Summer has arrived and I'm feeling the heat in my home office. I've even put a temporary pause on further testing to try to keep temperatures low. But I needn't be too worried about my processor, or the processor on the PC Gamer test bench, as in the last few months, I've had the good fortune of testing out two wonderful CPU coolers—both now available at a discount.
Quick list
- Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 Core II | $90 at Amazon
- Arctic Freezer 36 | $38 at Amazon
Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 Core II
First, for the liquid cooler crowd, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 Core II. I reviewed this cooler just last month and awarded it a prestigious 88% score for its excellence. Back then, it cost $100, and I thought that was pretty spectacular value, but lo and behold it's currently down to just $90 at Amazon today.
A few things I like about this unit: 1) it's easy to install with a relatively slim pump unit using pretty standard fittings for AMD and Intel systems. It supports AM5/AM4 and most Intel systems going waaay back, so no worries there. 2) it looks great, and that's not just because of the RGB infinity effect on the pump or RGB lighting on the fans, though that's neat for the price, but because the fans come daisy-chained together using a proprietary connection that splits off into a two regular PWM and ARGB headers. That makes controlling the lighting a breeze, as it all goes via your motherboard, but you don't have loads of cables to manage at the end of the build.
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There are also a few clips included in the box to keep your tubing straight. Though do note that one of the few downsides of this AIO is the length of the tubes: they're only 400 mm, which is the norm, but a bit on the shorter side for some cases. My test bench especially suffers for shorter tube runs and looks a bit bad for it, but it still works just fine.
The one alternative I'd note here is the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360. I'm testing this cooler right now, or I would be if my office wasn't superheated, and it's already shown itself plenty capable for the money. As of the time of writing, it's a little more expensive than the Cooler Master at $107. That's for the ARGB version, though the plain version is a little cheaper at $94. Two things I do like about this model versus the Cooler Master: the inclusion of a contact frame for Intel chips and the fan on the pump unit to keep your VRM cool.
Arctic Freezer 36
For a more affordable unit, the Freezer 36 is incredible. Right now, it's available for $38 at Amazon, which is the lowest price I've seen for it so far this year to date. It's hardly an expensive unit anyway, at more or less $46, but this discount (which has been on for a little while) makes it all the more alluring.
This is a dual-fan, single-tower design. That means Arctic has slapped two P12 PWM PST fans on either side of the heatsink. Though the company has included little mounts on the corners of the fans that allow them to clip into the heatsink without actually using any fiddly clips. That's one of the big benefits here with these fans, the other being they're extremely quiet.
Then there's the contact frame, which much like the aforementioned Liquid Freezer III Pro comes included in the box with the Freezer 36. Only useful with Intel CPUs, it keeps these chips from bending over time due to a poor ILM design. If you've already used your chip for a prolonged period without one, you're probably too late to make a difference, but it is a nice addition on a budget cooler nonetheless.
The only downside is that you have to be a bit careful when installing the Freezer 36 on Intel systems, as it requires removing the original ILM and exposing the pins on the socket even more than usual. Don't prod these. NO! STOP IT!
Once fitted, the Arctic kept my test Core i7 14700K nice and cool, and it'll do a great job with an AMD Ryzen chip too. Plus no weird install on the latter.
Altogether, you have your pick of options here. A superb liquid cooler and a wonderful air cooler—both I highly recommend from my own testing, and both are gosh darn affordable.
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1. Best AIO: Arctic Liquid Freezer III A-RGB
2. Best budget AIO: Cooler Master MasterLiquid Core II
3. Best high-end AIO: Be Quiet! Light Loop
4. Best screen: NZXT Kraken Elite RGB (2024)
5. Best air:Noctua NH-D15 G26. Best budget air: Arctic Freezer 36
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