With the increasing power consumption of high-end processors, the need for premium cooling solutions is more crucial than ever. Despite being built on smaller process nodes, some processors can't help but need more power to perform intensive complex operations and crunch big numbers. Cooling solutions such as air coolers and AIO solutions have become more common in custom PC builds due to the same, but as the coolers become larger, the need for high-performance fans also escalates.
The Best CPU Coolers in 2024
Modern CPUs often require powerful and sustained cooling to maximize their overclocked performance. Here are some of The Best War Games's best picks!
With such CPU coolers, a PC may sound like a jet engine, which is pretty annoying when users want to work in silence. Considering that most users don't want to give up on exceptional cooling performance without sacrificing acoustic comfort, The Best War Games's hardware team has come up with the best quiet CPU cooling solutions to buy in 2024.
The Best War Games's Picks for the Best Quiet CPU Cooling Solutions in 2024
Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler
- Brand
- Noctua
- Cooling Method
- Dual Fan Air CPU Cooler
- Integrated Lighting
- None
- Noise Level
- Upto 24.6 dB
- Fan Speed
- 1500 RPM +/- 10%
- Fan Airflow
- 140,2 m³/h
The Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler is all about maximizing CPU cooling and doing so with as little noise as possible. Using the bundled dual Noctua NF-A15 PWM fans and low-noise adapters, the NH-D15 is a capable air-based CPU cooler that has a no-frills, all-business approach to its job of cooling some of the beefiest CPUs available in the market, assisted by the bundled high-end NT-H1 thermal paste.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info- CPU Socket Support
- Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151, LGA1150 and AMD AM5, AM4
- Uses ultra-silent NF-A15 fans for maximum performance and low noise
- Unparalleled cooling performance among air coolers
- Compatible with most platforms
- Too big and heavy. May pose problems in clearance.
- Color theme might not appeal to everybody
Noctua NH-D15 was and is still the king of all air CPU coolers for almost a decade now. Its unparalleled cooling performance coupled with an ultra-silent operation has put millions in awe. The NH-D15 outperforms every air cooler due to its premium heatsink construction that uses a dual-fan configuration for an excellent push-pull configuration. It's definitely a large CPU cooler to put on the motherboard, but its large surface area helps dissipate the heat pretty quickly.
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Two big aluminum blocks are used to effectively increase the heat dissipation process, which uses six copper heat pipes that go through the nickel-pated base to absorb as much heat as possible. The secret behind its silent operation is the two NF-A15 fans that produce a max acoustic noise of just 24.2dBA. Considering that these are 140mm fans that run at up to 1500 RPM speed, it's incredibly impressive to see that these fans can pull a feat like this. Noctua fans have always been at the top of the charts when it came to silent operation and, therefore, despite having a weird color theme, the NH-D15 has no competition whatsoever.
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Cooler
- Brand
- Thermalright
- Cooling Method
- Dual tower air cooling
- Integrated Lighting
- No
- Noise Level
- 25.6 dBA
- Fan Speed
- 1550RPM
- Fan Airflow
- 66.17CFM
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is simply the best budget air cooler ever made. The cooler costs under $35 and yet brings an effective dual tower design with two fans to create a powerful push-pull configuration. It's easier to install and is compatible with the latest platforms.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info- CPU Socket Support
- AM4/AM5, LGA 1700/1150/1200
- An affordable and unmatched dual-tower for excellent cooling performance
- High airflow fans with low noise
- Good clearance for RAM modules
- No RGB lighting
This dual-tower CPU cooler is cheaper than a lot of popular single-tower air coolers, yet it beats all of them fair and square. No other CPU cooler has impressed us more than the Peerless Assassin 120 SE. It's perhaps the only sub $50 CPU cooler that is recommended even for the higher-end Intel and AMD CPUs. With the capability of cooling over 200W, it's perfect for overclocking on a budget and is extremely silent as well. It's officially rated for 120-265W and features two blocks of properly grooved aluminum heatsinks.
A total of six nickel-plated copper heat pipes are embedded inside the pure copper base, which extends from each side to the top of each aluminum block. The cooler uses two 120mm TL-C12C fans, which are rated at 1550RPM at max speed and generate just 25.6dBA of maximum noise. With the flexibility of adjusting the fans through easily attachable and detachable clips, users can install or re-install the RAM modules without much hassle.
Be Quiet Dark Rock 4
- Brand
- Be Quiet!
- Cooling Method
- Single tower air cooling
- Integrated Lighting
- No
- Noise Level
- 21.4 dBA
- Fan Speed
- 1400RPM
- Fan Airflow
- 86.3CFM
Be Quiet Dark Rock 4 is a premium single-tower CPU cooler, compatible with the latest AMD and Intel platforms. With dense and adequately grooved aluminum heatsinks, the cooler absorbs heat quickly through the embedded heat pipes and dissipates it with the help of an ultra-quiet 120m PWM fan.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info- CPU Socket Support
- AM4/AM5, LGA 1700/1200/2066/1151/1150/1155/2011-v3
- Incredibly high airflow
- No clearance issues whatsoever
- Perfect for overclocking mid-range CPUs
- Expensive than most single-tower coolers
- Not ideal for intensive overclocking
Be Quiet! Specializes in making silent CPU coolers and while most of its air coolers are quite good in acoustic, the Dark Rock 4 is particularly an excellent choice for users who want a single-tower cooler with a large heatsink block to deliver superior thermal performance. The Dark Rock 4 is surely expensive, but is ideal even for cooling up to 200W, which prepares it for intermediate levels of overclocking. Best for mid-range CPUs like Core i5 13600K/14600K and AMD Ryzen 5 7600X/7700X, this cooler is also one of the best choices that poses no compatibility issues in most PC cases and will do its job silently.
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Producing max noise of just over 21 dBA, it won't be an issue even at its max fan speed of 1400 RPM. At 50%-75% fan speed, it will feel nearly non-existent and will keep thermal throttling at bay. Its heatsink block is quite robust and uses four copper heat pipes to deliver dual-tower cooler-like cooling performance. It's fully compatible with all the latest Intel and AMD sockets and comes with an additional 120mm Silent Wings fan with clips for users who want to maximize the cooling. Of course, that will result in a little noisier operation, but will let users experiment with clock speeds and voltages.
Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 A-RGB
- Brand
- Arctic
- Cooling Method
- 360mm Liquid
- Integrated Lighting
- Yes, ARGB
- Fan Speed
- 200-2000RPM
- Fan Airflow
- 48.82cfm
- CPU Socket Support
- LGA 1700, AM5, AM4
The Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 A-RGB replaces its predecessor successfully without breaking the bank. This AIo cooler is hands down the top performer in the thermals department and brings an upgraded VRM fan and dedicated contact frames for the latest Intel and AMD platforms. Its 360mm radiator is highly effective at cooling, and the fans bring beautiful addressable RGB lighting for gorgeous lighting effects.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info- Outperforms every AIO cooler on the market
- Incredibly low-noise
- Beautiful RGB lighting on fans and CPU block
- Radiator can cause compatibility issue
- Slightly noisier than its predecessor
The Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 reigned as the king of all the AIO coolers for a long time and was known for its ultra-silent operation. AIO coolers are generally noisier due to the combined noise of their pump and radiator fans. However, with carefully designed coolers such as the Liquid Freezer III 360 A-RGB, the noise is nearly as low as some of the best air CPU coolers. This third-generation AIO cooler replaces the LF II 360mm AIO with an improved VRM fan and pump, which now runs within an incredibly wide speed range.
Both the VRM fan and the pump are PWM-controlled and let users minimize the overall noise by reducing their operating speed. This is also true for radiator fans that have a wide speed range of 200-2000RPM and can result in an ultra-quiet operation when the CPU is not under 100% load. The increased speed range of the fan and the pump does slightly increase the noise when compared to the LF II 360, but it's hard to notice. Overall, it is the ultimate cooling solution for flagship CPUs, that brings a blend of excellent performance and appealing aesthetics through its A-RGB LED lighting.
DeepCool Assassin IV WH White CPU Air Cooler
- Brand
- DeepCool
- Cooling Method
- Dual fan air
- Integrated Lighting
- No
- Fan Speed
- 500-1350RPM
- Fan Airflow
- 63.76cfm
- CPU Socket Support
- Majority of Intel and AMD platforms
DeepCool Assassin IV WH looks like a cube more than a CPU cooler but has the ability to dissipate heat quickly from a high-end processor. It's totally white from top to bottom with specially designed shells to increase the airflow. With the help of 7 heat pipes, it does an excellent job on thermals and remains silent under high loads.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info- Boasts two different modes of operation
- Gorgeous dual-tower design for improving airflow
- No clearance issues for RAM modules
- Compatibility issues with some Z790 motherboards
DeepCool Assassin IV WH proved to be a successful experiment by the company. This cube-like CPU cooler is satisfying to look at, but isn't just limited to its fascinating appearance. It may look like a big single-tower at first glance, but it actually boasts a dual-tower design that uses multiple ventilated shrouds to allow the air to pass through. Despite looking like it would obstruct the airflow, it doesn't affect its cooling performance even a bit. Thanks to its distinctive design, it poses no clearance issues for the RAM sticks at all.
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It uses a dual fan configuration: One 140mm and one 120mm FDB fan, where one is sandwiched between the two heatsink blocks and one sits on the rear side of the PC chassis. This helps in maintaining clearance at the DIMM side. The fan's height can be adjusted according to the I/O shroud on the motherboard, but there are some Z790 motherboards that can pose compatibility issues.
Apart from this limitation, the Assassin IV WH doesn't disappoint in performance and delivers a silent operation similar to that of NH-D15. With a dedicated button on the heatsink, users can simply put it on Silent mode for a completely quiet operation or put it in Performance mode to increase its effectiveness in overclocking.
Noctua NH-P1
- Brand
- Noctua
- Cooling Method
- Passive
- Integrated Lighting
- No
- Fan Speed
- N/A
- CPU Socket Support
- AM4/AM5, LGA 1700/1200/1156/1155/1151/1150
- Noise Level
- 0dBA
The Noctua NH-P1 takes on the difficult task of completely silent and fanless PC cooling and manages to exceed expectations. This passive cooler utilizes six heatpipes and extra large and spaced-out heatsink fins for maximum heat dissipation. Thanks to its asymmetric design and layout, the NH-P1 will not block memory modules on many motherboards or interfere with PCIe slots. The end result is effective passive cooling that can handle high-end CPUs at stock settings, without the noise or the dust accumulation that plagues active air CPU cooling systems.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info- Zero noise operation due to no fan
- Compatible with majority of platforms
- Can handle 100W of load easily
- Not suitable for overclocking
- Pretty large and weighs over 1kg
Ideally, no CPU cooler can be 100% silent due to the presence of a fan, but a passive cooler has no sound-generating component. This is why going with a passive cooler can be beneficial for users who want pin-drop silence at all times. Unfortunately, most passive coolers aren't fit to be used with modern CPUs as without a fan, the heat dissipation is significantly slower due to high thermal resistance. The Noctua NH-P1, fortunately, solves this problem and is ready to be used with modern budget and mid-range CPUs that operate at around 100W. The cooler can handle occasional spikes in load and can maintain a temperature lower than critical.
This is achieved using a large aluminum heatsink that uses six heat pipes that extend from the base to the end of the aluminum fins. To maximize the airflow between the fins, each fin is around ten times apart from the other compared to what is usually seen on a standard air cooler. Furthermore, every fin is perforated to allow more air to pass through. This unusual design results in a massive and heavy cooler construction that occupies quite a large amount of space inside the chassis. Therefore, the cooler is only fit for chassis with sufficient clearance and for users who do not intend to overclock their CPUs.
Things to Consider When Buying a Quiet CPU Cooler
Cooler Type: CPU Coolers are either Air or AIO-based. The air coolers bring a block of an aluminum heatsink, some of them using copper heat pipes embedded inside the heatsink. The AIO coolers utilize a liquid coolant, a pump, and a radiator. Both have their own advantages and limitations, but premium AIO coolers, such as 280mm and 360mm AIOs, provide superior cooling performance.
Compatibility: Depending on the clearance inside a chassis, users can choose between a single-tower or a dual-tower cooler if they are opting for an air CPU cooler or an AIO cooling solution. AIO coolers require a dedicated area for radiator installation, which can be at the front, top, rear, or in some cases, at the bottom of the case if the case supports it.
RAM clearance is another important factor users should consider when choosing a CPU cooler, particularly a dual-tower air cooler. Dual-towers generally interfere in the process of installing/re-installing RAM modules. This is why many prefer going straight with an AIO cooler to avoid such issues.
Noise Level: While the official specifications on the cooler's official website page may not be 100% accurate in depicting the actual acoustic performance, it is a fantastic way of filtering noisy CPU coolers from the wishlist. After theoretical comparison, it's advised to compare the actual benchmarks of CPU coolers to see which one performs the best while remaining silent.
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FAQ
Q: What is the most silent CPU cooler?
Noctua NH-D15 is one of the quietest CPU coolers, crafted for overclocking modern Intel and AMD processors. Users looking to maximize the cooling performance should opt for the Arctic Liquid Freezer III AIO coolers.
Q: Why are CPU coolers so loud?
CPU coolers can get very loud due to their high-speed fans spinning at 1000 or 2000+ RPM speed. AIO coolers are typically louder with fan and pump noise combined.
Q: Is air or liquid cooling better?
Liquid cooling is generally better because it can handle overclocking pretty well as its liquid coolant speeds up absorbing heat from the CPU.