Roundup: Six Sub-$40 Performance CPU Coolers Compared

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Remember when overclocking was all about getting more performance for less money? It's hard to do that when you're spending top dollar on premium heatsinks and fans. Today we round up six true value-oriented coolers that could help unleash hidden speed.

Gelid Tranquillo CC-TranQ-01-A

Always looking for a value crown, Gelid’s premium cooler comes at a decidedly mid-market $35 price.

Four heat pipe appear to be gold-plated to reduce ugly oxidation, while the base itself is unplated to prove the highest level of thermal transfer. Extreme flatness and smoothness punctuate the company’s quality pursuits, while dimpled fins increase turbulence and surface area for improved heat transfer.

A unique sink design directs airflow down the Tranquillo’s center, while encased sides further reduce wasted pressure.

Gelid includes support plates for LGA 1366, 1156, and 775, plus AMD socket clips. A 120 mm fan, fan clips, and thermal paste complete the installation kit.

A single screw secures a mounting bracket to each side of the Tranquillo’s base. Intel users will be pleased to find that four spring-loaded thumb screws complete the installation, while most AMD users will be upset to find the clips only fit on the sink’s front and rear edges. The vertical bracket of most AMD motherboards forces an updraft orientation, while the square pattern of Intel hardware allows the sink to fit either way.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
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84 Comments Comment from the forums
  • amk09
    i wished you included a cooler such as the coolermaster hyper 212, that seems to be a highly recommended cooler and it would have been nice to see how it squared up against these ones.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    amk09i wished you included a cooler such as the coolermaster hyper 212, that seems to be a highly recommended cooler and it would have been nice to see how it squared up against these ones.We did:
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lga-1156-heatsink,2535-4.html
    That's why the same system was used for both tests. It's all mentioned in the article, too.
    Reply
  • Twoboxer
    Its incomprehensible that the Hyper 212 was left out of this kind of review. That decision makes this article worthless.
    Reply
  • Wolygon
    "Its incomprehensible that the Hyper 212 was left out of this kind of review. That decision makes this article worthless."


    Read the article before posting please.
    Reply
  • Twoboxer
    Sorry, I read your Opening page, the thermal results page, and the conclusion page. Did I miss how these products compare to the Hyper 212?
    Reply
  • dogman_1234
    ^ Or water cooling. It was a great article but, How about comparing to Hydro cooling and add an AMD system too. Intel is great at generating heat, AMD is better thought!
    Reply
  • duk3
    How did the Zalman CNPS10X Performa get into this review at $35?
    Reply
  • sudeshc
    was waiting for this kind of article for some time now, thanks toms. Loved the article, thinking about to go with Zalman's Cooler.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    duk3How did the Zalman CNPS10X Performa get into this review at $35?It was $35. It went up at Newegg about a week ago, but if you look around enough you might find the launch price elsewhere.
    Reply
  • Just wanted to say thanks for the article. And I think it's extra awesome that you actually respond to the comments/questions (I just read through the other roundup from earlier this year).
    Reply