CPU cooler by ARCTIC for AMD and Intel

Whether for gaming, video editing, or other complex processes, modern CPUs from AMD and Intel are becoming more and more powerful. The complex microarchitecture of today's computers enables faster calculation and more complex processes than ever before.

But the higher the computing power, the more important a proper cooling becomes. To ensure long-term use, it is essential to adequately cool the processors with a suitable CPU cooler.

Finding a suitable CPU cooler can quickly become confusing and frustrating due to many different sizes, shapes, and terminology. That where we from ARCTIC want to offer a hand.

What types of coolers exist and which CPU cooler is suitable when will be explained here.

How does a CPU Cooler work?

Simply put, a CPU cooler cools the CPU by removing the heat generated during operation. For this purpose, a cooler has a contact surface that connects the cooler with the CPU. The heat is conducted into a heat sink and is thus conducted away from the heat source. This heat sink is typically made of metal with good thermal conduction properties such as aluminum or copper. High quality thermal compound, like ARCTIC’s MX-4 improved this contact again and significantly increases the cooling performance.

Depending on the cooler design, the heat dissipation takes place in different ways. Either passive, so without additional air or water circulation to remove the heat, or active, where the heat is actively transported away from the heat sink by a fan or water pump.

What types of CPU coolers are there?

In general, you can distinguish the following types of CPU coolers:

Low Profile cooler with a particularly low mounting height

Tower CPU cooler is more powerful than low profile cooler, but also requires more space inside the case

Passive coolers do not have a separate fan

Which CPU cooler is the best?

with one or more fansdo not use air circulation for cooling, but instead use water

There is no definite answer to this question. Depending on the intended use and the case available, different types of CPU coolers are recommended.

A low profile top blower is ideal for a compact HTPC, while in a high end system with overclocking ambitions it would be overwhelmed. Similarly, a large tower CPU cooler or AIO water cooler is appropriate for gaming PC or other powerful systems, but overpowered for a small office computer.

So it depends. It is recommended to ask the following questions before choosing a CPU cooler:

How much space is available in the case?

What will the PC be used for? Office? Gaming? Programming? Video Editing?

Which Budget is available?

ARCTIC offers a wide selection of CPU coolers for a wide range of applications.

Which CPU cooler fits in which case?

A blanket answer can’t be given here because of the countless different case sizes. But in a nutshell, large tower CPU coolers and AIO water coolers should fit in most big and mid-towers, while more compact low-profile coolers are appropriate for mini-tower, ITX, HTPC, and similar small cases.

What should be considered when buying a CPU cooler?

First, it is essential to ensure the compatibility of the CPU cooler with the processor and socket used. Many ARCTIC coolers are multi-compatible with various sockets from AMD and Intel: Intel's LGA 775, 1155/56, 1366, 2011, 2066 or AMD's AM2 (+), AM3 (+), FM1 / 2, and AMD AM4 Ryzen.

In addition, you should ask the following questions before buying a CPU cooler:

Which applications are running on the computer?

What are the requirements regarding the cooling capacity and noise level?

Will the system be overclocked? Then a big tower CPU cooler or a water cooling is needed. If a silent PC is the goal, something like a multimedia HTPC in the living room? Then a passive cooling would be ideal or a low-profile cooler a good alternative.

What kind of PC case will be used?

With big- or midi- towers there is enough space for powerful tower CPU coolers or AIO water coolers. In a compact system with small dimensions, the space for bigger cooling solutions is probably missing.

How expensive may the CPU cooler be?

Depending on the available budget, more expensive solutions such as passive coolers or water cooling might be too expensive.

Why CPU coolers from ARCTIC?

In a pure office PC a small low-profile cooler or possibly even passive cooler is usually sufficient. However, if demanding tasks like gaming or video editing are intended, a powerful CPU cooler is essential.

Since the very beginning ARCTIC’s philosophy remained unchanged – offering consumers value for money and innovations at affordable prices.