In the next comparison, we look at the default cooler performance as they come out of the box with their bundled fans. Coolers that come with no fans have been coupled with Noctua’s NF-P12 or fans that the manufacturers intended their coolers to be used with.


In its default setup, the K2 can match the Corsair H100 and Thermalright Silver Arrow. And at 60% fan speed, it beats the Corsair H100 with 1300RPM fans by a 1.25C margin. The latter result is 1C higher than the Phanteks with reduced fan speeds.


As before, efficiency proves to be the K2’s strong point, only losing to the Phanteks and only by a mere 0.25C at that. Compared to the Silver Arrow, there is a greater margin of 0.75C.


Only 0.5C differentiates the K2 from the Phanteks in this case demonstrating how efficient the unit is and how competitive the top coolers are with each other. Our four ‘super-coolers’ take the top four spot as expected.


Yet again, the 4 ‘super-coolers’ take the first four spots, except that in this case, the K2 comes out second matching the Silver Arrow.


Passively, the K2 continues to impress, edging ahead of the Noctua NH-D14 and Prolimatech Genesis but falling behind the Thermalright Silver Arrow by 1.25C. The Phanteks remains the clear leader.