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Powerful CPUs in a compact size can produce a ton of heat, causing performance issues.
However, CPU cooler manufacturers are also improving the cooling technology to cope with the ultra power CPUs.
This makes the procedure harder to choose the right cooler for your CPU.
Consider the following discussion to pick the best cooler for your next build or upgrading your existing system.
Here are the top 9 CPU coolers:
1.
The new model has an expanded layout and dual NF-A15 fans, making it more powerful and preferable.
NH-D15s fine-tuned six heatpipe dual tower design covers more surface area and can efficiently distribute the heat.
When we tested it on our Ryzen CPU, we were amused by its superior performance and cooling capability.
The pro-grade NT-H1 thermal compound ensures minimum thermal resistance and outstanding reliability in every situation.
Who Its For
This awesome double-tower CPU cooler is suitable for most CPUs available in the market right now.
What We Liked Most
This cooler from Noctua is something special that keeps your CPU chill in all circumstances.
What We Didnt Like
The NH-D15 is an almost perfect CPU cooler with no downside.
However, it is comparatively little pricier than similar models.
Instead, they blow the air out of the PC case, ensuring cooler components and less noise.
This great cooler can efficiently handle overheating due to extreme workloads or intense gaming.
The first thing we noticed was the easy installation of this great CPU cooler.
Despite being so large, we faced no issues during the installation.
Besides, H150i Elite CAPELLIX XT has a huge size that may not fit on small cases.
However, after seeing the price and performance ratio, we were amused.
Its heatsink fins stacks are designed in an asymmetric structure that allows more airflow through fins.
Besides, it allows two-way installation for better motherboard or graphics card heatsink compatibility.
This superb cooler is suitable for those who want a reasonably priced, well-performing air cooler.
The included thermal compound is enough for most CPUs.
It also managed to cool down the CPU during the overclocking.
Moreover, it has high RAM clearance even after having a dual-tower design.
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU cooler offers an unbelievable price/performance ratio.
The cooling performance of this cooler is above and beyond other tower coolers at double the price.
But we needed to ensure the cooler could distribute the heat properly, regardless of price.
DeepCool LS520 cooler is the best budget AIO cooler capable of cooling high-performance CPUs without any overheating issues.
It has a unique look with ARGB lighting and a customizable pump face to represent your personality and preferences.
Regardless of its affordable price, DeepCool LS520 can efficiently handle most workloads and overclock.
Furthermore, this cooler offers excellent customization for the pump face.
Besides, the default Auto-RGB rainbow effect is not something everyone loves.
They have a great variety of coolers for different purposes and price ranges.
MasterLiquid ML120L RGB V2 is the best compact liquid cooler with just a 120 mm fan size.
This superb cooler can efficiently handle most heavy workloads and high-resolution gaming regardless of compact size.
Its 25% large surface area offers better heat dissipation than its previous successors.
We tested the cooler on our ASRock H110M-DGS (Micro ATX) board and Intel H110 chipset.
During the test, we didnt face any clearance or compatibility issues.
Moreover, the MasterLiquid ML120L RGB V2 efficiently cooled the CPU even during heavy workloads and intense gaming scenarios.
Besides, its dynamic RGB lighting effects were soothing and eye-catching.
MasterLiquid ML120L has only one fan with 650-1800 RPM.
Though this cooler can fluently run at lower RPM, it sometimes struggles when running at maximum RPM.
CoolerMaster didnt compromise the cooling performance to make it compact.
While searching for thebest CPU air cooler, weve considered several models from different reputed brands.
Along with the compact design, this great cooler offers excellent cooling performance without producing any hearable sound.
We tested the Noctua NH-L9i on an Intel Core i9-12900K processor and MSI MEG Z690 Unify Motherboard.
During the test, we found this model capable of providing astonishing performance regardless of its ultra-thin size.
NT-H1 thermal compound, SecuFirm2TM mounting kit, and optimized NF-A9x14 premium fan make it more desirable.
Instead, this cooler is more suitable for smaller ITX configurations and light usage.
The NH-L9i has 100 percent PCIe and RAM clearance, which is handy in tiny installations.
Even after having a fin density and minimal design, this cooler performance is comparable with larger air coolers.
This cooler will ensure a compact size, high cooling performance, and high RAM clearance.
As a low-profile cooler, Noctua NH-L12 offers great RAM clearance even on Mini-ITX.
During the test on our Meshlicious case, we didnt face any clearance issues.
Surprisingly, it handled more workloads without producing a lot of heat.
Weve noticed a 10-degree temperature drop from the cooler, which never exceeds 70 degrees Celsius.
And the cooler operates in dead silence, ensuring no hearable sound is produced even in high workloads.
The downside of this exclusive CPU cooler is the luxury price compared to other low-profile coolers.
You will get other low-profile coolers cheaper than Noctua NH-L12.
However, you wont get top-notch cooling performance and super silent operation from other rivals.
NH-L12 has superior build quality and top-level performance, comparable with Noctuas award winner NH-D15 model.
Instead, they use a different technology to keep the CPU cool.
We were amused by its ability to operate in super silent mode.
The bladeless design of the NH-P1 is the reason behind such noise-free operation.
Additionally, it was built without any moving parts inside, assuring less chance of failure.
With an asymmetric design, this passive cooler is compatible with most RAM modules without any clearance issues.
Noctua claimed the NH-P1 can run 100% silently because of its fanless heatsink.
In our testing on Ryzen 5, we got no audible noise, even in extreme workloads.
This cooler can efficiently cool down the mid-range and some high-end CPUs.
Regardless of its latest technology and unique looks, this cooler is unsuitable for overclocked or high-end CPUs.
The failure-proof and unique design makes it more reliable than other coolers.
Moreover, the support of additional fans makes it suitable for high-end and overclocked CPUs.
Best Silent CPU Cooler: be Quiet!
This cooler is well-known for its quality and accuracy.
Dark Rock Pro 4 can run at a dead silent configuration which makes it thequietest CPU cooler.
Even at 100% loads, it only produces near 24.3 dB of noise.
From a ton of exclusive features of this great cooler, we were amused by its performance-to-noise ratio score.
With the help of 2 Silent Wings PWM fans, it offers almost inaudible operations.
The double tower layout and the two aluminum heat sinks offers the cooling capabilities like240 mm coolers.
This great cooler is not for AMD Threadripper series owners.
During our test, we didnt face any thermal throttling regardless of high turbo clock speeds and overclocking.
Consider the following discussions to learn more about the choosing procedures of the best CPU coolers.
Weve only added the coolers with a great cooling performance.
Socket Compatibility:Because of different socket types, not all cooler is compatible with all sockets.
Hence, weve only added the coolers with huge socket compatibilities.
Price:We have found coolers of different price ranges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are CPU air coolers worth it?
CPU air coolers can relocate the heat away from the CPU.
However, the heat then dispersed into the case, which raise the overall system temperature.
Which cooling technology is best for CPU cooling?
Air cooler is capable of cooling CPUs very faster and efficiently.
However, it can just relocate the heat away from the CPU and then dispersed into the case.
Contrarily, the liquid cooler can directly send the heat outside the case, meaning more efficient cooling.
Is a stock CPU cooler enough?
A stock CPU cooler can handle most of the day-to-day workloads and simple multitasking without significant performance drop.
However, most demanding applications and intense gaming requires more powerful coolers for better heat distributions.
