I definitely see a need for this. Glad its not $35 like the Silverstone NT07-1156

What kind of TDP can this handle? 65w?

Doesnt look much different than a stock intel cooler imo. except maybe a fan with a different blade design and a proper mounting system that screws into a backplate rather that the lame pushpin getup they use

Its the build quality and its lower then stock, quieter, more efficient. The stock cooler is crap

JetsterIts the build quality and its lower then stock, quieter, more efficient. The stock cooler is crap

More efficient? I wouldn't go that far until I saw some thermal results when pitted against the stock Intel cooler.

They look the same, they could even be made out of the same materials as each other, the only real difference may be the cooler is wider so they're able to put a bigger/better fan on it without it affecting the performance too much but its probably not far off from the stock cooler. Quieter - definitely yes, More efficient - possibly... Design is the same, the only way it could be more efficient is if the fins were made out of aluminum or if the copper used to make the center of the heatsink didnt have any other metals mixed into it while it was being smelted so it comes out as 100% copper. Even then the temps might not be far off from each other given that the design is the same. you're probably looking at 5-10'c difference at the most .

I cant remember if the stock intel coolers use a 92mm fan or not.

The stock cooler doesn't have copper ( Ok i check again. The first gen i3 didn't). But its heavier. I own the Silverstone NT07.

JetsterThe stock cooler doesn't have copper ( Ok i check again. The first gen i3 didn't). But its heavier. I own the Silverstone NT07.

Over the last 3 years i have built at least 4 or 5 machines with i5's - all of the stock coolers came with a chunk of copper in the center





In fact - I was so impressed with the stock cooler when i got my i5 that i snapped the fan off and turned it upside down and used it as a coaster for my hot cups of tea

Yea I caught that. I used it on the i3 I had with no copper so that's why i though that. So its quieter and more expensive :)

FreedomEclipseMore efficient? I wouldn't go that far until I saw some thermal results when pitted against the stock Intel cooler.

They look the same, they could even be made out of the same materials as each other, the only real difference may be the cooler is wider so they're able to put a bigger/better fan on it without it affecting the performance too much but its probably not far off from the stock cooler. Quieter - definitely yes, More efficient - possibly... Design is the same, the only way it could be more efficient is if the fins were made out of aluminum or if the copper used to make the center of the heatsink didnt have any other metals mixed into it while it was being smelted so it comes out as 100% copper. Even then the temps might not be far off from each other given that the design is the same. you're probably looking at 5-10'c difference at the most .

I cant remember if the stock intel coolers use a 92mm fan or not.

+1 . Their 775 iteration of the this cooler: www.tweaktown.com/reviews/2740/silverstone_nitrogon_nt07_775_low_profile_cpu_cooler/index6.html gave identical idel temps and just a few degrees lower than a stock one. And reading the reviews from Newegg at the 1156 version, people are saying the same thing. The only tangible benefit is the slightly lower noise footprint. But even that is arguable. The average stock intel cooler runs at 2450 rpm and its quite noisy, but if you move the connector or your MB is able to PWM it down to 1400 rpm- its pretty much the same as this one.

It's a nice cheap alternative, but if you absolutely don't have the money to spend I don't think its a big loss to keep going with the stock one.

Also not to forget that Akasa has been making coolers like these for a LONG time and they are cheaper







Though I think its only the black one pictured above that has the chunk of copper in the middle.


Either way, It still works out a little cheaper then this silverstone one. but the silverstone has a much much better mounting system.


There are better low profile coolers available - they just cost a little more. If i need a low profile cooler to replace the stock intel cooler Id pay a little more and go for a Noctua, Thermalright, Prolimatech, Alpenföhn, Cooler master, Xigmatech or Scythe one. Sure they cost more but are so much better than stock intel coolers.

lZKoceIt's a nice cheap alternative, but if you absolutely don't have the money to spend I don't think its a big loss to keep going with the stock one.

The point of these types of coolers is that they are about half the height of the stock coolers.

Regardless if this is the perfect solution, I'm just glad low-profile coolers are the new area many seem to be targeting. I had a difficult time finding any good budget options when I built this rig (as the tower craze was in full effect, and I was coming from a very, very old Koolance kit on my previous desktop) but now there are many more, with new ones popping up all the time.

It seems many companies are catching on to the new reality of many individuals that build their own trending toward sff if not HTPCs (outside of high-end gaming rigs), be it the 'mini-itx' version of 670/760 from asus and msi, low-profile coolers from several manufacturers, low-profile ram, 'short' power supplies that can still run 700w, etc.

I still prefer what I did for the time-being (bought a case that is made for pretty much exactly the height of full-size graphics cards and 120mm fans, which uses the later in its design and allows the Noctua NH-C14 with both fans by about 1mm), but if what asus/msi is doing currently catches on further so that decent cards in the 225-250w range can fit in a smaller enclosure, even I may consider mini-itx for future builds.

FreedomEclipseOver the last 3 years i have built at least 4 or 5 machines with i5's - all of the stock coolers came with a chunk of copper in the center





In fact - I was so impressed with the stock cooler when i got my i5 that i snapped the fan off and turned it upside down and used it as a coaster for my hot cups of tea

So now your tea is cold?!

FreedomEclipseOver the last 3 years i have built at least 4 or 5 machines with i5's - all of the stock coolers came with a chunk of copper in the center

There's the difference - you haven't used i3s, Pentiums, or Celerons. They all come with solid aluminum coolers for the LGA1155 and LGA1150 systems I've assembled. Granted, they probably don't need better cooling except under extreme circumstances.

I would only consider this if i was buying a Tray cpu and not boxed,as i did with my pentium rig where i bought the tray version of the cpu and got a cheap zalman cooler that resembles this.

Intel has been using different stock coolers since the 775 days. There are even different versions of the copper slug cooler. One version has a copper slug, and another version has the copper slug hollowed out.

But, again, these aren't meant to be stock replacements. They are designed for super small form factor builds that won't even fit the stock heatsinks that comes with the processor.