Air coolers are just as good as AIO water coolers

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Key findings

  • Air coolers are reliable and can handle any CPU.
  • Adjust the TDP of the CPU to the cooling potential of the cooler.
  • AIO liquid coolers are aesthetically pleasing but have a shorter lifespan compared to air coolers.



When planning your next PC build, you might be trying to decide between air cooling and an AIO liquid cooler. After all, you know that you shouldn't let your CPU run hot while gaming, as this will shorten its effective lifespan and potentially damage it. That's smart advice, although modern CPUs have various protection mechanisms that kick in to keep them from getting out of control. The best cooler for your CPU is the one that fits your budget, your processor's TDP, and your PC case, whether it's an AIO liquid cooler or a CPU air cooler. If all three attributes are met, you can be assured of solid cooling performance, and then think about other aspects like aesthetics or noise levels.


Air coolers can tame almost any CPU

You do not need to cool liquid

CPU air coolers are some of the most reliable PC components. That's because the physics of convection and heat transfer are well understood, and there are no moving parts in the heatpipe to break. Cooling fans often last longer than your PC system, and I've used the same Noctua NH-D15 tower cooler on more systems than I can count in the nine years since I bought it. Let that sink in. Nine years of peak cooling performance on CPUs from Intel and AMD. It sat on my test bench for many years, swapped between multiple CPUs at every major launch. I can't say that about any AIO water cooler I've owned in that time, as they actually tend to stop cooling efficiently after a few years.


CPU tower coolers can also do things that water coolers can only dream of, like passively cooling a 12-core AMD CPU. This huge cooler uses no fans at all, but can still handle the thermal load of a 65W 12-core CPU and keep it under 70°C. My main PC has the X variant of this Ryzen 7000 processor built in, and the 360mm AIO water cooler I installed struggles to keep it under the 95°C thermal throttling limit. Air coolers can also fit into smaller spaces, with low-profile coolers designed for small form factor cases. There are just a few things to consider when choosing a cooler.


Make sure to comply with the TDPs

As with any cooling system, it's important to match the TDP (Thermal Design Power) of the CPU to the maximum cooling potential of the air cooler. Some manufacturers list TDP values ​​on their CPU coolers, while others, like Noctua, offer a CPU finder that shows you all the coolers they make that are compatible with your CPU, as well as the estimated performance based on stock settings or the potential for overclocking headroom.

If you want, you can also use liquid.

The aesthetic appeal is hard to deny


The XDA team has extensively tested a wide range of CPU coolers, and for the most part, air coolers can handle the most power-hungry CPUs like the Intel Core i9-14900K or Ryzen 9 9950X. At least with the default settings. When it comes to boost clock and overclocking, even the best air coolers and 240mm AIO liquid coolers can struggle to keep performance below the thermal choke point. To get the absolute best performance out of a flagship CPU, a 360mm AIO or even a 420mm AIO is your best bet. The rule of thumb for custom water cooling applies to AIO coolers too: a 120mm radiator length per 100W of component power. Our testing of the Core i9-14900K found that the chip drew 256W, the point at which it thermally throttled at 100°C, suggesting that a 360mm AIO is required to effectively tame this beast.


ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO Noctua 120mm Fan

Aside from increased performance, AIO liquid coolers also offer other benefits, such as improved looks since you no longer have a giant heatsink tower blocking the rest of your hardware. Many AIO coolers also feature ARGB lighting on the CPU block or small displays like the Asus ROG Ryujin II that can show system stats or animated memes. This makes it easy to keep an eye on temperatures or express your individuality. Noise levels are also lower, as AIO coolers' cooling fans often run at lower speeds than air coolers, especially if you have a 360mm radiator with three fans. It's a simple matter of how much air can be pushed to dissipate the heat, with more fans doing the same job at lower speeds.


AIO liquid coolers have a shorter lifespan

I've never had an AIO liquid cooler last more than a few years, and many brands I've owned have only lasted a fraction of that time. I will say that my job may make me a little harder on cooling equipment than the average user, but I've never had to throw out an air CPU cooler either. A few years ago, most AIO coolers had an average warranty period of three years. This has increased on newer models as manufacturing processes have become more sophisticated, and you can regularly find warranty periods of five or six years. That's long enough for at least one or two builds, but there's no denying that a premium air cooler will still perform well beyond that.


An image with text and an ASUS ROG Liquid CPU cooler in the background on a wooden table

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Modern CPUs are intelligent and reduce the boost to stay under the thermal limits

The final part of the equation for cooling modern CPUs is the intelligent boost and throttle routines built into the processors. These are designed to protect your CPU from damage no matter what cooling method you use. Take Intel's page on temperatures, for example, where it says that overheating is unlikely to damage a processor due to the built-in protection mechanisms. Note that this is not the same as damage from excessive voltage, which can be a major problem. As long as you match the TDPs of your CPU and cooler, you can essentially choose any air or AIO cooler that suits your build and style.

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