CPU Cooler Performance Tier List

[Tan3l6]

I wonder why Zalman CNPS20X is Tier 1, but very similar performance Noctua NH-D15 is Tier2?

The performance is not so much better for sure, also the CNPS20X blocks RAM slots when installed. So can't  change RAM without screwing loose the cooler and reseating..

[Ruboka]

20 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

ARO-M14 is good: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/zV6qqs/thermalright-aro-m14g-736-cfm-cpu-cooler-aro-m14g

Hmm this looks good. How good is the mounting system? I know Noctua has springs between the screws that pull the cooler down on to the cpu. Is this some possible danger like when moving the case to damage the cpu/motherboard?

Cooling the overclocked Ryzen 3800x should not be a problem with this then ?
In comparison between the Dark Rock 4 for example(which will be ~3€ more expensive for me since shipping cost is extra) which one "performs" better?

Also do you think a 750W psu will be enough for overclocking the 3800x and a rtx 3060ti gpu? Or should I buy a 850W psu?
Thank you for your help, I appreciate it.

[WoodenMarker]

5 hours ago, Tan3l6 said:

I wonder why Zalman CNPS20X is Tier 1, but very similar performance Noctua NH-D15 is Tier2?

The performance is not so much better for sure, also the CNPS20X blocks RAM slots when installed. So can't  change RAM without screwing loose the cooler and reseating..

The CNPS20X seemed a bit better but the two coolers do trade blows fairly often. I'm currently working on a new revision of the list so I'll add a question mark to the CNPS20X for the time being. 

2 hours ago, Ruboka said:

Hmm this looks good. How good is the mounting system? I know Noctua has springs between the screws that pull the cooler down on to the cpu. Is this some possible danger like when moving the case to damage the cpu/motherboard?

Cooling the overclocked Ryzen 3800x should not be a problem with this then ?
In comparison between the Dark Rock 4 for example(which will be ~3€ more expensive for me since shipping cost is extra) which one "performs" better?
Also do you think a 750W psu will be enough for overclocking the 3800x and a rtx 3060ti gpu? Or should I buy a 850W psu?

In terms of mounting quality, it's solid. I wouldn't worry about the heatsink when moving the system around. The biggest issue with mounting is the installation process itself since the screw needs to be accessed through a hole in the heatsink. 

The ARO-M14 should be plenty for cooling. The Dark Rock 4 would also be fine but it doesn't seem to perform as well.

A good 600w would already be plenty.

[Ruboka]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

The CNPS20X seemed a bit better but the two coolers do trade blows fairly often. I'm currently working on a new revision of the list so I'll add a question mark to the CNPS20X for the time being. 

In terms of mounting quality, it's solid. I wouldn't worry about the heatsink when moving the system around. The biggest issue with mounting is the installation process itself since the screw needs to be accessed through a hole in the heatsink. 

The ARO-M14 should be plenty for cooling. The Dark Rock 4 would also be fine but it doesn't seem to perform as well.

A good 600w would already be plenty.

Thanks man, doing great work here ! I really appreciate it

[SavageNeo]

May I ask a quick question? 

My friend has tuf gaming gt301 case

He want the best aircooler that has rgb. What are the best air coolers with rgb?

[Mateyyy]

1 minute ago, SavageNeo said:

May I ask a quick question? 

My friend has tuf gaming gt301 case

He want the best aircooler that has rgb. What are the best air coolers with rgb?

Probably a Freezer 50, from Arctic.

[SavageNeo]

2 minutes ago, Mateyyy said:

Probably a Freezer 50, from Arctic.

max height is 160mm it wont certainly fit.

[Jeppes]

1 minute ago, SavageNeo said:

max height is 160mm it wont certainly fit.

SilentiumPC Grandis 3 evo argb or Scythe Mugen 5 black rgb should be ok for most use cases.

[WoodenMarker]

10 hours ago, SavageNeo said:

May I ask a quick question? 

My friend has tuf gaming gt301 case

He want the best aircooler that has rgb. What are the best air coolers with rgb?

What cpu and ram? Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

Are there any other features you're looking for?

[SavageNeo]

8 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

What cpu and ram?

currently i5 8400 will upgrade to i9 9900f when he has thee money for it. 

ram he has like 2x8 sticks of ram without a heatsink so there is that.

8 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Are there any other features you're looking for?

Not really. RGB/ARGB.

8 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

Finland

budget under 80 euro

[Seroit]

Hey guys I'm going to upgrade to a Ryzen 5800x soon and I was thinking about getting a Noctua NH-D15 but here in Argentina I can get an ID-Cooling Auraflow X 360 for almost half the price.
Seeing as the ID-Cooling is in TIer 1 but I'd never heard about it before, is it worth getting?

 

Thanks!

[Energycore]

Just now, Seroit said:

Hey guys I'm going to upgrade to a Ryzen 5800x soon and I was thinking about getting a Noctua NH-D15 but here in Argentina I can get an ID-Cooling Auraflow X 360 for almost half the price.
Seeing as the ID-Cooling is in TIer 1 but I'd never heard about it before, is it worth getting?

 

Thanks!

ID Cooling is a relatively big AIO Maker that mostly sells in China/Rest of Asia.

 

Their products are usually pretty good bang for buck -if they make it to America at all-.

 

The thing about that cooler is that you need space in your case for a 360mm radiator. Make sure you have the space. If you do, then go ahead and grab it

 

Keep in mind all AIOs have pump noise, so it won't create a fully silent experience (but you can get used to it, I know I did)

[WoodenMarker]

1 hour ago, Seroit said:

Hey guys I'm going to upgrade to a Ryzen 5800x soon and I was thinking about getting a Noctua NH-D15 but here in Argentina I can get an ID-Cooling Auraflow X 360 for almost half the price.
Seeing as the ID-Cooling is in TIer 1 but I'd never heard about it before, is it worth getting?

The Auraflow X 360 is a great performer so it's not a bad option if you're mainly after cooling performance. What kind of features are you looking for in a cooler?

[p0ttus]

I have a 5900X and a Meshify 2 case. Want to get the best performance AIO without extreme prices, RGB not important. Currently the Celsius S36 / CLC 360 / Arctic Liquid 360 / Corsair H150i are similar prices, which one should I get, what are the differences? Will I need to replace fans?

 

Also how is the Liquid Freezer 420 compared to the 360 AIOs? Will it fit?

 

Thank you.

[WoodenMarker]

9 minutes ago, p0ttus said:

I have a 5900X and a Meshify 2 case. Want to get the best performance AIO without extreme prices, RGB not important. Currently the Celsius S36 / CLC 360 / Arctic Liquid 360 / Corsair H150i are similar prices, which one should I get, what are the differences? Will I need to replace fans?

Also how is the Liquid Freezer 420 compared to the 360 AIOs? Will it fit?

The stock fans are fine if you're only after cooling performance. Which model H150i?

The Liquid Freezer II 420 would barely fit in the Meshify 2 with some case fan and ram height limitations but should perform better than any of the 360mm's mentioned.

 

[p0ttus]

5 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

The stock fans are fine if you're only after cooling performance. Which model H150i?

The Liquid Freezer II 420 would barely fit in the Meshify 2 with some case fan and ram height limitations but should perform better than any of the 360mm's mentioned.

 

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-icue-h150i-rgb-pro-xt-liquid-cooling-system/p/N82E16835181192?Description=h150i&cm_re=h150i-_-35-181-192-_-Product&quicklink=true this version.

These rams are 42.6mm that he uses. I will buy ripjaws v which are 42mm, would they fit with a x570 motherboard? Are they similar to the z490 board he used?

 

So 420mm AIO and 120mm rear case fan is better than 360mm AIO and 140mm rear case fan right?

[WoodenMarker]

3 minutes ago, p0ttus said:

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-icue-h150i-rgb-pro-xt-liquid-cooling-system/p/N82E16835181192?Description=h150i&cm_re=h150i-_-35-181-192-_-Product&quicklink=true this version.

These rams are 42.6mm that he uses. I will buy ripjaws v which are 42mm, would they fit with a x570 motherboard? Are they similar to the z490 board he used?

 

So 420mm AIO and 120mm rear case fan is better than 360mm AIO and 140mm rear case fan right?

The Liquid Freezer II 420 would be best for cpu cooling even with smaller case fans. There are plenty of great 120mm case fans that don't sacrifice much compared to 140mm's like the NF-S12A or NF-A12x25. 

The ram used in the video looks like Ballistix Elite so there probably wouldn't be enough clearance with ram as tall as Ripjaws V. If you're not using lower profile ram, use a thinner rad when mounting at the top. 

There aren't many direct comparisons available but the EVGA CLC 360 and H150i RGB Pro XT seems to be the best performing of the 360mm's mentioned. For lower noise, I'd go with the latter. 

https://www.hardwarecooking.fr/test-corsair-icue-h150i-rgb-pro-xt/3/

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3596-ek-aio-drgb-360-240-review-liquid-coolers

[p0ttus]

18 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

The Liquid Freezer II 420 would be best for cpu cooling even with smaller case fans. There are plenty of great 120mm case fans that don't sacrifice much compared to 140mm's like the NF-S12A or NF-A12x25. 

The ram used in the video looks like Ballistix Elite so there probably wouldn't be enough clearance with ram as tall as Ripjaws V. If you're not using lower profile ram, use a thinner rad when mounting at the top. 

There aren't many direct comparisons available but the EVGA CLC 360 and H150i RGB Pro XT seems to be the best performing of the 360mm's mentioned. For lower noise, I'd go with the latter. 

https://www.hardwarecooking.fr/test-corsair-icue-h150i-rgb-pro-xt/3/

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3596-ek-aio-drgb-360-240-review-liquid-coolers

I believe it is the Patriot Viper Blackout 42.6mm as it is linked in the description of the video. Considering that is the case, would a 42mm ripjaws on a AM4 motherboard be okay? He uses a Z490 motherboard and I don't know how to compare honestly.

 

Also, although not related to this post, I'd like to ask your advice for a motherboard if you are knowledgeable on this subject. I won't be needing that much USB / M2 / SATA / PCIe slots and just want a good manual OC motherboard that will go well with a 5900X and a 420/360mm AIO. I don't necessarily have a budget however based on my needs I believe even a basic B550 Tomahawk / Aorus Pro can handle the job. Is that correct? What would be your advice?

[WoodenMarker]

6 hours ago, p0ttus said:

I believe it is the Patriot Viper Blackout 42.6mm as it is linked in the description of the video. Considering that is the case, would a 42mm ripjaws on a AM4 motherboard be okay? He uses a Z490 motherboard and I don't know how to compare honestly.

 

Also, although not related to this post, I'd like to ask your advice for a motherboard if you are knowledgeable on this subject. I won't be needing that much USB / M2 / SATA / PCIe slots and just want a good manual OC motherboard that will go well with a 5900X and a 420/360mm AIO. I don't necessarily have a budget however based on my needs I believe even a basic B550 Tomahawk / Aorus Pro can handle the job. Is that correct? What would be your advice?

Oh, I didn't notice that! In that case, the cooler should clear the ram should you decide to go with the Arctic Freezer II 420.

Yep, either motherboard would be great. 

[p0ttus]

On 12/17/2020 at 11:18 PM, WoodenMarker said:

Oh, I didn't notice that! In that case, the cooler should clear the ram should you decide to go with the Arctic Freezer II 420.

Yep, either motherboard would be great. 

Thank you. One last question regarding case fans. I believe getting 140mm compared to 120mm is always better for a case is that right? Should I also change the stock fans on the meshify 2? 

[WoodenMarker]

6 hours ago, p0ttus said:

Thank you. One last question regarding case fans. I believe getting 140mm compared to 120mm is always better for a case is that right? Should I also change the stock fans on the meshify 2? 

140mm's are often but not always better. See how your temps are. If you're satisfied with the results, there's no need to buy new fans. 

[TommyAngelo]

Hey Guys !
Which one is better between MasterLiquid ML240L V2 RGB and MSI MAG CORELIQUID 240R ?

I am mostly interested in reliability and Silence.
Thanks

 

[WoodenMarker]

5 hours ago, TommyAngelo said:

Which one is better between MasterLiquid ML240L V2 RGB and MSI MAG CORELIQUID 240R ?

I am mostly interested in reliability and Silence.

Neither coolers are particularly quiet. If the MAG CoreLiquid 240R comes with the longer 5 year warranty, that's a better bet than the 2 years from the ML240L v2.

What cpu are you cooling and why are you looking at these coolers in particular?

[TommyAngelo]

1 hour ago, WoodenMarker said:

Neither coolers are particularly quiet. If the MAG CoreLiquid 240R comes with the longer 5 year warranty, that's a better bet than the 2 years from the ML240L v2.

What cpu are you cooling and why are you looking at these coolers in particular?

The CPU is an AMD 3700X. The MSi has 3 years warranty and the CoolerMaster only 2 years.

I am looking for these coolers because they are the budget RGB ones here in France (75€ for the ML240L and 95€ for the MSI Coreliquid). The Arcrtic Freezer is 95€ also but he lacks RGB.
Do you recommend any other budget RGB AiO ?

[JakebR]

Guys what cooler should I buy considering my LOCAL prices?

Current pc setup is:
Ryzen 5600x
Nvidia 3080 MSI Trio X
Corsair Carbide 400C

My options are:
Coolermaster ML 240L V2 for $100
DeepCool Castle 240EX for $122
Silverstone PF240 ARGB for $110
Corsair iCUE H115i PRO XT $154

My current cooler is an air cooler from Deepcool, model Gammaxx GTE.

Do I need an water cooler? My case is really compact/small and my GPU is probably going to heat it so i was considering buying an AIO...

I don't plan to overclock my CPU, just to undervolt it and also undervolt my GPU since my city is really hot (33*C atm)