Best water cooling: Best Liquid CPU Coolers 2022

Best Liquid CPU Coolers 2022

Silent and reliable AIO liquid coolers

By Brian Barnett, Danielle Abraham

Updated: Oct 7, 2022 8:51 pm

Posted: Sep 20, 2022 10:54 am

Computers are some of the most flexible, powerful devices in the world, but that power can come at a cost. Running the most powerful components (or overclocking those parts) can cause them to run hot, which can lead to hardware throttling and even failure. While PC fans have been a go-to for a long time, water coolers (and other liquid coolers) are vastly more efficient.

Thankfully, you don’t have to be a professional to get a cool (pun intended) rig these days, thanks to the availability of all-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers. These cooling units are self-contained, meaning you don’t have to worry about spilling water on your expensive gaming PC components, and they are incredibly easy to install. As an added bonus, they are usually far quieter and take up less room than air cooling components (making them perfect for mini ITX cases). Read on to find our list of the best liquid CPU coolers.

TL;DR – These are the Best Liquid CPU Coolers:

  • Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT
  • Lian Li Galahad GA-240A
  • DeepCool LS520
  • NZXT Kraken X53
  • EVGA CLC 280mm
  • Corsair iCUE h250i Elite LCD
  • Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion
  • Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora
  • NZXT Kraken Z63
  • ekwb EK-AIO 240 D-RGB

1. Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT

Best Liquid CPU Cooler

Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT

  • See it on Corsair

This 240mm cooler comes with socket support for the latest AMD and Intel processors, including AMD’s Threadripper processors. Pulling heat away from your CPU with a copper cold plate, it pumps liquid into a 240mm radiator fitted with two Corsair ML Series 120mm fans. It runs quietly and efficiently when your CPU is running cool, and it tops out at 37dBA when running at maximum (75CFM).

Managing the AIO cooler is also simple. You can control fan and pump speeds from within Corsair’s iCUE software right on your PC, and monitor CPU temperature to make sure your settings are giving you optimal performance. If visual flair is also your thing, the pump has 16 RGB LEDs on the head, and you can manage each light with the iCUE software, too. Corsair is a well-known and respected brand, and there is a reason for that. This is a high-quality liquid cooler, which is why it gets our top spot.

2. Lian Li Galahad GA-240A

Best Budget Liquid CPU Cooler

Lian Li Galahad GA-240A

If you’re looking for a powerful way to cool down your computer at an affordable price, Lian Li Galahad GA-240A is the way to do it. This AIO cooler comes in under $120 but has a sizable 240mm radiator and dual 120mm fans. Those fans generate 2.6 mmh3O of air pressure and 69. 17 CFM of airflow, ensuring ample air movement throughout your PC while remaining quiet.

The fans and the water pump housing of Lian Li Galahad GA-240A feature 47 addressable RGB lights to keep your system glowing. It’s also easy to switch between the 17 different lighting effects thanks to a handy little controller. Beyond that, the kit includes thermal paste and ensures compatibility with most major CPU sockets, meaning you’ll have everything you need to get up and running.

3. DeepCool LS520

Best Ultra Cheap Liquid CPU Cooler

DeepCool LS520

Looking for an all-in-one liquid cooler with a 240mm radiator, wide compatibility, RGB options, and a bargain price? The DeepCool LS520 is the one for you. It has a big radiator with two fans designed for higher static pressure and a strong, concentrated airflow. And the water pump has a powerful three-phase drive motor and great coolant flow. This cooler even manages to keep everything running quietly, as the pump noise only reaches 19 dB

Beyond the DeepCool LS520’s cooling prowess, you get adjustable RGB lighting on those fans, and the water pump features an infinity mirror to make its lights really shine. Motherboard connectivity even allows you to link and sync it with your existing RGB setup. And if you’re worried about the cooler working with your CPU, it complements a variety of builds thanks to its extensive socket compatibility, including LGA1700, AM5, and sTR4.

4. NZXT Kraken X53

Best 240mm Liquid CPU Cooler

NZXT Kraken X53

The NZXT Kraken X53 is the successor to our longtime favorite NZXT Kraken X52 that features some major improvements to look better and cool more efficiently. (We’ve seen this cooler easily keep an Intel Core i7-9700K running at full tilt, well under 50-degrees Celsius.) It’s available in 120mm, 240mm, and 360mm.

If you love flair, it also features a unique-looking “infinity mirror” lighting setup, creating seemingly endless rings of RGB light.

5. EVGA CLC 280mm

Best 280mm Liquid CPU Cooler

EVGA CLC 280mm

  • See it on Walmart

EVGA is a big name in PC components, and this new 280 CLC is one of the best values available in closed-loop cooling space, and the pump is built with Asetek’s Gen5 tech, which is known for reliability & efficiency. It uses a 280mm radiator with twin whisper-quiet fans and has beautifully designed LED integration on the water block.

The included EVGA Flow Control software allows you to control the fan and pump speed (RPM), as well as the RGB lighting on the block.

6. Corsair iCUE h250i Elite LCD

Best 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler

Corsair iCUE h250i Elite LCD

If you need the biggest, most powerful liquid cooling unit, look no further. The Corsair iCUE h250i Elite LCD has a large, 360mm radiator to handle the hottest CPUs and the highest overclock speeds. The Corsair ML RGB Elite fans can adjust to higher or lower levels, according to the moment’s cooling needs.

As far as lighting, the fans’ RGB lighting can also be adjusted with Corsair’s iCUE software, but the unit really raises the bar with the pump’s 2.1-inch IPS LCD display. It has 8-bit color depth for millions of color options. The display can show visual effects, and even GIFs or memes, all at 30fps (and, of course, it can display handy system performance data, like your CPU temperature).

7. Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion

Best RGB Liquid CPU Cooler

Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion

When it comes to liquid CPU coolers, there’s a good reason the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion stands out. It pairs RGB lights with translucent material for maximum visual impact. Imagine a glow stick dancing in the middle of your PC while it’s running, and you’ll have a good idea.

Cooler Master pairs the dual-chamber radiator with two MasterFan MF120 Halo fans (also translucent), which have a total of 24 ARGB LEDs each, and you can customize your look from the included ARGB controller, so you don’t need to have motherboard RGB controls to make use of it.

The radiator has wide water channels to increase surface area (and, by extension, cooling potential) and the fans offer up 47.2 CFM of airflow and 1.6mmh3O of static pressure, meaning this beast has cooling power (and cool looks) in spades.

8. Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora

Best Refillable Liquid CPU Cooler

Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora

  • See it on Newegg

The Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora offers just about everything you could want in an AIO water cooler. Its 240mm radiator provides powerful cooling, and the two 120mm Aurora Lux Pro fans are capable of 2.0 mmh3O of static pressure and 61.5 CFM of airflow. The biggest way this cooler sets itself apart is that you can open the fluid chamber and refill it, meaning it can have a longer life as part of your rig.

There’s a good amount of RGB lighting on display here as well, although it’s not as flexible as other options on this list. Both fans sport RGB light rings and the pump includes a transparent window with RGB lighting inside.

9. NZXT Kraken Z63

Best Liquid CPU Cooler with a Display

NZXT Kraken Z63

Several cooler manufacturers have displays, but NZXT’s Kraken Z63 truly stands above the rest. The display contains important information like the CPU and GPU temperatures, but you can also have it display animated GIFs and other things, letting you truly personalize your setup.

The Kraken Z63 isn’t lacking in power, either, as it comes with a powerful pair of 140mm fans and an advanced Asetek water pump. If you like the idea of having a display, but don’t need tons of RGB light flooding your system, this is the one.

10. ekwb EK-AIO 240 D-RGB

Best High-Performance Liquid Cooler

ekwb EK-AIO 240 D-RGB

The EKWaterBlocks EK-AIO 240 D-RGB cooler is primed and ready to keep the hottest, high-end gaming rig cool. It’s compatible with Intel and AMD setups, and is easy and quick to set up. The Vardar S 120mm fans on this beast can produce 2.89 mmh3O of static pressure and 66 CFM airflow to enable the 240mm radiator to handle whatever your CPU can throw at it.

Both the included fans and the water block sport RGB, and the whole kit is compatible with a wide range of motherboard RGB controls. So your rig will stay cool and look cool. As an added bonus for those interested in “cable management,” the hoses are very flexible , so you can bend them easily to fit even in smaller cases. These hoses are also wrapped in nylon to make them more resilient than your average rubber tube.

Brian Barnett writes reviews, wiki guides, deals posts, features, and more for IGN. You can get your fix of his antics on Twitter (@Ribnax) or check out his show on Twitch (The Platformers).

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CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML360R RGB Review — Tom’s Hardware

Tom’s Hardware Verdict

Cooler Master’s new MasterLiquid ML360R RGB provides best-in-class performance with RGB flourish.

Pros
  • +

    Excellent cooling ability

  • +

    Sleek design and aesthetics

  • +

    Lower price than other 360 AIOs

Why you can trust Tom’s Hardware

Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

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Features & Specifications

Change is good. Change is constant. Change is inevitable. But at times, months or years can go by before a new product arrives to dethrone the previous incumbent juggernaut atop our component rankings. Many challenge, few succeed.

The Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB is one of those few. When it comes to keeping overclocked CPU load temperatures in check, it’s the new chilling champ. As the 360 variant of our previously reviewed MasterLiquid ML240R RGB, the newly available MasterLiquid ML360R adds 33 percent more radiator surface area for even more cooling prowess. The result? It cools even better than the mighty NZXT Kraken X72.

Supporting most consumer (including high-end desktops) Intel and AMD processor sockets (sorry, no Threadripper / TR4), Cooler Master ships the MasterLiquid ML360R RGB with a dizzying accompaniment of accessories and mounting hardware. In addition to the usual backplates, threaded offsets and bolts, the packaging includes a syringe of Cooler Master thermal compound, an RGB lighting control module and USB connectivity cabling to allow desktop control of your RGB lighting within the UI suite.

  • Coolermaster MasterLiquid ML360R RGB (AMD Ryzen) at Amazon for $144.99

Specifications

Thickness 1.1 inches / 25.1mm (2.3 inches / 57.9mm w/fans)
Width 4.8 inches / 120.7mm
Depth 15.5 inches / 393.7mm
Pump Height 2.1 inches / 52. 9mm
Speed Controller BIOS
Cooling Fans 2x 120 x 25mm
Connectors 1x 3-Pin3x 4-Pin PWM4x 4-pin RGB
Weight 90.5oz / 2567g
Intel Sockets 2066, 2011x, 1366, 115x, 775
AMD Sockets AM2(+), AM3(+) AM4, FM1, FM2(+)
Warranty Two years

Speaking of the RGB lighting module, be prepared to route and configure the plethora of included cables required for full integration of the ML360R RGB. The rectangular control module has a magnetic base, which should let you avoid the double-sided tape needed for most steel-based chassis. USB handles the connectivity and control of the module—either via adapter to a 9-pin USB motherboard header, or a standard Type-A port.

The sleek, rounded Cooler Master pump housing provides an almost-discreet level of RGB lighting by today’s standards, with the chosen lighting pattern illuminated through the Cooler Master hexagonal logo and around the edges of the rounded cover dome. The cover is removable and can be oriented to match your specific installation—no one wants an upside-down Cooler Master logo. Rubber tubing is sleeved beneath nylon braid, which is terminated with heat-shrink tubing at right-angle rotational fittings on the pump.

The ML360R RGB uses a large, single-piece copper baseplate with fine, linear grain milling to mate with the surface of the CPU’s integrated heat spreader. The included adapter brackets secure to the housing tabs with four small screws from the accessory contents.

The aluminum 360 radiator of the ML360R RGB offers a good balance of fin density and airflow for the MF120R aRGB (addressable RGB) pulse-width modulation (PWM) fans. Thumbscrew-type fan bolts allow for speedy, tool-free installation of the trio of fans to the radiator housing, but you can also tighten them a bit more with a Philips-head screwdriver. 

Turning down the lights provides a bright, consistent glow from the aRGB fans and pump housing. You can choose any shade of color on any component you wish.

As with most 360 AIO coolers, mounting the radiator serves as the biggest hurdle. However, if your case supports a 360 (3 x 120mm) cooler, installation troubles should be minimal. We made good use of the 90-degree rotational fittings on the pump unit in order to get everything into place inside our accommodating Corsair Graphite 760T chassis, although a bit more length in the tubing department really would do wonders.

MORE: Best CPU Cooling

MORE: How To Choose A CPU Cooler

MORE: All Cooling Content

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Garrett Carver is a contributor for Tom’s Hardware, primarily covering thermal compound comparisons and CPU cooling reviews; both air and liquid, including multiple variations of each.

Rating of the best water cooling systems for the processor in 2022

In this ranking, I have collected the 5 best water cooling systems for your PC . I gave the main priority to two-sections, because in 2022 they are enough to solve 95% of the tasks. But for those who need the most powerful dropsy with 3 140 mm screws, there is also an option. I carefully studied each participant on the technical side and I can say with confidence that none of them will leak and will not work louder than a tower cooler . All LSSs can not only cool the processor well, but also add atmosphere to the room, if the computer is not under the table, of course. Although buying dropsy and hiding all the beauty under the table is a strange idea. But let’s start looking at the participants.

2022 CPU Liquid Cooling Ranking Table

Rank Designation Price
5 Aerocool Mirage L240 ARGB

Yandex Market

4 Deepcool Gammaxx L240 V2

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3 NZXT Kraken X53

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2 Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420

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1 NZXT Kraken Z63

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