CPU Cooler Performance Tier List

[MartinKweh]

there's literally no "ENGLISH" info about ID cooling SE 207 so ill try to add a test here in comparison for 1200 and 3600 between stock cooler and id cooling SE 207

[WoodenMarker]

On 11/14/2019 at 12:42 PM, DarkZentrax said:

Hello guys! I ask you a question, I found almost no information about the AeroCool Pulse L240F RGB, what do you think? it's good? For OC 8700K.

It seems ok but as mentioned, there's little info on it. The unique fan blades seem a bit unusual so I'm not sure about their efficacy or whether not the design is just gimmicky. Why are you considering this cooler in particular as opposed to something else that's been more frequently reviewed?

[shazammm]

any thoughts on where Xigmatek Scylla 120 (liquid cooler) should stand? on par with what coolers?

 

[realXClav]

What CPU would you say would be fit for each tier while Overclocked?

 

[WoodenMarker]

13 hours ago, shazammm said:

any thoughts on where Xigmatek Scylla 120 (liquid cooler) should stand? on par with what coolers?

The only review I've found on it is from cowcotland and it doesn't seem particularly good. https://www.cowcotland.com/articles/2266-4/watercooling-aio-xigmatek-scylla-120.html

8 minutes ago, realXClav said:

What CPU would you say would be fit for each tier while Overclocked?

There are a lot of cpus and that seems like a roundabout way to ask for something else. I'm also not sure if there's a straight answer to that question.

Did you want a cooler recommendation or is there something about the list that doesn't make sense to you?

[realXClav]

19 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

The only review I've found on it is from cowcotland and it doesn't seem particularly good. https://www.cowcotland.com/articles/2266-4/watercooling-aio-xigmatek-scylla-120.html

There are a lot of cpus and that seems like a roundabout way to ask for something else. I'm also not sure if there's a straight answer to that question.

Did you want a cooler recommendation or is there something about the list that doesn't make sense to you?

Fuma 2 with a 9900KS would be fine?

[WoodenMarker]

2 hours ago, realXClav said:

Fuma 2 with a 9900KS would be fine?

It'd be fine for stock clocks but you'd have to be lucky with a good chip for any substantial oc'ing. 

You can see some of the results with similar coolers on oc'ed 9900K's for comparison. https://pcpartpicker.com/builds/by_part/jHZFf7#h=658,267,370,713,27,723,714&C=1

[Jeppes]

On 11/30/2019 at 8:04 PM, realXClav said:

Fuma 2 with a 9900KS would be fine?

You can always put two faster spinning fans onto it and use the Scythe fans for case ventilation. A pair of Arctic p12 pwm:s should cost something like 15€. Scythe is for some reason crippling their cooler performance on review charts with those 1200rpm fans when most of other manufacturers use louder faster spinning ones.

[MeafQ]

There is no Deepcool Redhat in the list. Seems like it is identical to Deepcool Lucifer V2, but in different color.

 

I have a very 'airflowy' case (Silverstone Raven RV02) and a R7 2700.

And I want to overclock with some extra cooler performance for a future upgrade.

I consider Deepcool Lucifer V2/Redhat (Tier 3), because it is very cheap where I live. But will it be enough for what I want?

If not which air cooler will be? The other good deal is ID-Cooling FROSTFLOW X 240 (but I would like to avoid AIO).

[Sacerdus]

Hello guys,

I need help to choose the best cooler for my R7 3700x with overclock and I am in doubt about these 2 products: Deepcool Assassin 3 ($132) or Kraken X72 ($192).

In terms of performance which one would be the best (ignoring prices) in a 30° environment?

[SavageNeo]

7 minutes ago, Sacerdus said:

Hello guys,

I need help to choose the best cooler for my R7 3700x with overclock and I am in doubt about these 2 products: Deepcool Assassin 3 ($132) or Kraken X72 ($192).

In terms of performance which one would be the best (ignoring prices) in a 30° environment?

The kraken one. 

[Sacerdus]

19 minutes ago, SavageNeo said:

The kraken one. 

Thanks, do you know what is the best AIO today on the market? Or all of the "high-end line" has basically the same performance?

[ogbogb10z]

i got a question. is the deepcool gammaxx 400 a good pair for ryzen 5 3600? i got a faulty antec a30, so i thought about ordering from neweeg (just found out they are doing international shipping) 

if it matters, the case is antec dp301m (i checked, i get 0.5 cm clearnce left between cooler and side panel)

[WoodenMarker]

On 12/6/2019 at 2:31 AM, MeafQ said:

There is no Deepcool Redhat in the list. Seems like it is identical to Deepcool Lucifer V2, but in different color.

I have a very 'airflowy' case (Silverstone Raven RV02) and a R7 2700.

And I want to overclock with some extra cooler performance for a future upgrade.

I consider Deepcool Lucifer V2/Redhat (Tier 3), because it is very cheap where I live. But will it be enough for what I want?

If not which air cooler will be? The other good deal is ID-Cooling FROSTFLOW X 240 (but I would like to avoid AIO).

Same thing. Localization of bad translations can result in multiple names or barely slightly versions. Sometimes, the differences come down to accessories, packaging, etc. 

Sure, the Lucifer V2 would be enough for that. As for future upgrades, it depends on what kind of cooling performance you're aiming for. It should at least be enough for stock settings or a slight oc if you happened to get a more power hungry cpu. 

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

On 12/7/2019 at 10:55 AM, Sacerdus said:

Thanks, do you know what is the best AIO today on the market? Or all of the "high-end line" has basically the same performance?

Best in what way?

On 12/7/2019 at 12:30 PM, ogbogb10z said:

i got a question. is the deepcool gammaxx 400 a good pair for ryzen 5 3600? i got a faulty antec a30, so i thought about ordering from neweeg (just found out they are doing international shipping) 

if it matters, the case is antec dp301m (i checked, i get 0.5 cm clearnce left between cooler and side panel)

Sure, the Gammaxx 400 is often a great option for the price and is a decent upgrade over the stock Wraith Stealth or A30 if you're also prioritizing lower noise and not purely on thermal headroom. 

[Sacerdus]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

Best in what way?

Performance at full speed ignoring prices, a top 5 of those that provide the best temperatures.

[Quadriplegic]

Boooooooooooooooooooooooi, that new Thermalright Frost Spirit looks great. About to tear Noctua a new hole and it's a mid end cooler. Excited for their new high end offering.

 

  

On 11/30/2019 at 8:04 PM, realXClav said:

Fuma 2 with a 9900KS would be fine?

Depends on ambient and voltage, but yeah, it performs close to D15, difference is roughly 3-4C 


@WoodenMarker Can I ask why  Fuma 2 is below original Fuma? From the reviews I could find, it doesn't seem like Fuma 2 performs any worse (even bit better due to higher RPM fans it seems?) but it also has quality of life improvements like better RAM compatibility

[LogicWeasel]

I was checking some coolers on PCPartPicker and I was surprised to see this ARCTIC Freezer Xtreme Rev.2 ranked at Tier 7?  Not even as good as a Hyper 212 Black?  It looks like so much more fin and heatpipe (granted there's a fan in the middle of the huge block).  But with all that area, is it really not as impressive as it looks?  Just checking because it looks more like the twin-style coolers like the Neptwin and I figured it'd at least make Tier 6 or better.

[WoodenMarker]

On 12/9/2019 at 9:08 AM, Sacerdus said:

Performance at full speed ignoring prices, a top 5 of those that provide the best temperatures.

It's hard to tell since the best performers don't have many comparisons. 

With aftermarket fans, I'd guess it's the Eisbaer 420 since it's the biggest but is held back by the stock fans. 

On 12/10/2019 at 7:08 AM, Quadriplegic said:

Boooooooooooooooooooooooi, that new Thermalright Frost Spirit looks great. About to tear Noctua a new hole and it's a mid end cooler. Excited for their new high end offering.
@WoodenMarker Can I ask why  Fuma 2 is below original Fuma? From the reviews I could find, it doesn't seem like Fuma 2 performs any worse (even bit better due to higher RPM fans it seems?) but it also has quality of life improvements like better RAM compatibility

Thermalright's new cooler does look pretty exciting. I hope there are reviews on it soon.

The original Fuma uses the older HMPS mounting system which allowed it to be overtightened more for better performance. 

The QoL improvements aren't factored into the list but most results indicate that the Fuma 2 doesn't perform better overall. You can see an example of this overtightening in the first link in the thread from overclockers.net: https://www.overclockers.com/scythe-fuma-heatsink-review/

1 hour ago, LogicWeasel said:

I was checking some coolers on PCPartPicker and I was surprised to see this ARCTIC Freezer Xtreme Rev.2 ranked at Tier 7?  Not even as good as a Hyper 212 Black?  It looks like so much more fin and heatpipe (granted there's a fan in the middle of the huge block).  But with all that area, is it really not as impressive as it looks?  Just checking because it looks more like the twin-style coolers like the Neptwin and I figured it'd at least make Tier 6 or better.

Looks are not reliable for determining performance. Look at benchmarks instead.

https://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/arctic_cooling_freezer_extreme_rev_2_cpu_cooler_review,13.html

https://www.hardwaresecrets.com/arctic-cooling-freezer-xtreme-rev-2-cpu-cooler-review/6/

The Freezer Xtreme Rev.2 being larger doesn't necessarily mean that it's better for cooling. It has a lower rpm fan and isn't much heavier at 608g compared to the Hyper 212 BE at 565g. They both have the same number of heatpipes.

[Quadriplegic]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

 

The original Fuma uses the older HMPS mounting system which allowed it to be overtightened more for better performance. 

The QoL improvements aren't factored into the list but most results indicate that the Fuma 2 doesn't perform better overall. You can see an example of this overtightening in the first link in the thread from overclockers.net: https://www.overclockers.com/scythe-fuma-heatsink-review/

 

Jesus, that cooling performance is impressive. Although I don't think overtightening is a viable option for long term use?
 

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, Quadriplegic said:

Jesus, that cooling performance is impressive. Although I don't think overtightening is a viable option for long term use?

Probably but it might just be for stresses during shipping. Scythe provides washers for those using Skylake with coolers that use the original HMPS mounting hardware. The newer HMPS II and HMPS III hardware doesn't have this issue. https://www.scythe-eu.com/en/support.html

[FK2tame]

Any info or feedback for this cooler? Thermalright AXP-90

[WoodenMarker]

11 hours ago, FK2tame said:

Any info or feedback for this cooler? Thermalright AXP-90

It seems better than the C7 but I haven't found many results on it. 

https://post.smzdm.com/p/aoowqd87/

[FK2tame]

On 12/20/2019 at 11:57 AM, WoodenMarker said:

It seems better than the C7 but I haven't found many results on it. 

https://post.smzdm.com/p/aoowqd87/

Between C7, NH-L9i & AXP-90, which one is worth to cool i5-8400?

[UsualCampaign]

I'm looking for coolers for my 3600x. Using a 212 black edition atm and I'm currently looking at:

• 212 rgb black edition ($40)
• Arctic 34 esports duo ($60)
• Noctua U12s ($80)
• Other suggestions?

I would like to do some light overclocking if possible (once I figure it out) but since they're all in the same tier I'm not sure on the direct comparisons.

 

I saw that the 212 rgb is slightly better than the normal 212 black edition. Also I'm assuming either the Arctic or the Noctua would be fine for quite a while? I'm in Canada and it seems like some of the other coolers aren't available.

[WoodenMarker]

On 12/21/2019 at 8:11 PM, FK2tame said:

Between C7, NH-L9i & AXP-90, which one is worth to cool i5-8400?

Worth would depend on price. I wouldn't recommend the C7 since the NH-L9i would just be quieter.

Why are you looking at these coolers in particular? Are you unable to fit a larger cooler? 

11 hours ago, UsualCampaign said:

I'm looking for coolers for my 3600x. Using a 212 black edition atm and I'm currently looking at:

• 212 rgb black edition ($40)
• Arctic 34 esports duo ($60)
• Noctua U12s ($80)
• Other suggestions?

I would like to do some light overclocking if possible (once I figure it out) but since they're all in the same tier I'm not sure on the direct comparisons.

The coolers you mentioned aren't much better than the Hyper 212 BE you already have. Replacing the existing fan with a better performing one or just adding another fan for push / pull would allow for similar or better performance. 

Are you not satisfied with your current cooler's performance?