Phanteks PH-TC14PE Dual Tower CPU Cooler Review

AcousticsWhile situated in a room where background noise was kept to a minimum, we placed the sound level meter equal distances from our test system to measure the total noise output by the complete test system for each cooling configuration at 100% fan speed (apart from the passive test).

Here we see that not only does the Phanteks cooler offer excellent cooling performance, it also operates very quietly. While it isn’t as quiet as Thermalright’s Silver Arrow, it does offer better performance for its additional noise output. Our pair of 1850RPM Scythe Gentle Typhoon fans had a slightly higher noise output than usual, which may be due to the fact that they weren’t sat upon the anti-vibration rubber fan strips hence transferring their vibration to the cooler’s metal and producing additional noise. Focusing on the acoustic levels of Corsair’s Hydro series coolers, it is clear to see why they offer such good cooling performance with the dual 2600RPM fans. The choice is yours, better performance with an AIO liquid CPU cooler or much lower acoustic levels with a dual tower air cooler? I know exactly which option I would choose.