Best CPU cooler 2017: top CPU coolers for your PC

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There are a mere two days left until the mystical Black Friday, and you know what that means: it’s time to upgrade to the best CPU cooler around. Even if you don’t really need a new cooler (which, let’s face it, who does?), it would be nice to have at a discount. Besides, if you’re a first-time builder, or a prospective one at that, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get your hands on a system fan or a liquid all-in-one unit right now.

After we’ve tested and ranked all of the coolers you’ll find below, complete with specs, pricing and a brief synopsis for each, we are confident that you will not be disappointed with our choices. The best processor coolers around come in various shapes and sizes, and they don’t all cater to the same budget either. Rather, if your budget is bigger, you’re going to want a liquid cooling system, whereas a fan and heatsink will do just fine if your pockets aren’t as deep.

Introductions out of the way, below you will find our picks of the best CPU coolers money can buy in the year 2017. No matter your budget and style preference, you can count on us to have provided. So whether you want the NZXT Kraken X62, what with its gorgeous but gaudy LED lighting, or something simple like the Noctua NH-D15, rest assured, you will be satisfied with your purchase for you or a loved one this holiday shopping season.

Noctua NH-D15

Type: Fan and heatsink | Compatibility: Intel LGA 775 – LGA 2066; AMD AM2 – AM3+, FM1 – FM2+ | Rotation frequency: Up to 1500 RPM | Noise volume: 19.20dbA – 24.60dbA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 160 x 150 x 135mm | Weight: 2.91 pounds (1.32kg)

Whisper quiet

Six-year manufacturer’s warranty

Too big for some PC builds

The Noctua NH-D15 is at the top of our list because of one extremely compelling premise: it may not be a liquid cooling system, but it works just as well – if not better than – some all-in-one loops. Now, you might not have heard of Noctua, as they’re a relatively small name in the CPU cooler world, but one of the major advantages is that they focus entirely on designing coolers, so you can be sure that you’re not only getting stellar cooling performance, but you can also expect extremely diminished fan noise as well. Put that all on top of the included six-year warranty, and you have a winning product in every conceivable way.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Balanced cooling performance

Heat pipes ideal for conduction

AM4 bracket sold separately

For $29 (£30, AU$43), the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is one of the most affordable CPU coolers you can buy. Given, too, that most online stores offer a rebate on this fan and heatsink combo pack, the Hyper 212 EVO is a prodigious value. Although it only features four heatpipes and aluminum fin structure, this legendary CPU cooler has proven itself to be as efficient as liquid-coolers two-to-three times more expensive than it. These air-coolers are designed to make heat dissipation, quite literally, a breeze, whether you’re playing Destiny 2 at max settings or watching YouTube videos in a web browser.

Noctua NH-L9

Best low-profile CPU cooler

Ultra compact

Six-year manufacturer’s warranty

Only 92mm fan

This CPU cooler is among one of the smallest we’ve ever used for our own Mini ATX builds. It come from an Austrian company as our best CPU cooler that specializes entirely in PC coolers and fans, which means no compromises are made in the way of quality assurance despite its low-profile form-factor.

NZXT Kraken X62

Dead silent and high performing

RGB lighting is gorgeous

Price range out of bounds for some

Known best for its cases, such as those produced in collaboration with Asus and Razer, you may be surprised to learn that NZXT’s CPU coolers are every bit as impressive as the hardware which encloses them. The Kraken X62 is no exception, being one of the few 280mm all-in-one liquid coolers to feature RGB lighting. Given that the radiator comes pre-attached and the thermal paste pre-applied, the NZXT Kraken x62 is awfully easy to set up too. The packed-in CAM software, which lets you tweak settings on the fly, is merely icing on the cake.

Arctic Liquid Freezer 120

Best budget liquid-cooler

Strong performance

Inexpensive

Somewhat noisey

Few features

For less than 70 big ones in both US dollars and British sterling, the Arctic Liquid Freezer 120 is a deal you can’t pass up if you’re on the prowl for a liquid cooler that won’t break the bank. While it lacks the bells and whistles of pricier, more extravagant liquid coolers, like the NZXT Kraken, the Arctic Liquid cooler is enough to get you by, not to mention it’s still a massive step up from the classic fan and heatsink pairing. So, while you can’t expect RGB lighting or software – or even hardware-based fan control, the 120mm variant of the Arctic Liquid Freezer will keep your system refrigerated at a (mostly) quiet volume.

Corsair Hydro Series H5 SF

Best low-profile CPU liquid-cooler

Guaranteed leak-free tubing

Compact, all-in-one form factor

Blower style cooler

Even if you have a budget that allows for some of the more serious liquid cooling solutions, even some of the sweetest PC cases don’t permit the sheer mass of a bulkier, dual-fan or even a single 120mm radiator. That’s where the Hydro Series H5 SF proves building small doesn doesn’t mean you have to give up on liquid cooling. NZXT Kraken X62

NoFan CR-95C

Type: Passively cooled heatsink | Compatibility: Intel LGA 775 – 1156; AMD AM2 – AM3+; FM1 | Noise volume: 0dBA | Dimensions (W x H x D): 180 x 148 x 180mm | Weight: 1.6 pounds (0.73kg)

You won’t hear a peep

Works well with low-power CPUs

Exorbitantly massive

95W TDP limitation

Unless you’re already neck deep in the rabbit hole that is silent PC assembly, you’ve probably never heard of NoFan, a South Korean component company that specializes in helping enthusiasts reach that 0dBA silent sweet spot. In doing so, of course, you can count on severely limiting yourself in terms of power, with its CR-95C fanless solution being limited in compatibility to processors whose TDP fall below 95W. Still, the NoFan CR-95C is worth a shot for those sporting low-power rigs that prioritize tranquility over raw horsepower.

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