Conclusion

Despite this impressive efficiency with an overclocked processor, Thermalright IFX-14 made a very ambiguous impression. I believe there are two possible opinions here. First comes the pessimistic one. This superior cooling efficiency comes at a price of $90, plus you need to have a couple of good 120-mm fans $10 a piece as well as a very roomy system case (Full Tower is most likely the only form-factor that will fit) or assemble the system as an open testbed without any case at all. Otherwise, Thermalright IFX-14 may not prove up to your expectations, like Scythe Orochi, which we have recently tested.

Now comes the optimistic standpoint. In fact, our today’s test session didn’t reveal the full potential of the Thermalright IFX-14 cooler for objective reasons. Ideally, you should first level out the cooler base (and maybe polish it off as well), which I didn’t do this time. Besides, you have to get three 140 x 140 x 38/25mm fans and add another 80x25mm fan to HR-10 heatsink (with additionally purchased set of fan retentions). In this case Thermalright IFX-14 will already cost you roe than $120, however, it will definitely be as efficient as a mainstream liquid-cooling system.

Therefore, in conclusion to our today’s review I will not say if Thermalright IFX-14 is an ideal air cooler or not. This is where the question mark in the name of this article comes from. I will let each of you decide for yourselves judging by your financial situation and other factors that we have mentioned multiple times in this article. If you are not squeezing all the juices out of your processor and are fond of quiet system cases, then it would be the best passive cooler you can get your hands on these days, no doubt about that.