Without question 1 of the most affordable and thus commonly upgraded components past PC builders and enthusiasts alike is the CPU libation. While things accept definitely improved in the past few years, upgrading the stock cooler that comes with AMD or Intel processors nevertheless grant you a number of improvements. Mostly the main goal is to lower operating temperatures, simply aftermarket coolers can also reduce operating volumes and provide a greater overclocking headroom.

In that location are literally hundreds of options to choose from, though not all of them volition evangelize the desired results. Numerous times nosotros've found third party coolers that perform no better than the standard box cooler, or worse, improve things at the toll of increased noise output, making them impractical upgrades.

But first things first, you need to brand sure that the libation yous are considering is compatible with your platform of choice and that it volition fit inside your case. Another aspect is value, equally aftermarket CPU coolers tin can vary a lot in price. For example, LGA1155-compatible coolers start at around $15 and can go above $100, so it is important to work out how much you are going to need to spend.

Information technology is too worth mentioning that most aftermarket products are air coolers, merely there's too a wealth of liquid cooling systems on offer also. However today we're going to avoid going down that path, as nosotros accept a look at four new air cooling products.

Included in the comparison are the Thermalright True Spirit 140, Prolimatech Panther, Thermaltake Frio Advanced and Noctua NH-C14. All four are designed to back up multiple platforms on both AMD and Intel camps. They range in cost from just $twoscore all the way to $85, then it volition exist interesting to see how they compare and more chiefly what they offer over stock cooling units.

Nosotros'll go into detail one by one and then put them to the test...

Thermalright Truthful Spirit 140

Recently Thermalright has focused their attention towards budget cooling units, which is a surprising move from a company that well-nigh defined the high-end air cooler. If you look at the products offered by Thermalright before the True Spirit line came about you will detect the Venomous Ten ($70), Silvery Arrow ($85), Archon ($85), AXP-140 ($70) and MUX-120 ($60).

The Thermalright Truthful Spirit 140 is set to cost only $40, with an alternative version using a 120mm fan version at the bargain basement price of $30.

We hear the True Spirit range is designed to set a new value benchmark by using a loftier quality heatsink. The heatsink utilizes half a dozen 6mm copper heatpipes that pass through a pure copper base that has been nickel plated for a mirror shine.

The heatsink itself boasts that patented Thermalright Ultra style heatsink fin assortment which provides a huge 150mm by 125mm dispersion area. This allows the True Spirit 140 to take full advantage of that 140mm Thermalright TY-140 PWM fan which produces just 21dBA of noise at the maximum speed of 1300 RPM.

The libation's 800 gram weight suggests this is a very large unit of measurement. Dimensions of 155mm long, 53mm wide and 170mm tall make this anything but small. The weight and size specifications lonely make the $40 toll betoken hard to believe.

Another advantage is that out of the box, the True Spirit 140 tin be installed on either AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3 or Intel LGA775/1155/1156/1366 platforms without having to purchase any additional mounting kits. That said, those seeking LGA2011 support will be required to purchase a separate mounting kit equally that platform was released later on the True Spirit 140 was designed.

The installation process for either AMD or Intel platforms is the same. The process requires rear access to the motherboard, though this shouldn't be a big upshot with most of today's quality computer cases that provide this.

Overall we found the installation a little likewise fiddly, especially when compared to the other coolers featured in this article. Not just is the mounting process for the heatsink a scrap awkward simply the fan clips are likewise a pain in the proverbial, and we found mounting the 140mm fan took some persuasion. Finally, Thermalright offers a comprehensive compatibility list for the True Spirit 140 on their website, so exist sure to check your motherboard off the listing before purchasing.