Tag Archives: cooling

RedMagic VC Cooler 5 Pro attaches to any phone using magnets or clips

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As smartphones become more powerful, the need to keep them from overheating becomes even more critical. Relying on simple heat dissipation is no longer enough, and sometimes even the more advanced passive cooling solutions, like vapor cooling chambers, are unable to compensate as well. This is especially true for phones used to play games, whether they’re formal gaming phones or just high-end models that have enough muscle but not the right cooling systems. RedMagic, nubia’s gaming sub-brand, believes that the answer lies in an external accessory, and it is now sharing that technology with others so that they, too, can benefit from it, even if they don’t have a nubia or RedMagic phone.

Designer: RedMagic

Smartphones generate a lot of heat when pushing their capabilities to the limit, and this causes not only discomfort but also degradation in performance, not to mention potential safety hazards due to the volatile battery powering the device. Unlike laptops and especially desktops, you can’t fit a reasonable cooling system inside a very thin phone, especially if it involves fans or more liquid. Delegating that to an external accessory is certainly possible, but the effort to attach and detach that gadget might be too much of a hassle.

The RedMagic VC Cooler 5 Pro remedies that by utilizing a feature that’s becoming more common among smartphones these days: magnetic wireless charging. This small squarish block can attach to any smartphone that supports this feature, which of course includes Apple’s MagSafe. What’s interesting is that RedMagic isn’t making it exclusive to these phones only, thanks to an optional back clip that can attach to any smartphone, making the VC Cooler 5 Pro almost universally compatible with all models.

But why would you want to stick or clip a small box onto the back of your phone? The RedMagic VC Cooler 5 Pro includes a 7-blade fan 3,060 sq. mm. vapor chamber liquid cooling plate that helps further pull the heat away from the phone and, consequently, away from your fingers. RedMagic claims it can drop the phone’s temperature by as much as 1­°C, though your mileage may vary.

Rather than just offering a simple fan and cooling plate, RedMagic is unsurprisingly advertising the use of some AI to automatically adjust the VC Cooler 5 Pro’s speed. This feature, along with the customary RGB lighting controls, is available through RedMagic’s “Goper” app. Unfortunately, this is only available on Android, so while iPhone owners can still use the cooling add-on, they won’t be able to take advantage of AI-powered dynamic settings as well as custom RGB lights. The RedMagic VC Cooler 5 Pro launches on April 15th at 59 EUR ($64) for the magnetic version and 64 EUR ($69) with the optional back clip.

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Laptop cooling system concept extends its back to let air flow even better

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Laptops today have become quite powerful beasts, capable of handling AAA games and even multimedia creation that their predecessors would choke at. But with great power comes great heat generation, the bane of CPU performance and battery life. Keeping a laptop cool has been a very big puzzle for laptop designers, mostly because of the problem of squeezing an efficient cooling system inside an extremely thin chassis. There are many existing solutions available today, ranging from extra large fans to vapor cooling chambers, but this particular concept offers an additional level of thermal management where a portion of the laptop’s rear extends to facilitate better airflow to and from the internals.

Designer: Wistron

Laptop cooling systems might come with different names and gimmicks, but they all function with the same principle. You draw heat away from the processors and battery and blow out the hot air while simultaneously drawing in cooler air. Whether it’s passive cooling with vapor chambers or active cooling with fans, proper airflow is still a critical element in the system. Unfortunately, due to design requirements, laptop air vents are actually small and too few.

This design concept tries to fix that problem by almost literally opening up a part of the laptop in order to create more and bigger openings for air to pass. Dubbed “dynamic airflow,” the design has one part of the laptop extend and move, exposing more vents for better airflow. In this case, it’s the back of the laptop that moves further back once you open up the lid. Conversely, that rear panel retracts again as you close the lid.

This moving part can house the laptop’s “heat module,” which can be, for example, small fans that move the air around. Normally, thermal cooling systems are placed on top of the laptop’s motherboard, which ironically leaves little room for the air to flow. Separating this thermal component not only frees up more space for airflow, it also makes it theoretically possible to make the laptop even thinner with this arrangement.

Of course, it’s easier said than done, as the design will also have come with its own consequences. For one, it makes the laptop design more complicated with more moving parts and mechanisms to extend and retract that component, which, in turn, could introduce structural compromises and new points of failure. Given the company behind the design, we might actually see this dynamic airflow concept tested in the wild by some major laptop manufacturers, which will then give us a better handle on how effective the solution really is.

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Raspberry Pi Water Cooling Kit is weird, cute, and probably overkill

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While 3D printing blasted open the doors for creatives to bring their designs to life, the Raspberry Pi can be credited for empowering not just makers and modders but also a younger generation of budding engineers and scientists by giving them access to a cheap, small yet powerful computer. The single-board computer or SBC has become the basis for many electronics projects and DIY solutions, ranging from smart home security systems to out-of-this-world “cyberdeck” computers. The Raspberry Pi 5, the latest and so far most powerful model available, does have certain performance limits, but you can overclock its processor to really squeeze out all that you can, at the expense of overheating the board, of course. The tiny computer will then need some cooling system, but this particular kit tries to take lessons learned from desktop PCs and apply them in an effective but honestly comical manner.

Designer: seeed studio

Water cooling is a well-known solution used in desktop computers to prevent the system from overheating while keeping the processor operating at maximum efficiency. Of course, water doesn’t actually touch the sensitive electronics but draws heat away instead. Cool water travels toward the hotter areas while the heated water travels away from the hot spots and gets cooled by something like a fan. Given the space required to safely and effectively implement it, it’s no surprise that this system is usually only found on large desktop towers.

Compared to those gargantuan computers, the Raspberry Pi only has a fraction of the power but it can still be pushed to the limit by overclocking its CPU. The most common solutions in the market are small heat sinks and tiny fans that provide passive and active cooling, respectively, but some might feel that those just aren’t enough. For really power-hungry setups, this water cooling kit made especially for the Raspberry Pi 5 will probably suffice, if not actually excessive.

The Water Cooling Kit is easily more than five times the size of the small board computer, composed of a water tank and a large fan that cools down the hot water. This contraption is connected to a Raspberry Pi via two silicone hoses, one for hot water and another for cool water, with a radiator sitting on top of the Raspberry Pi’s processor. This kit supposedly halves the temperature of an overclocked Raspberry Pi 5 down to a toasty 37C, depending on the load.

But, yes, you will have to sacrifice a lot to have such a water-cooled Raspberry Pi, starting with the $120 price tag. While the kit can work with multiple Raspberry Pi boards to maximize the cooling efficiency, you’ll have to buy the extra hoses and radiators to make that work. You also definitely lose the Raspberry Pi’s biggest benefit, its small form factor that allows it to be used in almost any project imaginable. Then again, some of those projects do require pushing the small computer to its limit, at which point you might need something over-the-top like this.

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OnePlus 12 teardown reveals what it takes to keep this phone cool

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Smartphones today are practically small yet powerful computers that you can hold in your hand and fit in your pocket. And just like any computer, the more powerful it is, the more heat it generates. In the past, smartphones could get by with simple cooling techniques that didn’t take much engineering or design to implement. Of course, those no longer work today, and sometimes even the common “vapor chamber” isn’t enough to keep the device from running hot. That’s why you’ll often hear brands boasting about some new advanced cooling technology, and a teardown of the new OnePlus 12 shows just how far some have to go to make sure your phone doesn’t turn into an incendiary device, whether you’re gaming, browsing the Web, or even simply charging it.

Designer: OnePlus (via JerryRigEverything)

It’s probably debatable whether the OnePlus 12 is the most powerful smartphone in the market to date, but it is one of the first to launch with the shiny new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Benchmarks do speak in its favor, which suggests that despite its rather classy appearance, the OnePlus 12 is a gaming-worthy device. This also means it is in even more need of a more effective cooling solution compared to gaming smartphones with insane designs that include a tiny fan inside.

OnePlus does talk about a “Dual Cryo-velocity Vapor Chamber Cooling System,” which is just its fancy way of saying that its latest flagship has a ginormous cooling system. That size is mainly due to actually having two vapor chambers on top of each other, acting as redundant cooling systems that work doubly hard to keep not just the processor cool but the battery as well. Of course, you wouldn’t actually see the stacked vapor chambers even from the teardown, because they’ll just look like a large, flexible copper plate.

The size of this material, however, does show the almost ridiculous lengths designers and engineers have to go through to ensure the safety of such a powerful device. And it’s not just because of the powerful processor but also thanks to super-fast battery charging, which means even more heat being generated. The teardown also shows the trick that OnePlus (and other manufacturers) use to pull off this quick charging feat: split the battery into two and charge both small packs at the same time.

Although not the focus of the video, the teardown does suggest how relatively easy it is to open up the OnePlus 12. It was only when it came to separating the screen did things got really risky, but if you’re trying to replace the display, chances are it’s already dead in the first place. OnePlus is noted to have a solid parts replacement program, so much of that effort in prying open the OnePlus 12 won’t be in vain.

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How this personal air conditioner brings comfortable and sustainable ways to keep you cool

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Our summers seem to get hotter by the year, so it’s not surprising to see the desire for more efficient cooling solutions to also heat up. Typical air conditioning units can keep a whole room cool, but these power-hungry machines are unable to take into account how different people have different thermal needs and tolerances. There is also a new breed of wearable cooling devices entering the market, but many of these sadly don’t take proper medical precautions in making sure they don’t cool down the wrong parts of the body. Considering all these, it almost sounds as if keeping cool is too complicated, and that’s not even considering how to accomplish that anytime, anywhere. It doesn’t have to be, though, and it could be as simple as wearing an unobtrusive wearable device on your wrist, which is exactly what this innovative personal air conditioner brings to your life.

Designer: Che Jing

Click Here to Buy Now: $119. Hurry, for a limited time only.

Many of the so-called portable cooling devices are only a step up from how people would place ice pads on their skin to quickly cool down their bodies. Unfortunately, some of these are applied to areas where vital organs are located, creating side effects such as high blood pressure, dizziness, or even ischemic stroke. Haphazardly applying extremely cold material on random parts of your skin could also constrict the blood vessels underneath and induce temperature imbalance across your body. The good news is that the answer is just within our hands, no pun intended, with research revealing that you only need to lower the temperature of your wrist over a few minutes to also make your body feel cooler.

The Silent Cicada uses that scientific principle to deliver a wearable cooling solution that doesn’t have to wrap around your neck or waist or involve sticking awkward pads on different parts of your body. It’s as simple as wearing a bracelet for a few minutes, letting it do its magic to cool your wrist down and induce a comfortable feeling throughout your whole body. Using advanced superconductor technology and superior thermal management, the wearable device converts electricity into coolness without the need for messy water or bulky compressors.

This personal air conditioner isn’t just lightweight and comfortable to wear, it’s also more efficient and significantly more sustainable than other options in the market. It works by directly cooling the blood circulating in your body rather than the air around you, so no energy is wasted and you won’t bother other people. It doesn’t get in your way either, and you can even use it while you’re doing other activities, even while using your hands. It can even act as an emergency ice pack on your forehead to provide quick relief from a fever. And because of its unique technology, no harmful substances like coolants are necessary, helping you save the environment in the long run.

The summer heat might be unbearable, but that doesn’t mean you need to burden yourself with inefficient and uncomfortable cooling gimmicks. This rather striking wrist wearable cools down your body without hassles and without harming the environment as well. So beat the summer heat the smart and comfortable way with the Silent Cicada, starting at only $120.

Click Here to Buy Now: $119. Hurry, for a limited time only.

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Let your creativity soar by beating the heat with this game-changing wearable air conditioner

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While summer might be fun for vacations, beaches, and parties, the sweltering heat isn’t good for our bodies and even our minds. Sweating profusely is uncomfortable and a bit unsettling, while unbearably high temperatures may make our brains want to take a vacation themselves. Extreme heat affects our ability to think clearly, and, as a result, our creativity often takes a nosedive as well. This is especially true this summer with its record-breaking temperatures, making the need to keep our cool even more urgent and critical. We have all tried various methods to cool down, but these solutions are either ineffective or unavailable in all places. After all, you can’t strap an air conditioning unit to your body and have it cool you down whenever you feel like it. Actually, you can do that with this unique and innovative wearable air conditioner that you can comfortably put around your neck to help you cool down in almost an instant, wherever and wherever you need to.

Designer: TORRAS Design

Click Here to Buy Now: $269 $299 (10% off with coupon code “YANKOCOOL”). Hurry, offer ends in 48 hours.

You’ve probably seen some people desperately try to apply technology to keep their bodies cool with miniature electric fans that just spin the hot air around you faster. Not only are these awkward and inconvenient solutions, but they’re also actually ineffective for the very purpose they were designed. It takes more ingenuity and creativity to develop an actually usable solution, and that’s the killer combo that the TORRAS Coolify 3 brings to the table. Building upon the success of its predecessors, this next-gen neck air conditioner steps up the game with a larger cooling area, increased wind speeds, and, more importantly, additional airflow channels to reach the most important parts of the body that needs to be cooled down to help you feel more refreshed even under the summer heat.

Research has shown that some parts of our bodies are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, which means that these are regions that you need to cool down or warm up in order to start feeling more comfortable. The neck is perhaps the best-known area, but the back is also an important part because it produces a lot of sweat, making it sensitive to those temperature changes. That’s why the Coolify 3 adds three more airflow channels as well as two rear outlets so that all the cool air goodness goes not only to the front but also to the back, reaching where no other personal cooling solution has reached before.

That’s not the only upgrade that the Coolify 3 brings to your life. Improved high-efficiency semiconductors and four high-speed fans allow the wearable air conditioner to deliver an enhanced cooling effect that reaches an area of 14,388 mm², a 79% increase from the previous generation and setting new industry standards. A larger 6,000mAh battery means you get to use the wearable device much longer, and an 18W fast-charging technology takes you from zero to 80% in just an hour. This innovative cooling solution isn’t made just for performance, either. It was designed with ergonomics and comfort in mind, such as in how it directs airflow away from the wearer’s ears and how it fits any neck size or shape with its flexible wide angles.

Extreme Sports – Less than 500 grams. Ultra lightweight companion to cool your adventure.

Working in High Temp – Say bye to hot flashes and heavy sweats when working outside in the heat.

Daily Running – Exceptional maneuverability and maximum stability on all occasions from jogging to heavy workouts.

Whether you regularly work outdoors or often find yourself struggling to maintain your focus in hot weather, you no longer have to waste time, money, and energy on ineffective cooling solutions that are more trouble than they’re worth. For just $299, the TORRAS Coolify 3 will get your body to the perfect temperature, regardless of the season or weather, leaving you free to do what you do best and become your most creative self, even under the sweltering heat of the summer sun.

Click Here to Buy Now: $269 $299 (10% off with coupon code “YANKOCOOL”). Hurry, offer ends in 48 hours.

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These hive-like terracotta structures offer a natural way to cool air down a bit

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Whether you believe in global warming or not, it’s hard to deny that the past days have been setting records when it comes to abnormally hot temperatures. Some countries that normally don’t experience such hot and humid weather were caught unprepared, while others cranked up the air conditioning, which meant higher expenses and more carbon emissions. Though we now experience greater amounts of heat, the problem isn’t unique to our history. There was a time when humans didn’t even have electric fans to help them keep cool, and they used more natural and environment-friendly methods instead. There is some wisdom to those ancient ways, and one particular idea uses these methods to help cool the surrounding air while also looking like sculptural art at the same time.

Designer: ant.studio

Evaporative cooling has been around since the time of ancient Egyptians and Romans, who used water and clay to cool the air inside their houses. When water evaporates, it carries with it some of the surrounding heat, effectively reducing the temperature in the area. Egyptians fanned porous jars of water while Romans coursed water through walls. We can easily create similar cooling solutions these days, too, especially with a little help from modern technology.

There are two major components to this kind of cooling system. First is clay, which has hygroscopic properties that let it attract water more easily. Water is the other element, and it flows around clay cylinders in order to create an evaporating cooling cycle. That water doesn’t go to waste and is recycled and pumped to the top of the structure again. Given the qualities of terracotta material, this system is almost 100% sustainable, except for the electronics and fuel used to recycle and pump the water.

ant.studio also puts an artful twist to these evaporative coolers. Beehive binds the terracotta cones and cylinders into a circular form, creating the semblance of a section of a beehive. CoolAnt Coral, on the other hand, piles these pieces into a pillar akin to underwater corals or tall beehives. Though it could give some people shivers, the functional art installations have a distinct character to them, especially after you find out what they can do.

Sparkle 100%

Admittedly, evaporative cooling won’t work everywhere, and it comes with its own drawbacks. Evaporating water, for example, increases the humidity in the same area, which may not be ideal for some situations and for some people. There’s also a fair amount of electricity involved, so it’s not a complete win-win situation.

That said, both Beehive and CoolAnt Coral help provoke the mind to look for more sustainable solutions and fast. This heatwave might not be a simple fluke and could just be the start of something worse, and typical cooling solutions only contribute to the long-term problem while providing short-term comfort. These designs also prove that our ancestors might have been on to something with their clay pots and in-house aqueducts, and it’s up to us with our modern technologies to design something better.

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nubia RedMagic 7 Pro continues the odd design trend of gaming smartphones

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Gaming smartphones are starting to look a lot like gaming PCs, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have to also copy all of the latter’s designs.

Almost all smartphones, save for the cheapest bunch, can handle most mobile games. The super powerful and super expensive ones are even more so, with their high-end hardware and advanced cooling systems. These phones, however, are often designed more for general-purpose use and are optimized to strike a balance between power, battery life, and thermal management. Those are actually fine for most gaming purposes, but some manufacturers argue that you don’t really have to compromise. That’s why they carved out a niche for smartphones that pull out all the stops but, in doing so, hit the same walls as gaming PCs, but with different and perhaps worse consequences for mobile devices.

Designer: nubia

Game On Design

Although it can be used for anything a “normal” smartphone can do, the new nubia RedMagic 7 Pro is clearly intended for gaming purposes. Sure, it shares many of the same specs with today’s premium phones, like the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, paired with plenty of RAM, up to 18GB even, and plenty of uptime with a 5,000 mAh battery. The point is that all these are pushed to their very limit here, at least more than your average high-end phone.

Also, unlike your average phone, the RedMagic 7 Pro doesn’t try to hide its gaming nature behind stylish glass backs or vegan leather. Every part of the phone, from the back to the edges, bear hallmarks of a gaming device, at least on the same wavelength as gaming PCs. The regular “Obsidian” finish, for example, flaunts the kind of RGB lighting that gamers love. The Supernova model, on the other hand, lets the owner take peeks under the hood, at least the parts on the periphery, with its transparent plate, also another gamer stylistic favorite.

The front of the phone might look less exciting, but it’s also designed for gaming. That’s thanks to the absence of a punch-hole cutout or even a notch. That leaves the full 6.8-inch panel free of any obstruction other than your fingers, though there are additional buttons on the edges of the phone that can be used as programmable triggers like on a game controller. These alone make the phone gaming-worthy, but it has one special feature very few “normal” phones would even dare to have.

Hot is Cool

There’s a reason why desktops and even laptops have fans, and they’re not just to prevent the computers from burning or melting. While they do perform such functions, a computer’s cooling system is designed to keep processors running at their maximum for longer periods of time. In order to prevent overheating, computers are hard-wired and programmed to slow down their activity when processors reach a certain threshold. This is a phenomenon called thermal or processor throttling, and it is quite common for any computer, including the ones we shove in our pockets.


That has never been a big problem with phones until recently, as mobile processors get more powerful and apps, particularly games, become more demanding. While most manufacturers try to improve passive cooling techniques and materials, those have been deemed inadequate by gaming phone makers. Phones still eventually throttle down, which results in dropped frames in games. That’s why some brands like Lenovo and nubia (a former ZTE subsidiary) have started putting tiny fans inside their gaming phones in addition to typical cooling chambers, and the RedMagic 7 Pro continues this tradition.

You can directly see that fan in the transparent Supernova, but you can definitely hear it on any model. In addition to that fan, there are also plenty of vents around the phone’s edges that facilitate the circulation of hot and cool air. This system isn’t exactly new and, to be fair, has proven to be effective. Unfortunately, it has its own costs, something that is a non-issue for desktops and laptops.

Durability Doubts

With that many points of entry, from the vents to the fan, it’s really no surprise that the RedMagic 7 Pro doesn’t come with any dust and water resistance promises. A constantly moving part like a fan also increases the risks when something breaks inside, especially after an accidental fall. The materials used in the transparent Supernova variant also make the phone noticeably heavier, which translates to more stress and strain on the hands and wrists when using the phone for prolonged periods, like when gaming.

There is no doubt that the nubia RedMagic 7 Pro is a visual delight for gamers, and its performance might even surpass more expensive phones. It does what it is designed for, but it also makes compromises to reach those goals. Unlike even a laptop, a smartphone is almost always exposed to the elements and has a higher risk of meeting accidents. Given those factors, buyers of this phone and other gaming phones are pretty much making a leap of faith that their somewhat expensive and portable gaming machine is going to last as long as their gaming PC.

The post nubia RedMagic 7 Pro continues the odd design trend of gaming smartphones first appeared on Yanko Design.

This compact, energy-efficient personal air-conditioner uses water and wind to keep you cool and breezy

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Created to mimic the effect of an ocean breeze, but indoors, the evaCHILL is a tiny air-cooler that’s small enough to be carried around the house, cools + purifies the air, and consumes less energy than a table fan.

Evaporative cooling isn’t really new. It’s literally existed for billions of years – or as long as sweat-pores have. We sweat and our body cools down as the sweat evaporates; it’s simple, effective, and requires hardly any energy. The evaCHILL builds on this nifty technique with its portable evaporative cooler. Pour water into its reservoir and the evaCHILL uses a built-in fan to help create a cool mist that can bring down temperatures by as much as 6 degrees.

Designers: Eugene Dubovoy & Vladimir Levitin of Evapolar

Click Here to Buy Now

EvaCHILL - Portable Personal Air Cooler Humidifier & Purifier

The evaCHILL compact size and footprint make it perfect for personal cooling. Unlike an AC that guzzles electricity to cool an entire room, evaCHILL cools YOU instead. Small enough to be placed on a desk or a bedside table, the air-cooler creates a fresh and chilly microclimate around you that’s a couple of degrees cooler than your surroundings. A button on top lets you control the cooler’s fan speed, while an ambient blue light on the sides helps you see the water level within the evaCHILL’s reservoir.

EvaCHILL - Portable Personal Air Cooler Humidifier & Purifier

EvaCHILL - Portable Personal Air Cooler Humidifier & Purifier

A lid on top lets you access the evaCHILL’s reservoir, pouring water in whenever it runs out. The reservoir holds enough water for a couple of hours of cooling, and a clever hack to reduce the temperature even further is to just pour water from the fridge into the evaCHILL. As the water evaporates, it’s combined with filtered air that’s pushed out the front, creating a cool breeze. The evaCHILL’s internal air filter uses a patented inorganic material that traps particles, dust, and allergens while preventing the growth and accumulation of bacteria and molds. Unlike most air purifiers/conditioners that require you to change the filters with time as they get dirty/moldy, the evaCHILL’s filters stay sterile even after months of use.

EvaCHILL - Portable Personal Air Cooler Humidifier & Purifier

EvaCHILL - Portable Personal Air Cooler Humidifier & Purifier

The entire device stands at less than 7-inches tall, yet it can cool an area of 45 sq. ft. Roughly the proportions of a smart speaker, the evaCHILL weighs 26-ounces and comes with a nifty handle to carry it around. It consumes just 7.5W of power too, which is a stark reduction compared to air conditioners that can easily consume 1000W, and charges via USB, allowing you to plug it into a power bank or even in your car charging-outlet for portable anywhere cooling!

EvaCHILL - Portable Personal Air Cooler Humidifier & Purifier

EvaCHILL - Portable Personal Air Cooler Humidifier & Purifier

Click Here to Buy Now

Noctua NH-P1 Passive CPU Cooler Can Take on 125W Chips: Fanless Fin Fun

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Fanless or passive CPU cooling heatsinks are nothing new. But they were reserved for low-power CPUs, which usually draw around 50W on average. That’s why Noctua is making waves with its release of the NH-P1, the company’s first-ever passive CPU cooler. The NH-P1 can tame even an Intel Core i9-11900K, which has an average power draw of 125W. That’s an extreme setup that most people will never even have, and that’s not just because the i9-11900K is a terrible value.

The NH-P1 has chonky fins that are directly soldered onto its six heatpipes, allowing it to withstand years of use without degrading its capacity to dissipate heat.  If you’re wondering if you should go for the NH-P1, you probably don’t need it. The main advantages of a passive CPU cooler are that it produces no noise, and it requires zero maintenance. It’s meant for computer setups that are fully fanless or the recent trend of open-air computer frames akin to test benches. If you just want a work or gaming PC, most conventional CPU coolers and even some all-in-one liquid coolers are cheaper but still get the job done.

That’s not to say the NH-P1 can’t work with a CPU fan. You can attach a 120mm low-profile fan to it – in fact, Noctua released such a product along with the NH-P1, the NF-A12x25. Gotta love those engineering-over-marketing product names. As I said, at this point you have a ton more options for cooling, but the NH-P1 still offers notable perks for air-cooling. Its asymmetrical design means it doesn’t cover the top PCI-E slot and the RAM slot that’s nearest the CPU. That may sound like a minor convenience, but PC builders know that that could be a deal-breaker for some setups.

In fact, the NH-P1 is so considerate with space constraints that it allows you to clip a fan on three of its sides.

Here’s a sample build that uses the NH-P1, courtesy of Noctua itself:

You can order the NH-P1 from Newegg for $110 (USD). It’s also on Amazon (affiliate link). You should also check out its compatibility list to see if it can cool your CPU – although as Noctua said, there are other factors to consider when building a passively-cooled PC, such as the case material and ventilation and even the size of the motherboard.