Intel Enthusiast Gaming Build: CPU Cooler
While all of the components we are selecting here today are what we would go with, and priced from vendors we trust, it is always a good idea to shop around as deals on these, or other good options, pop up from other reliable vendors all the time. With that said, let’s dive right into the next order of business.
CPU Cooler
Enermax LIQTECH II 360 $115.98
60 FPS
- Excellent Cooling
- Overall Robust Design
- Solid Price
30 FPS
- Noisy To Some Users At Full
- Large Cooler, Check Your Clearances!
CPU Cooler Alternate
Noctua NH-D15S $99.99 (Currently $79.90)
60 FPS
- Excellent Performance For An Air Cooler
- Solid Design That Has Great Compatibility With RAM And PCIe Slots
- Quiet (It Is A Noctua)
30 FPS
- Gives Up A Bit Of Performance Relative To Dual Fan Sibling
- Not An RGB Solution For Those That Want It
When it comes to cooling our Core i9-10900 selections there are, of course, a million offerings on the market. However, one of the most popular designs over the last few years in the enthusiast space has been the All In One Liquid CPU Coolers (AIO). From this general concept, many different size coolers have sprung up that cover the entire gamut of possible CPU’s on the market. Much as was the case with the Ryzen 9 3950X and 3900X in our last build guide, today’s Core i9-10900K series processors are fairly beefy chips with Intel rated TDP’s of up to 125W (before overclocking). So, we are looking at some rather beefy coolers to extract as much performance as we can from these chips. Larger coolers, however, can run into clearance issues but, today, we are picking the Enermax LIQTECH II 360 as it is beefy enough for the i9-10900K when overclocked (with its huge radiator and triple 120mm fan setup). As our own David Schroth said: “Looking back at when I first saw the Enermax LIQTECH II 360 box along with its claim of being able to dissipate 500W+ of heat, we had it hold our beer so we could adjust our methodology to properly test that claim. After putting it through our gauntlet, we believe to have validated the claim of it being able to handle 500W+ of heat, though, I’m not so sure how we would fare at 525W.” A bonus for those users looking for a light show are the included RGB options.
That said, not everyone wants an AIO cooler or to deal with the issues that come about with one. So, for users looking for a more conventional option we have the excellent Noctua NH-D15S. While it is not the highest performing air cooler on the market, it is very close to being it and it is very quiet. Two things that many users will appreciate! In addition to doing a good enough job if you are keeping your clocks stock, the NH-D15S sees some decent overclocking possibilities as well. So, if you are looking for a more conventional cooler, or looking to save a few dollars, the NH-D15S makes for a great place to save a bit of cash on this particular build.