Best CPU Air Coolers To Get For Your PC In 2023

Last Updated on January 16, 2023 by David

When building your pc, you want everything to be the best in each category though that also depends on your budget. Therefore, choosing a suitable cooler for your CPU is vital, and I’m not talking about how it looks or fits in your case; I’m talking about how it keeps the thermals of your CPU as low as possible so you don’t see a performance decrease. It helps to have a good cooler that gives maximum performance, has high durability, is not noisy, and allows long gaming sessions without you worrying about your temperature. In this guide, we will go over some of the best CPU air coolers you can buy in 2023.

Why Buy A CPU Air Cooler?

Well, some may argue here that it is a personal preference. Others might say that liquid coolers offer more cooling as they do a tad better when it comes to relocating the heat they gather, which they eventually release outside of the system via the fans of the radiator. In a nutshell, Air coolers offer a better price-to-performance ratio. They are considerably cheaper for custom liquid coolers and even some AIOs.

The overall effectiveness of an air cooler depends mainly on the material used in its construction; aluminum is cheaper and provides decent performance; copper, on the other hand, is more expensive but conducts heat better than aluminum.

In the end, you also avoid all the risks that come with liquid coolers, as we all know that if a liquid cooler leaks, it can be quite catastrophic for your system and may result in losing your entire system.

While most CPUs do come with a cooler out of the box. If you get the K series SKUs from intel or X series CPUs from AMD, you will need to get an aftermarket CPU cooler. If your default cooler has given up and you need something on a budget, then an air cooler is the way to go, as they are cheaper than liquid coolers.

If you are interested in spending more money on better thermals and silent operation, then you can check out our recommendations for the best AIO liquid coolers you can buy in 2023.

Best CPU Air Coolers To Keep Those Thermals In Check

Now that you know how an air cooler works and why you should opt for one, we will move on to our list of the best air coolers in 2023.

The following are the best CPU air coolers that we are going to investigate in this article and some of their main features that might help you in deciding which to buy:

Product	Features
Noctua NH-D15	Type: Fan and heatsink Compatibility: Intel LGA 1150 – 2066; AMD AM2 – AM4, FM1 – FM2+ Fan speed: 300-1500RPM Noise volume: Up to 24.6dBA Dimensions: 165 x 150 x 161 mm Weight: 2.91 lbs. (1.32kg)
Cooler Master MA410M	Type: Fan and heatsink Compatibility: Intel LGA2066, LGA2011 v3, LGA2011, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1366, AMD AM4, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM2+, FM2, FM1 Fan speed: 650-1,800RPM Noise volume: 6-31dBA Dimensions: 112 x 131 x 165 mm Weight: 2.5 lbs. (1.13kg)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO	Type: Fan and heatsink Compatibility: Intel LGA 775 – 2066; AMD AM2 – AM3+, FM1 – FM3+, AM4 | Fan speed: 600-2000RPM Noise volume: 9-36dBA Dimensions: 120 x 79.7 x 158.5 mm Weight: 1.3 lbs. (0.59kg)
Noctua NH-L12S	Type: Fan and heatsink Compatibility: Intel LGA 1150 – 2066; AMD AM2 – AM4, FM1 – FM2+ Fan speed: 450-1850RPM Noise volume: Up to 23.9dBA Dimensions: 128 x 146 x 70 mm Weight: 1.14 lbs. (0.52kg)
Deepcool Assassin III	Dimensions: 171.5 x 139.7 x 133.4mm Base Height: 38.1mm Weight: 42.7oz (1210g) Fans: (2) 140 x 25mm Socket Support: 115x, 1366, 2011x, 2066; FM2(+), FM1, AM2(+), AM3(+), AM4 Warranty: 5 years
Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4	Overall dimensions without mounting material:145.7 x 136 x 162.8 Total weight (kg): 1.13 TDP (W): 250 Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA 1150 / 1151 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011(-3) Square ILM / 2066 AMD: AM2(+) / AM3(+) / AM4 / FM1 / FM2(+) Fan: 1x Silent Wings 3 120mm PWM, 1x Silent Wings 135mm PWM Overall noise level: (dB(A)) @ 50/75/100% (rpm)

Now that we’ve taken a look at their specifications let’s take a closer look at each of them

Noctua NH-D15

This cooler is one of the most expensive air coolers out there, but there’s a reason why it’s expensive, Its performance is nearly similar to many of the AIOs on the market, and it even beats some of them in terms of performance.

The cooler has a dual-tower heatsink, and it comes in with dual 140mm high airflow fans.  You can hardly hear this beauty even when it’s spinning its fans at 100%! That being said. However, it is pretty big, so you’ll need to get a bigger case if you want one of these bad boys.

Pros:

• Excellent performance
• Very quiet
• Well known
• Handles heat very well
• Fits mid-tower and full towers
• 6-year warranty
• Thermal paste included

Cons:

• Bulky
• Expensive for an air cooler

Cooler Master MA620M – Best Design

I’ve always recommended people buy cooler master products. This one comes in black with RGB lighting, which looks very cool. It is not cheap, but you get a dual tower cooler with 6 heat pipes. Overclocking is going to be pretty good with this cooler. You get an SF120R fan with the cooler.

Pros:

• RGB
• Great cooling performance
• Sleek look
• 6 heatpipes

Cons:

• Bulky for small cases

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – Best Budget Air Cooler

People who are veterans in the PC building community will recognize this piece. The 212 CPU cooler has been around for over a decade, and there’s a good reason it’s still here. It has a price tag of a mere $30 and can dish out a good performance and keep your CPU cool.

The hyper 212 gives increased performance, and a small cooler can fit in any case.

Pros:

• Very Cheap
• AM4 Compatible
• Slim profile

Cons: 

• Loud

Noctua NH-L12S – Best Air Cooler For Small Form Factor PCs

If you’re looking for a very low-profile cooler for your system, then you need not look ahead, this cooler offers premium build quality and high performance. In high-profile mode, the cooling is significantly increased even more.

Pros:

• Quiet Performance
• Low Profile
• Best for small form factor PC builds

Cons:

• Hard to replace RAM while installed
• No RGB

Deepcool Assassin III

This cooler brings its twin cooling towers, a whopping seven heat pipes, and two 140mm fans to the playing field. Combine all this, and you get an incredibly awesome cooling and next to no noise. If you have a big CPU worrying you on thermals, you might want to look into this bad boy.

Pros:

• Budget-Friendly
• Silent
• Excellent Performance
• 7 Heatpipes
• 5-year Warranty

Cons:

• No RGB
• Doesn’t support all AMD and Intel Sockets

Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4

Ah yes, the dark rock pro 4 is a mighty air cooler that can even take on and beat most of the AIO 240mm liquid coolers. It’s beefy, has exceptional performance, and is a silent one even at high RPMs; need I say more? Though if you opt for this cooler, you will need a big case and spacing. This cooler is very, very big.

Pros:

• Impressive Build Quality
• Not Noisy
• Exceptional Performance
• Nice To look at

Cons:

• Expensive
• Really big and heavy
• Will cover your DIMM slots

These are all the Best CPU Air Coolers we recommend for 2020. If you are interested in this kind of content, you can check out our recommendations for the best PC cases you can buy now.