CPU Coolers
The best CPU coolers for your gaming PC
CPUs, also known as processors, consume a lot of energy and without a cooler will overheat and shut down or could even be damaged. Although many Intel and AMD processors do ship with a cooler included in the box, they only do an average job, and can be pretty noisy. It’s therefore a good idea to consider buying a third-party CPU cooler as it should provide better cooling and be quieter. There are two options - air coolers and hydrocoolers - to choose from.
Air Coolers
Air coolers are the traditional and lowest cost way of keeping a CPU cool. While you’ll find air coolers in all sorts of shapes and sizes, they all comprise two main elements, a large metal heatsink that conducts heat up and away from the CPU and one or more fans that blow air across the heatsink, transferring the heat into the air inside the case.
Hydrocoolers
A hydrocooler comprises several elements: a waterblock with an integrated pump which conducts heat away from the CPU into a fluid which passes through a tube into a radiator, which is in turn cooled by one or more fans. Finally the cooled water passes pack through another tube back to the waterblock to start the process again.
Still not sure which product is right for you?
