Finished Looks

Ordinary, plain, and uninspiring are words that come to mind in the increasingly crowded entry level CPU cooler market. After all, manufacturers can only do so much at a set price point, which means the Windale 4 won't be turning heads. The design is typical and the aluminum fins and copper heatpipes simple. A certain elegance still exists with these designs, but they will definitely not fly off shelves based on looks. That said, none of that really matters when it comes to creating a cost-effective cooling option.


While the Windale 4 can utilize dual fans if the need calls for it, it likely isn't worth it. That said, the included fan is definitely unique in terms of its frame design, though still subdued enough to where it won't draw much attention to itself, especially since it lacks the LEDs seen on the Windale 6.


Motherboard expansion slot clearance is perfect, but memory clearance leaves much to be desired. With the fan installed, it looms over one of the DIMM slots. Standard height memory will fit without problems. However, anything with a decently sized heatsink, like the G.Skill Trident Z sticks shown, will not. It's also worth noting that the rubber fan mounts push against the memory heatsink as well. Overall, that is fine for standard memory clearance, but you should look elsewhere if you want to use memory with fancy heat spreaders.