The Best CPU Coolers

How should you go on your CPU absurd? The market offers two principal alternatives: air coolers using a heatsink and all-in-one liquid coolers with a pump and a radiator. Radiators have longer to heat upwards than heatsinks, thanks to the additional mass of the water flowing through them, but are also harder to absurd once they get hot. For quick work or gaming sessions with long breaks in-between, water coolers are amend, just for prolonged workloads air coolers offering a ameliorate value.

By and large speaking, the more powerful your CPU is, the bigger and ameliorate cooler you'll need. This volition vary across architectures depending on how efficient they are, how many cores, and at what frequencies your CPU runs. If your desktop PC needs a lot of power and you travel with information technology, you're probable to experience safer with a radiator that'due south attached to your example via eight or 12 screws than with a huge chunk of metal hanging off your motherboard.

Another reason to utilise water cooling is if you have a slim case that doesn't have the infinite for a larger air libation, or even for a fan nearly the CPU. On the other hand, a pump is much harder to supersede than a fan if information technology breaks, and while rare, the possibility of leaks within an electronic device can be scary. Regardless of which type of cooler yous need, this guide will embrace many smashing options at every size and price point.

All-time Air Coolers
All-time Depression-Noise Libation
All-time Low-Profile Cooler
Best All-In-One Liquid Libation
Best Compact All-In-One Cooler
Budget Coolers

Budget Coolers that are Ameliorate than Stock
Socket TR4

Threadripper Cooling

All-time Air Coolers

Noctua NH-D15

Noctua has a stellar reputation amidst CPU cooler makers, and with good reason. Earning a repeated recommendation from TechSpot for many years, you'll struggle to observe an air cooler that performs as well equally the Noctua NH-D15 at its max RPM of 1,500.

For virtually $100, the NH-D15 uses 6 copper heat pipes, two 140mm fans, and a separate-tower design to make sure that less air is lost along the way, especially if you end up removing the external fan for RAM clearance. You can also purchase the cooler with merely one fan for $10 less.

Noctua'south SecuFirm 2 mounting system supports virtually modern sockets and makes installation a breeze, just one of the best features of this libation is its half-dozen-year manufacturer's warranty.

At that place are some caveats, though: this is one massive, heavy unit. Measuring 160mm ten 150mm 10 135mm and weighing well-nigh iii pounds, y'all'll need to be careful when moving a PC with this inside. If you are concerned about that, you lot should check out the company's $110 NH-U12A, which uses 2 120mm fans and a compact single-tower design, but makes up for that with seven heat pipes and a max RPM of 2,000.

Historically, the most controversial (and defining) aspect about Noctua'southward coolers has been their color scheme. These days, though, you tin can get the NH-D15's Chromax.Black version for $10 more -- or for the same price with one less fan.

More than affordable alternatives

If yous aren't into heavy overclocking, you can salve good coin going with the $60 Scythe Fuma 2. At the same RPM it performs similarly to the NH-D15, simply its 120mm fans can only reach 1,200 RPM. It'southward likewise more meaty and has better RAM clearance with 2 fans than the NH-D15 has with 1 thanks to its shape. The libation comes with a more limited 2-year warranty, but even if you end up replacing the fans after a few years it won't be more expensive than buying Noctua's cooler.

If you aren't running any of the almost ability-hungry mainstream CPUs, you lot can also go with a more than compact and lightweight cooler. In this case you have several practiced options, including the Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black ($45), Arctic'due south Freezer 34 eSports Duo ($45) and Noctua's NH-U12S Redux ($50).

Budget coolers that are much meliorate than stock

AMD's Wraith Spire is surprisingly good for a stock libation, nearly matching Cooler Master'southward venerable Hyper 212 Evo, now selling at $40. On the other hand, Intel's stock coolers and AMD's Wraith Stealth are meant to be replaced by those who want to get the about out of their CPU.

If you're non later heavy overclocking, but still desire to ameliorate upon what your stock CPU libation offers for equally niggling money equally possible, hither are three proven choices:

Vetroo'due south V5 offers 5 estrus pipes and a 120mm ARGB fan for just $30.
Aresgame's River five has similar features and ofttimes sells for $20.
The DeepCool Gammaxx 400, usually selling for virtually $25, offers four copper heat pipes and a 120mm fan with "traditional" blue LED.

Threadripper Cooling

You may call back that AMD'south Threadripper CPUs are harder to cool than the strongest mainstream CPUs, because of their extra cores, but in fact their larger surface area makes upwards for those as long as the cooler is skilful plenty to utilise it. That'south why Noctua is able to become away with a single 140mm fan and a compact blueprint in its $ninety NH-U14S TR4-SP3, maybe the well-nigh acoustically efficient cooler for AMD Threadrippers.

If you lot yet adopt a split up-tower design, the Nighttime Rock Pro 4'due south TR4 edition from is almost identical to the one recommended beneath, and costs the same as its competitor ($90).

All-time Depression Dissonance Cooler

Be Quiet! Night Stone Pro 4 CPU Cooler

If you value audio-visual efficiency over top cooling operation, and then you can't beat out the Be Placidity! Dark Rock Pro 4. The cooler comes with two fans: one 135mm in the eye, and 1 120mm on the exterior for improved RAM clearance. When all fans spin at the aforementioned speed, the Dark Rock Pro 4 cools slightly amend than the NH-D15 cheers to its vii copper rut pipes, but just the 120mm fan is capable of spinning at 1,500 RPM – the 135mm 1 is limited to 1,200 RPM.

The Nighttime Rock Pro withal gives the NH-D15 a run for its money in terms of pure performance. Not surprisingly, it's also about the aforementioned weight as Noctua'south virtually popular libation and is similarly chunky. The Dark Stone Pro iii was criticized for its installation mechanism, just Exist Quiet! has profoundly improved in that area. Buyers also get a 3-year warranty.

At $85, it's arguably a better value than the NH-D15 for all but the most enthusiastic overclockers, specially if yous're assault an all-black cooler.

Best Low-Contour Libation

Scythe Big Shuriken 3

The market is filled with low-contour CPU coolers, because they are cheap to produce and fit into every case. The problem is, about of them aren't much better than stock coolers, if at all. If y'all want top gaming performance in a small packet, your best bet is the $45 Scythe Big Shuriken 3, released in 2022. At just 69mm of height, it has 5 heat pipes and a slim 120mm fan. It also offers consummate RAM clearance and a neutral color scheme.

If you lot accept a flake more vertical space and reasonably short RAM modules, you may be amend off with another entry from Noctua – the NH-L12S ($55). The successor to the popular NH-L12 has been out for a few years. Its slim, 120mm fan offers amend cooling performance compared to the previous version's 92mm model. The fan can be installed on peak of the fins to give extended clearance for RAM modules up to 48mm tall and better cooling performance, or underneath the fins, so the overall meridian is merely 70mm.

If you need an even shorter libation and your CPU is efficient plenty, Noctua offers the 37mm-tall NH-L9a (for AMD systems) and NH-L9i (for Intel ones) for $45. Both Intel and AMD versions are bachelor in black for an extra $ten.

Best All-In-I Liquid Cooler

Corsair Hydro Series H115i RGB Pro XT

Radiators marketed as "360mm" may sound better than those called "280mm," but this naming scheme only takes into account the combined length of the fans, and ignores their width. Spinning at the same speed, ii 140mm fans volition cool almost as well every bit 3 120mm ones, while making less noise, existence easier to maintain, and fitting into cases with 5.25" trophy.

At $124, we can't ignore Corsair'due south iCue H115i RGB Pro XT. Its two semi-passive 140mm fans are capable of spinning at speeds between 400 and two,000 RPM. They tin can be controlled via software alongside the pump. The cooler will work well with any modernistic CPU, including Threadrippers. With 5 years of warranty, this is a great value.

Alternatives at unlike toll points

If you lot have a mainstream CPU or a relatively modest case, just still want a liquid libation, EVGA currently sells its CLC 240mm for $lxx. Its two 120mm fans are capable of speeds between 500 and 2,400 RPM, which compensates for their size, and you'll also get v years of warranty.

If you lot want something a fleck flashier and money isn't a problem, look no farther than NZXT's $245 Kraken Z63. Its LCD display on the pump is more than a gimmick, as it tin make information technology easier for yous to know if the pump fails. A 6-year warranty makes this libation seem similar a safer purchase. Shame well-nigh the lack of a Threadripper bracket.

All-time Meaty All-In-One Cooler

Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120L V2 RGB

If you accept a Mini-ITX case such as the Cooler Master Elite 130, where space and airflow around the CPU are severely limited, a 120mm radiator may exist your simply sensible choice. Such a radiator isn't going to cool too equally ones that are twice or thrice its size, simply it can still be a worthy improvement upon a stock libation.

Out of the unmarried-fan radiators on the market place, Cooler Primary'southward MK120L V2 RGB seems to offer the all-time value. With a dual-chamber pump, it makes sure that the hot water that's pushed toward the radiator doesn't get mixed with the cooler water pulled out of it. Unlike about of the radiators its size, the fan has a variable RPM of between 650 and 1,800. Too bad that the warranty menstruum is just 2 years.

Two more compact AIOs to look at

If y'all take an Intel CPU and don't plan to switch to AMD any time soon, EVGA'south CLC 120mm (fixed 1,800 RPM) will be your best bet with v years of warranty for merely $60.

If you have an AMD processor but yet want a 5-year warranty, Corsair'due south H60 (2018 edition) is bachelor for $86. Its fan besides offers a variable RPM, between 600 and 1,700.