The best CPU cooler prevents your CPU from overheating, ensuring peak performance. If you are immersing yourself in the wild world of overclocking, you need a reliable CPU cooler to maximize your CPU’s unused capacity.
Even if you are running stock of your parts, it is a good idea to carry a cooler that can offer the lowest temperature at the lowest cost.
There are two types of cooling available: air cooling and liquid cooling. Air coolers are still the most popular method.
The metal heat sink removes heat from the CPU and blows it out with a fan. Or cool the chip directly.
Liquid or water cooling circulates in your system as a method of cooling liquids through tubes which is more energy-saving and much calmer.
If you dare, you can also create a complete custom water cooling loop, including GPU and CPU cooling.
However, twisting and installing tubes this way takes a lot of effort and cost; not recommended for first-time PC makers.
Both have advantages and disadvantages, so we have chosen the best of our respective guides: the best AIO cooler for CPUs and the best CPU air cooler.
In general, air coolers are cheaper and easier, while AiO and other liquid coolers may be more expensive but come with additional features, even smaller screens.
Each cooler on this list is well-tested in PC gamer labs, so we can tell you which CPU cooling offers the best for your dollar under different workloads.
If you’re looking for additional ways to improve your system’s cooling performance, you can check out our guide to the best PC fans (opens in a new tab).
Here are some premium Quality Cooler that you can buy for your gaming PC:
1. EK-AIO Basic 240
EK is a household name in the world of liquid cooling. The EK core series focuses on value for money and performance.
Also, it does not feature any RGB. If you like it, then EK AIO Basic 240 is worth a look. Its absence helps keep prices down.
The EK Basic 240 stands out because of its build quality. It just feels heavy and well made. The included EK-Vardar fans are great and have a wide range of operating speeds.
It’s a good idea to have a fast headroom on tap if you need to. Most of the time, it is silent.
What impresses us is the cool performance on offer. We know this is very close to the 360mm level of cooling capacity, it makes noise if you try to push the overclock rocket leak CPU, but then every other cooler does the same.
Pros
- Cooling performance nipples on the heels of 360mm coolers
- Good value for money
- Not RGB
Cons
- It is rather plain-looking if cooler aesthetics bother you.
2. Deepcool Gammaxx L240 V2
Deepcool is known for its capable AIOs at affordable prices, and the Gammaxx L240 V2 is one of the cheapest 240mm coolers on the market. It makes air cooling a great option for customers looking to step into the world of AIO cooling.
The Gammaxx 240mm pump features basic RGB lighting on the head and wings. If you want ARGB lighting, it is more expensive.
Deep Cole likes to talk about its ‘anti-leak technology,’ which tries to balance the maximum pressure inside the loop. Of course, this made the video an overnight sensation.
The Gammaxx 240 is also capable of cooling most processors, although, like many of the chip chillers on this list, it limits itself to AMD’s Threadripper beast.
But it does run the rest with exceptionally low noise levels, which is one of the main reasons we recommend it.
The L240 is effectively silent when idle. As you’d expect, you’ll see an increase in temperature and noise levels with higher TDP processors, especially when overclocking.
With PBO enabled, we have a maximum of 5800X CPU, which we consider suitable for a 240mm cooler. Under load, fans can and do ramp up substantially.
Pros
- Great value
- Good cooling ability
- Effectively silent in vain
Cons
- It can get loud under significant CPU load.
3. Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2.
If the brand name isn’t already given, then B Quiet Pure Rock 2 is quiet! It is a single tower cooler with the company’s most reliable Pure Wings 2 PWM fan with a low 26.8dB (A) noise rating.
It means it’s about to be the most delusional time of the year. It also feels solid, a sign of good construction quality and comes at a low price.
We will not describe the Pure Rock 2 as the most beautiful cooler on the market. But if you have a window case, you can consider the black version, which is more attractive than the simple aluminum finish of the base version.
Pure Rock 2 is primarily designed for cooling – the unseen and the unheard. It is rated cool CPUs with 150W TDP.
While this may be a touch of optimism, it is for CPU manufacturers and their ‘real’ TDPs. Pure Rock 2 will work fine with Intel Core i5 12600K (opens in new tab) or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (opens in new tab).
Pros
- Very quiet operation
- Great price
- Good build quality
Cons
- Super basic looks
- 150W TDP is a touch optimistic
Final Thought
Like most components, the right CPU cooler is determined by various factors, including performance requirements, case relevance, budget constraints, and aesthetics.
To find the best CPU cooler, we test performance using a combination of Prime 95 and modern PC games to test the tension extensively.
Our top selections were based on thermal performance, noise, value, and overall feature sets.
