Montech's Metal DT24 Premium is certainly an interesting option in the heavyweight air cooler segment. Its max height of 158 mm means it is compatible with the majority of typical cases. Meanwhile, the use of dual 120 mm fans means it leaves plenty of clearance for even the biggest graphics cards. Overall the build quality is quite good too, with no major complaints as Montech paid attention to the details, such as the mounting hardware, which made the cooler very easy to install on all platforms. The only real downside to the design is that memory clearance isn't all that great. While you can fit the majority of taller DIMMs with the front fan removed, you will lose performance. The other option, which is to lift the fan up higher, will also sacrifice performance but can result in clearance conflicts in many cases. As such, your best bet is to stick with standard-height memory modules.

The three-year warranty may not give you the warm and fuzzy feeling that a Noctua cooler will, but the fact remains it's still a solid warranty. The only other downside for some is the cooler's current ARGB lighting implementation may not deliver the same level of embellishment that other coolers offer. On the other hand, some won't want to use RGB, or pay for it. Either way, it will be hit or miss depending on personal preference. I personally found it tasteful without being over the top, making it a good fit for systems where other components also feature ARGB lighting.

Out of the box, the noise profile isn't great, but Montech do include a low noise adapter which sees the noise level at 25% PWM drop from 44 to 40 dBA, while it drops from 54 to 46 dBA at 100% PWM. This is due to the fan RPM dropping from 1319 at 25% to 1145, and from 2011 to 1472 at 100%, respectively. Even with the less-than-stellar noise profile, actual cooling performance for the price isn't bad as far as heavyweight air coolers go. It performs similarly to the DeepCool AK620, and while the Metal DT24 Premium is slightly more expensive, you do get an aluminium top plate and ARGB lighting. While be quiet!'s Dark Rock Pro 4 is a premium offering, the Montech cooler, while louder, does perform similarly and is more affordable. In light of this, the cooler ends up being a jack of all trades and a master of none. So while it doesn't excel in any particular area, it's still a compelling option.

Overall I feel Montech is on the right track with the Metal DT24 Premium. It could use further refinements to improve performance, along with a better fan RPM curve, but in the grand scheme of things it handled both our AMD and Intel test benches with room to spare in the 45 dBA noise normalized tests, meaning for most users, it will get the job done and look good doing it. Therefore if the overall visual aesthetic of the cooler appeals to you, I would not hesitate to recommend it even if better bang-for-buck options can be found. After all, sometimes it is nice to have performance and looks in the same package.