How to Choose a CPU Cooler for Your PC (2025)

Are you building a new computer or upgrading your CPU's cooler? There are many considerations to take into account when choosing a CPU cooler. Will you be overclocking the CPU? That will increase the amount of heat generated. Do you have any space constraints? You'll want to make sure your cooling solution will fit. Do you want it to look incredible? Let's dig into the most important factors to consider when choosing a CPU cooler.

Check out my Recommended CPU Coolers below.

CORSAIR Nautilus 360 RS ARGB Liquid CPU Cooler

A CPU cooler's TDP (Thermal Design Power) rating indicates how much heat it can dissipate in watts. If the cooler can't keep your CPU cool enough, your CPU may throttle (slow down), and your cooler will constantly run at full speed.

Intel CPU specifications indicate this power dissipation number as "Processor Base Power" and "Maximum Turbo Power."

For example, the Core i9-12900K has a TDP of 125–241 watts, depending on the workload.

A CPU cooler can still work with a lower TDP rating than the TDP of a CPU. However, the CPU will eventually throttle itself to a lower frequency to allow itself to cool.

The CPU may not achieve or maintain maximum turbo speeds without adequate cooling.

Air coolers use a combination of heatsinks and fans. They are the cheapest, but also the loudest.

A Closed-Loop Cooler (CLC), also called an All-in-One (AIO) cooler, is a type of liquid cooler. All-in-one liquid coolers provide a more straightforward setup in a single pre-built package.

Liquid cooling can provide even better TDP performance at lower noise levels but are more expensive and take up more room. The noise level and ability to cool your CPU will depend on the liquid cooling solution's radiator size and the number and size of the fans.

Find AIO Coolers on Amazon

Open-Loop Coolers are also a type of liquid cooler, except you construct them yourself. They allow for more flexibility in building your perfect cooling solution but can also be more complicated to set up. Open-loop systems give you the flexibility to cool additional devices, such as your graphics card's GPU.

More fans typically mean better cooling. However, they also mean more noise.

Larger fans are typically quieter than smaller fans, as they can move the same amount of air at lower speeds.

If a cooler is struggling to cool a CPU, it will run at its maximum speed, which will be louder.

Fan noise levels are measured a dB. Lower dB values are quieter.

You can often configure your motherboard's BIOS to use specific fan speeds at particular temperatures. This configurable fan speed allows you to have a near-silent computer while your computer is idle.

CPU coolers can have various mounting brackets to work with different socket sizes. Make sure that your cooler comes with a compatible mounting bracket.

The easiest way to find a CPU cooler that will work for your computer is to search by socket type. For example, Intel's 12th generation Core i9 12900K uses an LGA 1700 socket, so you would search for an LGA 1700 CPU cooler. In some cases, such as when a new socket size is released, there may not be many compatible coolers. In these cases, you can often purchase a separate mounting/retention kit to work with the new dimensions.

Before buying the biggest cooler possible, ensure that your case and motherboard configuration have room.

Also, ensure that other components on your motherboard won't interfere due to size constraints. For example, do your memory modules (DIMMs) have tall heat spreaders?

Dual-fan coolers often take up quite a bit of room. Liquid cooling solutions typically position fans at the top or bottom of the case.

Some CPU cooler fans come with LED lighting. Similarly, liquid cooling pump heads can also come with LEDs or even LCDs!

If you want to turn off the lights when they get annoying, make sure your CPU cooler has that option.

In general, air-based coolers will be lower cost than liquid cooling systems.

CPU coolers that support a higher TDP are also typically correlated with a higher price.

The more advanced lighting features tend to also come at an extra cost. You can decide between a practical, low-cost solution and a dazzling light show.

If you plan to overclock your CPU, your success will largely depend on how well you can keep it cool. Inadequate cooling can cause the CPU to throttle its performance or potentially lead to damage.

A good air cooler can allow for some level of overclocking, but if it struggles to keep the CPU adequately cool, the fans will likely remain at maximum speed, which can be noisy.

Liquid cooling generally offers better thermal performance compared to air cooling. Additionally, it can provide a quieter system, depending on the radiator and fan configuration.

The considerations for cooling a CPU used for gaming are similar to those for overclocking, as both scenarios demand consistent performance under high loads. Air cooling can be sufficient if you don't plan to overclock your CPU, but it's important to ensure that your setup is robust enough to handle the heat generated by gaming and other CPU-intensive tasks.

Games and CPU-intensive applications often push the processor toward the upper end of its Thermal Design Power (TDP) range, which can lead to increased temperatures and potential throttling. To avoid this, a larger, high-quality air-cooled heatsink paired with one or two fans is typically necessary.

However, even if you aren't overclocking, you might still consider a liquid cooling solution if you prefer quieter operation or want to maintain lower temperatures for optimal performance and longevity.

• CORSAIR Nautilus 360 RS ARGB

  Sockets:	1851, 1700, AM5, AM4
  Max TDP:	260 watt
  Type:	Liquid Cooler

• Check the latest price of the CORSAIR Nautilus 360 RS ARGB on Amazon

• Designed for Intel LGA 1851, 1700 and AMD AM5, AM4 sockets

• Three RS120 ARGB fans with Magnetic Dome bearings (544.6 gal/min airflow, 4.15mmH2O static pressure @ 1700 RPM)

• Direct 4-pin PWM motherboard connection with daisy-chaining support

• We estimate that this supports roughly a 260-watt TDP (Thermal Design Power).

• Ultra-quiet 20 dBA pump noise with Zero RPM fan mode

• 360mm aluminum radiator with 450mm flexible tubing

• Copper cold plate with pre-applied thermal compound

• Addressable RGB lighting on pump and fans (motherboard sync)

• Includes universal mounting hardware and 5-year warranty CORSAIR Nautilus 360 RS ARGB Liquid CPU Cooler

• ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360

  Sockets:	1851, 1700, AM5, AM4
  Max TDP:	300 watt
  Type:	Liquid Cooler

• Check the latest price of the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 on Amazon

• Designed for Intel LGA 1700/1851 and AMD AM5/AM4 sockets with future-proof LGA 1851 compatibility

• Supports up to 300W TDP cooling capacity for high-end processors

• Features PWM-controlled pump (800-2800 RPM) and three 120mm fans (200-1800 RPM)

• Includes pre-applied Arctic MX-6 thermal compound and contact frame

• Integrated 60mm VRM fan provides additional cooling for motherboard power delivery

• Uses standard 3-pin ARGB headers for synchronized lighting effects ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 AIO Water Cooler

• Noctua NH-D15

  Sockets:	1851, 1700, 1200, AM4, AM5
  Max TDP:	220 watt
  Type:	Heatsink & Fans

• Dual 140 mm fans provide 220-watt TDP (183 NSPR) of cooling capability.

• Supports a variety of CPU sockets, including Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011, 2066 and AMD AM5, AM4, AM3, AM3+, AM2, AM2+, FM2, FM2+.

• Quiet operation at 24.6 dBA. Noctua NH-D15, Premium CPU Cooler

• Thermaltake TOUGHAIR 510

  Sockets:	1851, 1700, 1200, AM5, AM4
  Max TDP:	180 watt
  Type:	Heatsink & Fans

• The TOUGHAIR Series is compatible with a wide range of CPU sockets, including Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, 1156, 1155, 1151, 1150, and AMD AM5, AM4, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM2, FM1.
• I found that the dual 120 mm fans on the TOUGHAIR 510 did an excellent job of keeping CPUs cool, even under heavy workloads.
• If you're worried about the TOUGHAIR 510 taking up too much space in your system, Thermaltake offers a few single-fan variants that use different orientations, so you can choose the one that works best for your setup.
• With a max speed of 2000 RPM, the TOUGHAIR 510 provides optimal cooling performance when you need it most.
• With a 180-watt TDP (Thermal Design Power), the TOUGHAIR 510 offers solid cooling performance and is a great choice for anyone looking for a reliable and efficient cooling solution for their CPU. Thermaltake TOUGHAIR 510