Fans are responsible for drawing heat way from a computer's CPU.
CPU coolers are essential to the function of every computer. A modern computer processor generates a large amount of heat, and that heat must be drawn away from the processor to prevent it from overheating. The best CPU coolers combine unique heatsink designs with large fans to remove heat quickly.
Traditional Mount Heatsinks and Fans
The most common CPU heatsink and fan arrangement, traditional mount heatsinks and fans are coolers that are similar to the original heatsink and fan that shipped with the processor. These coolers use a small horizontal heatsink that has a fan placed directly on top of it. The fan sucks air upward from the heatsink and exhausts it into the case. There, a case fan can move the hot air out of the computer. The CPU fan on a traditional cooler is usually an 80mm fan, which will spin at 3,000 to 4,000 RPM.
These CPU coolers are not able to cool processors as well as larger, more expensive models. However, their small size makes them the best option for many desktop computers because larger heatsinks and fans simply won't fit. The most popular brands of traditional coolers include Arctic Cooling and Scythe.
Large Horizontal Coolers
These coolers are similar to traditional coolers in appearance, but they are much larger. They are so large that they can't be mounted in the normal fashion, and must instead be mounted using a mounting bracket and screws that attach the cooler to the motherboard. These coolers typically use 120mm CPU fans for maximum cooling. Their heatsinks are also very large, usually measuring 4 or 5 inches in width and length and 1 or 2 inches in thickness.
Large horizontal coolers are among the best CPU coolers on the market. Their large fans combined with large heatsinks means that they are able to expel much more heat than a smaller traditional cooler. Despite their size, these coolers will still fit in relatively small cases because they are not tall. They are usually the best choice for microATX-based computers. The most popular brands of large horizontal coolers include Coolermaster and Scythe.
Tower Coolers
Tower coolers are large, upright coolers that are taller than they are wide or long. They typically have a 120mm CPU fan that is mounted in a vertical position, and some tower coolers have more than one fan. There are also some tower coolers that place the CPU fan inside the cooler so the fan is not visible. Tower coolers are very large and many desktop computers will have trouble fitting them.
As long as size is not an issue, tower coolers provide the best cooling solution possible. The CPU fan on a tower cooler pushes air into one side of the heatsink and out of the other. Because tower coolers are so large, the CPU fan on a tower cooler is often level with the exhaust case fan in a desktop computer. This provides excellent airflow through the heatsink and ensures that hot air is exhausted out of the computer as quickly as possible. The most popular tower cooler brands include Tuniq, Noctua and Zalman.
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