All of their products are of a great quality few competitors can match. You might not have heard of Noctua, but they’re famous in the cooler world for being a small but extremely high caliber cooling manufacturer. You can’t beat this much-loved cooler from the incredible Noctua company for overall performance and value. Best Overall CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D15Ĭompatibility: Intel LGA 775 – LGA 2066 AMD AM2 – AM3+, FM1 – FM2+ We always ask, can you get better elsewhere for the same price?įor example, if a fancy new expensive version of a model comes out but doesn’t make enough performance leaps, we’ll take a pass. We look for coolers that punch above their weight in terms of budget. If you can get away with a budget cooler, why spend more? Value for money We always bear the user purpose in mind in our recommendations, instead of just saying “this is the best cooler.”ĭifferent users need different kinds of processors, which in turn means different levels of cooling. Testing all coolers against the same CPU is helpful to compare performances between coolers, even if that CPU isn’t the one you’re going to be using. For example, 9-36dBA doesn’t mean a lot, as you want to know what kind of noise is produced at different loads and when overclocking. Some can be vague, particularly for noise. Real-life testing is crucial for coolers, as specs can’t tell us much about how coolers actually perform. How We Choose CPU Coolers Features and Performance The more fans there are, the more likely it is to be noisy, so sometimes you have to sacrifice silence for power, though there are exceptions. Some manufacturers, like be quiet! prioritize silence in their builds.
Noise is also a major issue, as many users prefer a silent or near-silent PC experience. Basic models have 1 fan, whereas higher-end models have 2 or 3. In general, the larger the radiator or fans, the better the cooling performance. Air coolers use gas heatpipes and fans to cool, whilst liquid AIO (all-in-one) coolers use a pump, liquid, and a radiator.Īir coolers tend to be cheaper but larger and less efficient, as air is much less thermally conductive than liquid, and radiators make a more efficient cooling system. There are two main types of coolers : air coolers and liquid AIO coolers. In this article, we look at the best options for budgets and purposes, from gaming to video editing, as well as general use. You want it to be capable enough and look good, but also quiet who wants loud fans droning in their ear all day?īut how much do you need to spend exactly? Can you afford both decent power and near-silence within your budget? Are you looking to buy a cooler for your precious CPU?