Performance
The AR08 is the much smaller of the two, so it’s understandable that it didn’t perform as well as the AR07, however, it performed well enough and since the CPU is hardly a trouble at stock clocks, it’s more than up to the job. The AR07 did exceptionally well, though, beating out many more expensive coolers and even a fair few AIO water coolers.
Putting on the heat with heavy overclocks, The AR08 didn’t move around our charts much at all; it’s clearly not well suited to overclocking but will manage just fine with mild overclocks. The AR07 did a lot better, beating out the premium solutions from be quiet! and being on par with some much more expensive water coolers, such as the Arctic Freezer 240.
While the smaller fan on the AR08 is a little louder, it’s hardly a nuisance, but it’s the AR07 that stands out here, giving some of the quietest results possible and we couldn’t hear more than a light whisper from it at close range.
The AR08 didn’t get too much louder while overclocked, so perhaps the fan can be pushed harder if you don’t mind sacrificing the acoustics to help with overclocking, but it’s certainly better suited to non-overclocked hardware. The AR07 did exceptionally well, still as quiet as a mouse, even when overclocking and the 140mm fan is giving Noctua’s legendary fans a run for their money too!
