The ultimate air cooling shopper's guide - updated 7/12/08 - Changed the "low profile" sub category to HTPC and updated some coolers with newer models.
Since most of us are air cooling and the questions of "What should I get..." appear on these forums at least once a day I have decided to complie a guide for the current air cooling products that should be considered when looking for a change.
My picks are based on performance and bang-for-the-buck. Some of my picks are of products that provide exceptional value and not the highest performance.
The coolers are divided by socket type and up to 5 sub categories. The sub categories are:
Economy - under $20
Silent - as close to 0db as possible
High performance - for overclocking
HTPC - low profile and quiet, suited for HTPC
Honorable mentions - a good product that didn't make it to the final cut
This list is based on my opinion of what the right balance between performance and price should be. If anyone cares to contribute they would be most welcome.

CPU coolers (HSF)
I have experience with socket 462 and 775, and some knowledge of 478 and 754/939/940.

Socket 462
Economy - I wanted to find a good HSF for less than $20 for this category but the pickings are slim so I went with the Coolermaster ACB-V83 Jet 7 because of the bling. Can handle some overclocking and has adjustable speed. Best Price - $10
Silent - Zalman CNPS7000B-Cu . Very good cooler but may have clearance issues because of it's size. This HSF weighs 755gr - it's heavy! Best price
High performance - The ThermalTake BigTyphoon is probably the best one out there, but I am trying to create a list that is based on most-bang-for-your-buck. My pick: ThermalRight SI-97a. Requires an aggresive fan for overclocking (check the Economy option under the 92mm fan). Supports K8 sockets too. Best price


Socket 478 and 754/939/940
Economy - This is the sub $20 category. My pick: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 4. Best Price
Silent - 0db for a socket 478 is possible. My Pick: Thermalright HR-01. Best price
High Performance - Thermaltake CL-P0114 Big Typhoon 4 in 1 Heatpipes CPU Fan. Best Price
Honorable mentions: ThermalRight XP-90

Socket AM2
Economy - Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
Silent - Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
High Performance - Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme or Tuniq tower 120
HTPC - Zalman CNPS 8700
Honorable mentions: Xigmatek HDT-S1283

Socket 775
Economy - TTIC NPH-775-1 CPU Cooler for Intel Socket 775. Best price
Silent - Thermalright Ultra 120
High Performance - Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
HTPC - Zalman CNPS 8700
Honorable mentions: Coolermaster Hyper 212, Tuniq tower 120, Zerotherm Nirvana, Xigmatek HDT-S1283

Case fans
My recommendation for case cooling is that you should have the same amount of air coming in as the amount you are blowing out - do not forget to include the PSU fan in your calculation. For a high performance desktop (gaming and overclocking) I would go with >60CFM intake/exhaust. For a moderate system ~30CFM is fine.
Some numbers as far as case temps: anything above 35C is too high and will be reflected in a high CPU temp. Less than 30C is good. Remember - your case temps are affected by the ambient room temp.

80mm fan
Economy - Nothing beats free. CoolerMaster TLF-S82-ER 80mm Red LED Case Fan (they also have green). Best price
Silent - The SilenX is probably the most quiet fan but it is very expensive. For this category I define anything under 15db as silent. My pick - NMB 80x25 Super Silent Brushless 3110KL-04W-B19. Specs: 15CFM / 13db. Best price
High performance - The Vantec tornado or a Delta would normally take the crown but I wanted to offer a 25mm alternative. My
pick: AeroCool AEROFANS-X X-Blaster 80mm. Specs: 52.8cfm / 45.6db. Best price
Honorable mentions: Enermax 80mm Case Fan with Thermal Sensor. $3 and silent when at lowest speed.
Zalman low profile - sometimes it's the only one that will fit in a tight space.

92mm fan
Economy - The rebadged NMB with no connector is the best 92mm fan for less than $5. It requires some work but it's a good product for a good price. Specs: 27-62 CFM / 25-41 dBA. Best Price
Silent: The SilenX is probably the most quiet fan but it costs about twice as much as any other fan in this category. My pick: Scythe DF. Specs: 28.10CFM / 20.19db. Best Price
High Performance - The Vantec tornado is the obvious pick in this category with 119CFM but I also wanted a 25mm alternative. My pick: ThermalTake 90x90x25 Highest Performance DC Fan (TT-9025A-2B). Best price
Honorable mentions: SilverStone FN82 - this is a 92mm that fits in mounting holes for a 80mm fan.
Evercool 92x92x32 EC9232M12BP good airflow/noise ratio.
Evercool aluminum fan - aluminum frame, 25db and optionally LEDs. A nice option for modders.

120mm fan
Economy - Thermaltake 120x120x25mm BLUE Thunderblade LED Case Fan. Best price
Silent - SCYTHE S-FLEX 120mm FAN (SFF21D). Specs: 33.5CFM / 8.7db. Best price
High Performance - I have two picks for this category one 25mm and one 38mm.
25mm pick: Evercool EC12025 Specs: 79CFM / 36db. Best price
38mm pick: The fan that you have all been waiting for... PANAFLO FBA12G12U 120X38MM ULTRA HIGH SPEED. Specs: 115CFM / 45db. Best price
Honorable mentions: Arctic Cooling ACF12 and the Yate Loon D12SL-12 good overall price/performance and noise/airflow ratios

RAM - heatspreaders and active coolers, what to choose?
According to most tests putting a heatspreader on your not heatspreaded RAM will not improve cooling. If you need extra cooling for your RAM the best solution is an active cooler.
My Pick: Evercool Neon Crab Memory Cooler Specs: 10.8CFM / 19db Best price

GPU
The reasons for replacing the GPU heatsink are in my opinion 2: Replace a faulty unit or enhance the current one. Enhancements can be less noise or lower temps.
Economy - I couldn't recommend something that doesn't bring some added value so I had to go over the $20 limit. Zalman VF700-Cu VGA
Silent - ThermalRight HR-03GT
High Performance - ThermalRight HR-03GT

Northbridge
Even the hottest chipsets can run with a passive cooler if it is large enough. For example, the ASUS nForce 4 SLI mobo for Intel. IMHO active cooling is required mostly for extreme overclocking.
Economy - Zalman ZM-NBF47
High Performance - Noctua NC-U6

Harddrives
I personally think that a case with proper airflow and good HD rack position is the best solution. Active HD coolers add noise, take away 5.25" drive bays, reduce the amount of harddrives that can be installed in a system or any combination of the above.
My pick: Vantec Iceberq HDC-701A-BK Aluminum Hard Drive Cooler. Best price
Honorable mentions: Scythe HDC80 series. Vantec Ultimate Hard Drive Cooler.

Cases
Economy - Thermaltake Mambo VC2000BNS ATX Mid-Tower Case. Best price
Silent - Antec P180 Mid Tower ATX mid tower case. Best price
High performance - Coolermaster Cosmos S, Antec 1200


Recommended fans available in the EU, courtesy of The Dragon Reborn

80mm;
Papst 8412 NGL (dead silent at 5v and 7v, silent at 12v, 33 m3/h) € 11,78
Case FAN (80 x 25) Papst 8412 N/2 GLE nu: € 11.78 Bestel snel!

Y.S. Tech FD1281251B-2A (Green Label) (dead silent at 5v and 7v, silent at 12v, 44 m3/h) € 9,69
http://shop.freezinghardware.nl/inde...0003&ItemID=63

Panaflo FBA08A12L (dead silent at 5v and 7v but some rattling, silent at 12v, 40 m3/h) € 13,-
http://www.icomputers.nl//product_de...680&SSS_ID=936

Cooler Mate Neon LED Laser (silent at 5v and 7v, not so silent at 12v but quite powerful 77m3/h) € 5,21
Empc - Voor al uw wensen op computergebied

92mm;
Y.S.Tech FD 1293251B 2A Green Label (most silent 92mm fan I ever heard, 49m3/h) € 12,99
The successor seems to be the YS-Tech FD129225L
http://shop.freezinghardware.nl/inde...03&ItemID=1949

Papst 3412 N/2GL (just slightly noisier then the YS TECH, silent at 5v and 7v, 57,2m3h) € 18
[Case Elektronics en Telecom, Uw connectie voor telecom en computing]

120mm;
Papst 4412 F/2GL (starts running at 3,5v! very silent at 5v and 7v... clearly not at 12v 94 m3/h) € 16,01
http://www.sallandautomatisering.nl/...id=15884&ref=2

Noiseblocker SX2 Pro System Fan (starts running at 6v but is very silent then, not silent at 12v 109m3/h) €15 51
Case FAN (120 x 25) Noiseblocker SX2 Pro nu: € 15.51 Bestel snel!

Y.S. Tech FD1212251B_2F Green Label (silent runner overall but suffers from rattling noises, 76m3/h), the following one seems to be the successor FD121225LB € 17,99
http://shop.freezinghardware.nl/inde...03&ItemID=1336

Your suggested fans;

CoolerMaster TLF-S82-ER 80mm Red LED Case Fan € 4.21
http://www.hardwaretotaal.nl/catalog...e34add0b44f33b

AeroCool AEROFANS-X X-Blaster 80mm € 9.95
http://www.bg-computers.com/Componenten/FanAerocool.htm

Enermax 80mm Case Fan € 7,00
http://www.sallandautomatisering.nl/...pid=5348&ref=2

Zalman low profile € 12,00
MR Silent Computing - Fans - Zalman

Thermaltake Smartcase Fan II 9cm € 11,00
http://www.sallandautomatisering.nl/...id=11148&ref=2

Thermaltake Thunderblade 120 mm Blue LED fan (A1926) € 12,85
TWEAKEND.nl - Cooling, Mod's & More...

SCYTHE S-FLEX 12,82 EUR
PCSilent : Stilte in de kast

Arctic Cooling ACF12 € 5,50
Arctic Cooling

wow i will be using this when i buy new things, thx

may i suggest the ThermalTake Silent Wheel 130 as well for the 120mm section (uses 120 holes with a 130 fan).

54.4cfm at 16dB, can't say fairer than that!

Excellent summary there! very useful indeed +rep for you indeedy!


Mark


EDIT: well - i would rep you but seem i need to spread the love first ah well... the thought was there

Quote: Originally Posted by markwalker84 may i suggest the ThermalTake Silent Wheel 130 as well for the 120mm section (uses 120 holes with a 130 fan). 54.4cfm at 16dB, can't say fairer than that! Excellent summary there! very useful indeed +rep for you indeedy! Mark EDIT: well - i would rep you but seem i need to spread the love first ah well... the thought was there

The criteria for the top 3 spots includes overall usablity - mounting it on a thermalright HSF with clips may be an issue. I may create a new category for >120mm , as I already have some ideas for expanding on the initial post.

Don't worry about the rep. Thanks anyway.

Free is good, grabbed 3 one for each of my houses

Very nice guide!!! (+ rep awarded!)

I've got a couple additions for the fan section;

80mm;
Papst 8412 NGL (dead silent at 5v and 7v, silent at 12v, 33 m3/h)
Y.S. Tech FD1281251B-2A (Green Label) (dead silent at 5v and 7v, silent at 12v, 44 m3/h)
Panaflo FBA08A12L (dead silent at 5v and 7v but some rattling, silent at 12v, 40 m3/h)
Cooler Mate Neon LED Laser (silent at 5v and 7v, not so silent at 12v but quite powerful 77m3/h)

92mm;
Y.S.Tech FD 1293251B 2A Green Label (most silent 92mm fan I ever heard, 49m3/h)
Papst 3412 N/2GL (just slightly noisier then the YS TECH, silent at 5v and 7v, 57,2m3h)

120mm;
Papst 4412 F/2GL (starts running at 3,5v! very silent at 5v and 7v... clearly not at 12v 94 m3/h)
Noiseblocker SX2 Pro System Fan (starts running at 6v but is very silent then, not silent at 12v 109m3/h)
Y.S. Tech FD1212251B_2F Green Label (silent runner overall but suffers from rattling noises, 76m3/h)

A lot of these might be easier to buy for EU folks as you can find then at webshops in the EU...

TDR

Nice post PurpleDiamond. Gave this one the 'Sticky' treatment.

Quote: Originally Posted by Foe Nice post PurpleDiamond. Gave this one the 'Sticky' treatment.

Thanks.

Thank you TDR. The questions of what to buy outside the US are something that I didn't address (Canada, EU, Australia/NZ). Would you care to handle the EU?

One thing that should be noted is that some of the selections have been elected based on the best price available - for example the ThermalRight V-1 made it as the economy VGA cooler pick because it can be bought for $25. Normally I wouldn't consider a ThermalRight product as "economy".

I am currently working on the next section for this post - Cases. I will be picking cases based on their cooling properties. Any recommendations would be welcome.

I'll look up the EU prices for those fans this evening... could also look up all the rest but that could
take me a while... I'll send you a PM when I'm done!

TDR

I have updated the list. EU pricing is now available.

Thanks again TDR,

silverstone makes an awesome adjustable 120 mm fan. SILVERSTONE FM121... HERE is a link to the egg...

110 max cfm...awesome!

Id like to see the nexus 120mm fan on there - reliable startup at 5v, 800rpm, around 18dBa@1m

Id also like to see the Scythe Ninja on there - a high performance tower heatpipe heatsink designed for low case-airflow situations



yea, im into silent computing :S

Quote: Originally Posted by El Doug Id like to see the nexus 120mm fan on there - reliable startup at 5v, 800rpm, around 18dBa@1m yea, im into silent computing :S

I have mentioned the Yate Loon, which is almost the same as the nexus but costs less.

Regarding the Scythe Ninja , well you will probably have to wait until it is priced lower.

I have two honorable mentions:

For hard drives: Zalman ZM-2HC2 Hard Drive Heatpipe Cooler; noiseless cooling and has rubber bits to reduce vibration noise from the hard drive.

For chipsets: Vantec Copper Iceberq All-In-One Chipset Cooler; low-profile, fairly quiet northbridge chipset cooler that can fit DFI motherboards and MSI motherboards without interfering with PCIe graphic cards.

I'd also keep an eye out for the new Zalman GPU cooler that's going to be the follow-up to the VF700, the VF900. I haven't got one yet, so I can't recommend it for placement.

Damn I didn't see this post. An excellent guide, thanks alot. +Rep indeed .

yate loons are quite alike, but operate at slightly higher rpms... pretty please?

Quote: Originally Posted by PurpleDiamond I have mentioned the Yate Loon, which is almost the same as the nexus but costs less. Regarding the Scythe Ninja , well you will probably have to wait until it is priced lower.

Quote: Originally Posted by El Doug yate loons are quite alike, but operate at slightly higher rpms... pretty please?

The first post states the selection criteria - the most bang for the buck and among the top performers in it's category. The Nexus doesn't qualify for either. The lowest for a Nexus is $15, quite expensive. The noise to CFM ratio is far from impressive. The new Scythe S-Flex 120mm fans offer better performance and cost the same, the Yate Loon offers similar performance (with a fan controller) for a very low price.

Sorry. Those are the rules.










Besides, what's the deal with orange?

Awww....what happened to Miracle Max? Anyway, great guide. +rep for easing my soon to be search...

Quote: Originally Posted by pwrslyd Awww....what happened to Miracle Max? Anyway, great guide. +rep for easing my soon to be search...

Miracle max had to make more chocolate coated pills. I am a huge fan of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I listen to Sci-Fi audio books while driving and watch tons of Sci-Fi movies and TV shows. I had to spread the love around to some of my other favorites - now it's Doctor Who's turn.
[/off topic]


I am taking requests - any other air cooling items that you want to see in the guide? I am considering the >120mm fans, but there are a lot of different sizes and some are very hard to find. Let me know what you think.

Sounds like a good idea, PurpleDiamond! Hope I can find some, though...

Besides that... I've got some spare time this weekend so I'll start working on the other bits of the EU guide...

TDR
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edit... you've got mail!