailing edges of the fan blades are trimmed with fins for directional airflow through the fan chassis and into the cooling tower. The fan itself is not aRGB capable, but it does come equipped with rubberized fan mounts for minimizing vibration noise.

Deepcool makes use of offset heatpipes within the aluminum cooling tower to increase airflow around each thermal conduit. The top bezel of the AS500 is trimmed with an aRGB opaque diffuser and topped with a black top piece. Cabling for the aRGB lighting module runs down a vertical channel cut into the cooling tower to prevent interference of the cabling with the 140mm fan.

In checking the milling of the baseplate, we can see just a slight bit of convexity, which meets the CPU integrated heat spreader (IHS). This should not be an issue for most installations but could amplify a problem with improper installation or seating of the cooler atop the CPU.

Our installation resulted in an even distribution of thermal compound across the entire IHS face of our Core i9-10850K CPU. This is precisely what we like to see following a cooler install.

Since the Deepcool AS500 is a single tower cooler, it is centered over the CPU and allows for wider compatibility with memory DIMMs which might feature tall heat spreaders, like our Corsair Dominator DDR4-3600 modules, but some installations might still bump into this problem, depending on your configuration and motherboard.

The installation of the AS500 is quite simple, making use of mounting crossbars and the fixed tension springs on the mounting plate which try to automatically align the cooler correctly over the mounting brace.

While not completely immune to memory interference, the AS500 does a better job than most 140mm coolers. This is nearly always an issue with CPU air cooling solutions featuring large fans, so make sure to do a bit of research and shop accordingly.

Test System Setup

For our CPU cooling tests, we use the same hardware, overclock and configuration for each and every test to minimize environment variables in testing. This allows for all results across all coolers tested on the platform to be viable as side-by-side examination for direct compare/contrast.

Data comparisons are based on data collected from testing performed on our new Intel i9-10850K system, including re-visiting many previously covered products which were originally covered on the prior testing platform which pivoted around an i7-5930k (4.20ghz @1.20v).

All data reported for this article has been collected on the current Intel i9-10850K platform and will be maintained as like-for-like evaluation of ongoing cooling coverage.

Prime95 v29.4b8 (no AVX) is used for two-hour intervals, one managing fans at 50% PWM and the other at 100% PWM with RPM measurements being taken every 3 seconds and averaged across the duration of each 2-hour capture. Omitting AVX instruction sets allows for accurate, 100% loads at chosen clock speeds while allowing AVX instructions would provide higher, albeit, unrealistic synthetic CPU loads and excessive heat production, less indicative of real-world use.

This also allows for a greater range of CPU coolers to be tested and compared without the need to configure the system differently for smaller coolers, which may not handle the excessive thermal loads being generated during testing, while larger coolers might be better equipped to manage heat output produced by the Core i9-10850K .

While the test platform is quite capable of a 10-core overclock at 5.0Ghz and 1.265v, we were seeing 360mm AIOs struggle to keep core temperatures in check at lower fan speeds, providing insight that the enthusiast-grade i9’s need excellent cooling if the goal is substantial overclocking.

HWInfo64 is used for real-time core temperature readout, thermal throttling alerts, motherboard power consumption, CPU speed and logging of data, while a CrystalFontz CFA-633-TMI-KU is used to monitor and later average both ambient room (2 probes) and motherboard voltage regulator heatsink (2 probes).

Comparison Coolers

Looking at our thermal load temperature comparison, right away we see some strong similarities to the Deepcool AS500 with its larger sibling, the Assassin III. The Cooler Master Master Air MA410M and be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 are each similar in price as well as overall performance, making them good comparisons for this testing group.

As expected, the larger 140mm fans of the Deepcool products rotate a bit more slowly than the faster pair of 120mm fans used by the MA410M and the 135mm fan used by the Shadow Rock 3.

Large, 140mm fans like those on the Deepcool AS500 and Assassin III benefit from slower rotational speed, but even the 135mm fan of the be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 makes an impact with low decibel levels. However, even a pair of 120mm fans on the Cooler Master MA410M are reasonably good at both full and half speeds.

The Deepcool AS500 benefits from doing very well in our thermal load tests while remaining very quiet in the process. Close comparisons between thermal load temperatures or noise levels can result in some interesting results within this chart.

Conclusion

The Deepcool AS500 is priced at $59.99 (£54.99) at launch, making it a very good performance value compared with others in the testing group. At that price, this cooler looks to be an early system builder favorite.

Shots from our FLIR ONE Pro thermal camera show only slight differences between 50% and 100% fan speed operation under load. The AS500’s 140mm fan and cooler tower provide efficient cooling at nearly inaudible noise levels.

Deepcool impresses with its new 140mm tower cooler, the AS500. At first glance, it appears to be simply half of the Assassin III dual tower cooler, but we hesitate to even make this comparison as the AS500 performs within just a few degrees of its larger sibling in our tests while doing so at a substantial price discount.

It should be noted that higher core counts and stronger overclocks will ultimately begin to push the AS500 beyond its limit and into the realm of large, dual-tower air cooling, 360 AIOs or custom water cooling. However, for the vast majority of system builders, the AS500 provides great results as a less-costly alternative to higher-priced extreme air and AIO coolers.

Update 15/10/2020 8:30am PT: The second batch of The Beast has gone up for preorder at 680 euro (~$795). The delivery date is set for February 2021. Preorders stop on December 31. The Beast will hit the retail shelves late Q1 2021 with a price tag of 790 euro (~$924).

Original Article: 

According to a FanlessTech report, fanless case manufacturer MonsterLabo is gearing up to launch a new ATX case titled "The Beast." The pricing is unknown, but preorders will go up on October 9.

The Beast arrives with dimensions of 450 x 380 x 210 mm. MonsterLabo doesn't specify the exact weight, but it's going to be heavy, for sure. The case's construction includes 2.5mm steel, 6mm aluminum and glass. The appeal behind The Beast is its passive design that allows you to cool both your processor and graphics card. To make this happen, the case incorporates two huge heatsinks, that together amount to a total of 20 copper heat pipes and six copper thermal bridges.

In regards to compatibility, The Beast can house motherboards that span from the mini-ITX to ATX form factors, graphics cards with maximum PCB length up to 290mm and ATX power supplies.

With the passive configuration, The Beast can dissipate up to 400W of heat. MonsterLabo recommends that the processor and graphics card's TDP (thermal design power) don't exceed 150W and 250W, respectively. With the help of two 140mm cooling fans spinning at 500 RPM, The Beast's cooling capacity jumps to 570W. In that case, there's room for cooling a 250W processor and 320W graphics card.

According to MonsterLabo, The Beast can tame Nvidia's GeForce RTX 30-series (codename Ampere) graphics card without hiccups. With active cooling, the case can accommodate SKUs up to the GeForce RTX 3080, which is rated for 320W. We think that the 350W GeForce RTX 3090 is plausible if you pair the case with two decent 140mm cooling fans that have good static pressure.

The Beast has enough space to shelter up to four 3.5-inch hard drives or eight 2.5-inch hard drives or SSDs. As for outputs, the case's front panel offers one headphone jack, one microphone jack, one USB-C port, two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.