The best CPU coolers in 2022
Best CPU coolers in 2022
(Image credit: Noctua, DeepCool)
As summer temperatures soar, securing the best CPU cooler is going to protect your machine from overheating and ensure you get the best performance out of your processor. If you plan on overclocking your machine and unlocking your CPU’s untapped potential, a CPU cooler is absolutely vital.
There are two types of PC cooling options: air cooling and liquid cooling. Air coolers are the most common and often the most affordable. They involve a metal heat sink that pulls heat away from the CPU, then blows it away with a fan or directly cooling the chip itself. Liquid or water cooling circulates liquid through your system via tubing. It’s generally more energy-efficient and quieter, though a custom water cooling loop will be a darn sight more effort and cost.
Full custom water cooling loops aside, we’ve chosen the best CPU coolers from our separate guides: the best AIO cooler for CPUs and the best CPU air cooler . So these are the best of the best. For cheaper and more straightforward, go for an air cooler, or go the AIO route if you’re excited for all those extra features, even tiny screens. They tend to be more expensive, though and often require a bit more know-how.
Each of the coolers on this list has been thoroughly tested in the PC Gamer test bench, so I can tell you which offers the most optimum CPU cooling under different workloads. If you’re looking for other ways to help get rid of some hot air, you can check out our guide to the best PC fans .
Water cooling
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(Image credit: EKWB)(Image credit: EKWB)
1. EK-AIO Basic 240
A step up from even the best air coolers
Specifications
Socket support: Intel LGA: 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1200, 2011, 2011-3, 2066, AMD AM4 compatible
Scale: 240mm
Full radiator dimensions: 275 x 120 x 27mm
Fan speeds: 550–2200RPM
Noise level: Up to 33.
5dB(A)
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+
Cooling performance nips at the heels of 360mm coolers
+
Good value for money
+
No RGB
Reasons to avoid
—
If cooler aesthetics bother you at all, it is rather plain-looking
In the world of liquid cooling, EK is a name that needs little introduction. The EK Basic series focuses on value for money and performance. Plus, it doesn’t feature any RGB at all. If this appeals to you then the EK AIO Basic 240 is well worth a look. Its absence sure helps to keep the pricing down too.
The EK Basic 240 really stands out thanks to its build quality. It just feels hefty and well built. The included EK- Vardar fans are very good and have a wide operating speed range. It’s good to have some high-speed headroom on tap if you need it. Most of the time it stays essentially silent.
What really impresses us is the cooling performance on offer. We find it goes very close to 360mm levels of cooling capability, It does get noisy if you try to push an overclocked Rocket Lake CPU, but then pretty much every other cooler does too.
The EK-AIO basic 240 is perfect for builds with a stealthy focus or closed case builds where lighting doesn’t matter. With its build quality and high performance, it’s a cooler that you can surely set and forget, out of sight, out of mind and out of earshot.
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(Image credit: Deepcool)(Image credit: Deepcool)
2. Deepcool Gammaxx L240 V2
Awesome bang for buck 240mm liquid cooling
Specifications
Socket support: Intel LGA20XX, LGA1366, LGA1200, 115X, AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, FM2, FM1
Scale: 240mm
Full radiator dimensions: 280 x 120 x 27mm
Fan speeds: 500–1800RPM
Noise level: Up to 30dB(A)
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+
Terrific value
+
Good cooling ability
+
Effectively silent at idle
Reasons to avoid
—
Can get loud under significant CPU load
Deepcool is well known for its capable AIOs at affordable prices, and the Gammaxx L240 V2 is one of the cheaper 240mm coolers on the market.
That makes it a great option for users looking to step up from air cooling into the world of AIO cooling.
The Gammaxx 240mm features basic RGB lighting on the pump head and fans. There’s a more expensive ARGB version should you really want it. Deepcool likes to talk about its ‘Anti leak technology’ which seeks to maintain an optimal pressure balance inside the loop. Which certainly can’t hurt.
The Gammaxx 240 is capable of cooling most processors, too, though like many of the chip chillers on this list it draws the line at AMD’s Threadripper beasts. But it keeps the rest running with remarkably low noise levels, which is one of the main reasons we recommend it.
At idle the L240 is effectively silent. As you’d expect, you will start to see an increase in temperatures and noise levels with high TDP processors, especially when overclocking. Our 5800X CPU with PBO enabled is about the maximum we’d consider appropriate for a 240mm cooler. Under load, the fans can and do ramp up quite a bit.
If you’re after a 240mm AIO that’s inexpensive and quiet under less demanding loads, then the Deepcool Gammaxx L240 is a great choice. Sure, it’s noise levels can get high if you push it hard, but at this price it comes highly recommended.
Best mid-tower case | Best RAM for gaming | Best SSD for gaming
Best gaming monitor | Best CPU for gaming | Best gaming headset
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(Image credit: Corsair)(Image credit: Corsair)
3. Corsair Hydro Series H60 V2
Liquid cooling at air cooling prices
Specifications
Socket support: Intel LGA 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2066, AMD AM4, AM3 & AM2
Scale: 120mm
Full radiator dimensions: 157 x 120 x 27mm
Fan speeds: Up to 1700RPM
Noise level: Up to 28.3dB(A)
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+
Good performance for its small radiator size
+
Generally quiet operation
+
Very affordable
Reasons to avoid
—
Would struggle with super high-end CPUs
The Corsair H60 has been around for some time.
Over the years it’s seen its tubing, fan, pump and mounting upgraded. The 120mm AIO form factor won’t suit everyone, but those who require a compact cooler to suit something like a small volume ITX build will find it can perform as well as a decent mid-range air cooler. Notably, it lacks RGB, though there is some white lighting around the head.
The H60 V2 is well suited to processors under about the 95w level. Sure, it will be beaten out by a decent tower cooler or AIO with a larger radiator, but their dimensions often rule them out of SFF builds. Heat is the enemy of an SFF system, so the H60’s ability to eject hot air outside the case will benefit the whole system. Corsair includes its SP PWM fan, which operates at speeds of between 600 RPM (at which level it really is silent) up to 1700 RPM. It becomes clearly audible at that point.
The Corsair H60 V2 is perfect for a compact system. It’s affordable and should outperform most low-profile air coolers and doing so without having to resort to unreasonable noise levels.
It won’t suit a high core count or overclocked processor, but then you shouldn’t expect it to. With the right partnering components, it’s an easy recommendation.
Air cooling
(Image credit: Deepcool)
1. Deepcool AS500 Plus
A fantastic all round cooler that won’t empty your wallet
Specifications
Socket support: Intel 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 2011, 2066, AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, FM2 & FM1 compatible
Fans: 2x 140mm PWM
Fan speeds: 500–1200RPM
Dimensions (L x W x H): 140 x 102 x 164 mm
Noise level: Max 31.5dB(A)
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+
Great value
+
Low noise levels
+
Efficient cooling
+
Build Quality
Reasons to avoid
—
Not built for high-end overclocked CPUs
The Deepcool AS500 received worthy attention when it was released, but the AS500 Plus with its additional fan elevates it to the point where it can compete with any single tower cooler on the market.
At the same time, it undercuts competitors in price. There aren’t many dual fan ARGB supporting coolers at this price. Even if you spent double the money on a premium single tower cooler, your cooling performance won’t be a lot better.
Its cooling ability belies its compact dimensions. Only more expensive dual tower coolers beat it, and even then, not by a whole lot. Its dual fan design no doubt helps. It’s also surprisingly quiet. Even when pushed hard the cooler doesn’t get excessively loud. Cooling and low noise levels are welcome, then add to that great build quality and subtle ARGB good looks and there’s nothing to complain about. It even comes with its own ARGB controller, and there’s a white version too if you like.
The Deepcool AS500 Plus punches above its weight (and price). It cools very well, it stays quiet, it’s got great build quality, a subtle ARGB splash with its own controller and on top of all that. And, finally, it is great value relative to many dual fan single tower coolers.
Short of stressing it with a heavily overclocked high-end processor, the AS500 Plus ticks all the boxes. Highly recommended.
(Image credit: Be Quiet)
2. Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
An affordable and effective cooler that really can be quiet
Specifications
Socket support: Intel LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1200, 2011, 2011-3, 2066, AMD AM3 & AM4 compatible
Fans: 1x Pure Wings 2 120mm
Fan speeds: Up to 1500RPM
Dimensions (L x W x H): 87 x 121 x 155 mm
Noise level: Max 26.8dB(A)
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+
Very quiet operation
+
Great price
+
Good build quality
Reasons to avoid
—
Super basic looks
—
150W TDP is a touch optimistic
If the brand name didn’t already give it away, the Be Quiet Pure Rock 2 really is quiet! It’s a single tower cooler equipped with the company’s highly regarded Pure Wings 2 PWM fan which carries a low 26.
8dB(A) noise rating. That means it’s very quiet indeed. It feels really solid too, an indicator of good build quality and it comes in at a low price.
It will cool out of sight, mind, and earshot.
We wouldn’t describe the Pure Rock 2 as the most beautiful cooler on the market. But if you do have a windowed case, you could consider the black version which is certainly more attractive than the plain aluminum finish of the base version. The Pure Rock 2 is primarily designed to cool — unseen and unheard. It’s rated to cool CPUs with a 150W TDP.
Though perhaps this is a touch optimistic, but that’s down to the CPU manufacturers and their ‘real’ TDPs. An Intel Core i5 12600K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X won’t present a problem for the Pure Rock 2.
For anything other than high-end CPUs, the Pure Rock 2 will keep your chip cool and quiet. If you’re not interested in bling and want something that’s a step up from bundled coolers, the Pure Rock 2 is a fantastic choice.
It will cool out of sight, mind, and earshot.
(Image credit: Noctua)
3. Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
You’ll be hard pressed to find a better performing air cooler than the Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
Specifications
Socket support: Intel LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1200, 2011, 2011-3, 2066, AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, FM2 & FM1 compatible
Fans: 2x NF-A15 HS-PWM
Fan speeds: 300–1500RPM
Dimensions (L x W x H): 161 x 150 x 165mm
Noise level: Max 24.6dB(A)
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+
Awesome cooling performance
+
Quiet under typical loads
+
Solid build quality
+
All black good looks
Reasons to avoid
—
Big
—
Louder than you might expect under load
The Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black is considered by many to be the best air cooler on the market.
We love it too, and it’s an easy inclusion on our list of recommended coolers. It performs brilliantly, it’s got excellent fans that are a welcome black colour instead of that rather unsightly beige and maroon (sorry, Jacob ), its build quality is fantastic and Noctua’s packaging, accessories and documentation are second to none.
Really, only 360mm AIO coolers outperform it. If you want an air cooler that can handle any consumer CPU on the market, you might find one to match the Noctua flagship, but you won’t find anything that truly beats it.
Under normal operation the NH-D15 can be considered truly silent. When pushed hard it becomes louder than you might expect, such as you might get when hammering out an AVX load, but we don’t mind having some optional cooling headroom when you need it. Even a 5GHz+ Core i9 12900K will result in quiet running while gaming.
The NH-D15 also comes with two 140mm fans, which run slower than their 120mm counterparts, for quieter operation, but move plenty of air.
If two of these are too loud for you, there’s always the option of removing one, if need be. If you want to remove both, however, for a truly silent CPU cooler, you’d best take a look at the Noctua NH-P1 below instead. That’s actually designed to run without fans.
But why isn’t the NH-15 number one on our list? It’s probably overkill for a lot of PC builds, especially if you’re running your chip stock. It’s absolutely overkill as a straight swap for the stock cooler than comes with many Intel and AMD chips. Perhaps the sheer size of it, too, though that can easily be forgiven considering its excellent performance.
Notably, Noctua has a long tradition of adding support for new sockets, and an investment in a NH-D15 Chromax Black means you’ll have a top shelf cooler that will last you for many years. That said, make sure to check it’s compatible with your socket of choice before buying one.
Passive cooling
The best passive CPU cooler
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(Image credit: Noctua)(Image credit: Noctua)(Image credit: Noctua)(Image credit: Noctua)
1.
Noctua NH-P1
Shiny, powerful, and silent
Specifications
Type: Passive air cooling
Compatibility: Intel LGA 1200, 115x, 2011/2066; AMD AM2-AM4
Fan speed: NA
Noise volume: Silent
Dimensions: 158 x 154 x 152 mm
Weight: 1800g
Today’s Best Deals
Reasons to buy
+
Completely silent
+
Compatible with high-end CPUs
+
Plenty cool enough for gaming workloads
Reasons to avoid
—
Large
—
Requires a case with good airflow
Silicon dreams
(Image credit: Future)
These are the current best CPUs for gaming to build your rig around.
The Noctua NH-P1 is certainly a niche CPU cooler, but it’s also an exciting one in that it shakes up what a completely silent chip chiller is capable of. Previously, if you wanted a passive cooler you would either have to pair it with an underpowered processor, or you would have to seriously limit the clock speed of your chip.
From a glance, you might see nothing more than a hulking CPU cooler, but the Noctua NH-P1 is far more exciting than that. As a passive design, it requires no fan to keep your CPU at a stable temperature. Yes, even while gaming. And if you hadn’t already guessed, that’s a pretty big deal for silent PC builds. The NH-P1 is capable of cooling even high-end CPUs using only natural convection. That’s sort of what makes it a big deal in the cooling world. It does this through a design that’s vastly disparate from your usual chip chiller.
Essentially, this is a passive cooler that can actually keep a decent gaming processor powered up. We’ve tested the NH-P1 on our Core i7 10700K open test bench—which has no fans, and therefore completely unoptimised airflow—and while it may throttle on seriously CPU intensive benchmarks, it absolutely flew on our standard gaming tests.
It’s still going to take up a whole lot of space in your chassis.
That chip is slightly over Noctua’s own recommendations for the NH-P1, but you can check out its compatibility centre to see whether your CPU will be supported by this chonky chip chiller.
Sit the NH-P1 side-by-side with the NH-D15 we recommend in the best air cooler guide above, and you’ll notice they’re oriented differently. The heat pipes are actually longest along their horizontal axis, which will undoubtedly impact heat dispersion due to the reliance on gravity for a heat pipe to function. Noctua has also expanded the heat pipe layout to more evenly distribute the heat across the surface area, and each one is soldered to the fins to ensure a continuous connection over time between the two different metals forming the cooler: copper for the base and heat pipes and aluminum for the fins.
And yes, it is big. The RAM clearance is fine, as Noctua has engineered it to sweep away from dual-channel DIMM slots, but it’s still going to take up a whole lot of space in your chassis. If you want to get the most out of it, you’re also going to need some decent airflow in your case, too. Unless you’re going for a completely fanless vibe, that is.
The Noctua NH-P1 is well-designed, impressively powerful passive cooler that could well keep your gaming PC quiet.
Though it’s not going to do anything for that noisy graphics card, I’m afraid.
Read our full Noctua NH-P1 review .
Best CPU cooler FAQ
How do I choose the CPU cooler that’s right for me?
If you aren’t sure whether you need an air cooler or a liquid cooler, it comes down to budget and compatibility. The first thing to check is whether a cooler supports the socket on your motherboard, and offers a sufficient mounting solution. Most coolers today are compatible with AMD’s AM4 socket and Intel’s latest LGA 1700 socket, and should include the prerequisite parts to install them inside the box. Some older coolers, perhaps second-hand ones, may not support the latest chips, however.
The other thing to be on the lookout for is whether a cooler is sufficient for your CPU. A certain amount of energy is wasted by your CPU as heat, and that needs to be dissipated effectively. A cooler does that, but some high-end processors require better cooling to keep temperatures low.
Coolers often come with TDP ratings denoting what TDP of CPU they can sufficiently chill, but it’s not always this straightforward. Some CPUs require larger contact points for adequate cooling, such as AMD’s Threadripper chips, while Intel’s 12th Gen CPUs often hit power draw much higher than their stated TDP.
Basically, just be careful to check out what sort of chip a CPU cooler is rated to cool, especially if you’re planning on overclocking.
Those on tight budgets now don’t necessarily need to consider an aftermarket air cooler. Until AMD released its Wraith coolers (and then took them away again), we’d never recommend a stock cooler to any PC gamer, but they’re a good stand-in when money is tight. Still, it’s best to replace these with something beefier eventually, and if you have a little more spending room, liquid coolers can offer a whole lot more—from advanced RGB lighting to intelligent software control.
Some of you may be wary about putting liquid near your expensive components, but rest assured all of the coolers recommended in this guide are backed with excellent warranties that will cover you in the event of a manufacturer failure—a colossal leakage is an infrequent occurrence, anyways.
Is liquid cooling quieter than air cooling?
In general, an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler will be quieter than an air cooler mounted directly on top of the processor itself. That’s because the fans attached to the cooling radiator are generally larger and can therefore spin slower than an air cooler. The water pump is often well insulated, but there can be some noise from this part, however.
But there are large air coolers with big heatsinks and large fans that can compete well with the noise generation of an AIO liquid cooler. The Noctua NH-D15, for example, has two 140mm fans and is very quiet in operation. The quietest of all would be an entirely passive cooler, one with no moving parts whatsoever. However, those can’t always cope with the most hot and heavy CPUs.
Do I need liquid cooling if I don’t overclock my CPU?
Liquid cooling can undoubtedly give your processor the thermal headroom it needs to run comfortably overclocked, but there are other reasons you might want to have an AIO in your system.
The vainest is the aesthetic—not having a huge hulking heatsink clogging up your chassis when there’s a Perspex peephole to show off your components is often desirable.
That can also play into having a smaller chassis entirely. Liquid coolers can often give you the thermal performance to run a high-spec CPU in a small chassis where you’d only otherwise be able to fit a weaker, small form factor air cooler.
How does liquid cooling work anyway?
The coolant passes through a closed-loop via a plate that’s attached to your CPU, and in combination with the attached radiator and fan, it cools the CPU. It’s simple and a hundred times easier to install than an entire water-cooling loop.
How do you test CPU coolers?
Like most components, choosing the right CPU cooler depends on several variables, including performance requirements, case compatibility, budget restrictions, and aesthetics. To find the best CPU coolers, we test performance using Prime95 and a mixture of modern PC games for extensive stress testing.
Our top selections were made based on thermal performance, noise, value, and overall feature sets.
Round up of today’s best deals
Deepcool Gammaxx L240 V2
£63.99
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Corsair Hydro Series H60
£69.95
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Deepcool AS500 Plus
£58.99
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be quiet! Pure Rock 2
£19.
02
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Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
£107.06
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Noctua NH-P1
£104.86
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Dave has been gaming since the days of Zaxxon and Lady Bug on the Colecovision, and code books for the Commodore Vic 20 (Death Race 2000!).
He built his first gaming PC at the tender age of 16, and finally finished bug-fixing the Cyrix-based system around a year later. When he dropped it out of the window. He first started writing for Official PlayStation Magazine and Xbox World many decades ago, then moved onto PC Format full-time, then PC Gamer, TechRadar, and T3 among others. Now he’s back, writing about the nightmarish graphics card market, CPUs with more cores than sense, gaming laptops hotter than the sun, and SSDs more capacious than a Cybertruck.
Best Premium Air CPU Cooler
A good CPU cooler is an essential part of your PC system. It helps to keep your processor cool and to function correctly.
Table Of Contents
- Why I chose an air CPU cooler
- Why I chose the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black
- Good airflow while keeping things quiet
- Some temperature readings from my personal computer
- Things I found about the assembly process
- The heatsink assembly
- The cooling fans
- A few mentions about the operation
- Drawbacks
- Connectivity options
- Conclusion
It can make a big difference in the performance and life of your computer.
If you are a gamer or do heavy-duty computing, you need a high quality CPU cooler to keep your system running smoothly.
There are many different CPU coolers on the market, so I will talk about the best one I have found and why it’s worth its value.
My recommended cooler is the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black. Not only will it serve to be the best premium air CPU cooler, but it will also be perfect for those of you that love gaming and performing CPU-intensive tasks.
VIEW ON NEWEGG
VIEW ON AMAZON
Why I chose an air CPU cooler
I feel confident in recommending this as the best air CPU cooler because I recently purchased one for my gaming rig.
I’ll get down to sharing my system specs with you and all of my cooling figures. But first, let me explain why I chose this specific cooler.
With my previous computer getting a little older and not keeping up with the latest AAA gaming titles I wanted it to, I decided it was time for a new computer, built from the ground up, with no comprises when choosing each component.
I previously ran a liquid cooling system and felt it was time to test out some air cooling. So I chose to go with the best air-cooling CPU cooler I could get my hands on.
So far, I haven’t felt any disappointment since crossing over from water cooling. In part, it is the fact that I’m no heavy overclocker.
After choosing a reasonably sized computer case, I felt I wouldn’t have any size restriction from the CPU cooler. So purchasing the larger-sized CPU cooler wouldn’t have any chance to stop me from closing the lid of my case.
Keeping the CPU cool is very important. A CPU that runs too hot and an inadequate CPU heatsink can cause the computer’s internal temperature to rise.
So that’s another reason to purchase a top-of-the-line CPU cooler like the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black.
I also wanted a good CPU for gaming. So I settled for an AMD Ryzen 3950X.
Keeping this processor cool when playing the latest games and working on some 3D renderings was the highest priority.
So now you know where I was going with the whole thing. I also added an NVidia RTX3090 graphics card with a Corsair AX1600i 1600 Watt Titanium Certified fully modular power supply.
After spending all the money on this system, I couldn’t install any CPU cooler that I didn’t think was up to the task, even if I wanted to do some overclocking later.
So now that you know why I chose this cooler, let’s move on to some of the figures, shall we?
Why I chose the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black
Firstly, let us compare some specifications between some of the best air CPU coolers.
| Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black | Gamerstorm Deep Cool Assassin III | Corsair A500 | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Noise | 24.6dB(A) | 29.5 dB(A) | 36dB(A) | 36dB(A) |
Max. Number of Fans |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Full Dimensions | 150 x 135 x 165 mm / 5.9 x 5.3 x 6.5 inch | 161 x 140 x 165 mm / 6.3 x 5.5 x 6.5 inch | 96 x 136 x 159 mm / 3.7 x 5.3 x 6.2 inch | 120 x 80 x 159 mm / 4.7 x 3.1 x 6.3 inch |
| Fan Bearing | SSO2 | Fluid Dynamic Bearing | Magnetic Levitation Bearing | Sleeve Bearing |
| Max. Rotational Fan Speed | 1500 RPM | 1400 RPM | 2400 RPM | 2000 RPM |
| Max. Airflow | 82.4 CFM | 90. 37 CFM |
75CFM | 82.9CFM |
| Total Weight with Fan | 1320g (2.9lb) | 1464g(3.2lb) | 1460g(3.2lb) | 569g (1.2lb) |
| Supported Sockets | Intel LGA2066, LGA2011-0 & LGA2011-3 (Square ILM), LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150 & AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+ (backplate required), AM4 | Intel LGA2066/2011-v3/2011/LGA1200/1151/1150/1155/1366 & AMD AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/FM2+/FM2/FM1 | Intel 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011, 2011-3, 2066 & AMD AM4, AM3, AM2 |
Intel LGA2066, LGA2011-v3, LGA2011, LGA1200, LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA775 & AMD AM4, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM2+, FM2, FM1 |
As you can see from the comparison table, the NH-D15 cooler is one of the quietest you will find on the market today for its cooling performance.
It also supports a wide range of CPU sockets which means you won’t be as limited to a limited CPU range.
Good airflow while keeping things quiet
It’s one of the major factors that drew me to this specific cooler. Offering a good airflow rate while keeping everything running as quietly as possible takes some investment into the initial design and refinement.
It’s not the easiest thing to try and strike a balance in, and Noctua has certainly paid attention to it.
So what does this mean for you? Essentially, having a good airflow rate means that enough air passes through the fan, and the heatsink sections provide you with better cooling in one aspect of air CPU coolers.
Other designs and material factors come into play that can reduce the cooler’s efficiency.
By that, I mean how good the CPU cooler is at dissipating the heat away from the CPU and transferring it to the essential areas where the fan cools it down.
This is an important and technical topic and requires a dedicated article to cover the subject adequately.
But the amount of air passing through the array of fins is a very important factor in cooling down a heatsink. So, if the cooling is sufficient and quiet, you are getting the best of both worlds.
Some temperature readings from my personal computer
I have installed the NH-D15 chromax.black using Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound. This thermal compound has yielded some of the best results compared with many other transfer pastes I’ve tried on the market.
I have used the ever-reliable Corsair iCUE 5000X RGB mid-tower case for extra reference.
Unfortunately, I had to purchase an extra RGB fan for the rear as I felt the three front fans it came with were lacking. It most definitely needed at least one exhaust fan.
Temperature at IdleTemperature During Cinebench Test
| Average CPU Temperature at Idle | Average CPU Temperature During Cinebench Test |
|---|---|
| 107 Degrees Fahrenheit (42 Degrees Celcius) | 158 Degrees Fahrenheit (70 Degrees Celcius) |
The room temperature was around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit (21 Degrees Celsius)
As this is a new build, I haven’t started any form of overclocking or changing memory profiles or voltages.
It is currently set up with a standard preset CPU fan profile in the BIOS.
So the values you are seeing are from an untampered system and pretty much what you can expect when using proper airflow optimization in the case and a good quality thermal compound with this specific CPU.
Things I found about the assembly process
I have used this cooler on an Intel CPU and AMD. I have always found that Noctua provided everything I needed to complete the installation without a hitch.
The heatsink assembly
In general, I didn’t have any difficulty assembling the heatsink and mounting it to my motherboard.
I used the original mounting plate provided with the motherboard, which worked effortlessly with the mounting hardware supplied in the package.
Important: I want to clarify that if you are going to use an AMD CPU, you must make sure that you have the standard mounting backplate that goes under the motherboard and contains two mounting threads.
It is the only thing that isn’t provided with the standard Noctua NH-D15 cooler kit.
Most motherboards include it, and it’s simply a matter of removing the plastic mounts on the top of the motherboard before you start the assembly procedure.
Tighten the screws in such a manner to allow for good contact and low motherboard strain
The assembly instructions mentioned that you should tighten the mounting screws until they stop.
I disagree and recommend that you only tighten the screws about four turns each. The mounting screws fit through the inside of a coil spring, so you won’t have to worry about the screws coming loose from small vibrations.
This will prevent the motherboard from being flexed too much under the tension of the cooler assembly.
This could save you from causing open circuit copper tracks or other mechanical mischiefs.
Tip: I recommend removing the heatsink every time you transport your computer.
The heatsink is heavy and a slight jolt can cause a bend in the heat pipes or cause other damage.
Read How To Know If Your CPU Cooler Is Mounted Properly for more on ensuring proper CPU cooler effectiveness.
The cooling fans
The fans are easy to remove or install with the handy spring mechanism that clips into the fan and hooks onto the fin assembly.
The fan’s position can be easily adjusted by unclipping the two-wire springs and shifting them to where you want. Then, lock the fan back in place by hooking the springs onto the heatsink again.
You have the option to install one fan if you have lower cooling requirements and a second fan to meet more demanding criteria. It’s nice to have this option, especially when the second fan is included in the package.
A few mentions about the operation
As you probably know, keeping your CPU cooler’s airflow direction relevant to your computer’s internal airflow configuration is paramount.
In most situations, keeping the air drawn in from the front side and exhausting toward the rear of your case is desirable.
You would rarely see anyone straying from that configuration. So check that the arrows on the fan’s casing show the proper direction.
Fan noise increases slightly when I play a game, but that should be expected. And I’m sure you would be just as impressed as I was when I first took note of the noise level while playing one of my favorite titles.
Even during the most strenuous gaming session, the fan stays at an acceptable noise level, and I mean, it’s quiet!
There is a supplied cable that gives you the option to make it even more silent. But I have found in my own experience that it isn’t required.
Drawbacks
While there isn’t much to critique regarding this air CPU cooler, I will mention that its weight and size are substantial.
Although to be fair, it is a necessary evil when offering such good cooling performance.
So even the one negative I could find about it is necessary.
So keep in mind that you may come across a time where you would need to remove it to change RAM or replace something on your motherboard.
Connectivity options
You can connect the cooler’s fans to the motherboard in two ways.
This won’t matter if you only use one fan, but when you are using two, you can connect each one individually to the motherboard, or you can use the supplied Y cable that joins the two up, which allows both to be controlled like one fan.
Connecting the Y cable to the two fans is easier than using one connector from the motherboard.
This will mean that your fans will spin at the same speed at all times. Therefore, it’s not typically all that useful to set up individual fan profile speeds for each respective fan.
Having both fans act as one means you only deal with the one fan speed profile for both fans.
This will allow for a bit more of an easier and simplistic setup process, which is most often the way to go.
Conclusion
I tried to keep the testing and installation as straightforward as possible to give you the most reliable information.
You will find the installation of this CPU cooler easy, whether you are using an Intel or AMD CPU, and you definitely will enjoy the cooling performance it offers.
It’s the perfect choice for everyone who wants a small amount of overclocking to get most of your money’s worth out of your hardware, but it’s certainly not going to give you the cooling performance that a water-cooled cooler can.
Not to mention the benefit you get from avoiding CPU throttling from a CPU that gets too hot.
It’s all about the system you want for yourself and what you want to get out of it. Personally, some overclocking is fine, but there is only so much I’d like to do with my daily driver type of computer.
An AIO cooler is the obvious choice if you build a system to overclock and get the most out of your hardware.
But for now, this CPU air cooler is doing great, and I’m pleased with the overall performance and low maintenance.
If that’s what you want, I cannot recommend enough that you get the Noctua NH-D15 chromax.
black cooler.
Enjoy improving your system, whether it be old or new.
Best PC cooling with limited fans
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Introduction
How to effectively cool the components inside the system unit? It would seem that a simple question, the answer to which will not be thought of by any experienced PC user, and even more so by an overclocker or computer enthusiast. They say what is there to think: cold air goes down, and hot air rushes up — simple physics from the school course, therefore, it is necessary to organize blowing (cold air intake) from below, and blowing hot air from above, cold air must pass through all the components, along the way cooling them and becoming warm, and «jump» out of the case according to the classics through a fan located on the back wall. But this is a theory. A theory that does not take into account the air flow created by the fans and the number of these same fans.
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I propose to consider a more specific and realistic situation: how to effectively cool the components inside the system unit, having only two fans? Let’s look at both classic cooling schemes and atypical ways to arrange fans in a case.
recommendations
I propose to go to the test bench.
Test bench
In an article of this format, it was decided to slightly change the structure of the test bench description. nine0004
So, the Thermaltake View 31 TG, which appears quite often in our experiments, was chosen as the «experimental» case. The choice of this model as a «test» was due to the fact that the View 31 TG allows you to position the fans inside it almost anywhere, and thanks to the removable front panel, this case allows you to simulate models with poor and good ventilation.
Two included Riing 14 LED Blue fans were responsible for cooling the components inside the case. The participation of these fans in the experiment is due to the fact that they create a sufficiently powerful air flow, relative to the noise emanating from them.
And, in fact, a powerful air flow will «reveal» the layout of the fans, since weak fans could provide sufficient blowing or blowing power, and the experiment could be considered not fair and objective enough. nine0004
The case was heated from the inside by an AMD Ryzen 7 2700 processor, overclocked to a frequency of 3.9 GHz for all cores, the heat dissipation of which was about 140 watts, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 video card with a TDP of about 120 watts. The dual-tower cooling system GELID Phantom was responsible for cooling the processor, the review and testing of which was done in the last article. I recommend to get acquainted.
Tested at room temperature 22 degrees. The temperature was maintained by a split system. The components were heated by the OCCT program. As a test, we chose the stress test of both the video card and the processor at the same time, while AVX instructions were involved. Each test run lasted a little over 15 minutes to provide almost the maximum possible heating of the components under the conditions created.
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Zeroing test: testing without using fans
To begin with, it was decided to conduct a zeroing test, which consisted in the fact that the components inside the closed case would be heated by natural air circulation. The meaning of this test was to identify the «reference» temperature, with which we will subsequently compare in order to determine which fan layout will show itself as efficiently as possible. nine0004
During testing, hot air flows will naturally escape through the perforations on the top cover of the case, and will also be «thrown out» through the perforations in the back wall using the GELID Phantom tower cooler.
The following results were obtained, which you can see in the attachment.
Heating and speed (no fans)
Test one, circuit one: both fans blow out, poor air intake from the front / good air intake from the front wall
Please pay attention to the location of the fan on top.
It is this arrangement of the fan in the upper part of the case that is the most effective solution, since it makes no sense to place the fan on top in the front of the case, since this solution is as inexpedient as possible — why throw out still cold air? I would also like to note right away that in this article there will be no schemes with «blowing from above», since we intend to check the real variants of the schemes, and not consider all kinds of nonsense of inexperienced users. nine0004
So, with poor air intake (closed front wall), we manage to gain almost 10 degrees in CPU temperature relative to a case without fans. The video card gets colder by 4 degrees. And the speed of rotation of the fans on the tower was reduced by 100 revolutions. The computer became noticeably quieter and cooler.
Please see the results
Heating and rotation speed: two exhaust fans (poor air intake)
With a good air intake (open front panel), it is possible to gain an additional degree in processor temperature.
CPU fan speed is slightly reduced. The computer becomes noisier due to poorer soundproofing.
Please see attachment for more detailed results.
Heating and rotation speed: two exhaust fans (good air intake)
Additional test, simplified circuit: one exhaust fan (closed front panel)
Next, I propose to find out how necessary it is to have two fans to blow out hot air. To do this, of course, I remove the fan located above the CPU cooler.
This action resulted in a slightly noticeable deterioration in the results compared to the scheme with two blowers. The temperature of the processor rose by 1 degree, the video card also warmed up by 1 degree more. The fan speed has increased.
Please see attachment for more detailed results. nine0004
Heating and rotation speed: one fan per exhaust (poor air intake)
Test two, circuit two: two fans per intake, closed and open front panel
Now let’s see how effective both fans located in front of the case will show themselves.
Hot air will be blown out by the fans of the tower cooler, as well as naturally through perforations in the upper part of the case. nine0004
With the front panel closed, this fan layout was completely inefficient. The processor temperature rose by two degrees relative to the scheme without the use of case fans. But the video card was cooled by a couple of degrees.
For more detailed results, please see the materials presented in the attachment.
Heating and speed: two fans per intake (closed front panel)
The open front panel gives a real «breath of fresh air» to the components. Relative to the case, devoid of fans, the temperature of the processor dropped by 9 degrees. This layout proved to be much better, the same arrangement of fans with a closed panel, but loses to two blowing fans that work even with a closed front panel. Superiority over one blowing fan by 0.3 degrees is an error.
For more detailed results, please see the materials presented in the attachment.
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Heating and rotation speed: two fans for intake (open front panel) , open and closed front panel.
Now we move on to the «classic» schemes, combined into a single test, since they all provide for the location of one fan for intake and one for exhaust. nine0004
Let’s start with the most classic version, when we have an intake fan located at the bottom of the front of the case and blowing hard drives, the exhaust fan is located on the back of the case. The front panel of the case is closed.
Such a «classic» fan arrangement loses in efficiency to the two-fan-exhaust variants in terms of CPU temperature. However, it is worth noting that with this arrangement of fans, the hard drives inside the system unit are cooled much better than in the case when there are no blowing fans in the case at all. nine0004
For more detailed results, please see the materials presented in the attachment.
Heating and rotational speed: «classic» fan arrangement (bottom intake fan, front panel closed)
And now everything is the same, but with the front panel open.
CPU temperature dropped to two exhaust fans with front panel closed. The temperature of the hard drives has dropped to the minimum value. nine0004
For more detailed results, please see the materials presented in the attachment.
Heating and rotation speed: «classic» arrangement of fans (ventilation fan at the bottom, front panel open)
Definitely, this layout makes absolutely no sense, since the temperature of the processor has become even higher than with one fan per exhaust. But it is worth noting that with this arrangement. nine0004
For more detailed results, please see the materials presented in the attachment.
Heating and rotation speed: «classic» arrangement of fans (fan blowing from above, front panel closed)
We keep the arrangement of fans and tear off the front panel of the case.
The processor temperature was average between two exhaust fans with the cover closed and with the cover open. The temperature of the video card remained at about the same level.
The cooling efficiency of the hard drive cage has definitely decreased. nine0004
For more detailed results, please see the materials presented in the attachment.
Heating and rotation speed: «classic» arrangement of fans (the fan is blown from above, the front panel is open.
Conclusion
the front panel with side perforations worsens the cooling of components, choose cases with direct air intake from the front of the case; second, the «classic» scheme with a fan located at the bottom of the front panel proved to be the most balanced, which helps to blow hard drives, however, if your PC no longer has hard drives, then you should think about the location of two fans for blowing out; third, blowing out is much more important than blowing in — it’s not for nothing that even the weakest and cheapest computers put one fan to blow hot air out of the case, at least one fan blowing must be in your computer.0004
Supplement
The testing did not take part in the blowdown scheme, when the case has one intake fan that draws air through the perforation through the bottom wall of the case, and one exhaust fan located on the top wall of the case above the CPU cooler.
Definitely, such a scheme has a place to be, but requires a horizontal location of the tower, so that the tower fans take cold air from below and help to «throw» it up to the blowing fan. This scheme can show itself most effectively in rare cases with a horizontal motherboard, such as, for example, in the legendary SilverStone Raven RVX01:
What is the layout of the fans in your system unit?
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TOP-7. The best water cooling for PC processor. April 2021. Rating!
Author Anatoly Vorontsov Reading 7 min Views 6.4k. Posted by
Updated
Hello everyone! Today I will talk about seven effective liquid cooling systems designed for the PC CPU. You should not think that any LSS is more effective than any air cooler, but most of the selection are advanced models that can give odds to all the top «towers».
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Before we start introducing you to today’s selection of liquid cooling systems, let me remind you that most of them are not suitable for every case — if you are planning to purchase an LSS, make sure the chassis are compatible and the selected «dropsy». And now directly to the first model. Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 240 is a very, very budget option by the standards of LSS, however, the solution not only looks stylish, but also effectively removes heat from the processor, outperforming most air coolers in this parameter. Of course, the best result is achieved at high fan speeds, and here you can find fault with the fact that the Lite 240 runs quite noisy on them, but this applies to almost all liquid cooling systems, so it is advisable to choose them with some margin — or you will have to cope with the hum using headphones.
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Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280
- Intel: LGA 1200, 1151-V2, 1151, 1150,1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-3, 2066
- AMD AMD AMD AMD AMD AMD AMD AM
- Dissipated power (TDP): not specified
- Standard fans: 140x140x25 mm — 2
- Rotational speed: 200 — 1700 rpm
- Noise level: not specified )
- Backlight: no
- Radiator dimensions: 317 x 138 x 38 mm
- Pump dimensions: 98 x 78 x 53 mm
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 is noticeably more expensive than the first cooler on our list, but it also features noticeably higher cooling efficiency. Like a classic maintenance-free closed system, the model is primed and ready for installation, which, by the way, is noticeably easier than in the case of custom options. They inspire respect as a solid-looking radiator, as well as durable, but not overly rigid hoses, not to mention two 140 mm fans, and the kit comes with Arctic MX-4 thermal paste, already legendary among computer scientists and gamers, which, even if it is inferior to the newfangled «liquid metals”, but is easy to operate and still remains one of the best in its class.
As for the efficiency of the Liquid Freezer II 280 itself, it is at a high level: for example, such a supercooler as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE is far behind, and the “dropsy” noise is less than the “tower”, although, of course, at speeds close to to the maximum, you can hear it quite clearly. nine0214
Fractal Design Celsius S36 — an impressive three-section, and, accordingly, three-fan liquid cooling system, of course, is no longer new, but dropsy and coolers are not improving as fast as, for example , video cards — nobody canceled the laws of physics. The design of the model looks familiar and includes a copper water block combined with a pump in one case made of sound-absorbing material and connected to the radiator by means of rubber hoses in a nylon sheath. Of course, the Celsius S36 leaves behind even the most powerful air coolers, while the noise level remains acceptable, if you do not turn up the speed of the fans and the pump to values close to the maximum — by the way, you can leave the control of the speed of rotation of the fans at the mercy of automation, it copes with this very well.
not bad. nine0004
NZXT KRAken X63
- Intel Sokets: 1200, 1151-V2, 1151, 1150,1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-3, 2066
- Dissipated power (TDP): n/a
- Stock fans: 140x140x25 mm – 2
- Rotation speed: 500-1800 rpm
- Noise level: up to 38 dB
- Backlight: RGB
- x
- Pump dimensions: 80 x 80 x 55 mm
, AMD AMD AMD AMD
143 x 30 mm
NZXT Kraken’s 2- and 3-cell liquid cooling systems need no introduction — they have 100 percent earned their reputation as efficient and versatile solutions that can handle almost any processor. Thus, the NZXT Kraken X63 easily outperforms the famous Noctua NH-D15 supercooler, which is considered the standard among air coolers, by several degrees even at medium fan speeds. If you plan to buy one of the flagship Intel Rocket Lake-S, Comet Lake-S or AMD Zen 2 and Zen 3 processors, a LSS of this level will obviously not be superfluous — after all, the more comfortable the temperature regime is provided to the processor, the higher the frequencies the program can take automatic overclocking, manual overclocking also requires high-quality cooling. The X63 also has a small nice bonus in the form of an RGB-backlit water block. nine0214
Another NZXT FLC on our list, this time the three-section Kraken X73 RGB with multicolor customizable fan and waterblock lighting. It uses NZXT’s own Aer RGB 2 fans, but their maximum speed here is limited to 1500 rpm — there is nothing surprising in the fact that the X73 RGB is one of the quietest «triple-sections», and let it be slightly inferior in efficiency to solutions with more high-speed turntables, in any case, top-end LSSs rarely work at maximum speed in home use cases — firstly, there is no need, and secondly, the noise level can then reach the point where it is uncomfortable even in headphones. Fortunately, with the Kraken X73 RGB, this does not threaten you, so you can safely take the model. nine0004
ASUS ROG RYUJIN 360
- Intel: LGA 1200, 1151-V2, 1151,1155, 1156, 1366, 2011-3, 2066
- AMD: AMD: AMD
- Distributed power (TDP): 300+ W
- Stock fans: 120x120x25 mm-3
- Rotation speed: 450-2000 rpm
- Noise level: up to 31 dB
- backlight: Argb
- x 121 x 27 mm
- Pump dimensions: 100 x 100 x 70 mm
ASUS products of the Republic of Gamers line have never been cheap, but most of the solutions related to it have at least good, and often outstanding characteristics. This also applies to the rather expensive maintenance-free three-section liquid cooling system ASUS ROG RYUJIN 360. One of its main features is the stock Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC 2000 PWM fans. Yes, from the same Noctua, known for its air coolers. Another feature atypical for LSS is a small screen located on the front side of the water block, on which you can display useful information about the state of the system. In terms of efficiency, the model can be compared with the NZXT Kraken X72 — the radiator and pump for these solutions are identical, but due to different fans, the Kraken X72 removes heat a little more efficiently, in turn, the ROG RYUJIN 360 stands out with a lower noise level, and to cool even the hottest processors, it is not required to turn up the speed of the turntables to the maximum. nine.2 mm
Cooler Master MasterLiquid Maker 240 outperforms most of the «ready», maintenance-free liquid coolers — it’s more worth comparing it with custom circuits.