Arctic’s new cooler – the Freezer 4U SP5 – is a bit different from the coolers we normally cover. It’s designed for the high-end AMD SP5 platform, which is reflected in its unconventional base. At first glance, it looks like the cooler has two bases, and in fact, its entire structure is reminiscent of two mainstream Freezer coolers stuck together. Such a design makes sense though. Read more “Arctic Freezer 4U SP5 details: A “two for one” cooler”
One of the new features of the DeepCool liquid coolers that are about to go on sale will be new fans. Lighted Fans (ARGB). These will make their debut on the LP series liquid coolers. But the pump is new as well, and overall it looks like it may be a nice evolution of liquid coolers with ARGB fans and a lighted CPU block. One of the strengths of the block is a display with more large pixels that can be customized in different ways. Read more “DeepCool has new liquid coolers (LP) with new fans”
We have tested the CPS RZ820 cooler earlier on an “optimized” platform, but only now has it passed the standard methodology. And what do you know, no other tower cooler in our large database outperforms the RZ820 in terms of cooling performance per unit of noise. In this regard, the PCCooler is the most efficient, but it should also be added that it is also the heaviest cooler tested yet. Read more “Surprise? The PCCooler CPS RZ820 has made it to the very top”
While building a PC, most people are satisfied when the computer works, performs as expected and remains reasonably quiet. Unless you’re one of those who care more about the journey than the destination, you probably haven’t spent much time tinkering with system cooling. That’s where we come in. We’ll test what makes sense to address and what doesn’t, and how it impacts computer’s performance and behavior. Read more “PC Cooling Guide: Experimenting with Fractal Design Meshify 2”
I give Scythe coolers less attention here than they really deserve. Today I’d like to remedy that, so I’m bringing you a double dose of Mugen 6 and Mugen 6 Black Edition cooler tests. The only difference between these coolers other than the color scheme is the presence of a second fan in the case of the black version. Given their design, I have high expectations for efficiency and hopefully I will be satisfied with the acoustic performance as well. Read more “Scythe Mugen 6 (Black Ed.): Does a second fan finally make sense?”
Today, the new generation of Intel’s desktop processors, the Core Ultra 200 (or Series 2), also codenamed Arrow Lake, was officially unveiled. These will be Intel’s first chiplet desktop CPUs, and once again use a new socket, the LGA 1851, which is physically different from the existing ones. However, cooler compatibility should be a solved problem – Endorfy coolers, for example, already have support for the new socket. Read more “Current Endorfy coolers already support Intel LGA 1851 socket”
It took years, but finally DeepCool managed to modernize its fans in the 140mm format as well. The DeepCool FT14s present themselves with very attractive specs – both the airflow and static pressure are above standard, but the key is how these fans will fare in practice compared to competing models. What makes the FT14 visually different from those at first glance is that you can see inside the motor. Read more “DeepCool FT14: More revealing (than others) and more capable”
The range of 140mm fans is now expanded by the Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM. The wait for this model was very long, but finally, after various hardships, everything was brought to a successful end. This, by the way, is also indicated by our in-depth tests, from which the NF-A14x25 G2 fan takes away the “best” results across many usage scenarios. This is also due to the significant innovations in the aerodynamic design. Read more “Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM: Finally a first-class 140mm fan”
BeQuiet!, which I don’t need to introduce here, launched its top-end Dark Rock Elite cooler early this year. Along with it, the Dark Rock Pro 5 was also released, but it has remained somewhat in the shadow of its elite sibling, which I would like to correct today. I firmly believe that the fifth gen of the Dark Rock Pro will successfully build on the previous versions, which have always been known for their uncompromising cooling performance and quiet operation. Read more “BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 – A suitable successor to a legend”
The Era 2 case is an evolution of the original model (Era ITX), where Fractal Design also changed the approach to the ventilation holes. Be it in terms of the top panel or the side, larger perforations. How the Era 2 will make its mark and stack up against competing SFF cases remains to be seen. Despite the detailed analysis, this is still the first case to pass our new testing methodology. Read more “Fractal Design Era 2: Holes in wood for more efficient cooling”
Although PCCooler operates mainly in the Asian market, the company is trying to establish itself in the rest of the world. So, today I bring you a review of the DS360-BK cooler, which falls into the upper mid-range segment of liquid AIO coolers. One of the interesting features of this cooler is, for example, a display that shows the current CPU temperature or very high quality fans that can rival the absolute best on the market in certain situations. Read more “PCCooler CPS DS360-BK – New king of liquid coolers?”
Some articles become obsolete faster, others are relevant for a long time. Such, more durable ones usually do not focus on a specific product, but on a topic as a whole, with a pinch of generality. Articles like this have always been given space around here, since the beginning of HWCooling, and it probably doesn’t hurt to bring them up again. Well, at least as part of this selection which would be a shame to miss forever. Read more “We wrote 7 years ago. Tests you may have overlooked”
Noise measurements are an extremely complex topic. Imagine you have ten different sound sources. The noise from each will radiate through the space in different ways, and measuring ‘which is the noisiest’ and coming up with a clear verdict on that is a really hard nut to crack. To give you a better idea, we’ve interviewed Noctua. Different measurement techniques yield potentially different and sometimes contradictory conclusions. Read more “Noctua on measuring fan noise: Different angles, different results”
They were so emphatic about their cooler being optimized for Intel LGA 1700 processors that we had to try it out. And given that the CPS RZ820 is a “hefty chunk” of material, the reference sample selection included the kind of competitive coolers that are at the top of the tower model database. These should give the PCCooler CPS RZ820 a good run for its money. At the same time, this cooler should not be more expensive. Read more “PCCooler CPS RZ820: Against the elite, weighing over 1.8 kg”
A year ago, the excellent DeepCool Assassin IV cooler was tested here and eventually took our top award. Today we take a closer look at a modified version of this cooler called Assassin 4S. This variant may have lost the rear fan, but the middle one has been completely redesigned to compensate for this loss. So today’s article logically aims to find out how much of an impact this major change has on efficiency and acoustics. Read more “DeepCool Assassin 4S – The stealthy tamer of high temps”
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