WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.920 Do you think a PC build looks woefully incomplete without a fancy aftermarket cooling solution? 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 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 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:21.360 if you're just worried about cooling performance? Unsurprisingly, many enthusiasts simply go out 00:00:21.360 --> 00:00:26.240 and buy an aftermarket cooler because they're planning to overclock their chips. Since stock 00:00:26.240 --> 00:00:31.520 coolers are only designed with, well, stock frequencies in mind, they tend to have fairly 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 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 00:00:42.720 --> 00:00:48.320 will result in your CPU thermal throttling, basically slowing down when it's under load. 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:53.760 Exactly how much you can overclock on a stock cooler depends on factors like CPU model, 00:00:53.760 --> 00:00:59.040 how good the individual piece of silicon in your processor is, and ambient temperature. 00:00:59.040 --> 00:01:04.640 But if you're planning to overclock to any significant degree, do yourself a favor and 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? 00:01:10.240 --> 00:01:13.920 A good way to think about more advanced cooling solutions is to understand 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 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:24.800 even if you're not overclocking, as more thermal headroom can mean your CPU can boost 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 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 00:01:36.080 --> 00:01:41.360 their maximum manufacturer-specified frequency for long periods, as long as the rest of your system 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 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 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:56.720 components lots of room to breathe, or your system just tends to accumulate dust very quickly. 00:01:56.720 --> 00:02:02.080 In these situations, an aftermarket cooler might be worth it, especially if you notice your CPU 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, 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 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 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 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 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. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:38.480 But besides thermal performance, there's another aspect that's important to consider, 00:02:38.480 --> 00:02:43.120 given that it might annoy the people you live with. One major selling point of aftermarket 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 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, 00:02:56.240 --> 00:03:02.240 lower-price chip released in 2012, came with stock coolers whose fans would get horribly noisy 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:07.440 under load, with some users complaining that their PCs sounded like jet engines. Sounds badass, 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, 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:18.320 along with their Intel counterparts, still generally can't run as quietly as aftermarket 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 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:27.840 often pushing your processor too hard, you may find you're perfectly satisfied with the noise 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 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 00:03:39.040 --> 00:03:45.840 CPU by getting an aftermarket cooler? The answer is probably no. Modern CPUs are extremely reliable, 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 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, 00:03:53.600 --> 00:03:58.240 they'll either just throttle or shut down completely before any real damage can be done. 00:03:58.320 --> 00:04:03.280 Bottom line, buy an aftermarket cooler if you're overclocking, hitting thermal limits, 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 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 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:18.560 get something top of the line to significantly improve upon your stock cooler. Those super fancy 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 00:04:23.440 --> 00:04:28.240 spent more on water blocks and pumps than you did on your processor. Embarrassing. 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, 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, 00:04:36.320 --> 00:04:39.440 check out our other videos, comment below with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe 00:04:39.440 --> 00:04:43.280 and follow TechWiki. That's this channel. Bam. Oh, wow.