Titan Fenrir and Skalli CPU Coolers Review

Value

The term “Value” is such an amorphous term that it truly has different meanings for different people. For some a CPU cooler is only as good as it over-clocking potential, for others it is how quiet it does its job; for others still it’s how effective it is for its cost. We here at HWC try to provide as many answers as possible for the term “Value”. Hopefully by this point in the review people looking at OC potential or loudness levels will have a fairly good idea of what its Value is. For the “best bang for the buck” crowd we have included a chart below showing how much each 1°C less costs when compared to Intel’s FREE stock cooler. No consideration has been made for noise levels, “looks” or any other extraneous factors; this is just raw performance vs. monetary cost. For any cooler which performs worse than the Intel stock cooler a rating of “FAIL” will be given. For any cooler which has a “Value” of more than $10 per 1°C a rating of “FAIL” will be used in the graph but the chart will list its actual “Value”.

All prices are based on either their MSRP (if no e-tailer prices were available at review time) or the online price they sold for at the time of their review. If a CPU cooler does not include a fan the price of a Scythe S-Flex 1200RPM has been included ($12).

To make it as easy as possible for you to modify this ratio we have also included the various coolers temperature difference so if you do come across one of them on sale you can easily modify its “Value” rating. We here at HWC are in no way saying this is the definitive answer to “Value”, rather it should be considered another tool to help you make your final decision. After all something is only as “valuable” as what you consider it to be.


Please Note: This chart has be calculated based upon the differences between Intel stock cooler’s average load at its highest OC on a 920 @ 3.42GHz versus various after market coolers average load temperatures (in their stock configuration with MX-2 TIM) also on a 920 @ 3.42GHz.


There is no getting around the fact that the Titan Fenrir is one hell of a great value…if you can find it. Heck, it maybe priced like an expensive “budget orientated” cooler but it looks and performs like a much higher priced “performance” cooler. Is it the “best” value we have ever seen? No, it still is a $50+ cooler but its blend of value, good looks and performance are an awfully tempting combination. Honestly, if you are looking for an even better cooler than the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ yet can not justify the added expense of a Prolimatech, this is the product you want.

The Titan Skalli is also a very good choice in the value department but we feel that is slightly overpriced. If this cooler was in a lower price range its combination of cooling prowess, super low noise characteristics and interesting looks would be of much greater value. As it stands, it is a very good bang for your buck and if you are looking for a quiet air based cooling solution and are not planning on major overclocking, the Skalli makes a good case for itself.