How to Pick a CPU Cooler? An Ideal Guide

 Improper thermal performance can result in hot flashes, which ultimately leads to poor performance.

Although it is important to find a CPU cooler that best suits your needs, there are many features to play here.

It is difficult to give a strong recommendation or direct response, as one person may choose one option, the other 

But that will not be a cause for concern, as we are here to help.

This guide should help you find what you need, and hopefully, you can find the right CPU cooler.

CPU Cooler Compatibility

Cool CPU compatibility is a very important factor to consider before making your decision.

Here are a few things to keep in mind, such as:

Your processor socket.

Decent length tolerance for air coolers.

The size of the closed liquid cooling radiator.

Let's finish all this quickly.

CPU Socket Compatibility

The CPU socket is what saves the CPU.

CPU Socket

Your CPU cooler will fit this socket, instead of the actual motherboard.

Socks usually change after a generation or two.

For example, Intel's Skylake processors (and further) use the LGA 1151 socket, and AMD's Ryzen lineup uses the AM4 socket.

This is not as big a problem as it once was.

As manufacturers combine different brackets for different sockets, so you can use them on any platform.

However, it is worth checking to see if you have an old processor.

CPU Cooler Clearance

Once you have found a cool thing that supports your processor, the next thing you should consider is permission.

Some air coolers can be very large, especially those with two or more fans.

It is important to check if the cooler can really fit inside the case, and you can install your CPU cooler easily.

Noctua NH-D14 “Massive CPU Cooler”

Your air cooler should not touch the inside of the front panel, so the length should be considered.

It is also important to make sure that your heatsink does not get in the way of RAM slots.

In the case of water police, it is important that the radiator has adequate ventilation, and can fit properly.

Types of CPU Coolers

PC Coolers come in all shapes and sizes, so it may be difficult to find just what you need.

To keep things simple, we can divide coolers into two main categories:

Air Coolers

AIO (All-In-One) Coolers

Types of CPU Coolers

Air Coolers

Most aftermarket air coolers will look exactly like the stock cooler you get in the box with your processor.

Hyper 212 Air Cooler (Example)

They use a copper base plate and a metal heatsink (usually copper) and a very efficient fan.

Some high-end coolers include more than one fan for optimal performance.

There are a few benefits of cooling:

Over the years, advanced options have become much better, and they can compete with many AIOs out there.

And they are more affordable and easier to install.

Many of these high-level options can be quite large, so it is important to have enough space for them in your situation.

Alternatively, some air coolers can be significantly louder compared to closed or AIO coolers.

Thankfully, if you spend more money you can easily find a cool place these days.

AIO or Closed Loop Coolers

Liquid cooling is undoubtedly the best way to cool a good processor.

This is because water transmits heat much better than air.

AIOs usually have the same base as the copper base plate, but that is where the similarities end.

AIO CPU Cooler

They have a pump directly on top of the base, to conduct the flow of water through two tubes.

The tubes then go into the radiator to cool the water, then return to the processor.

 

Final thoughts

Whether you are an avid overclocker user who wants to work better or someone who does not want their processor to cook, a cool CPU is essential for anyone.

Although stock coolers are good (Ryzen stock coolers are decent), they can be a bit limited.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you find a cool CPU for your needs.