With Arrow Lake, Intel wanted to reduce temperatures as much as possible without negatively affecting performance. The company largely achieved this with significantly lower power consumption, but the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is still a 125W TDP processor with a rated power consumption of up to 250W. That's a lot of energy for the attached CPU cooler must cope. Luckily, you don't need the absolute best CPU cooler to take full advantage of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. I've rounded up some of my favorite coolers for use with the CPU.
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Best CPU coolers in 2024
Buying the best CPU cooler is just as important as buying any other core component. Here are some of the best CPU coolers on the market.
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Overall the best cooler
Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 A-RGB
Arctic's Liquid Freezer III is a monster. It's affordable, performs well under heavy loads, and has a beefy 360mm radiator that can handle all the heat generated by the Core Ultra 9 285K. You will not be disappointed with this AIO liquid CPU cooler and it is one of the best for this purpose.
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Best air cooler
be calm! Dark Rock Pro 5
$90 $100 Save $10
The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K can only be cooled with air and the Dark Rock Pro 5 from be quiet! is proof of that. This is a true air cooler with two huge premium fans, a huge heatsink and a sleek, dark design. There's no RGB lighting here, just solid performance with no fluidity.
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Best passive cooler
Noctua NH-P1
The Noctua NH-P1 is a great example of how just because you could, doesn't mean you should. This completely passive CPU cooler is ideal for lower loads as it relies solely on natural convection for cooling. If you plan to use this impressive heatsink with the 285K, I would recommend installing a fan on the side or ensuring adequate air circulation in your case.
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Best cooler performance
Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX RGB
If you want to push your Intel Core Ultra 9 285K to its limits, the Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX RGB is for you. I love this cooler and enjoyed testing it with the Core Ultra 7 265K. It works well with the latest CPUs and has no issues with heat.
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Best cooler design
NZXT Kraken Elite RGB 360
$283 $300 Save $17
NZXT's Kraken series of CPU coolers are solid workhorses for cooling AMD and Intel processors. This Kraken Elite RGB 360 is perfect for the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and offers full support for NZXT CAM. You can even change what is shown on the screen!
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Best budget cooler
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Cooler
You probably won't be able to run your 285K very hard without running into problems, but the Termalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is a solid cooler at a reasonable price. It can tame the Intel Core Ultra series chips as long as you don't want to edit video.
Which CPU cooler is best for the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?
The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K generates a significant amount of heat, even after Intel shakes things up with Arrow Lake. While it's not quite as bad as the Core i7-14900K, you still need a powerful cooler to run resource-intensive apps and games. This is where the truly impressive Arctic Liquid Freeze III 360 comes into play. This AIO liquid cooler features a 360mm radiator to extract as much heat as possible from the liquids being pumped. It also looks good and won't drain your bank balance for the luxury of installing one in your system.
If you are not a fan of AIO coolers, I would go for the be quiet! coolers. Dark Rock Pro 5. With two premium be quiet! Fans, you won't have any trouble keeping the Core Ultra 9 285K under control unless you're working for hours at a high load. The best thing about this German manufacturer's CPU coolers is their emphasis on silent operation, as the two fans barely rise above the case's fan height. Even at full load, you won't notice much noise, making it a fantastic cooler that's worth its premium price. As long as the TDP of the CPU cooler matches 125W or higher, you're good to go.