current best air coolers

What is the "best" rgb air cooler right now that aesthetically looks the best with some flare to it on the cooler itself not just the side fan? I've been looking for a while and It's slim pickens?
 
Noctua make good coolers, but are about twice the prce of Thermalright (sometimes 3 times as much) for similar cooling.
Noctua NH-D15 is typically about £100 or more. I've seen as high as £121.64. Even used they are £65 and up.
Thermalright FS140 is £33.70-40.90, PA120 SE is £32.90, PA120 £30.59, FC140 is £35.90-41.90

Many coolers have finpack offset away from PCIe socket and some have finpack offset back, sometimes bottom fins are notched back for better RAM clearance. The use of 120mm fan is partially for better RAM clearance.
 
polonyc2 said:
can never go wrong with Noctua...it's been my go to air cooler for years...the cooler is gigantic so you need to make sure it fits your case but that's the only slight issue
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I've been using the same D-15 for the last 7-8 years and it's money well spent at this point. I'll probably still be using it by the time the next-gen version comes out.
 
xDiVolatilX said:
And ram clearance?
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you can raise the fan as long as your case has enough clearance...that's what I did with my current build

for something as important as CPU cooling I don't mind spending a bit more as I know it's going to perform great and last a long time
 
polonyc2 said:
last a long time
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Again it's an air cooler. Lol. What exactly is going to go wrong with it? I'm not saying noctua doesn't make a good (though overpriced) air cooler, but people use that point (it lasts) as a selling point. Like...every single radiator I've ever purchased is still a functional radiator. It's a piece of metal with some heat tubes.
 
I have an AMD 5900X currently cooled by a Noctura nh-u12a. It's barely enough. The processor hits its limits while leveraging precision boost. TDP exceeds 260 watts in that condition, even while undervolting. I'm switching over to a

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 around Christmas and expect to gain a bit more thermal headrooom.​


I'm convinced that up to 6 cores, even with modern processors you can cool them with aircooling. At 8 cores, it all depends on the baseline TDP.

I undervolted, raised the current limit and have tuned the processor in the UEFI to make my processor act more like a 5900 than a 5900x for most workloads. Compared to the out of the box configuration , the result is 7% faster than a 5900x in a low thread count scenario, 2% faster in a half the cores scenario, and 4% slower in an all core scenario. That's also while running most workloads consuming 50% less power, and 35% less power at max threading. In all of the above scenarios I'm still being throttled by temperature. Based on reviews, my upcoming planned change will drop the temps by 7c. Unlocking that 2-3% additional performance that I am currently missing while dropping the noise level for most of the heavier load tests.


I've talked directly to the manufactures about what will be coming to the market over the next 12 months. They can build and sell amazing processors, but you can't beat the laws of physics. It's almost certain closed loop liquid cooling is going to be a part of the required solutions in the future if you want to tap into the top performing processors. Either way... I love the Noctura nh-u12a and can endorse it and the company that makes it. I just don't recommend it if your workload is higher than 250 watts, but it's super practical and fits physically in places where some of the other top air coolers don't.
 
AMD 5900X is quite a hot cpu.
In my opinion too hot for NH-U12A.
There are many coolers way better than NH-U12A on the current market. Specifically Thermalright's new twin towers costing half as much often a third and some can be had for a forth the cost of U12A.
 
Th
doyll said:
AMD 5900X is quite a hot cpu.
In my opinion too hot for NH-U12A.
There are many coolers way better than NH-U12A on the current market. Specifically Thermalright's new twin towers costing half as much often a third and some can be had for a forth the cost of U12A
Click to expand...

I would debate the "way better" part. The 12A is by default configured to be quiet. I upgraded the fans... it's a bit louder but it does the job up to and past 220 watts. I'm not fighting against normal operation... I just want more precision boost overhead, and I don't like running my processors up against tjunct MAX. Noctura's "heatpipe tech" are IMO a bit better than other manufacturers.

For the price...yeah I 'll give you that, they are not even close to being the most cost effective option.
 
Mackintire said:
I would debate the "way better" part. The 12A is by default configured to be quiet. I upgraded the fans
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But it's objectively true, there are much better coolers for way less:
844347_1682634680485.png

Now sure, you can upgrade the fans, but what stops me from doing the same to any of those better coolers? That Frost Spirit is like $44 on amazon.

*Edit* As it stand noctua coolers aren't doing anything special. especially for the 3 digit prices they command. At this point noctua buyers are only doing it for the brand. Maybe the low noise models are still special, idk.
 
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Mackintire said:
Th


I would debate the "way better" part. The 12A is by default configured to be quiet. I upgraded the fans... it's a bit louder but it does the job up to and past 220 watts. I'm not fighting against normal operation... I just want more precision boost overhead, and I don't like running my processors up against tjunct MAX. Noctura's "heatpipe tech" are IMO a bit better than other manufacturers.

For the price...yeah I 'll give you that, they are not even close to being the most cost effective option.
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What fan did you "upgrade" to?
NH-U12A comes with NF-A12x25, one of the best 120mm fans on the market.
 
I swapped my U12As a12x25s to a pair of ippc 2000s on my 9900kf (for shits and giggles really) but the only real benefit was about 5c and a ton of noise at 2000rpm. The ippc 2000s have a harsher profile past 7or 800rpms compared to the a12x25s. I swapped back to the a12x25s obviously.

The U12A is a solid heatsink (and I continue to use mine)but Thermalright has come out swinging for the fences. Lately with the Peerless Assassin 120, Phantom Spirit 120 and now the Frost Spirit 140. They just keep releasing badass heatsinks one after another. Undercutting all the bigdogs on price points they simply cant or wont compete with while solidly beating them on performance to boot.
 
hititnquitit said:
I swapped my U12As a12x25s to a pair of ippc 2000s on my 9900kf (for shits and giggles really) but the only real benefit was about 5c and a ton of noise at 2000rpm. The ippc 2000s have a harsher profile past 7or 800rpms compared to the a12x25s. I swapped back to the a12x25s obviously.

The U12A is a solid heatsink (and I continue to use mine)but Thermalright has come out swinging for the fences. Lately with the Peerless Assassin 120, Phantom Spirit 120 and now the Frost Spirit 140. They just keep releasing badass heatsinks one after another. Undercutting all the bigdogs on price points they simply cant or wont compete with while solidly beating them on performance to boot.
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II recommend cheaper options for my friends but I still pay the noctua premium. I'd rather not have to deal with it. It's air cooling, and their fans are top notch, so I'll pay extra to never have a problem. The cheaper stuff usually has okay fans that will be great for most people, but if I bought one and heard a bearing start going, i'd kick myself for not just spending the extra money up front.
 
Randall Stephens said:
II recommend cheaper options for my friends but I still pay the noctua premium. I'd rather not have to deal with it. It's air cooling, and their fans are top notch, so I'll pay extra to never have a problem. The cheaper stuff usually has okay fans that will be great for most people, but if I bought one and heard a bearing start going, i'd kick myself for not just spending the extra money up front.
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I hear ya. There's nothing as easy and clean as dropping in a Noctua Chromax heatsink.
Altho, if I were to need another heatsink at some point. That's probably not going to happen anytime soon...kinda moving back into a full on wcing kick again. I would go with either a Phantom Spirit 120 or a Frost Spirit 140 and squeeze in a pair of Phantek t30s.
Best of both worlds.
 
U
hititnquitit said:
I hear ya. There's nothing as easy and clean as dropping in a Noctua Chromax heatsink.
Altho, if I were to need another heatsink at some point. That's probably not going to happen anytime soon...kinda moving back into a full on wcing kick again. I would go with either a Phantom Spirit 120 or a Frost Spirit 140 and squeeze in a pair of Phantek t30s.
Best of both worlds.
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I know what you mean. As much as I wanted to go air this time I couldn't do it. I was possessed like a zombie. Plus having 3 Alphacool rads it's basically impossible for me to throw them in the shelf or sell them. The itch is just too strong not to scratch haha

On the other hand for my backup build I'm trying to piece together I am baffled at which air cooler to pick. I keep looking at the thermalrights but they just don't look asthetically good to me. I want the heatsink itself to have some RGB not just the fan. It's 2023 and the best they can do is an RGB fan? C'mon now lol
 
xDiVolatilX said:
U

I know what you mean. As much as I wanted to go air this time I couldn't do it. I was possessed like a zombie. Plus having 3 Alphacool rads it's basically impossible for me to throw them in the shelf or sell them. The itch is just too strong not to scratch haha

On the other hand for my backup build I'm trying to piece together I am baffled at which air cooler to pick. I keep looking at the thermalrights but they just don't look asthetically good to me. I want the heatsink itself to have some RGB not just the fan. It's 2023 and the best they can do is an RGB fan? C'mon now lol
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Oh man, I completely burned myself out on rgb with my main rig (10,000 wires, ugh). All because I wanted an all black and blue rig. Both of my back up rigs are completely blacked out as a result. Well, other than the green anti-freeze I'm using for coolant in one :/
 
Do I've been scratching my head for months now and need to get my build going.

What is the BEST RGB air cooler right now? Top 3 if anyone can help please thank you!

Is it one of the thermalrights RGB ones?

Is there any other rgb air cooler that performs as good but has some asthetically pleasing RGB or digital flare to it? I miss the old circular Zalman CPNS9900MAX and wish they made an adapter for 1700.


Any suggestions? It needs to clear the tallish Gskill RGB RAM also most likely going to get the MSI Z790 Tomahawk board as soon as I settle on a cooler.

What do you guys think? Which one?
 
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xDiVolatilX said:
Do I've been scratching my head for months now and need to get my build going.

What is the BEST RGB air cooler right now? Top 3 if anyone can help please thank you!

Is it one of the thermalrights RGB ones?

Is there any other rgb air cooler that performs as good but has some asthetically pleasing RGB or digital flare to it? I miss the old circular Zalman CPNS9900MAX and wish they made an adapter for 1700.


Any suggestions? It needs to clear the tallish Gskill RGB RAM also most likely going to get the MSI Z790 Tomahawk board as soon as I settle on a cooler.

What do you guys think? Which one?
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if you dont mind white, the frost spirit 140: https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-FS140-Cooler-Heat-Pipes/dp/B09CGW8B22
or the pa120se argb: https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-SE-ARGB-TL-C12CW-S-Technology/dp/B09P4M4C7K
 
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Will the Thermalright Phantom spirit 120 SE RGB version clear the Gskill RGB RAM? I need confirmation cause that is a deal breaker.
 
Also what about this one?
DeepCool AK620 Zero Dark Digital Display Edition CPU Air Cooler All-Black 6 Copper Heat Pipes Dual-Tower CPU Cooler SuitableFor Intel LGA 1700/1200/1151/1150/1155 AMD AM5/AM4¡ https://a.co/d/dkJDzCn

I love the look of this one. The digital display is so sweet. Wot u guys reckon?
 
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xDiVolatilX said:
Also what about this one?
DeepCool AK620 Zero Dark Digital Display Edition CPU Air Cooler All-Black 6 Copper Heat Pipes Dual-Tower CPU Cooler SuitableFor Intel LGA 1700/1200/1151/1150/1155 AMD AM5/AM4¡ https://a.co/d/dkJDzCn

I love the look of this one. The digital display is so sweet. Wot u guys reckon?
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That one reviews pretty well and is popular you just have to make sure the fan won't run into your case door/window if you need to offset it to clear your memory. It can make a 155mm tall hs a 160mm tall hs really easy. In order to fit the Thermalright pa 120se in my back up rig, I had to set the fan right down on top of the rgb memory to close the door. That's something to consider with any heatsink tho.
 
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I found this review for the Deepcool AK620 Digital

View: https://youtu.be/v_80tN5Ax7c
Seems like it can hold the 13900K at 4.9-5GHz at about 85c. So it would be adequate for a 12700k or 13700k easy right?
How does that compare to the thermalrights?
 
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Post #251 has a graph that NightReaver posted. It's not a bad unit, 5c behind the PA 120 and 6c behind the FS 140 so nothing to be worried about imo.
 
I grabbed the AK620 digital with another Thermalright bracket and a set of 6400 c32 ram and an Asus z790- Strix board. 4090 coming next week also. I won't be asking any more questions in this thread thanks for all the help fellas 👍
 

xDiVolatilX​

You don't say what case you plan to use, Whatever you choose needs to have at least 175mm of CPU clearance for a 120m fan to fit over Gskill RGB RAM.

RAM socket sets about 5mm below CPU IHS height. So we subtract 5mm from you Gskill RGB RAM height of 60mmm, then add 120mm for cooler fan and we have a total of 175mm. So you case needs to have at least 175mm CPU clearance to 120m fan to fit over Gskill RGB RAM. See below drawing:
1692190484862.png
 
doyll said:

xDiVolatilX​

You don't say what case you plan to use, Whatever you choose needs to have at least 175mm of CPU clearance for a 120m fan to fit over Gskill RGB RAM.

RAM socket sets about 5mm below CPU IHS height. So we subtract 5mm from you Gskill RGB RAM height of 60mmm, then add 120mm for cooler fan and we have a total of 175mm. So you case needs to have at least 175mm CPU clearance to 120m fan to fit over Gskill RGB RAM. See below drawing:
View attachment 590761
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I did mention it was the z790-h Strix board with the Gskill RGB RAM and the AK620 cooler. Is that the information you were talking about?

edit. Oh the case yeah it's either the
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Black Window High-Airflow ATX Midtower Computer Case
Or the
Corsair 600T
The fractal is the nicer and newer case but I still like the 600t more for nostalgia LOL
Plus the 600t aesthetically matches my main build which is the 780t and they have very similar lines and curves and shapes except one is a full tower and one is a mid Tower it's like a full main rig build and a mid secondary rig build they go hand in hand.
 
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if your ram is in the way, you might be able to just move the front fan up or just move it to the back.
 
xDiVolatilX said:
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Black Window High-Airflow ATX Midtower Computer Case
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Arc Midi R2 has 170mm CPU clearance. Clearance spec is usually conservative.
Both metal side and glass side CPU clearance spec are same, but glass being thicker is a few mm less actual clearance than metal side.
DVTest case review 25.01.2013 says:
The model can be used with ATX PSUs up to 170 mm deep when using the bottom fan location and when not using this fan location longer PSUs up to 270 mm deep can be used. The case can hold CPU coolers with maximum height of 180 mm.
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Bit Tech review also says 180mm CpU clearance.

So RAM with 120mm fan has a good chance of fitting. :D
 
doyll said:
AMD 5900X is quite a hot cpu.
In my opinion too hot for NH-U12A.
There are many coolers way better than NH-U12A on the current market. Specifically Thermalright's new twin towers costing half as much often a third and some can be had for a forth the cost of U12A.
Click to expand...
7950X PBO CO -20 in a Torrent
 

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pendragon1 said:
what point are you trying to make, that it gets over 90c throttles?
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It's relatively holding its' own. It would likely thermal on water too, I have a heatkiller dual 180 coming so we'll see. That cooler for it's size is doing a decent job but I'll say the case fans all spool up for sure.
 
Something else interesting, if you add/roughly average all those cores 16x16 it's 256 Watts, I show 96 Watts idle at the UPS, 356 Watts under that load at the UPS, power rails accounts for some of that yes but that NH-U12A is dissipating 256 Watts. Gaming noise is really low, I've not tracked actual temps or load gaming though. It's a pretty new system...
 

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Just picked up a PA 120 for my 5600G for under 35 bux and I can get it to throttle from temp at all. 57C @4.6Ghz all core 100% and very quiet fan noise wise. I'm impressed for the price it's perfect for that cpu gonna try my 5900X next and maybe the 7800X3d as well after that depending on how it goes on the 5900X.
 
pendragon1 said:
what point are you trying to make, that it gets over 90c throttles?
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Heatkiller IV, Alphacool dual 180x360, 7950x throttling, load dependent. You can only pull so much heat through the IHS...
 

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