The gaming performance of your build depends mostly on the cooling performance of your CPU cooler.
As a gamer, you would never want your system to slow down or lag.
For this 11th-Gen flagship, you gotta make some smart decisions while choosing the cooler.
And I am here to help you out in making such decisions.
In this post, I will be reviewing the best CPU coolers for the i9 11-generation processor.
Before moving into that, lets talk a bit about this processor itself.
The Core i9-11900K is a processor from the 11th-Gen Rocket Lake series.
It is the first microarchitecture chip that Intel brought into the market after six long years.
The Cypress Cove architecture that this processor comes with, banks on the 14nm process.
As a processor, it is compatible with the Thunderbolt 4 and also supports PCIe 4.0 interface.
Also, in this 11th Gen series, the GPU performance experienced a massive boost.
Sounds exciting… Isnt it?
Well, it isnt over.
This i9-11900K is a hell of a chip, which can give you a considerable boost in gaming.
Even if you try, you might overclock beyond 6.0 GHz on some particular scenarios.
Now, as the OC potential is too damn high, you oughta be cautious and play it safe.
The challenge is to choose the right one from them.
And to help you out with that challenge, I am here, my friend.
Therefore, lets not waste any more time and jump right into my review.
Its reliable performance, along with the latest features, makes it a top-notch option.
Now, as a flagship cooling solution, it is a potent option for the Core i9-11900K.
Let me tell you why.
In terms of quality and build-up, this CPU cooler is top-notch.
It offers striking visuals as well as top-end functioning.
Those impressive visuals are visible through the customizable LCD that is present on the pump face.
Also, check out our experts recommendedbest NZXT AIO coolers.
As an AIO cooler, this model supports all the latest socket types from Intel, so compatibility issues.
The heart of this cooler is the 7th Gen pump, which ensures reliable performance and stability.
Regarding the pump base, it includes a cold copper plate with a quality thermal compound.
You will also have the flexibility to rotate it the way you want.
The 3x fans present are of top quality.
They run at a decent speed and manage to pull out hot air.
However, at max RPM, they can get a bit loud.
Especially during overclocking, the cooler ensured that temps remain within levels.
Even when I was gaming at 4K, it did well to tame my GPU.
The cooling performance is exceptional, which makes it one of thebest 360mm AIO coolerin the market.
The pricing of this cooler is the only downside that you should worry about.
But thats only when you are short of money.
EK-AIO Elite
Watercooling is always a viable option for handling the temps inside your rig.
The model does that same job of proper handling.
If youre looking for thebest LGA1200 socket cooler, the EK-AIO Elite can do the job.
I added this to my list for its superb output and impressive capability.
As a cooler, its quite different from other options in the market.
The reason is unlike those coolers, it sports a custom in-house solution.
It means that this model bears a touch of innovation.
And that touch is relevant to the pump, whose design is based on the companys SPC series.
Built-wise, the cooler is exceptionally durable.
Also, the 360 mm radiator feels solid and compact.
The fans present inside provides a fantastic airflow.
I mean, I am a person who likes to overclock it to limits.
Setting up the cooler also turned out to be easy for me, with no issues regarding clearance.
It might block a DIMM slot in few builds, but you got the option for rotating the pump.
Therefore, no serious problems.
However, it might not be that serious, but no one likes noisy things.
The warranty of 5-years is awesome, in my opinion.
But the price might raise some eyebrows to budget buyers.
Corsair H150i Elite Capellix
Mate!
You looking for a cooling solution for your all-white gaming rig?
I got you the perfect option.
This model sports the following features:
Corsair is the brand I love.
In the PC hardware scenario, they are a big shot.
I added this liquid cooler to my list because of a variety of reasons.
It can give a massive boost to the aesthetic value of your gaming rig.
In my opinion, the cooler looks fantastic.
Especially the white radiator, pump, and tubing matches perfectly with the theme of the all-white build.
The pump bears 33 LEDs so that it can give some exquisite lighting.
Also, in the trio of fans, youll see each of them carries 8 LEDs.
Overall, when they run at full speed, the vibrancy in lighting is top-notch.
Besides, these fans do theliquid coolingjob pretty well.
In my i9-11900K build, these fans gave a decent output.
Although, at times, these fans got a little bit noisy.
But thats no major issue as the temps were optimized pretty well.
And all of this optimization I did is with the Corsair ICUE software.
As software, it was ever-responsive.
No bugs were there at all.
With this, you could control fan speeds, change lighting patterns, and so on.
Also, what I liked the most about this option is its easy installation process.
It takes less than ten minutes.
Noctua NH-D15
Lets talk about an air cooling solution now.
Some air coolers can compete toe to toe with some liquid coolers.
This model from Noctua is exactly of the same jot down.
That said, this particular model is one of their flagship iterations.
It possesses a dual-tower heatsink along with a pretty compact design.
In my opinion, as a cooler, it is way better than its predecessor.
Are you confused about the NH-D15 and NH-D15s?
Check out thedifferences between Noctua NH-D15 vs NH-D15sto clear up the confusion.
They are quiet and turn hot air away from the processor with efficiency.
Despite this, there are some factors that you should be aware of.
Like, if your build has taller RAM modules, there can be few clearance issues.
Also, the price at which this model comes may not seem feasible to everyone.
Its a perfect alternative to high-end water-cooling solutions.
And the main reason is some top-class performance.
It comes with a terrific cooling potential as well as great functionality.
Lets talk about the build-up.
I found the materials used in the construction quite durable.
It has excellent aesthetics with a cool blackish touch all over.
Whats more exciting is the implementation of RGB in the pump face.
The pump has a 10% enhancement, creating a vivid RGB ring with top-notch vibrancy.
And it’s possible for you to tweak this lighting with the super customisable NZXTs CAM software.
In terms of performance, I would say it fulfilled my expectations.
What impressed me the most is the low acoustic output.
Unfortunately, the price is high as its of enthusiast-grade.
However, that is somewhat justified only because of the top-notch functioning.
ASUS ROG Ryujin 360 RGB
Lets talk about a cooler from one of the leading PC hardware brands.
The cooler from this very brand promises you RGB with performance.
Because, to date, whatever I have bought from them turned out to be pretty good.
With their line of cooling solutions, they made a good name in the high-end AIO market.
Especially with their cooler under the ROG series.
As far as this model is concerned, it comes with some advanced specs.
It has 3x Noctua fans, and the best part about them is that all are rubber mounted.
Such mounting eventually will result in no vibrations, even when the fans will run at max RPM.
you could view the system stats and also can add Images or GIFs.
And for customizing this screen, you might use the Live dash software.
The noise output is fantastic, but the 60mm pump fan often gets loud.
Other than this, this liquid cooler from ASUS can give tough competition to most high-end cooling solutions.
This model from NZXT comes with the mentioned specs:
I just cant avoid the brand NZXT.
Their Kraken series has some of the top liquid coolers.
Thus, I had to add this one to my list as the third model from the same brand.
That said, it is such an AIO that can easily tame an enthusiast-class gaming PCs temps.
Now, as I was talking about the pump, this model features the 7th-Gen Asetek pump.
This pump has plastic and copper internals and is pretty durable.
Also, the tubes attached with it are nicely nylon braided.
Like, if you are into extreme overclocking, I wont suggest you use this.
But, overall, as a package, it is useful to a great extent.
Dark Rock 4
Most gamers who often build gaming rigs are quite well known to the brand be quiet!
It is well known for producing whisper-quiet coolers.
One best cooler from this brand, which provides superiorCPU air coolingperformance along with almost no noise.
As an air cooler, this model is just below that model in terms of productivity.
It comes with a sleek blackish design.
The whole aluminum structure looks nicely polished.
The 135mm fan is a superb element of this cooler.
When I was testing, even at high loads, it remained stable, producing low noise.
Such stability was there mainly due to the anti-vibration rubber pads.
The only problem with this air cooling solution is that it might obstruct some DIMM modules.
But thats only when the modules are too tall.
In a typical scenario, this air cooler is a very good option to buy.
This model attributes the following features:
This is the last cooler on my list.
And it is perfectly suited for small compact gaming builds.
The L9i is one of thebest low profile CPU cooler.
Though, the tiny air cooler can outperform many mainstream coolers with ease.
The best part is that it has a height of only 37mm!
It comes with proper socket support.
Also, it has a nickel-plated copper base.
And there was almost no noise.
The only downside is it has no RGB elements, and not everyone would like a beige color.
Final Thoughts
So, thats an end to review on some top-performing liquid and water cooling solutions.
I have tried to include the best possible options that can meet your i9-11900K builds needs.
The best one here is the NZXT Kraken Z73.
Although, the other ones are almost equally good given their specific traits.
I hope thats enough to find the right cooler for your build.
Still, if you feel anything is absent, do let me know.
