Cheap Spartan 5 (Max) coolers are coming to the market

SilentiumPC timed the new generation of Spartan coolers well, just before the release of the entire line of AMD Ryzen processors with TDP up to 65 W, and you can also use them now to cool similarly low-power Alder Lakes from Intel. And that’s probably with some headroom for lower speeds. The 120-millimeter fan is already used by the base model Spartan 5, which starts at a price of less than 16 EUR, which is less than 400 CZK. Read more “Cheap Spartan 5 (Max) coolers are coming to the market” »

Intel Laminar RM1 box cooler test. Why (not) throw it away?

Coolers supplied with processors are treated with prejudice. Often they don’t even get a chance and are immediately replaced by something “better”. The new Intel Laminar RM1 cooler is improved in many ways and to give you the best image of it, we have compared it both with its predecessor and with the popular SilentiumPC Fera 5 cooler. Tests on a CPU with limited power draw or at full power? Both! Read more “Intel Laminar RM1 box cooler test. Why (not) throw it away?” »

Gammaxx vs. Castle – Battle of DeepCool liquid coolers

What is better than one liquid AIO cooler? Two liquid AIO coolers. Today it’s time for the Gammaxx L360 V2 and Castle 360RGB V2 coolers. Both are among the top of DeepCool’s lineup, both use 360mm radiators, and both also feature Anti-Leak technology. However, our standardized noise methodology is generally very strict with AIO coolers. So I’m curious to see how Gammaxx and Castle perform in our stress tests. Read more “Gammaxx vs. Castle – Battle of DeepCool liquid coolers” »

One of the first: Akasa’s new small top-flow coolers for LGA 1700

The LGA 1700 mounting hole change sent all the cheap alternatives to Intel’s box coolers into retirement. Akasa is starting to build a selection of third-party coolers from the ground up, with three different models. These, of course, were not created from scratch, and among the first batch of “revived” coolers with larger push-pin spacing, there is also a low-profile model with a height of only 27 mm. Read more “One of the first: Akasa’s new small top-flow coolers for LGA 1700” »

Cooling newcomer that may surprise – Akasa Alucia H4

Akasa’s latest CPU cooler doesn’t look bad at all. It oozes drive for the highest possible efficiency at the lowest possible price within the mid-range. And this particular segment doesn’t have a representative that clearly stands out. The Alucia H4 cooler has a very solid fan, as evidenced by our wind tunnel. We don’t have standard cooler tests yet, but unless there is some hidden bad news in the heatsink, your jaw might still drop. Read more “Cooling newcomer that may surprise – Akasa Alucia H4” »

New Thermalright Macho Maxx: Lower weight, higher performance?

Thermalright has released a new Macho cooler, which has seen the most significant changes in fin geometry between generations. It is still a wide single tower cooler, but the intention seems to have been to increase the efficiency of the design. In other words, to make more sensible use of the available material from which the cooler is made. Macho Maxx does have a lower heatsink weight than its predecessor (Macho rev. B), but it will probably not be weaker. Read more “New Thermalright Macho Maxx: Lower weight, higher performance?” »

SilentiumPC Fortis 5: Fera’s bigger and quieter brother on steroids

The SilentiumPC Fera 5 concept recently showed us how even a small cooler can be really efficient if the heatsink and fan optimization is done well. Today it’s the turn of the SilentiumPC Fortis 5, which is another iteration of SilentiumPC’s popular cooler, but now optimized in collaboration with Synergy Cooling. What’s more, today’s article is a straight triple test as we’ll be testing all three variants of the Fortis 5 cooler against each other. Read more “SilentiumPC Fortis 5: Fera’s bigger and quieter brother on steroids” »

Big Shuriken 3’s revision B: LGA 1700 support and better fan

Scythe has followed up the original Big Shuriken 3 cooler with a new revision. It brings, in addition to native support for Alder Lake processors, a supposedly improved fan. The Kaze Flex II is said to achieve the same cooling performance at lower noise levels, which is nice in the inexpensive top-flow category. There are really few coolers like this, and the Big Shuriken 3 rev. B has all the prerequisites to sit on an imaginary throne in its price category. Read more “Big Shuriken 3’s revision B: LGA 1700 support and better fan” »

DeepCool Assassin III – Silent killer of noise and temperature

Today I have the pleasure of introducing the Assassin III premium air cooler from DeepCool. Its size and construction is majestic, yet its design is pleasantly minimalistic without unnecessary bling. It also boasts high cooling efficiency (claimed TDP is up to 280 W). So I’m really curious to see how it performs in real tests on a hot CPU and what its acoustic performance will be like. Read more “DeepCool Assassin III – Silent killer of noise and temperature” »

More metal, no push-pins; Intel’s upcoming Core i9 coolers

Shortly after the leak of a detailed photo of the box cooler for Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 Alder Lake CPUs, the most powerful model is revealed in all its glory. This one is naturally more robust and the tall fins are no longer plastic, but made of aluminium. It uses fixed mounting via screws, which is good news as well. The cooler also includes a backplate, which is handy since this cooler is significantly taller and heavier than the current stock coolers. Read more “More metal, no push-pins; Intel’s upcoming Core i9 coolers” »

The design of new coolers for 65-watt Intel CPUs is now clearer

Intel’s box coolers have been stagnant for a long time. Since the first models on the LGA 775 platform (which is already quite historic), not much has changed with their coolers. However, a significant shift away from the usual shape will come at the beginning of the year with the more economical Alder Lake processors. We wrote about this in September, but the latest visualizations reveal some striking details. Read more “The design of new coolers for 65-watt Intel CPUs is now clearer” »

Asus ROG Ryujin II 360: A missed opportunity with a déjà vu vibe

The Ryujin II 360 represents the pinnacle of Asus’ liquid AIO cooler range. This water cooler is based on the seventh generation of Asetek coolers. It boasts a trio of top-of-the-line Noctua NF-F12 Industrial PPC fans, and the ROG Fan Controller is also included. The premium components, however, come with a higher price tag. So I’m curious to see if the Ryujin II 360 can live up to it, or if it will fit in with the average of other AIO coolers. Read more “Asus ROG Ryujin II 360: A missed opportunity with a déjà vu vibe” »

SilentiumPC Fera 5 ARGB – Quiet, efficient and colourful

After a long hiatus, which was caused by a crash of the test setup, I am back again with CPU cooler reviews. Today I will focus on the ARGB version of the Fera 5 cooler from SPC. The Fera 5 cooler performed well beyond expectations in the tests and offered an interesting price to performance ratio. However, the ARGB version is equipped with a slightly different fan, so the cooler needs to be tortured again on a hot CPU and have its noise level measured. Read more “SilentiumPC Fera 5 ARGB – Quiet, efficient and colourful” »

SilentiumPC Navis Evo ARGB 360 – AIO cooler for everyone

In today’s review, I would like to show you another all-in-one liquid cooler. This time it is the highest AIO model from SilentiumPC – Navis Evo ARGB 360. In terms of price, AIO coolers from the Navis series are very attractive and offer an interesting price-performance ratio. So today, we’re going to check whether the manufacturer did not save costs in the wrong areas and whether this cooler can defend its place in a market full of competitors. Read more “SilentiumPC Navis Evo ARGB 360 – AIO cooler for everyone” »

MSI MPG CoreLiquid K360 – Big cooler with big ambitions

The MPG Coreliquid K360 is the imaginary flagship among MSI’s coolers. Its interesting features include, for example, a fully customizable LCD display or a hidden fan for cooling the surroundings of the processor socket. Nowadays, of course, ARGB fan backlighting cannot be missing. But can this cooler also defend its high price? Today’s review will give you answers to not only this question. Read more “MSI MPG CoreLiquid K360 – Big cooler with big ambitions” »