There was a time when stock coolers were more than enough for cooling your CPU. But recent CPUs from both AMD and Intel draw more power and generate more heat than stock coolers can handle. Even if you aren’t rocking an Intel i9-13900K or AMD Ryzen 7950X, buying an aftermarket CPU cooler can help you cool your chip while reducing noise levels. And you don’t even need to blow a hole in your wallet to get a solid option. Whether you’re targeting performance or aesthetics or both, I’ve got you covered with the best budget air and liquid CPU coolers.
There was a time when stock coolers were more than enough for cooling your CPU. But recent CPUs from both AMD and Intel draw more power and generate more heat than stock coolers can handle. Even if you aren’t rocking an Intel i9-13900K or AMD Ryzen 7950X, buying an aftermarket CPU cooler can help you cool your chip while reducing noise levels. And you don’t even need to blow a hole in your wallet to get a solid option. Whether you’re targeting performance, style, or both, this list of the best budget air and liquid CPU coolers has the perfect model for you.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Best overall
Noctua NH-D15
Premium pick
Noctua NH-U14S
Best compact
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Source: Cooler Master
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML120L V2 RGB
Best AIO
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Best overall
Cooling performance that doesn’t cost a bomb
$50 $55 Save $5
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition brings powerful performance to an affordable price point. While it’s not made to cool your Ryzen 9 or Core i9 CPUs, it’s a worthy upgrade from your stock cooler.
Pros
- Great value
- Solid performance
- All-black design
Cons
- Not for overclockers
Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 lineup has been a long-standing bastion of affordable aftermarket cooling. The Hyper 212 Black Edition continues that tradition with performance that is more than enough for the regular user. As long as you’re rocking anything more than an Intel Core i7-13700k or a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the Hyper 212 Black Edition won’t disappoint.
The single-tower design with four heat pipes delivers impressive cooling performance, even though the Hyper 212 family design is quite old at this point. Cooler Master ships the cooler with a 120mm FP120 fan, which is capable of spinning at 2,000 RPM and generating 42 CFM of max airflow. The fan also delivers silent operation while looking gorgeous in its all-black, anodized aluminum design.
The Hyper 212 Black Edition is more than enough for CPUs with TDP ratings up to 125W. It builds on the Hyper 212 EVO, a tried-and-tested and well-performing cooler while bringing a sleek design to the overall value proposition. Socket compatibility is another plus, as you can easily install it on your AM5 and LGA 1700 motherboards. You can even opt for its RGB variant if that’s your style. Unless you’re overclocking your Ryzen 7000 or Intel 13th-generation processors, the Hyper 212 Black Edition is one of the best air coolers you can buy.
Noctua NH-D15
Premium pick
The best option if you can spend a little more
$110 $120 Save $10
The Noctua NH-D15 is our premium pick and boasts incredible cooling performance for its price. It’s a beefy cooler with the brand’s signature brown aesthetic and can handle just about anything.
Pros
- Magnificient performance
- Premium materials
- Unbelievably silent
A list of the best air coolers without a Noctua cooler is almost impossible. The brand is known for its high-performing coolers, and it hits it out of the park with the Noctua NH-D15. While it has been on the market for a few years now, it’s still as popular as ever, thanks to its incredible performance and build quality. Whether you want to cool your overclocked Ryzen 9 or Core i9 chips or simply want a premium air cooler, the NH-D15 is a fantastic choice.
Featuring dual 140mm PWM fans, up to 1,500 RPM, and a dual-tower heatsink, the Noctua NH-D15 means business. The six nickel-plated heat pipes enable phenomenal cooling that can easily rival some of the must-have liquid CPU coolers available. But this solid performance comes at the cost of size, as the 150mm-wide fin stacks can interfere with your memory sticks. If this isn’t an issue on your motherboard, then there’s really no need to consider any liquid AIO or other high-end air cooler.
The Noctua NH-D15 is also a very silent CPU cooler with only a 24dB noise rating. You even get Noctua’s NT-H1 thermal compound in the box and a six-year warranty to round out this great deal. It’s compatible with the latest Intel (LGA 1700) and AMD (AM5) sockets as well. If you’re not on a tight budget and don’t mind its large form factor, the NH-D15 completely justifies its price. And in case you’re wondering, yes, it does come in black!
Vetroo V5
Best value
Great performance at a ridiculously low price
The Vetroo V5 punches well above its weight, performing as well or even better than many pricier offerings. It’s extremely affordable, comes in three colors, and can handle everything but the most demanding CPUs.
Pros
- Cheap but powerful
- Features ARGB and color options
- Can fit in any build
Cons
- Not for overclocked and high-end CPUs
- Not the most silent
- 1-year warranty only
The Vetroo V5 is the most affordable CPU cooler on this list, but don’t let that fool you. The performance it offers for that price can leave many other offerings in the dust. This understandably makes the V5 one of the most popular air coolers on the market. If you only use your computer for gaming or other basic tasks, you can install it and forget it. On the other hand, if you want to overclock your CPU, run non-gaming workloads, or cool high-performing chips, the Vetroo V5 might feel lacking.
The Vetroo V5 has five copper heat pipes and aluminum fins in a single-tower configuration as far as the design and build quality are concerned. The 1,700 RPM fan is a PWM model and can be adjusted for silent operation. You get support for plenty of sockets, including AM4, AM5, and LGA 1700. For RGB lovers, the Vetroo V5 has ARGB lighting for a well-synced aesthetic. And you can choose between black, white, and pink options.
If you’re low on budget and want a more than decent aftermarket cooler to cool your mainstream CPU, the Vetroo V5 is a great pick. The performance it offers at its price easily makes it our best value option.
Noctua NH-U14S
Best compact
Best small high-performance option
With the familiar Noctua performance in a slim form factor, the NH-U14S might be the perfect cooler — if you can handle its beige and brown color scheme.
Pros
- Great performance
- Silent and compact
- Premium build quality
Cons
- Pricey
- Design not for everyone
Noctua has produced some truly magnificent coolers over the years, one of which we’ve already covered on this list. The Noctua NH-U14S earns the manufacturer another spot due to its equally impressive performance combined with a compact design. Not all motherboards are ideal for massive heatsinks that tower over the RAM sticks. And some users simply don’t prefer the overbearing form factor. Well, the NH-U14S solves this issue without sacrificing performance.
The NH-U14S features the same 140mm NF-A15 fan and the nickel-plated heat pipes and mounting base found on the larger NH-D15. The cooler’s premium materials and construction provide class-leading cooling at a fairly reasonable price. What’s interesting is that the NH-U14S performs quite similarly to the NH-D15 at 1,500 RPM despite being considerably cheaper. And it’s incredibly silent as well at 24.6 dB, thanks to the meticulous optimization by Noctua.
While the NH-U14S might not be the absolute slimmest cooler available, it’s the best combination of size and cooling capabilities. If you have a Threadripper CPU waiting to be cooled, Noctua also offers a Threadripper variant.
Source: Cooler Master
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML120L V2 RGB
Best AIO
Affordable liquid cooling
$85 $90 Save $5
The ML120L V2 RGB is Cooler Master’s improved 120mm AIO offering that performs well, looks good, and costs less than some air coolers with similar cooling capabilities.
Pros
- Compact
- Great performance
- Customizable RGB
Cons
- Not for overclockers
- RGB controller uses Molex
- 2-year warranty
When it comes to liquid AIOs, Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid lineup has been quite popular. Offering up to 360mm coolers to tame the most demanding Intel and Ryzen chips, they’ve also been working on winning the budget AIO segment. While many users might not think of 120mm variants when considering liquid coolers, the ML120L V2 RGB perfectly fits several use cases, especially where space is a luxury.
It’s true that 240mm and 360mm radiators do a better job of cooling the highest-end CPUs compared to a 120mm one. But if you only have a Ryzen 7 or Intel i7 CPU in your system or don’t have the room or adequate mounting slots, a 120mm AIO can be the answer. The ML120L V2 RGB offers not only great cooling performance for its price but also looks good with its sleek design and tasteful RGB. The improvements over the previous version aren’t just cosmetic. The V2 has increased radiator surface area, an improved SickleFlow fan, a more efficient dual-chamber pump, and overall less noise.
Socket compatibility is not an issue either, as LGA 1700 and AM5 sockets are supported. It’s quite simple to install, comes with a tube of thermal paste, and can fit almost any case. For those looking for a more silent and aesthetic alternative to bigger air coolers, the ML120L V2 RGB is one of the most reliable and affordable liquid coolers out there. Watch out for sales, too, as it’s often discounted by almost $10 off its regular price.
Deepcool AK500 Zero Dark
Best single tower
Unbeatable performance and design for the price
The Deepcool AK500 Zero Dark is almost impossible to beat in its price segment, as it delivers top-notch performance, near-silent operation, and a gorgeous all-black design.
Pros
- Can easily cool up to 240W
- Silent and beautiful
- Great value
The Deepcool AK500 follows in the footsteps of the AK400, an already great performer from Deepcool’s excellent lineup. It vastly improves on its predecessor with a heatsink that’s twice as thick and by adding a fifth heat pipe. The overall results make the AK500 capable of handling CPUs with TDPs of up to 240W. Even a Core i9-13900K running on boost clocks is fair game for this excellent single-tower air cooler.
The design and build quality of the AK500 Zero Dark belie its MSRP. Featuring an all-black aesthetic, including a 90mm heatsink, FK120 fan, and five nickel-plated copper heat pipes, you get a visual treat that performs equally great. The angled heat pipes of the cooler allow complete access to your RAM sticks, and the side of the AK500 looks sleek yet weighty. Installing the AK500 is a breeze on any socket, and it also comes with a bundled tube of thermal paste. The 120mm fan perfectly complements the heatsink with its 1,850 RPM support and sub-35 dBA noise levels.
The Deepcool AK500 Zero Dark is one of the standout air coolers in the value segment, combining serious cooling chops with impressive acoustics. If the all-black aesthetic isn’t for you, it’s also available in an all-white and regular chrome design. And Deepcool provides a decent 3-year warranty to give you peace of mind.
Source: Thermalright
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB
Best dual tower
Punches way above its weight
Thermalright manages to surpass nearly every air cooler in its range by delivering flawless performance, incredible acoustics, and great build quality at an unbelievable price.
Pros
- Outstanding, AIO-like performance
- Near-silent operation
- Astonishing value
Cons
- Might be too big for some cases
Thermalright might be a brand you’ve never heard of, but it’ll be a mistake to ignore their Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB cooler. The PA 120 SE ARGB is one of the most powerful air coolers on the market, featuring a massive dual-tower, dual-fan design with six nickel-plated copper heat pipes. It can easily handle loads up to 265W without breaking a sweat. With the kind of performance it delivers, you might question the existence of many premium 360mm liquid coolers.
Nothing about the PA 120 SE ARGB seems cheap, except its price. You get a premium-feeling heatsink and two 120mm fans capable of spinning at 1,500 RPM and generating more than 66CFM of airflow. And all this is done without exceeding 34 dBA sound levels, even at the most demanding loads. Even if you need a capable cooler for keeping your overclocked Core i9 or Ryzen 9 in check, it’s completely up to the task.
Thermalright has produced a truly magnificent product that puts high-end performance and acoustics in the hands of everyone. The ARGB fan further enhances its aesthetics and value proposition. But if you don’t prefer ARGB, you can go with the black and white variants. Thermalright even provides a 3-year warranty for its coolers which is more than that promised by many bigger brands.
Source: Deepcool
Deepcool AK620
Best white
Excellent combination of performance and looks
The Deepcool AK620 represents another excellent dual-tower cooler from the brand that delivers performance similar to that of more premium coolers at a lower price and boasts a clean design that’s hard to beat.
Pros
- Top-notch performance
- Low noise
- Striking design
Aesthetics are sometimes more important than performance for some users. If that’s you, the Deepcool AK620 in white might just be one of the most striking air coolers you can get. It excels in performance and acoustics and comes in a gorgeous white design that will perfectly complement white PC cases. Plus, you’re getting the performance offered by more premium coolers from Deepcool at a significantly lower price.
Build quality–wise, the AK620 brings the same premium materials seen in Deepcool’s other coolers. The design features an all-white dual-tower heatsink and two 120mm FK120 fans capable of spinning at 1,850 RPM and generating close to 70CFM of airflow. There are six nickel-plated copper heat pipes to dissipate heat, and they’re also white. The package includes a tube of thermal paste and a PWM splitter as well. Moreover, you get ample clearance for your memory sticks due to the optimized heat pipe design.
The Deepcool AK620 performs better than more budget coolers and almost matches the high-end performance of coolers like the Noctua NH-D15 and Deepcool Assassin III. Although its MSRP isn’t strictly cheap, the value it offers at that price is frankly more than impressive.
What’s the best budget cooler for you?
Budget CPU coolers have come a long way from just a few years ago. You don’t really need to spend a lot to install adequate cooling inside your case. A decent air cooler or liquid AIO is a perfectly suitable choice for cooling most modern chips in many workloads.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Best overall
$50 $55 Save $5
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition brings powerful performance to an affordable price point. While it’s not made to cool your Ryzen 9 or Core i9 CPUs, it’s a worthy upgrade from your stock cooler.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition will work for most users running their CPUs at stock settings. It’s easy to install, and thanks to a compact design, it can fit in most cases out there. If you want something more powerful to cool your Ryzen 9 or Intel Core i9 chips, the Noctua NH-D15 is a great premium budget air cooler that’s as silent as it’s capable. For those looking for the cheapest cooling solution available, the Vetroo V5 delivers great performance for its price and is more than enough for most users.