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CPU Cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1283
As a PC company whose primary added value is in overclocking, we take cooling very seriously. One of the dirty secrets of overclocking is that you don't need exotic water cooling or phase-change cooling to achieve significant and stable results. There are several air-cooling units on the market which are quiet but amazingly efficient, and cost significantly less than the exotic solutions. (In fact, in many cases they are significantly quieter!)
We formerly used the Tuniq Tower 120 CPU cooler, which was an undisputed champion for many months. Unfortunately, it was so heavy (over 800 grams) that we required custom-cut foam inserts to immobilize it for shipping, and we still had an unacceptably high rate of damage from it. We finally came across the Xigmatek on Tom's Hardware.com and tested one out - it does about the same cooling job as the Tuniq at 3/4 the weight. Like the Tuniq, it's rather large, but fits nicely in either the Antec 900 or Cosmos S cases.
The airflow and cooling combination of the Xigmatek and our cases allows us to deliver about 85% of the cooling capacity of a water-cooling loop at a fraction of the price, and just as quietly!
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