Xigmatek Loki, Gaia and Aegir CPU Cooler Review Roundup

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Overall, I was very happy with all the coolers we looked at today. I was surprised at how well the Loki did for its size. The Loki could be an option for those will small cases that need a solid cooler but height restrictions prevent tall coolers. With the Lokis fan being rated at under 20-28dBA it may not be a fan that is silent or that HTPC builders will want, but it is not something that any other user will complain about. With the Loki coming at $22.99 shipped it would be a very nice budget upgrade for any system still using the stock cooler that came with their CPU.

The Xigmatek Gaia is a nice all round cooler. Like the Loki it comes in under the $30 mark, but the Gaia performed better than some coolers that are 2 and 3 times its cost. With the Gaia being larger than the Loki it has more cooling fin surface, but also the ability to use 120mm fans. The fan that come with the Gaia is a nice fan and you have the option and ability to add a second fan if you choose. The performance may go up slightly, but the noise will, too. With the Gaias performance out of the box and its $29.99 shipped price tag the Gaia is a very reasonable choice for anyone with a midtower and up size case that wants to upgrade from stock cooling. The most consistent competition for the Gaia throughout testing was the Corsair A50, also an HDT cooler that can be found for around the $30-40 price range. Though, the 120mm cooling fan for the Gaia operates much quieter than the one used on the Corsair A50.

The Aegir is Xigmateks high-end offering, and it carries a high end price. Coming in at $59.99 shipped it is not the most expensive cooler we have ever tested but it performed nicely. Coming near the top of the charts throughout most of the testing the Aegir was on par with coolers that cost $20 to $30 more. The fan for the Aegir was nice as well. At 100% speed the fan is quiet. It was hard to pick out the Aegirs fan from the Scythe case fans I use in the test system. Also, the fan is out of the norm since it is a white LED fan and not the normal red or blue. The light coming off the white LEDs will light up the desktop if you have a side panel window. It may not be an issue for some, but users like me that have their desk not far from where they sleep the extra light could be an issue. Since the Aegir uses standard 120mm fans they can easily be replaced if the light is an issue.

Overall, installing the each of the coolers was a snap. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. The only real issue, well more of a concern, that I found was with the Aegirs mounting system gets very close to the heatinks around the socket. If your board has large heatsinks around the socket then you may have a clearance issue.

Xigmatek has sent us some solid performing coolers that cover a wide range of users from entry level to middle of the road to high end. Overall I am giving the Loki, Gaia and Aegir our value award for being solid performing coolers that are super easy on the wallet.

Legit Bottom Line: Xigmatek Loki, Gaia, and Aegir are solid performing coolers at reasonable prices. The Loki and Gaia are at the top of the short list for budget upgrades, and if you want to pony up a little more coin you can have the Aegir and its high end performance.