Many Intel CPU users are in a dilemma about whether their Intel stock coolers are good enough or not.
If you are one of those users, you are in the right place; after doing a ton of research, I am writing this article for you.
This article will explain the performance of the Intel Stock Coolers, including all the pros & cons.
Intel Stock coolers are the cooling devices that come with your hardware (CPUs) consisting of a PWM fan & pre-applied thermal paste.
So, Are Intel Stock Coolers Good?
Yes! the Intel Stock Coolers usually perform well, but if you want to perform heavy CPU-intensive tasks like (3D rendering, Gaming, and Video editing) & if you’re going to do overclocking, then the Intel stock coolers are not sufficient.
After getting the short answer, several questions appear in your mind; well, all of your questions are discussed below. So, keep reading this article till the end.
Are Intel Stock Coolers that Bad?
No! in general, the Intel Stock Coolers are not that bad, & their goodness depends on how you use this stock cooler.
For normal & regular usage, the Intel CPU Stock coolers are perfect as they will not bring too much heat & too much Noise.
But if you are not using this Intel stock cooler properly & you overclock it, then it will bring more heat & Noise.
Besides overclocking, you also need to care for the heavy CPU-intensive elements like (Rendering, gaming, streaming, etc.). You will need a better cooling option; the Intel Stock Cooler won’t be enough for you.
However, suppose you forcefully perform heavy CPU-intensive tasks. In that case, its temperatures will go higher than 80C & suddenly, a blue screen will appear In front of you, which is very cumbersome to troubleshoot.
In sudden cases, the Intel Stock Coolers might go bad for you & you need to take early prevention for that. In the below section, it was explained why sometimes Intel Stock Coolers become bad for you.
Why Intel Stock Cooler is so Bad? (4 Reasons Explained)
There were numerous points on which peoples argue that the Intel Stock Coolers are not perfect & here are some of those major points-
Overclocking
In computing overclocking is the practice of increasing the clock rate of a computer to exceed that certified by the manufacturer.
In simple words, your computer’s CPU comes from the factory set to run at a certain maximum speed. If you run your CPU at that speed with proper cooling, it should perform fine without giving you any problems.
However, if you are not limited to that speed, you can increase the CPU’s speed by setting a higher clock rate or multiplier in the computer’s BIOS, forcing it to perform more operations per second.
Although overclocking is very beneficial for many people, including gamers, to overclock your CPU or GPU, you must need proper cooling.
The Intel Stock Coolers are not preferable for overclocking & if you forcefully overclock on the Intel Stock Cooler, it can damage your motherboard, processor & sometimes RAM on a computer.
Noise
There can be many reasons your Cooler makes sounds or becomes noisy, but dust or pollution is the most common cause.
If dust-filled within your Intel Stock Cooler, it will bring Noise & fix this; you can try to clean the dust by blowing air & using a soft piece of cloth.
Experts recommend that the stock coolers’ Noise level under 25 decibels is good; unfortunately, the Intel Stock Cooler’s noise level is above 25 decibels, which irritates the users.
Remember
Besides dust & pollution, your CPU also can bring Noise if the CPU is under stress & is getting hot, for which the fan rotates at a higher speed to cool it.
Difficult to Clean
The Stock Cooler cleaning is very much required & in comparison with other stock cooling options, the Intel Stock cooler is cumbersome to clean.
Initially, you need to remove the fan from the heatsink & then you can wash it if you want, make sure it’s clean with no residual cleaning product and 100% dry before putting the fan on it and installing it on the motherboard.
Because of its difficult cleaning procedure, many users dislike the intel Stock Cooler.Â
Higher Temperature
If you perform heavy CPU-intensive tasks, it will bring too much strain on your CPU & naturally, your CPU’s temperature will increase.
In fewer cases, these CPUs also heat up unnecessarily & the Intel Stock Coolers cannot release that amount of heat.
Because of these four reasons, many people dislike Intel Stock Coolers.
Also Read: Is Intel N4020 Good?
Are Intel Stock Coolers Good for Gaming?
Yes! the Intel Stock Coolers perform fine for gaming until you are running heavy CPU-intensive games & until you are overclocking aggressively.
Overclocking within Intel Stock Coolers will generate too many temperatures & your Stock Cooler might not be able to surpass that temperature.
However, to troubleshoot this overclocking & temperature issue, you can use any additional cooling option from the market which will be safe for your CPU.
Is Intel Stock Cooler Loud?
Yes! the Intel Stock Coolers are sometimes too noisy & loud, and this Noise mainly occurs if you put too much pressure on your CPU by aggressive overclocking & by performing heavy CPU-intensive tasks.
After getting your answer, you might be thinking, How much Noise is the Intel stock Cooler Produced?
Well, before answering your question, I want to explain that your Stock Cooler’s loudness depends on RPM.
The higher the RPM, the noisier your Stock Cooler will be, and according to the expert’s opinion, you need 1200 to 1400 RPM when you are doing low-load stuff & you need 2000 RPM when you are doing high-loaded stuff.
So, now straight come to the point, the Intel Stock Coolers tops out at 2000 RPM & if you do a little bit of overclocking, it will generate too much Noise.
Also Read: Is Intel HD Graphics 5500 good for Gaming?
Can You Overclock with Intel Stock Cooler?
Overclock can be done with any cooling solution, but the Intel Stock Coolers are unsuitable for overclocking.
However, if you forcefully overclock within Intel Stock Coolers, the temperatures will be very hot & it will throttle.
Moreover, the Intel Stock Coolers can’t maintain heavy boost clocks while under heavy load. For this reason, you cannot overclock on Intel Stock Cooler, and you will need aftermarket cooling for overclocking.
Does Intel Stock Cooler come with Thermal Paste?
Most Intel & AMD CPUs don’t come with the thermal paste; unless the CPU is boxed together with a CPU cooler.
Here, we are not talking about the CPUs here; we are talking about the Stock Coolers.
Yes! the Intel Stock Coolers come with a pre-applied thermal paste; even all the CPUs that come with the Stock Cooler might have the pre-applied thermal paste.
If you are confused about the answer, I want to explain that Thermal-Paste is a silver-gray substance that you apply to a processor before installing a cooling solution.
Every CPU cooler needs thermal paste & in the case of the Stock cooler, the Thermal Paster is pre-applied to it by the manufacturer.
Also Read: Do Intel CPUs have TPM?
AMD or Intel; Which Stock Cooler is Better?
According to the expert’s recommendations, the AMD Stock Coolers (Wraith Steal & Wraith Prism) are better than the Intel Stock Coolers because of their overclocking advantage.
As you already know, with the help of this article, the intel Stock Coolers are not perfect for overclocking.
On the other hand, the AMD Stock coolers (Wraith Stealth & Wraith Prism) are unlocked for overclocking & also provide better performance.
But, at the same time, the fact is also true that the AMD stock coolers generate more heat & Noise compared to the Intel Stock coolers just because of Overclocking.
Should I Use or Replace Intel Stock Cooler?
Whether you need to replace your Intel Stock Cooler or not entirely depends on your usage.
For general usage, the Intel Stock Coolers are a perfect choice & therefore, you do not need to replace this.
However, if you want to do aggressive overclocking, then the Intel stock cooler is not for you & in this case, you need to replace your Intel Stock Cooler by picking an aftermarket cooling option.
Besides overclocking, if you want to perform heavy CPU-intensive tasks, the Intel Stock Coolers are not suitable for you & you need to pick an aftermarket cooling.
When do I need to Upgrade Intel Stock Cooler?
There is no such time required for upgrading your Intel Stock Coolers & you can upgrade your Stock Coolers any time you want.
But in some cases, if your CPU causes too many problems, such as delivering too much heating or inducing too much Noise, then it is a sign that your Cooler might not work properly.
And this is the ideal time to change your Intel Stock Cooler & pick a better cooling for better performance.
Best Replacement for Intel Stock Cooler
Although several cooling replacements are available in the market, the Vetro V5 White CPU cooler is the perfect replacement for Intel Stock Coolers.
This CPU cooler consists of Aluminum & its maximum RPM is around 1700, which is suitable. You can check out this- Vetroo V5 white CPU Cooler on Amazon.
Can I Clean Intel Stock Cooler?
Yes! You can clean the Intel Stock Cooler, but the cleaning process of this processor is a little bit cumbersome compared to the AMD Stock Coolers.
While cleaning your Intel Stock Cooler, you also need to clean it carefully &Â it is always recommended to use compressed air or a vacuum to clean your Stock Cooler.Â
Final Verdict
This article is intended for those users who want to know the performance of the Intel Stock Coolers & based on all the facts, it can be said that the Intel Stock Coolers are good if you do not perform overclocking.
I hope you have liked this article & if you want to know more about Stock Coolers, Intel processors, computers, and other technology-related things, keep following this blog regularly.
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