1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,920 Do you think a PC build looks woefully incomplete without a fancy aftermarket cooling solution? 2 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:10,640 If so, you're probably going to run out and buy an all-in-one cooler with tons of RGB on it no 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:16,240 matter what we tell you. But do you really need to upgrade from your stock CPU cooler at all 4 00:00:16,240 --> 00:00:21,360 if you're just worried about cooling performance? Unsurprisingly, many enthusiasts simply go out 5 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:26,240 and buy an aftermarket cooler because they're planning to overclock their chips. Since stock 6 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:31,520 coolers are only designed with, well, stock frequencies in mind, they tend to have fairly 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:37,440 limited capacity to absorb the extra heat caused by overclocking. This isn't to say you can't 8 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:42,720 overclock at all with a stock cooler, but it's likely that anything more than a modest overclock 9 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:48,320 will result in your CPU thermal throttling, basically slowing down when it's under load. 10 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:53,760 Exactly how much you can overclock on a stock cooler depends on factors like CPU model, 11 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:59,040 how good the individual piece of silicon in your processor is, and ambient temperature. 12 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:04,640 But if you're planning to overclock to any significant degree, do yourself a favor and 13 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:10,240 spend a few bucks on a better cooler. But should you buy one if you're not overclocking? 14 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,920 A good way to think about more advanced cooling solutions is to understand 15 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:20,320 that the whole point of them is to give your CPU more thermal headroom to operate. This is important 16 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,800 even if you're not overclocking, as more thermal headroom can mean your CPU can boost 17 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:30,400 to higher speeds for longer periods of time. Now, of course, this doesn't necessarily mean you have 18 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:36,080 to buy an aftermarket cooler to get that headroom. Stock coolers usually do allow your CPU to reach 19 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:41,360 their maximum manufacturer-specified frequency for long periods, as long as the rest of your system 20 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:46,800 has adequate airflow and isn't in some kind of unusually hot environment. But let's say you are 21 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:51,600 typically using your PC in a warm room, you have a small form factor case that doesn't give your 22 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:56,720 components lots of room to breathe, or your system just tends to accumulate dust very quickly. 23 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:02,080 In these situations, an aftermarket cooler might be worth it, especially if you notice your CPU 24 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:08,080 frequency throttling down under load. That said, you can get a CPU that throttles on a stock cooler, 25 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:14,880 even in a clean system. Intel's Core i7-12700 is known for doing this sometimes, likely because 26 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:19,840 it can exceed Intel's stock cooler ratings when it turbos. And if your CPU didn't come with a 27 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,800 stock cooler, which you do see sometimes with some higher-end chips, you should also take a pause if 28 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,440 you're thinking about slapping a stock cooler from your old system into your new one, as there's a 29 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:34,560 good chance that old cooler might not be designed for the amount of heat your new CPU can put out. 30 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,480 But besides thermal performance, there's another aspect that's important to consider, 31 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,120 given that it might annoy the people you live with. One major selling point of aftermarket 32 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:48,320 coolers is that they're frequently quieter than stock solutions. And in fact, this used to be a 33 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:56,240 major problem with pre-Ryzen-era AMD coolers. CPUs such as the old FX6300, a popular mid-range, 34 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:02,240 lower-price chip released in 2012, came with stock coolers whose fans would get horribly noisy 35 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:07,440 under load, with some users complaining that their PCs sounded like jet engines. Sounds badass, 36 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:13,280 it's not. The modern AMD Wraith stock coolers are much improved in this regard, but they, 37 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:18,320 along with their Intel counterparts, still generally can't run as quietly as aftermarket 38 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:23,520 coolers, which tend to be larger than stock. However, noise is subjective, and if you're not 39 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,840 often pushing your processor too hard, you may find you're perfectly satisfied with the noise 40 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:33,520 level of the stock cooler, making this a try it and see kind of situation. But even if your stock 41 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:39,040 cooler satisfies you in terms of thermal performance and noise level, can you extend the life of your 42 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:45,840 CPU by getting an aftermarket cooler? The answer is probably no. Modern CPUs are extremely reliable, 43 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,280 and will likely outlive many of your other components as long as you don't do something 44 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,600 dumb like put too much voltage through it. And if it starts getting too hot for comfort, 45 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,240 they'll either just throttle or shut down completely before any real damage can be done. 46 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:03,280 Bottom line, buy an aftermarket cooler if you're overclocking, hitting thermal limits, 47 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:08,160 or have a stock cooler that's putting out way too much noise. Otherwise, you're probably okay 48 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:13,120 sticking with what came in the box. And if you do go aftermarket, remember that you don't have to 49 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:18,560 get something top of the line to significantly improve upon your stock cooler. Those super fancy 50 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:23,440 custom water loops may look really cool, but you might feel a little silly when you realize you 51 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:28,240 spent more on water blocks and pumps than you did on your processor. Embarrassing. 52 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,600 But you shouldn't be embarrassed at all for watching all the way to the end of this video, 53 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:36,320 because you made me happy. Hey, like the video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it, 54 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,440 check out our other videos, comment below with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe 55 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:43,280 and follow TechWiki. That's this channel. Bam. Oh, wow.