Does arctic cpu cooler's "Cooling Capacity" mean anything?

[monsieurpooh]

For example here http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/cpu/522/alpine-64-plus.html?c=2181

"Cooling capacity" 100w. Does that mean I'm not recommended to use it when overclocking a 125w CPU? What about a 95W CPU that needs to be overclocked which would probably make it go above 100W?

If the value actually means anything, how come it seems like no other manufacturers of CPU coolers bother mentioning such a value, and consumers don't seem to put a big priority on caring about the value? Does it really matter or is it just marketing? The cooler I want to buy is rated at a "cooling capacity" of 90W but I wanted to use it to overclock my 95W (Phenom II x945) CPU significantly

 

[Johan45]

You'll want something bigger than that like the CM Hyper 212. If you put a small cooler with that weak board you're definatel not going to OC that CPU anywhere near where you would like.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

This kind of cooler is usually meant for lower-power CPU's running in HTPC's and workstations without any kind of overclock.

Yes, the TDP cooling rating does mean something. With most coolers you can't go much beyond that without the CPU running hot or just outright overheating.

Overclocking with it would not be recommended.

I once tried a 89W rated CPU cooler with a 110W rated CPU and got nothing but an overheating CPU the whole time. I wouldn't recommend repeating my mistake.

With a CPU that is rated at 125W at stock frequencies and voltages you'd easily be pushing 140W+ while overclocked and be well outside of the rated specs of the cooler.

 

[wagex]

i would imagine it means a max of 100w as in your probably couldnt use a 125w cpu to begin with and still have very good results. its a quiet cooler.

 

[trents]

Its a ballpark estimate of it's capacity to dissipate heat and a guide to help you pair it with the appropriate CPU. And remember, TDP ratings refer to CPUs running at stock voltages, not ones highly overclocked. A CPU rated at 100w TDP may produce 150w of heat when significantly overclocked. So don't skimp on the cooler.

 

[RGone]

A CPU rated at 100w TDP may produce 150w of heat when significantly overclocked. = Totally accurate statement. If you go and read the description of AMD TDP you will see it was never meant as an indicator of the total heat the cpu can put off and need to have removed from the cpu to outside the case. If I were to give a simple description of AMD TDP it would be a number reflecting High Average Heat but certainly not Total Heat to be displaced.
RGone...