Best high end cpu air cooler?

Noctua D15/D15S/D14

Phanteks PH-TC14PE

BeQuiet Dark Rock 3/Pro 3


The Noctua and BeQuiet will probably shade it in terms of noise over the Phanteks. All the above coolers are very good though.

The Noctua D15S would get my vote if you are not fussed about aesthetics, as it has very good compatibility with ram and the top pcie slot due to it's offset design. It is basically a single fan version of the D15. Noctua also have a better mounting system than BeQuiet. The Phanteks is also pretty easy to install.
 
lee32uk said:
Noctua D15/D15S/D14

Phanteks PH-TC14PE

BeQuiet Dark Rock 3/Pro 3


The Noctua and BeQuiet will probably shade it in terms of noise over the Phanteks. All the above coolers are very good though.

The Noctua D15S would get my vote if you are not fussed about aesthetics, as it has very good compatibility with ram and the top pcie slot due to it's offset design. It is basically a single fan version of the D15. Noctua also have a better mounting system than BeQuiet. The Phanteks is also pretty easy to install.
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Which is the quietest?
 
Can vouch for the Noctua NH-D15S Very quiet, very easy to fit. It's a big beast, but the offset design keeps it out of trouble, which may be an advantage over the D15 in some builds.

Noctua have excellent compatibility charts on their website which list all the many motherboards each of their fans can be used on and whether there are any fitting issues.
 
I've had many good experiences with Noctua over quite a number of years. They are my go to for high performance, quiet, quality CPU coolers. Check sizes and clearances, and you're good to go.
 
i looked at the D-15 on display at overclockers, having been away from custom building pcs for about 5 years, i think i said 'holly ****' look at the size of this cooler. very impressive looking thing.
 
Tweaktown review is seriously flawed. The D15 is nowhere near 49.5 dB loud! 33dB-35dB is accepted as their noise level.

The top half dozen or more coolers are all within a 3-5c& dB of each other. What case, GPU, PSU, etc will make as much or more difference in temps and sound levels.

Alpenfohn's new Olymp is looking very good, maybe the new king of the hill if a couple degrees is important to you .. and it's 10 quid lower priced.
 
Ive got the Phanteks PH-TC14PE on my 4690k running at 4.4Ghz without any problems. there is still head room to try and push higher if I wanted.

I like the Noctua D15 I was tempted with one. might buy one and compare it then stick the lesser of the 2 on my lads FX8350
 
Can I throw in another positive comment about Noctua. There website information is thorough an it is really quiet. Great kit for install, although I can only speak for the Intel one. The design means that even with the cooler installed I can still install and remove RAM from all slots.
The only downside is the fan colour, I have a red and black themed system with a windowed case. The large silver tower doesn't really look that out of place but the cream and brown can does.
 
Just out of interest, is there a reason why one wouldn't get an AIO watercooler for a similar price? Surely the temps will be lower than air?
 
liamd89 said:
Just out of interest, is there a reason why one wouldn't get an AIO watercooler for a similar price? Surely the temps will be lower than air?
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Entry level AIOs are barely any better than high end air coolers. Sometimes even worse.

I changed a cooler master hyper 212 evo to a Corsair H55 AIO. Even a "mid range" air cooler such as the 212 was superior to that H55 in terms of thermals and sound.
 
liamd89 said:
Just out of interest, is there a reason why one wouldn't get an AIO watercooler for a similar price? Surely the temps will be lower than air?
Click to expand...

A lot of cheap AIOs are being sold for fashion reasons. For the same money you can get a good air cooler that works better, is quieter, and won't spill water all over everything.
 
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