Preparing adequate cooling is one of the most important aspects of any new PC gaming build. Keeping your CPU nice and cool will prolong its life substantially compared to having it run hot and lead to less thermal throttling, which leads to better performance.
When choosing a cooler, you'll encounter two types: air coolers and AIO coolers. An air cool uses metal fins and heat pipes to dissipate heat and is fitted with a fan directly on the heatsink to keep those elements cool; it's the more traditional type. An AIO (All-In-One) cooler is a CPU block and pump connected to a large radiator by tubing. Fans cool the radiator, and there's liquid in the system that passes back and forth between the radiator and the CPU block.
As far as which is better, it comes down to preference. AIO coolers are a bit quieter, but they're slightly more difficult to install and cost quite a bit more compared to air coolers. We've included both types on this list, so you'll be set no matter which route you choose.
Let's take a look!
be quiet! Pure Rock 2
The Pure Rock 2 from be quiet! Is a sold baseline as far as air coolers go. It's a pretty standard four heat pipe design with a 150W TDP efficiency rating, a three-year warranty, and a whisper-quiet 120mm fan that runs at 26.8dB at full speed. Price-wise it's under $50 and fits a large variety of different CPU socket types, making it a great, effective option for keeping your CPU cool without blowing your PC budget. There's also an all-black variant if you want to keep things aesthetically consistent in your build.
Related: 2021’s 5 Best PC Cases for Gaming
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
On the beefier side of the air cooler arena stands the Dark Rock Pro 4. This massive air cooler is outfitted with dual 120mm fans and sandwiches, one of them between the cooling fins on the heatsink for maximum performance. The heatsink itself is outfitted with a whopping seven heat pipes, and it's rated for up to 250W TDP systems.
Somehow be quiet! also managed to include 120mm fans that are actually quieter compared to their Pure Rock 2, with a noise ceiling of 24.3dBA at full speed. So if you're running a super hot system with ultra high-end hardware and still want an air cooler, then it's hard to go wrong with the Dark Rock Pro 4.
Noctua NH-D15
We would be remiss not to mention Noctua and their stellar lineup of air coolers. The NH-D15 is a similar dual-fan sandwich design to the Dark Rock Pro 4 but sports two high-end NF-A15 140mm Noctua PWM fans at a dramatically quiet 19.2dBA noise level. The NH-D15 fits a huge amount of CPU sockets and comes with a massive six-year warranty, so you can rest easy knowing that Noctua has you covered probably for the life of your new gaming PC.
And, of course, it comes with Noctua's signature brown and tan color scheme, which is as divisive as it is iconic. However, for those that don't love it, Noctua now offers an all-black version.
Corsair iCUE H150i Elite
Now we're delving into the world of AIO coolers with Corsair's 360mm H150i. The CPU block in this AIO is an all copper design, and the radiator is fitted with three of Corsair's ML RGB PWM fans that are fully compatible with their iCUE RGB software suite for coordination. The pump head itself is also RGB enabled and compatible with iCUE, and the pump noise is rated under 20dBA.
Corsair includes two different pump caps in the box: a standard black one and a transparent one if you want a more vibrant RGB. They've also included one of their iCUE Commander CORE RGB hubs for getting all your RGB hooked up and synced in their software.
So if you're running Corsair branded anything anywhere else in your setup, then the H150i is an easy choice since you're already likely working in iCUE for your RGB. Corsair also offers an even larger 420mm model and two smaller 240mm and 280mm models to suit your specific case needs.
Phanteks Glacier One
The Glacier One comes in three sizes: 240mm, 280mm, and 360mm. Each model includes the same copper CPU block with a high-end Asetek pump. On top of the block and pump housing is a full RGB-enabled infinity mirror design that mounts magnetically and works with a litany of different RGB software suites.
The Glacier One comes outfitted with either 120mm or 140mm fans depending on which size you opt for and includes tube clips in the box for wrangling the braided tubing where you want it to be within your case. Phanteks also offers a white version, so you'll be able to match this AIO to your case aesthetic regardless of your color preference.
NZXT Kraken Z73 RGB
NZXT is famous for its high-performance components and dedication to simple visual aesthetics. The Kraken Z73 RGB is a 360mm AIO cooler with three Aer RGB 2 120mm fans running on fluid dynamic bearings at a 33dBA noise ceiling. They're rated at 60,000 hours of use and include the same six-year warranty with which the rest of the AIO comes standard.
The CPU block is outfitted with an LCD panel to display GPU or CPU temperatures or even GIFs if you want to customize your PC fully. And like all NZXT components, it will pair very nicely with one of their cases.
When choosing a CPU cooling solution, you must measure your clearances in your case. Radiator mount points will have specific sizes in mind for AIO installation, and air coolers can often interfere with other components—such as RAM or M.2 slots—depending on your motherboard layout. The rest all boils down to preference, performance, and your own aesthetic preferences.
For more hardware recommendations check out How Much do the M1 Pro and M1 Max Cost? Full Pricing Details and When do the Apple Airpods 3 Release? on Pro Game Guides.
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Published: Oct 20, 2021 10:07 am