TOP Low Profile CPU Coolers Available

A simple, entry-level cooler that pairs well with an inexpensive dual or quad-core processor with little heat dissipation. It is a direct alternative to Intel's boxed turntables that come with Core i3 processors and their younger counterparts in the Pentium and Celeron series. With a height of only 55 millimeters, it fits seamlessly into classic desktop PCs for office or home use, as well as into compact cases often used for multimedia systems.

Cooler Master I30 is compatible with past generation Intel processor sockets (LGA 1150/1155/1156) and more modern Intel LGA 1200, designed for the needs of Intel 10th and 11th generation chips. The main thing is that the heat dissipation of the processor should be no higher than 65 TDP, otherwise it will not cope. But it is not friendly with AM4 processor sockets, so installing it on a conditional Ryzen 3, alas, will not work.

The cooling system is equipped with a 92 mm fan with classic wave-shaped impeller and automatic speed control. The main advantage of the turntable is the low noise level. Under peak load, the sound level meter records only 28 dB, which can be clearly written as a plus. For comparison, elite tower cooling systems from Be quiet belong to the silent class and provide a noise level in the region of 23-25 dB. The second important factor in the popularity of this model is the low price. Some stores charge $5-6 for the Cooler Master I30. Even a mouse pad usually costs more.

While Zalman, Cooler Master, Corsair and other famous brands were measuring muscle volume, the Chinese company Deepcool quietly, through the back door, entered the cooling systems market and quickly grabbed a big piece of the pie. And its processor coolers Gamma Archer since its inception has firmly established itself in the top sales of low-cost cooling systems. As the success of the Gamma Archer BigPro, which is the newest member of this line, has shown, they do not intend to give their own to Deepcool.

Now let's see what makes it interesting. Despite the catchy name BigPro, this is not the largest cooling system: the fan diameter is the classic 120 mm, and the system height is 70 mm. The fan is built on the basis of a wear-resistant hydrodynamic bearing and is capable of spinning up to 2000 rpm (there is a PWM adjustment). That is, this is the most powerful Gamma Archer model. Thanks to this, the passport TDP of the model has grown to 120 TDP compared to its predecessors. True, the level of noise emitted by it has also increased - at peak load it can reach 30 dB. Manufacturers of cooling systems compare it to the noise of a wall clock. But this is only at peak load. With modern processors with a 60 W TDP, it is almost inaudible.

An important advantage of the processor Archer BigPro is a wide contact pad, thanks to which it also blows around the socket space, providing additional cooling of power elements. Due to its low cost and compatibility with all current processor sockets from AMD and Intel, it will become a worthy companion for not too hot 4-core processors of the Core i3 / i5 or Ryzen 3/5 level. In principle, according to the passport, it can also cool something more powerful (TDP 120 W) like the Core i7, but we would not recommend doing this, since during automatic overclocking the processor will heat up more than necessary and reset the frequencies. We will not even talk about overclocking, such cooling systems are not designed for this.

Aerocool Air Frost 4 is a compact cooler with a single fan and heatsink, which is almost the only compact model in the company's range. Considering Aerocool's love for classic towers, here we have a kind of tower in miniature - the height of the system is 78 mm, while the heatsink is rather large and heavy, and it is pierced by three copper heat pipes with direct contact with the processor cover. In general, it turns out such almost adult cooling for cases with limited internal space and miniature systems.

As for the efficiency of the Air Frost 4, then you need to understand that a lot depends on the processor. For example, the popular Ryzen 5 1600, for which such cooling systems are often bought, never had a Nordic character, therefore, with automatic overclocking on all cores, heat dissipation can exceed the declared 125 W and the processor will overheat. On the other hand, the built-in fan always runs at a maximum speed of 1800 rpm and it's not too noisy (26 dB is declared), so the owner of such a cooler will not expect unpleasant surprises like the roar of helicopter blades that some low-cost cooling systems emit.

In general, if you look in the direction of six-core, then only really energy efficient and with limited overclocking. On the other hand, Air Frost 4 additionally cools the near-socket space, which is important in low-cost builds. And it is backlit with a simple but nice RGB backlight.

An affordable low-profile cooler with a height of only 45mm that can "replace" a conventional box cooler in an entry-level office or gaming PC, or provide high-quality cooling in an ultra-compact case with a mini-ITX motherboard.

With a full-size deck, horizontal fan layout, and a heatsink with four copper heat pipes, it can effectively dissipate up to 100W of heat, which is enough for most consumer models of entry-level and mid-level processors, keeping temperatures within 35-60 degrees.

Naturally, the efficiency of the model depends on the specific processor and its agility during auto-overclocking. For example, with a heavy load on the test Ryzen 5 2600, the blades of the low-profile cooler no longer rustle, but distinctly clap at a speed of 2800 rpm. And the sound level meter shows 40 - 42 dB, despite the fact that according to the passport the maximum level of 35 dB is declared. Therefore, we recommended that it be considered in pair with a simpler 4-core processor with a TDP of 60 - 65 W. Still, the hat is not according to Monomakh.

It is worth praising the delivery package, which includes mounts for all popular processor sockets (AMD AM4/AM3/AM2/FM2 and Intel LGA 1200/115X), washers to protect the board and a syringe with a thermal compound. This is a cross between thermal paste and adhesive epoxy, which serves for additional heat dissipation and noise reduction.

The Gamemax Gamma 300 Rainbow is a rather interesting low-profile cooler that could be used as an example for others. It is friendly with almost all popular processor sockets (except for the new LGA 1700), easy to install (simple latches are used instead of bolts), equipped with an efficient PWM fan, effective in solving problems of cooling overheated processors and is equipped with an interesting backlight.

The presence of five heat pipes and a maximum passport TDP of 180 W makes Gamemax Gamma 300 Rainbow the best solution for quiet cooling (the fan starts at 800 rpm) of younger modern processors - Intel Core i5 and AMD Ryzen 5. Of course, the cooler will also cope with more efficient six-core processors with a little manual overclocking, however, in this case, the fan can accelerate to its maximum speed (1800 rpm) and you will have to completely forget about the term “acoustic comfort”. Well, do not forget that overclocking of multi-threaded six-cores was considered the lot of enthusiasts only 5 years ago, and Cooling system from conditional Noctua with price tags in the region of $ 150-200 were usually used for cooling, so you should not expect miracles from such inexpensive products.

Compared to other low-profile entry-level cooling systems, the Gamma 300 Rainbow stands out thanks to its backlighting. Moreover, these are not just LED-light emitting diodes, which were installed for show, and not even RGB, but a full-fledged addressable backlight with all its goodies, including backlight synchronization support. True, Gamemaxx promises 100% compatibility only with Asus Aura Sync, and you'll be lucky with boards from MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock. In any case, for a low-cost Cooling system with a price tag of just over $20, this is pretty cool. Also to be commended is the streamlined mounting kit, with a redesigned rear panel and clips that make this "mini-tower" easy to install.