A computer system can run under hours of calculation and processing with a lot of heat to deal with. A powerful gaming computer is designed for ultimate performance for long hours, which can cause the CPU to produce heat. For this, a computer system must have an air cooler or liquid cooler that can keep things under control when there is so much going on in the system. Having the best CPU Air Cooler means a stable and cool casing for a computer system that doesn’t get overheated.
If air coolers are not used in PCs, it is possible that a CPU may break down after working a lot of time under heat produced by its performance. You should always be careful about the health of your computer system if you want your PC to stay smooth and stable for years and give you the performance you need. Generally, the CPUs of gaming systems come with their own stock cooling system in which a cooler is placed at the top of the processor to avoid heat problems.
But for high-end gaming, a stock cooler may not be the best choice. Having an aftermarket CPU cooler can provide better cooling with more speed that will allow the case to stay cool and keep your processor under moderate temperature. So in case you want one of the aftermarket CPU air coolers that can do the work for you, then we have listed some options that you can buy for your system. But before that, you must also understand what shopping tips you should consider before picking a CPU air cooler.
List of 9 Best CPU Air Coolers
Here is a complete list of the top recommended air coolers to choose for cooling down your gaming CPU.
| Award | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Best Quality CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best Quietest CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best High-Performance CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best Overclocking CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best Mid-Spec CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best Design CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best AMD Threadripper CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best Budget CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
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| Best Low Profile CPU Air Cooler | Buy on Amazon |
Deepcool AS500 Plus
Best Quality CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: (Length/Width/Height): 140mm x 102mm x 164mm
- Supported Sockets: Intel 1150, 1151, 1155, 1200, 2011, 2066, AMD AM3, AM2, AM4, FM2 & FM1
- Speed of fans: 500-1200 RPM
- Fans: 2x 140 mm PWM
- Noise level: Max 31.5 dB(A)
The Deepcool AS500 is a top choice for its specification as an air cooler for your gaming system. This air cooler has positive ratings and reviews by the gamers who have used it. Its cooling capacity is just as good as its compact dimensions. Its dual-fan design definitely helps in better cooling. Besides, it’s very quiet. The cooler doesn’t make a lot of noise, even when it is performing under a lot of loads.
Cooling of this product is really optimistic for performance as the temperature of the CPU remains at a level that can help your gaming PC to maintain its gaming performance. The ARGB design of this air cooler is suitable, and there’s nothing to complain about. A personal ARGB controller is also included, and a white model is available if needed. It undermines price competition. Not many ARGB dual-fan coolers are useful in this price range. Even if you spend twice as much cash on a high-quality single tower cooler, the overall cooling performance may not be very good.
It helps your system to perform well when you are running high-end tasks and working long hours on your system. When you overclock your processor, this air cooler will be able to deal with the heat released from processor. Dual fan design of 140mm sits well in the casing and makes sure that the case remains cool from heat and temperature. It’s a great price compared to many single tower cooling fans with two fans. This air cooler will sit best in all categories, even with overclocked high-frequency processors.
- High Build Quality
- Great value
- Low noise levels
- Efficient cooling
- Not for high-end overclocking
Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Best Quietest CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: (Length x Width x Height): 87mm x 121mm x 155mm
- Supported sockets: AMD AM3 & AM4, Intel LGA 1150, 1200, 2011, 1151, 1155, 2011-3, 2066,
- Fans: 120mm 1x Pure Wings 2
- Speed of fan: 1500 RPM
- Noise level: Max 26.8 dB(A)
As it is catchable from the name, this cooling fan is very quiet. You get great cooling in your case without any noise using this fan. The fan deals with its job pretty well at cooling down gaming PCs without letting them overheat. Besides a high-performance CPU, Pure Rock 2 keeps your slides cool and quiet. If you’re not interested in bling and need something one step higher than the included cooler, Pure Rock 2 is a special option.
Pure Wings 2 PWM fan gives a 26.8 dB (A) noise rating with its single tower cooler. The company has ensured that users get a very quiet cooling environment. It is very low in price for the structure that it provides with a powerful cooling system. This may be optimistic, but it’s still good for CPU makers and their actual TDP. It can deal well with Ryzen processors too.
Pure Lock 2 is not the most impressive cooler on the market. But you can make your gaming setup look even better with its black version that looks more attractive. It has a CPU cooling rating of 150W TDP, and it does the job of cooling pretty well.
- Very quiet
- Design is interesting
- Great price
- Good build quality
- Touch optimistic 150W TDP
Deepcool Assassin III
Best High-Performance CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: 161×140×165mm
- Base Height: 165mm
- Supported sockets: LGA 1151, LGA 1200, LGA 2011, AM4
- Weight: 3.23 Pounds
- Fan quantity: 2
The Deepcool Assassin III is one of these ultimate high-capacity air coolers and is the perfect Big Air CPU cooler to own in the industry. It’s so effective that you can play high-end games on your gaming PC all day long without heating problems. Deepcool operates in a twin tower design with each heatsink coupled to a 140mm fan. To relax the average performance, Deepcool is a first-class air conditioner that allows for tight overclocking of 280W high-capacity flagship CPUs.
It is also suitable for all major AMD and Intel processors and sockets. It’s full of twin fans, but you can use additional fans to replace the heatsink to further increase capacity. These twin fans reach 1400 RPM at full throttle, allowing PWM speeds to be driven directly out of the box. Due to the long fan length, the noise level could be suppressed. However, it is much better than a liquid cooler of comparable height. The cooler also reduces noise to less than 30 dBA, allowing for a low noise mode that compromises overall performance.
Air coolers usually are spread in a vast midrange market and in the high-performance cooler market. Great general high-performance air coolers for CPUs are rare, as they can compete with liquid coolers for overall performance. The cooler top is 165mm, which is better than the requirements of a compact suitcase.
- 280W Massive cooling power
- 7 high-tech heat pipes
- Symmetric twin towers attractive design
- Stable performance
- Louder than other
- No RGB LEDs
Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
Best Overclocking CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: (Length x Width x Height): 161mm x 150mm x 165mm
- Supported sockets: AMD AM2, AM4, AM3, FM2 & FM1, Intel LGA 1150, 1200, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011, 2066
- Speed of fans: 300-1500 RPM
- Fans: 2x NF-A15 HS-PWM
- Noise level: Max 24.6 dB(A)
The Noctua NH-D15 is another great cooler for the CPU. This aftermarket product has beautiful looks and design, and it performs better than most of the other air coolers in the market. It is a truly silent air cooler that means when you are playing multiplayer games or any FPS game, and you won’t be disturbed by the consistent noise created by an ordinary fan under temperature and pressure. The black color design makes the casing look great from the inside too.
The flagship really works well with high-rated gaming PC setups, and most gamers use this CPU air cooler because of its consistent performance and ability to bear with the pressure. When it works for long hours, and the temperature gets high for the CPU, the fan may leave a bit of noise that is audible. It’s preferable to provide enough headroom for this cooler inside your case to keep things working silently better.
With a dual-fan set up in your system, you can get better cooling, and still, you have a RAM clearance of 32mm. The patented noise reduction technique in the Noctua fans is something very different that works with 140mm series AF fans without any vibrations due to the placement of anti-vibration pads, fluid bearings, and good airflow channeling. The cooler fan speed is adjustable, and it can be topped off to 1200 RPM with a little bit of noise.
- Great cooling performance
- Good looks
- Quiet under high loads
- Solid build quality
- Size is big
Cooler Master MasterAir MA410M
Best Mid-Spec CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: 111.8mm x 130.9mm x 165.1mm
- Height: 165.1mm
- Supported socket: LGA 1151, LGA 1200, LGA 2011, AM4
- Weight: 1.81 Pounds
- Quantity of Fans: 2
Cooler Master are always among the talks of gamers because of their major role in performing quality cooling to CPUs. MasterAir MA410M by Cooler Master is one of the well-known air cooler for cooling that was announced as part of the ASUS TUF Alliance. It was meant to be used for high-quality gaming PC setups for AMD and Intel CPUs to provide efficient cooling to the case under extreme gaming conditions.
The sophisticated heatsink design allows up to 35mm of RAM space. The cooler has a push-pull design that cancels the voltage drop across the heatsink and improves the flow of air through the cooler. It’s no longer very promising, but in addition to the XMP module, it can match all standard size generic performance RAM modules. The noise generated during the test is about 36dBA, which is a soft level considering the slow point. The air cooler is well designed for the market to be accessible by all types of computer users.
This air cooler is available in the General Performance at very cost-effective rates. It is a very attractive cooler with exceptional aesthetics and attractive RGB lighting results. Cooler Master packs 28 large addressable RGB LEDs into the cooler for direct and ambient light results. The customized profile is also configured in temperature observation mode, with the highest CPU temperature color settings being purple and the lowest being blue.
- Thermal Detection Sensor
- Air guide setup
- Attractive aluminum fin design
- High performance
- Loud noise under load
- Fewer heat pipes
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Best Design CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: 120mm x 79.6mm x 158.8mm
- Height of the base: 37.7mm
- Supported socket: LGA 115X, AM4, LGA 2011, LGA 1200,
- Weight of fan: 1.54 Pound
- Quantity of Fans: 1
When you don’t want to spend your money on expensive air cooler for PC, then you can decide to go for a cheaper choice called the Hyper 212 Black Edition. It is great for mid-range gaming PCs to cool them down effectively while gaming for hours. It is a recommended improvement over Intel and AMD processors to improve their cooling margin and make them suitable to overclock without any tension.
The heat sink is a fifty-five matrix with quadruple copper tubes to send the warmth of the CPU to the fins. The fan is in a facet of the heated bowl, although some can be related and can have problems with VGA cards. It has a balanced perspective, an incredible thermal profile for its price, and the proper construction quality.
The 39mm sync is allowed despite a single fan, and it’s big in size. This can become a problem in some gaming setups as the RAM modules may get disturbed and may not be properly placed after placing this air cooler in the CPU. For reference, its performance is still up to the mark with AMD and Intel processors. Or you can push the CPUs of the standard models to their limits while gaming or processing on your computer and see the power of this cheap air cooler.
In general, it is the best alternative to customers who focus on a clear thought of selecting a product from a lower budget. The company offers its excellent CPU air cooler that includes a 150W-thermal limit, under very affordable price with most effective TDP ratings.
- Optional Fan Setup Push-Tire
- Direct tangible technology
- Universal Mount Package Design
- Exceptional design
- Fans are immune to dust
- Not for custom builds
Noctua NH-U14S
Best AMD Threadripper CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: 78mm x 150mm x 165mm
- Height of the base: 165mm
- Supported sockets: AM4, LGA 1151, LGA 1200, LGA 2011
- Weight of cooler: 2.06 Pound
- Number of Fans: 1
The Noctua cooler for processors has excellent power to deal with cooling the systems. It works great for the systems that are made for overclocking battles. The cooling capacity is very well documented to move beyond 250W TDP. This performance is produced on the basis of an additional heat tube to the perfect design of the U-tower and, it including silent fans on the cooler from A15 140mm larger to the cooler for a quieter operation.
It can keep the temperature of a CPU maintained to 55 degrees centigrade with efficient cooling and its sound level reaches 25 DBA which is very quiet even when working under load. The air cooler is combined with a single 140mm fan, but you can also include an additional fan to provide better and efficient cooling. This can help you to provide better airflow in the CPU.
You can customize and add RGB lighting or decorate and design the large cooling border of the cooler and make it a very preferred alternative that makes your PC case look even more interesting. This is a good choice for some PC gamer enthusiasts.
- Multi-Socket Mounting Machine
- Fully automatic speed control.
- Anti-vibration ears pads
- Decent performance
- Limit gets right on access to extension slots
- No strx4 & TR4 & SP3 support
Cryorig H7
Best Budget CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: 98mm x 123mm x 145mm
- Height of the base: 145mm
- Supported socket: AM4, LGA 1151, LGA 1200,
- Weight of cooler: 1.57 Pound
- Number of Fans: 1
Cryorig H7 is a cheap air cooler option for those budget PC gamers who don’t have enough to spend on expensive and powerful cooling systems with amazing designs and lights. It is a great choice in case a person wants to stay within the budget limit and plays mid-range games on his PC. This air cooler can manage heat levels to that extent. Cryorig H7 offers great benefits and is the best alternative to expensive air coolers if you don’t want to test the limits and performance of your PC with extreme gaming and stress conditions.
It has a more effective 145mm Peak reach and is successfully the smallest design of the magic heat tray representing a 120mm fan size. Another component that makes the design of this air cooler very interesting is the heatsink. The excessive production of 5 fins uses the patented extensive vibration reduction technology to optimize the airflow and improve the heat performance of the cooler.
This air cooler helps the processor to cool down with a thermal dissipation of 150W. However, users can add up the additional cooling capacity by including another fan to the cooler so that better airflow can be provided inside. It doesn’t produce much noise while working but you can expect a louder noise if you place another fan with the cooler to cool down your CPU.
- Vibration reduction system
- Super green design
- High-performance Air distributions
- No PWM management
- Poor covering
Night NH-L9i
Best Low Profile CPU Air Cooler
Specifications
- Dimensions: 59.0mm x 37mm x 99mm
- Height of the base: 37mm
- Supported socket: AM4, LGA 1200, LGA 2011, LGA 115X
- Weight of cooler: 0.85 pounds
- Number of Fans: 1
Noctua NH-L9I is the last suggestion and the smallest in the air cooler category too. It is the best low air profile cooler for processors in the market. It has a maximum of 37mm space to allow all types of big RAM modules to easily adjust and sit on the motherboard with up to 95mm capacity and VGA cards in smaller components to fit well in the case as well. It is specially designed and synthetic for mini gaming rigs with smaller boards.
The fan used with the cooler is a narrow vent of 92x92mm size that is specially designed with a more effective 14mm peak. The air cooler also consists of an SS02 carry with an extensive 150K hour lifestyles and liver almost 0 noises, even as turns. The smallest fan is used in this cooler and the design of the heat sink limit the highest capacity to 65W under load.
While the rate and price of this cooler are just better than most of the others in the market, the performance levels are remarkable, and construction is exceptional to first class. It is a highly recommended compact-sized air cooler for gaming systems that are running in small cases.
- NT-H1 Thermal compound input sink
- Upper-Class Fan design NF-A9X14 PWM
- Super compact, low-profile air cooler
- There is no EMBG
- The scheme of shade is not pleasing
Considerations
The following important considerations are necessary to be kept in mind before selecting an aftermarket CPU air cooler.
Thermal performance:
The basic thing that comes to anyone’s mind while selecting an air cooler for a CPU is its thermal performance. Air coolers are meant to cool down the processor, which is why it’s necessary that the cooler you are using must have good thermal performance to cool down the system. A recommended cooling capacity is 1.25 times the CPU’s TDP.
Noise:
Cooling fans can be noisy. It is must for you to choose a cooler that won’t produce noise to affect your computing experience when you are playing games or doing your work on the computer. It is best for you to continue your work in a calm environment.
Purpose:
You must keep the purpose in mind while choosing an air cooler for your CPU. If you want to play high-end games, then its must that you choose a high-quality air cooler that gives extensive and durable performance for hours. If you choose a low-quality cooler, it may not be able to cope up with the gaming performance, which can lead to bigger problems later.
Price:
Considering the price for choosing the air cooler is an important factor because the market for air coolers is huge, and you will get a lot of options within budget. It’s important that you make your decisions wisely and choose only the air cooler which you think is ideal for the cost with the performance capability that it is offering. If you don’t have enough budget, choose to go for a mid-range air cooler with medium power and RPM for fans. If you are easy with money, then choose the top product.
Design:
Design is also one of the special considerations to keep. When you want to get a high-quality and top-performing air cooling system for CPU, you should also choose the air cooler with better aesthetics. It will make your gaming rig look even better and attractive. There are RGB fans available in the aftermarket that you can place in your system for a better and sleek look.
Conclusion
This was a guide article on the best CPU Air Cooler in which we have listed the top products with their exceptional performances in terms of cooling and adjusting with a specific type of processors and boards. We have listed the air cooler units under different categories so that users can get an idea about the variety in them.
FAQ’s
Joe, a computer science graduate and PC hardware expert, boasts a decade of experience in the field. His lifelong passion for gaming drives him to excel as a prominent figure in the gaming community, consistently pushing boundaries with cutting-edge technology.