6 Best Air CPU Coolers [2023]

 

Finding the best air CPU cooler is essential when looking for the best cooling solution for your gaming PC. Choosing the best air CPU cooler is essential to keep the CPU cool and dissipate heat effectively. If you want to use a water cooling system, you may also need to consider other factors, such as whether or not the computer case can accommodate a cooling water system.

 

Air cooling is the most common cooling solution for a desktop PC. While air cooling is the most common solution, it also has its limitations. It works best when the ambient temperature is between 20°C to 30°C. Air cooling will work for you if you live in a hot country. But if you are in a cold country, you must use a water cooling system.

The best air CPU coolers for a desktop PC are quiet, with low noise, and easy to install and maintain. In this review, I have covered the best air CPU coolers you can buy today. Lets take a look.

At a Glance:

6 Best Air CPU Coolers

Design CPU Cooler Retailer
Best Pick1. Noctua NH-D15 
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2. be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
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Staff Pick3. Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
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4. Noctua NHL9x65
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Budget Pick5. Cooler Master i71C RGB
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6. ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO
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1. Noctua NH-D15 

Best Pick

We all know how important it is to invest in a good cooler, but sometimes the price is too high. In such cases, the Noctua NH-D15 might be a great option. Its a premium dual-tower cooler with a 6-Heatpipe design and two 140mm fans. These fans are designed to provide plenty of airflows, so its ideal for overclocking.

The heatsink features a highly efficient, low-noise fan design with a built-in PWM chip to adjust the speed of the fans automatically. The cooler is also compatible with the latest Intel CPUs and is rated to handle temperatures of up to 105°C. The package includes an NT-H1 thermal paste, mounting brackets, a 12-month warranty, and a manual.

The Noctua NH-D15 is a premium CPU cooler, and its priced at a reasonable $69.99.You can use it with Intel and AMD processors, and you can easily upgrade to the larger Noctua NH-U12P or NH-U12S models if you wish. Other coolers are much better, but if youre on a budget and still want a premium solution, then the Noctua NH-D15 is a good option.

2. be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4

For our budget gaming build, we went with the Dark Rock Pro 4, which has a lot going for it. The first thing that caught my eye was its standard square shape for a CPU cooler. Most big CPU coolers tend to be round or rectangular, which can be a little awkward for RAM mounting. The Dark Rock Pro 4 solves this problem with a funnelshaped frame around the front fan.

While the Dark Rock Pro 4 does come with a larger, rectangular mounting bracket, its still very compact and easy to fit in tight spaces. Another benefit of this small shape is that it doesnt stick out too far from the motherboard. This means that it wont interfere with the airflow of the RAM slots.

The Dark Rock Pro 4 also features two large, high-pressure fans. While there are a lot of fans that use lower RPMs for better cooling, this fan is designed for higher speeds. At its maximum fan speed, it can achieve a whopping 24.3 dB (a), practically inaudible.

Even though its got two fans, it still manages to cool quite a bit of heat, and it should be enough for most users. Another interesting feature of the Dark Rock Pro 4 is seven highperformance copper heat pipes. While they arent the best, they help keep the heat in check.

The Dark Rock Pro 4 has an aluminum fin array optimized for RAM compatibility. The fins are cutouts for the RAM to ensure they dont interfere with the airflow. All in all, the Dark Rock Pro 4 is a great, budget-friendly CPU cooler.

Pros

  • Easy to install; very simple to use
  •  Highly portable; suitable for use in both home and office
  •  Works well with laptops and desktops
  •  Quiet operation; suitable for use at work or home

Cons

  •  Not designed for overclocking

3. Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo

Staff Pick

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is one of the best CPU coolers for AMD Ryzen CPUs, and its an upgrade from the original Hyper 212 EVO model.You get a large aluminum fin base, four copper heat pipes, and an RGB lighting feature.

This cooler features a wide-range PWM fan with unique wave-shaped blades. Its designed to run at lower speeds when the computer is under heavy load and at higher speeds when the workload is lighter. This allows the fan to provide sufficient airflow at lower temperatures while providing less airflow at higher temperatures.

The Hyper 212 Evo also features direct contact heat pipe technology, which means that the fins arent directly connected to the CPU. Instead, three layers of aluminum fins absorb the heat and transfer it to the copper heat pipes.

The fins are spaced far apart to prevent direct contact, which helps to ensure the cooling effect doesnt degrade as the CPU heats up.In addition to the RGB lighting, you can adjust the LED lighting to show off different colors depending on the CPU temperature.

The Hyper 212 Evo is a great cooler for AMD Ryzen CPUs, and it performs well even in demanding tasks. If youre interested in getting a CPU cooler for your Ryzen system, then the Hyper 212 Evo should be on your shortlist.

Pros

  • Supports both AMD and Intel CPUs
  •  Great design; stylish and functional
  •  High static pressure
  •  Low starting speed; ideal for silent computing
  •  It comes with a five-year warranty

Cons

  •  Not compatible with AMD Ryzen 3000

4. Noctua NHL9x65

Noctua makes quiet, efficient cooling fans, and the NHL9x65 is no exception. Its designed to fit into smaller chassis, like the popular HTPC cases, so it doesnt block your other cooling components.

See also  10 Best 360mm AIO CPU Coolers [2023]

With a total height of only 65mm, it wont overhang your motherboard, and it fits into most cases with room to spare. The fan is also equipped with a low-noise Adaptor, which allows you to connect it to a PC fan header, and Noctua says that it will be able to spin at up to 1,400 RPM.

Regarding thermal performance, Noctua has designed the NHL9x65 for highperformance, high-heat CPUs. It can handle temperatures of up to 130°C, which is a huge improvement over most other lowprofile coolers. The cooler has a copper base and fin plates, and theyre designed to pull heat away from the CPU and dissipate it through the fins. The copper base helps to reduce the chance of the fan overheating.

The NFA9x14 fan also features Noctuas patented NFA9x14 design, combining a large surface area and a special air channel that helps increase airflow. This results in overall better cooling performance.

The NHL9x65 is also fully compatible with the NHU12S and NHU14S models, which you can use in a wider range of cases. The NHL9x65 also comes with a 10-year warranty, so you can be sure itll be around for many years.

Pros

  •  Quiet, great airflow
  •  Highperformance
  •  Fully compatible with all CPUs from 65W to 95W
  •  Works with all motherboard types
  •  The fans have a 5-year warranty

Cons

  •  It doesn’t come with mounting hardware

5. Cooler Master i71C RGB

Budget Pick

This is one of the best cooling systems that Ive ever used. It comes with a 120mm RGB fan, which has a noise level of 25.0 decibels, and its compatible with Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, Asus Aura Sync, and Rock RGB LED. Thats quite a lot of compatibility, and Im glad it was included. I wasnt expecting it, but its pretty great.

The color options are also pretty impressive, with 16.7 million colors. It has two RGB LEDs, one on the base and another on the fins. I found them quite bright, so I wouldnt recommend using this with red-based monitors. The fan is pretty quiet too. Its so quiet that I think its louder than the graphics card.

You can use this for gaming, and its also compatible with Intel LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, and LGA1150 CPUs, which is great. There are only a few downsides. For starters, the fan is only rated for 30 minutes of continuous use and can be loud sometimes.

It also doesnt have a push button, so you must manually change the color settings. That means that its not as user friendly as some other fans. However, this is the best option if you want a quiet cooling system and dont mind the hassle of manually changing the color.

The only other downside is that the fins are made of aluminum, and its not as good of a conductor as copper.I was expecting better thermal performance, but the aluminum fins did well.

Pros

  • Quiet and efficient cooling
  •  Stylish and elegant
  •  Lightweight and portable
  •  Great compatibility
  •  Compatible with almost any motherboard

Cons

  •  Not very durable

6. ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO is a great tower cooler for Intels latest generation of Core i7 CPUs, and its also compatible with AMDs Alder Lake processors.It has a sleek, compact design that makes it easy to transport, and its very lightweight too. Its also super quiet and can push air through the entire heatsink.

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO has a lot of heat pipes, and theyre arranged specially to ensure that the heat from the CPU is evenly distributed. This is so that the CPU stays cool even when its overclocked.

See also  6 Best CPU Cooler Under $100 (Tested) 2023

Arctic claims the Freezer 34 eSports DUO is better than air coolers because its more efficient at transferring heat away from the CPU.

The Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO is compatible with Intels LGA1700 socket and will also work with AMDs AM4 socket. The Freezer 34 eSports DUO is compatible with the Intel Sockets: 2066, 2011(3), 1155, 1151, 1150, 1200, and 1700, and the AMD Socket: AM5, AM4.

This tower cooler will fit into these sockets and keep your processors cool and running smoothly. If you want to know more about the Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO, read on to learn more about it.

Pros

  • Excellent cooling performance
  •  Highperformance 120 mm PWM fans
  •  Large heatsink for optimal cooling
  •  Easy installation
  •  Suitable for all computers, including laptops
  •  It can be used with Intel and AMD CPUs

Cons

  •  No cooling fan speed control
  •  Only available in white
  •  Only available in black

Best Air CPU Coolers

To purchase the best air CPU coolers, you should consider some factors. You can see a list of the factors you need to consider when choosing the best air CPU coolers here.

CPU Cooler Size

When choosing the best air CPU coolers, you should consider their size. If you want a cheap CPU cooler, you should look for a small-sized air cooler.

You can find good quality CPU coolers in the range of 40 cm and 55 cm in size. If you are looking for a bigger CPU cooler, then you should go for a larger-sized CPU cooler. For example, you can find good quality air CPU coolers with a size of 70 cm.

Air Cooler Noise Level

When choosing the best air CPU coolers, you should look for a low noise level. If you want a cheap air CPU cooler, you should look for a lower noise level.

You can find good quality air CPU coolers with a noise level of less than 45 dB. You can find good quality air CPU coolers with less than 50 dB noise levels.

Air Cooler Fan Type

When choosing the best air CPU coolers, you should look for a high airflow fan. If you want to buy a cheap air CPU cooler, you should look for a fan with lower airflow.You can find good quality air CPU coolers with a fan with a maximum airflow of 150 CFM.

Air Cooler Efficiency

When choosing the best air CPU coolers, you should look for an efficient air cooler. You can find good quality air CPU coolers with a maximum efficiency of 90% or 95%.

Air Cooler Power Consumption

When choosing the best air CPU coolers, you should look for a good air cooler. You should look for a quality air cooler that consumes less power.

You can find good quality air CPU coolers that consume between 4 and 8 watts.

Air Cooler Warranty

When choosing the best air CPU coolers, you should consider a warranty. You should look for a warranty that lasts at least a year or two. You can find good quality air CPU coolers with a warranty of 1 year.

You need to consider many factors when buying the best air CPU coolers. You need to look for a good quality air cooler with a lower noise level, high airflow, high efficiency, a long warranty, low power consumption, and big size.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the air cooling system is the best cooling system for most CPUs. It is very affordable, and because it does not require a pump, it is very quiet. The heat transfer rate of this type of cooling system is not as good as liquid cooling.

However, this cooling system is much cheaper than liquid cooling systems. The fans inside the air coolers are usually pretty small, which is another reason why they are so quiet. However, it is important


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Matt Wilson
By Matt Wilson

Matt Wilson is a PC gaming and hardware expert with years of experience. He's a trusted tech product reviewer for gamers and tech enthusiasts.


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