Best CPU coolers in 2024

The Noctua NH-D15 is a huge air cooler consisting of two 140mm fans and two heatsinks with compatibility for both AMD and Intel sockets. Despite its drab brown and beige color scheme, it’s the best air cooler in the business, with whisper-quiet operation and temperatures almost identical to some custom water cooling solutions under full loads.

The two main caveats with this cooler are that it’s expensive for an air cooler – though still a lot cheaper than top-tier AIO liquid coolers – and, again, it’s huge! Make sure to check the CPU cooler height clearance of your case, your memory height, and be aware that it won’t make for a clean, airy, RGB-filled interior to your PC – it’ll fill the thing with beige and brown.

Nonetheless, if you’ve got the room and you’re a fan of beige, this is a really top-quality piece of hardware that stands on the shoulders of countless previous generations of Noctua coolers. Its cable splitter helps you to avoid clutter, and it’s really simple to install and set up. Even on high-end Intel CPUs, it can handle extended multi-threaded workloads so it more than deserves its spot on the top of this list.

Read our full Noctua NH-D15 review.

Sure, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo White might struggle if you’ve got a really powerful, high-end CPU that you need it for, but for the majority of readers we reckon that this is the perfect choice. It’s really easy to get it installed and is compatible with all current AMD and Intel systems, plus a broad selection of older models.

You’ll often find that it reaches 2,000rpm during gaming sessions, but the good news is that it manages to stay pretty quiet, even when it’s pushed to its limits. Meanwhile, its single 4-pin PWM cable will power the lighting and the fan at the same time, so you don’t need to worry about factoring additional cables in if you like a bit of RGB. However, if you don’t enjoy RGB lighting, then you may be disappointed that its inclusion on this cooler does hike up the cost (though there are cheaper, RGB-less alternatives available).

Anyway, all things considered, if you’re after a cooler that’s small, cheap, quiet, and gets the job done on all but the most powerful CPU cooler, this is the one for you.

Read our full Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo White review.

This is the option to go for if your PC’s built-in fan has broken and you just want to get it replaced. It’s one of the cheapest products that Cooler Master has to offer and while you could probably find something even cheaper from random and obscure brands on Amazon, it’s always going to be safer to go for something like this.

However, while you can count on this as a reliable product, you can only rely on it to do so much. This is not something that has been designed for use with a powerful gaming PC, or any other high-end rigs that are on the cutting edge of what PCs can do. It’s a well-made product, but a basic one, and while it’ll be fine for regular use, and maybe for a few things like simple browser games and other less taxing things, don’t expect any miracles from it.

For it’s low price, we don’t want to be too harsh. You don’t go to McDonald’s and complain that they don’t have the finest foods in all the land. It’s cheap, cheerful, and small enough to fit into most setups inoffensively.

Do you have a beautifully synchronized RGB lighting setup in your gaming space? If so, you’ll no doubt want to obtain a CPU cooler that fits in among it all. If that’s your top priority, then we recommend the Corsair iCue H60x RGB Elite. It’s reasonably, flashy, and it will do the job.

Admittedly, there are more powerful fans out there, but this one is by no means bad. What helps make it an especially convenient choice is the fact that it has a modular mounting bracket, making it easy for you to fit it into any setup. Annoyingly though, you will need your smartphone handy so you can scan the QR code and access the manual online, as it doesn’t come with any instructions. Bad news if you’ve got connection troubles at the time.

That’s about all we can say against it though. It’s a mid-tier CPU cooler that does a great job with AMD and Intel processors and is pretty quiet while it does it too. The RGB lights make for a lovely cherry on the cake for anyone who appreciates them.

First, we need to explain why we haven’t chosen a specific model here, like with the other listings. It’s because the NH-L9i will fit Intel sockets and the NH-L9a will fit AMD sockets, but both are the same heatsink and fan design. We believe this to be the best low-profile CPU cooler you can purchase.

You won’t have to worry about any size issues, with Noctua claiming 100% compatibility with all RAM sticks and the best graphics cards on Mini-ITX boards, and a total height of just 37mm. The built-in 92mm PWM-controlled Noctua fan stays nice and quiet, too.

Its main limitation, which Noctua is very transparent about, is that it is not suitable for overclocking. For that, you’re going to need a more powerful cooler, but this is still going to be an absolutely fantastic choice for the majority of gamers – especially those after a discrete cooler.

Water cooling your processor is great for overclocking and getting uncompromised performance without the added noise tax, and what better way than to avoid the hassle of a custom loop and go for a plug-and-play AIO cooler instead? None are better than the MSI MEG CoreLiquid S360, which packs three Silent Gale P12 fans onto one of the coolest and quietest solutions available and even goes a step further with a 60mm fan on the pump to keep your motherboard’s VRMs from overheating.

It’s a little trickier to install than certain other models (especially when compared to non-water-based coolers), but certainly not to the extent that it should put you off buying it. It might also be a bit of a tight fit, considering its size, but really, when it comes to discrete performance like this, there’s very little to complain about.

While there’s no RGB in the mix here, there is a fancy 2.4-inch IPS screen that manages to top other display-infused AIO solutions. Simply dive into the MSI Center, and you can showcase your system temperature, personalize your gaming PC with your favorite GIF, and you won’t be able to hear them but you can even play .mp4 videos. And better yet, you won’t struggle with Intel’s latest 12th-generation CPUs as all modern CPUs are seamlessly supported straight out of the box.

If you’re taking a serious look at overclocking your CPU then an AIO water cooler is one of the best options. This 240mm liquid cooler from NZXT is our pick. The virtually silent fans on the radiator have fluid-dynamic bearings, giving them a longer lifespan and quieter operation than any other fan technology. Naturally, there’s RGB lighting on the pump cover so people know you’re not running any old stock solution.

With this, you’ll see idle and load temps in another league to air coolers. If you are overclocking, make sure you’re picking up one of the best gaming motherboards to match, and make sure you pick up the best PC case that has space for that 240mm radiator.

In terms of aesthetics, it may not have any RGB lighting, but then, you’d be hard-pressed to find a cheaper option offering that kind of feature. If RGB is essential to you, read on to our next listing…

There’s no reason you can’t be serious about your cooling and want to add a splash of color to your gaming PC in the process – after all, the best gaming keyboards and best gaming headsets all have RGB nowadays, so why shouldn’t your CPU cooler match?

Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid series does this beautifully with its bright CPU block, and it comes in a handful of different sizes to make your next CPU upgrade a bit easier. The MasterLiquid ML360R has plenty of surface area and three 120mm fans to dissipate heat across its large radiator, but if you don’t have space for that in your case, then the MasterLiquid ML240R with dual 120mm fans might be more your pace.

While everything it does is top-notch, you might face some difficulty with the initial setup. It comes with loads of cables which can be difficult to smoothly integrate into your setup, and if you want to mount it, you’re going to have a bit of trouble because of its size. These things aside, it looks and performs admirably.

It’s true that the bigger the radiator, the better the job an AIO cooler can do, but sometimes you just don’t have the space for one. This doesn’t mean you should sacrifice the chilling effects a liquid cooler offers, however, as there are smaller options to choose from that might be easier to shimmy into your case.

The NZXT Kraken 12o is the little brother to our favorite AIO cooler and comes with many of the same perks. It keeps things quiet, goes easy on your wallet, and keeps your CPU at the right temperature for gaming, and on top of all that, it looks absolutely fantastic too, with its RGB lighting options.

The two main drawbacks of this model are the fact that it is slightly more expensive than some of the other options, and it can reach some pretty high noise levels. Both are relatively minor complaints in the grand scheme of things and if you’re after a 120mm AIO cooler, then this is going to be your best option.

What’s cooler than being cool? Well, we think the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite’s built-in LCD screen is ice cold. This frosty AIO cooler’s dinky display will transform the inside of your PC case into more than just a light show, enabling you to show off anything from animated gifs to vital CPU stats.

Novelties aside, the iCUE H150i Elite is also one of the best AIO coolers on the market, complete with a low-noise pump that should keep your CPU in check. Naturally, it’s also clad in Corsair’s impressive RGB lighting, and it even comes with an iCUE Commander Core controller that can help you wield control over all your PC’s lights and fans.

There’s not really anything we can say against this one, except for the fact that if you want a small, lightweight solution, this obviously isn’t going to be it. If you want a cooler that looks fantastic and is capable of keeping your device cool even when pushing it to its limits, this is the one for you.