Let's start by explaining whatCPU TDPactually is. Thermal Design Power is usually used to describe the heat output of the CPU under load, or, in other words, the amount of heat, in watts, the CPU cooler must dissipate for the CPU to work according to the official specs. Jason Fitzpatri...
Installing liquid cooling on your CPU can transform your system’s thermal performance and reliability while adding a premium aesthetic to your build. Whether you’re upgrading from an air cooler or building a new system, this comprehensive guide will walk you through how to install an AIO CPU ...
Step 3:Once you have everything in place, it can be a good idea to do a dry mount of your cooler. Don't screw it in or lock it down, but just place it gently on top of your CPU so that you can see if will have proper clearance from your memory and other components. Be caref...
With SFF builds, however, you may want to also consider the thickness of your graphics card. For instance, I have a dual-slot GTX 1070 inside a Mini ITX NZXT H210. Due to the thickness of my card’s cooler, I am pushing the limits of my clearance by thickness, since SFF cases are...
CPU Heatsink Clearance: Remember that some memory kits come with compatibility issues with certain CPU heatsinks. Bulky big air CPU coolers can over DIMM slots. They can also prevent memory kids with tall heat spreaders from being installed. It is therefore good to ensure that if you are cho...
CPU Cooler The CPU may not be impacted by going SFF, but the CPU cooler very well could be. Whether you’re planning on usingair cooling or liquid cooling, there are plenty of low-profile cooler options to choose from. Low-profile fan coolersare often the simplest choice in SFF builds....
They also require a lot of power and cooling to really make the most of them, so make sure that if you’re building a PC with a Core i9 CPU you have a very capable cooler and power supply. As for AMD CPUs, there are also four tiers to consider: Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7,...
Check CPU Cooler Compatibility with PC Build To check the compatibility of a CPU cooler with your PC build, you need to consider the following: The size of the CPU cooler and whether it will fit in your PC case. The mounting hardware included with the CPU cooler and whether it is compati...
Whatever type of cooling system you go with, you'll need a dedicated CPU cooler. CPU coolers come in both air and liquid form factors and mount directly onto your CPU. When shopping for a CPU cooler, it's important to make sure it's compatible with your CPU and sized to fit your bui...
The faster the fans spin, the louder your AIO cooler will be. Sure, you'll get better cooling performance, but that could come at the cost of unbearable noise, meaning you'd have to lower the speed. So, don't forget to check the noise levels of the included fans in the spec sheet,...