At stock levels under load and at idle, it is not an ear bleeder, though being a smaller heatsink and fan, it needs to work a little more. 39.4Db under load is not a distraction, and we only really noticed it when we focused on the sound levels.
Next the overclocking configuration.
We pushed the Intel i5-4670K by around 20% and then stress tested it. We got a stable 4Ghz on this little air cooler, either idle or load. We observed no throttling during any testing and although Turbo didn’t kick in for the OC test, the Raijintek Aidos temperatures didn’t increase during idle and increased by only 1°C under load.
The motherboard was configured for Turbo, and it worked fine for the stock tests, but not the coolers fault. In reality, you are seeing a 1°C under load increase for a 200Mhz overclock on stock Turbo, comfortable by any measure.
The sound levels did jump, though for idle, still acceptable. Under load the cooler required the fan to spin up and this produced a 43.5Db sound level under overclock load. Audible, but acceptable, though not a lot of margin left in it.
Conclusion
When you look at the Raijintek Aidos CPU Cooler it holds up against a tricky market. It is quiet, relatively well made, PWM and will look good in some red and silver themed builds, just like the Raijintek Themis CPU Cooler we reviewed. All of this CPU cooler and for £14.99 currently in the UK, cheaper than a new stock Intel cooler on eBay. It would be madness to consider anything else for the price. It is good for a smaller build and we found compatibility issues and the installation was a breeze once the instructions had been read.
It is a good little performer, and because its a tall cooler with eight heat pipes, you do have a little more confidence it’s not cooking your i5 CPU during heavy sessions. Our overclock test was approximately a 20% overclock, not the greatest, but will give you some headway in gaming and applications, without throttling the CPU due to heat, not bad for £14.99.
You could also polish/lap the base until it’s mirror smooth, then overclock your CPU keeping it nice and stable throughout with this cooler. Or, just keep the sandpaper in the drawer and stock will do just fine. From a consumer experience point of view, there isn’t anything that bad about this cooler and at the current price, you would be foolish to overlook the Raijintek Aidos CPU Cooler as an option for your build.
Raijintek Aidos CPU Cooler Review
Package - 8.4
Performance - 8.9
Price - 10
Consumer Experience - 9
9.1
It is a good little performer, and because its a tall cooler with eight heat pipes, you do have a little more confidence it's not cooking your i5 CPU during heavy sessions. Our overclock test was approximately a 20% overclock, not the greatest, but will give you some headway in gaming and applications, without throttling the CPU due to heat, not bad for £14.99.