ARCTIC Freezer 36 (Black) – Single-Tower CPU Cooler with Push-Pull, Two Pressure-optimised 120 mm P Fans, Fluid Dynamic Bearing, 200–1800 RPM, 4 Heatpipes, incl. MX-6 Thermal Compound

This is one of the best air coolers I’ve ever used in a build. I bought this in a process of replacing an old machine that went kaput on me, and that cooler used was an air cooler as well. No issues with that machine for what it’s worth, although the cooler in that machine was a Hyper 212 EVO back in 2016 which kept an i7-4790 around 40c. That machine now has an i5-4690 since the CPU died and had to be replaced, same temps around 40c. Not too bad.Compared to what this cooler is doing currently for a 12600KF in my current build, it is running as low as 19c and up to 26c, granted I’ve turned off some cores and turned off hyperthreading BUT, the huge difference for what I tend to use this machine for with this cooler, this is very excellent in what I’d want to use for what is essentially a file server/archival PC and as the replacement of the other aforementioned build above. Hands down, one of, if not, the best price/performance ratios for a budget air cooler I’ve seen in a while. After watching some reviews and comparisons on YouTube from GN, this can also fit the bill if your wattage usage for a CPU is pushing 200W. At that range it should be fine for keeping things cool but definitely not anything bad per se.The only thing I can say that may be a warning is if you’re installing on an Intel board you will need to be careful when installing its somewhat custom motherboard CPU bracket mounting system, which should be called the ILM, since there may be, not sure how much, a risk of shifting a portion of the CPU socket on the motherboard. You may want to have something underneath the motherboard to keep it from slipping. Useful information can be found on YouTube channels installing this. I did reference GN for this install, and it was not too bad for me. The reason why this step is needed is to make a better contact of the CPU heatsink contact with the CPU since most motherboards will not fully make contact with the CPU heatsink and CPU based on its ILM.If you have a new build, if you can afford one of these for its introductory price, I’d say it’s a great one to consider. After some time the price may increase but its still not to say its not worth it but depending on what’s available you can check and do comparisons on what else is offered in the market of air coolers. After the 3 months of this being released the price may change but we can only tell once/if this happens.Overall, I really like this CPU cooler for what it has done so far in keeping my CPU cool.