best cpu cooler

[SoloRaptonic]

hey guys, im curious. in your own opinion, which cpu cooler (water, air, or other) do you consider to be the best mix of cooling performance and aesthetics. im rebuilding my rig from the ground up. i already have the core components but im going super heavy on aesthetics. and with looks in mind, please do not say noctua because #UglyAF

[bgibbz]

personally i like the nzxt krakens, but they are expensive. Its hard to call any cooler the "best". Under certain situations, stock coolers may be the best. 

[m0k]

going of benchmarks/reviews i think bequiets Dark Rock series are a great option

 

Also people give Noctua coolers such a bad rep. the heatsink is fine. its just a fan thats ugly, so just replace the fan. if you want to put a little more effort into it, then paint the very top heatsink fin black (incredibly easy to do)

[SeanAngelo]

11 minutes ago, SoloRaptonic said:

hey guys, im curious. in your own opinion, which cpu cooler (water, air, or other) do you consider to be the best mix of cooling performance and aesthetics. im rebuilding my rig from the ground up. i already have the core components but im going super heavy on aesthetics. and with looks in mind, please do not say noctua because #UglyAF

NZXT Kraken X62

Phanteks TC12DX

BeQuiet Dark Rock 3

 

[SoloRaptonic]

2 minutes ago, mok said:

going of benchmarks/reviews i think bequiets Dark Rock series are a great option

 

Also people give Noctua coolers such a bad rep. the heatsink is fine. its just a fan thats ugly, so just replace the fan. if you want to put a little more effort into it, then paint the very top heatsink fin black (incredibly easy to do)

not saying noctua is bad. i lover their coolers. and their fans are amazing. so i see it to be pointless to trade their amazing fans for something less sufficient. and as for BeQuiet, i love the way they look, but they perform a bit worse then some water coolers and there mounting solution is not the greatest. i have big hands so it becomes difficult

[SoloRaptonic]

1 minute ago, Thread212 said:

If u want aesthetic do a custom loop.

Otherwise :

Nzxt x62 

Swiftech h220 x2 ( this one looks awesome though )

Be quiet dark rock

 

custom loop is far too expensive for my taste. and i cant seem to remember correctly but i think i heard bad things about that swiftech cooler. that and the aio case water loop combo from deepcool. this one https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811853040&cm_re=water_cooling_case-_-11-853-040-_-Product

[TheRandomness]

-Thread moved to Liquid and Exotic Cooling subforum (due to the thread being mostly about AiOs). Please remember to post in the correct subforum.

[knightslugger]

i think when it comes to aesthetics, AIOs generally win out due to the compact form the contact plate comes in, and the LED lighting they generally have. add that you don't generally see the rads tucked into the front or top covers and you have my clear preference. any of those types would do it for me. While the dark rock Air coolers are nice, they are nice and BIG taking away from the MB's looks (which is half the reason people buy them). i mean, why buy a MB because it looks awesome... only to hide it beneath a behemoth of an air cooler?

[FrankV]

Given you criteria, I have to say the best I've seen are custom built water loops. 

[b105f00d]

Aesthetically you cannot deny the NZXT Kraken Water Block's Infinity Mirror.  This was my ideal choice until I hit a few speed bumps on my new build's limitations. 

 

Although I just purchased a H220 x2 Prestige myself for expandable custom loop in the future and the clear tubing and size restraints on my case. Unfortunately the NZXT starts off in 140x140mm and I only have room for a 120mm on the back. Plus I got the 120 x 240 mm x2 for 70$ discounted off of eBay new. Hopefully it will fit on the top of my case. The h220 x2 has over time proven to be one of the best AIO coolers on the market.

 

It would help aesthetically if we knew what case you were working with, size of build, colors, etc. Sometimes this plays an important factor in what is available to you.

Edited February 20, 2017 by b105f00d
added a question to op

[thegoogler]

I personally like the deep cool gamer storm Captain 420EX. it has that cool look and you know it will give great temps and cooler temps.