We are here to discuss small form factor pc builds, the very core of this forum is to overcomplicate things.
I don't get the nerd shaming though, without effort there will never be progress, anywhere.
Do you honestly think I would list all those things and at the same time not be able to check upon them myself?
This guide is not aimed at people who are willing to read through numerous pages and threads and ask questions to find the best fit for themselves but at those who want quick and easy answers (of which there are little to no in this world btw).
But even for said purpose the guide makes very little sense since it misses the single most important dimension of coolers for sff-builds, the heatsink (or cooler) height.
Instead people look at a chart that compares apples to oranges (height; material; mass; fan size, type and noise; compatibility; cost; availability) and even if they realize all that they still have to abstract the information given (open test bench vs. enclosed cases, specific power drains from the test setups, 50% fan speed which could be 900 RPM for some and 1250 RPM for others etc) to their use case.
The transferability is very low.
What would make sense to me is:
- Create a list of all coolers under certain heights and highlight which one is agreed on to be the best package by the community. You can even distinguish between "best value for money", "most powerful" and "most silent". This would make it the easiest for all those who don't want/aren't able to read into technical details. They most likely will never buy the absolut best fit for their use case but would be on the save side because there would be no risk of misinterpreting data.
- Create the most comprehensive information collection (including amongst others what I have listed above) for small form factor coolers and enable people, both enthusiasts and beginners in building sff-pcs, to inform themselves as in depth as possible before their purchase. This is a shit ton of work but would definitely prove the expertise of the users of SFFF and draw attention from elsewhere. This approach can also be combined with the first to also give guidance to those who can't or don't want to spend as much time on their decision.
