Looking to level up your CPU cooler beyond the stock fan, to boost airflow, performance, or simply the look? We’ve picked the top dozen coolers for all the likely PC build or upgrade scenarios.
Inside a PC, a stereo amplifier, or a smartphone, one red line runs through them all: The circuits inside generate heat, and something’s got to keep things cool. The hardware used to keep PC components from overheating has undergone a revolution over the last decade, with once-rare liquid coolers now widely used in high-performance desktops and some cooling hardware playing a key cosmetic role in show-off gaming rigs and custom builds. Both of these factors have vastly expanded the options available for keeping PCs and chips cool. And that explosion of gear has been great for experienced system builders, while creating some confusion for those new to the scene. In this article, we’ve combined a brief tutorial with a list of some of the best CPU coolers now available. You’ll want to read closely to ensure you get one that will work in your system. Before going any further, if you’re a PC-building beginner, you’ll want to read our deep-dive PC Cooling 101 guide to learn everything you need to know about CPU coolers. We’ll summarize a few points from that article here, but won’t be covering it in anywhere near the same depth. Do I Need an Air Cooler, or a Liquid Cooler? The processor cooling market is divided into two broad classes: air coolers and liquid coolers. Air coolers are the most common kind found in retail desktops; these are essentially metal heatsinks with fans that push air through their fins, accelerating the cooling process. Some of these are what are dubbed “stock coolers,” cooling heatsink and fan assemblies provided by the two big chip makers (AMD and Intel) to complement their mainstream processors. (Most of AMD’s stock line are dubbed Wraith coolers, while Intel’s very newest stock coolers, on its 12th Generation “Alder Lake” chips, are dubbed the Laminar line.) Note: Stock air coolers are the coolers that will come in the box with an AMD or Intel CPU, though not all CPUs bundle one. Also, sometimes, if you buy a prebuilt desktop PC, the system maker may use a cooler of its own design or sourcing, and not the AMD or Intel stock model.
