Best AIO Coolers 2024
You could be looking to extract the maximum sustained clock speeds from your Core i9-14900K or Ryzen 9 9950X when it finally hits but equally you might want keep that tiny, affordable PC of yours running as quiet and cool under load as possible. Either way, there are some key considerations to keep in mind when you’re looking at finding the best AIO (all-in-one) cooler available for your new PC or if you need a great option after seeing how well top CPUs can handle such a heavy load.
It is, however, a much more convenient and less expensive option over a custom liquid cooling loop. And traditionally at least, AIOs have generally been able to deliver lower CPU temperatures with less fan noise over air coolers—though that’s not always the case today as some of them really are getting quite large.
Make sure your PC case has enough room for an AIO cooler; ideally, you want it at the top or back of the chassis to push CPU heat out. Most AIO coolers are designated as one of three sizes, which roughly correspond to the length of the radiator and thus imply how many fans you need: 120 (one fan), 240 (two fans!) or 360mm (three 120mm fans).
AIO coolers also available in sizes ranging from 140mm, to the more common 280mm and less so, all of which BUILDS′ offers. The rule of thumb is that the larger the radiator (in most cases), better it cools. Of course, cooling capacity also depends on other things like radiator thickness, materials and fan/pump performance—but you get the point.
A 120mm AIO should be good enough unless you are using an unfriendly core CPU( >5-6 GHz speed) as well not looking to overclock it. However 12th and 13th Gen CPUs from Intel is more stressful in term of cooler. And AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series, although much less thermally challenged than Intel chips in recent years, aren’t exactly cooling dreamboats either. As such, you’re getting better temperatures and slower-spinning fans as with any 240mm AIO cooler at best cooling performance but not fitting in all cases.
One more choice is setting up a custom cooling loop, this will need some mega amounts of cash and as well if silent operation together with low temperatures are crucial to you. Learn more about how these perform and look (good!) in our Blue Shift build feature. Keep in mind, these are always significantly more expensive over all other typical cooling alternatives and exponentially harder to assemble/install as well you will want double the components at minimum for a full GPU/CPU loop making future upgrading of parts such like your graphics card far/far more complex.
Don’t forget about the thermal paste (or a different type of TIM) that you will need to use with your AIO cooler when searching for the best AIO. Even box coolers include the stuff now, either in a tiny syringe or pre-applied to the metal cold plate. However, to ensure you are getting the best thermal transfer possible between your CPU and cooler plate, we have gone ahead and tested many products for hours on end in our labs so that stand back when it comes down to choosing which one is right for a custom build or all-in-one loop of liquid cooling.
New Coolers Shown at Computex
That meant lots of other new AIO coolers from Computex were using some kind of display. DeepCool, ADATA, Noctua, Hyte and a number of other companies displayed new or soon-to-come coolers. Stay tuned for our reviews of most all the new models in coming months, many likely to find a place on this page.
Best AIO Coolers You Can Buy Today
1. Lian Li Galahad II Performance 360
2. Cooler Master Master Liquid 360 Atmos
3. Iceberg Thermal IceFLOE Oasis 360mm
4. Silverstone IceMyst 360
5. Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT
6. Lian Li Galahad II LCD 280
7. Lian Li Galahad II Trinity Performance 240
1. Lian Li Galahad II Performance 360
Specifications
- Dimensions: 396 x 130 x 32 mm
- Pump Height: not specified
- Weight: not specified
- Fans: (3) 120 x 28 mm
- Socket Support: Intel:/1700/1200/1151/115x AMD: AM5/AM4
- Warranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
- Best cooling we’ve ever seen from a 360mm AIO
- Low Noise and Full Performance Modes
- Extremely strong noise-normalized performance
- Competitive price
Reasons to avoid
- Full Performance mode runs loud
Lian Li Galahad II Trinity Performance AIO Cooling Review Here you can see the new everything style build that was accomplished on this R6 chasis and it has resulted in some pure cooling domination. The cooler itself is pretty simple and installation was a breeze (due to many factors however) with an MSRP of just $169 USD. Results like these really make it impossible to suggest any other liquid cooler and for that I feel this is the first CPU cooler review where we can give a 5-Star award. It is, without a doubt, the best liquid cooler available to buy at moment.
ThermalsAlthough cooling performance is jaw dropping, thermals are just one part of the puzzle. This is really important as well, how loud the cooler runs. With a default setting Lian Li’s GA II Trinity Performance gets noisy, 55.2 dBA to be exact I have only ever tested a few coolers that are this noisy.
I’d normally pull up a point from me against the case, albeit Lian Li is making this wonderful with an integrated low-noise/high-performance toggle switch that will drop maximum fan speeds and noise levels at the flick of a switch. Coolers with a low-noise mode have generally traded thermal performance when using the more aggressive setting. However, when tested on my i7-13700K I did not see any thermal difference between the two. In low noise mode, it drops down to a total of 49.2 dBA (e.g., on part with MSI and DeepCool’s competing 360mm AiOs).
2. Cooler Master Master Liquid 360 Atmos
Specifications
- Dimensions: 394 x 119.6 x 52.2mm
- Fans: (3) 120 x 120 x 25 mm
- Socket Support: Intel: 1700, 1200, 115X; AMD: AM5, AM4
- Warranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
- Extremely strong performance
- Low noise levels in common workloads
- Reasonable $149.99 USD MSRP
Reasons to avoid
- Noise levels vary slightly at full speed
Cooler Master’s recently upgraded flagship AIO, the new MasterLiquid 360 Atmos really impressed me after installing and testing it. Thanks to the basic design, it makes very little noise in most common workload applications and subsequently performs thermally as well or better than almost any 360mm cooler I’ve seen.
That care is evident in the design, and with ratings of over 160k-hours for the fans and 210k hours for the pump (as well as a five-year warranty), Cooler Master clearly believes it’s built to last.
3. Iceberg Thermal IceFLOE Oasis 360mm
Specifications
- Thickness: 52 mm
- Width: 120 mm
- Depth: 397 mm
- Fans: (3) 120 mm
- Socket Support: Intel: 1851, 1700, 1200, 115X, 2066, 2011-0 & 2011-3; AMD:AM5, AM4, AM3(+), AM2(+), FM2(+), FM1
- Warranty: 7 years
Reasons to buy
- Low noise levels (for an AIO)
- Strong noise-normalized performance
- Budget price of $89 for the 360mm model
- Seven-year warranty
Reasons to avoid
- Can be difficult to remove after installation
According to CR, “Iceberg Thermal may not be the first brand name that jumps off your tongue when it comes to PC cooling…” However, its IceFLOE Oasis 360mm AIO just hits that sweet spot of performance with a reasonable price and quiet running. If two of those three top your criteria list, well then this cooler should be at the very unleash the shortcomes configurations. Its temperatures and cooling aren’t exactly top-notch, but they are pretty close. This cooler also isn’t the quietest out of the box, hitting 45.3 dBA at max noise levels (though again — it’s not too far off from chart leaders).
But dialed in to our 38.2 dBA noise-normalized value (quiet, although still noticeable for the majority of people), and the IceFLOE Oasis 360mm shows how big its muscles truly are: at a very close wattage cooled qty with that best-of-the-bunch performance there; far pricier options from Lian Li or Silverstone. For those in the market for a quiet or cost-effective 360mm AIO, the IceFLOE is worth serious consideration. And if you go for both then it’s arguably the best of them all.
4. Silverstone IceMyst 360
Specifications
- Thickness: 28 mm
- Width: 120 mm
- Depth: 396 mm
- Fans: (3) 120 mm
- Socket Support: Intel: LGA 1700, 1200, 115X, 2011, 2066 | AMD: AM5/AM4
- Warranty: 3 years
Reasons to buy
- Innovative stackable VRM and RAM fans
- Chart-topping noise normalized performance
- Strong overall cooling performance
- Reasonable price
- Accessible refill port
Reasons to avoid
- Fans run louder than they need to by default
The IceMyst AIOs from Silverstone demonstrate that the industry for CPU cooling still has a lot of space for innovation. In addition to providing adequate overall CPU cooling, this cooler allows you to install numerous fans around the base of the CPU block and direct them over your SSD, RAM, VRMs, and other components for an additional $16 per fan. There isn’t a product on the market that compares to this functionality. Additionally, the IceMyst coolers are less expensive than a lot of premium AIO cooler substitutes.
The IceMyst AIOs—we tested the 360 and 240mm models—performed admirably in our CPU cooling tests, typically matching or exceeding the best-performing coolers in terms of chip-chilling capabilities. Furthermore, Silverston’s IceMyst 360 cooler outperformed all others in our testing, handling 237 watts when all coolers’ fans were adjusted to the same low noise level of 38.2 dBA. With 228W, the 240mm model performed admirably as well.
My only gripe is that the IceMyst’s built-in radiator fans run rather louder than necessary by default, but that can be readily resolved by adding a custom fan curve. Don’t worry too much if fan noise disturbs you; the 360mm IcyMyst has the best noise-normalized performance of any cooler I’ve seen on the market when set to run silently.
5. Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT
Specifications
- Thickness: 27 mm
- Width: 140 mm
- Depth: 457 mm
- Fans: (3) 140 x 25mm
- Socket Support: Intel LGA 1700, 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2066; AMD AM5, AM4, AM3, sTRX4, sTR4
- Warranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
- Strongest cooler we’ve tested with Intel’s i9-13900K, handling up to 325W
- Comprehensive software suite
- 2.1-inch High-quality IPS display
- Fan curves tied to coolant temperature, rather than CPU temperature
- Won’t get in the way of tall RAM
Reasons to avoid
- 420mm radiator severely limits case support
- Expensive
With Intel’s i9-13900K, Corsair’s iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT AIO provides the highest cooling performance we’ve tested to far, managing over 325W in our most demanding thermal testing. Furthermore, the H170i Elite operates quieter during the majority of typical operations and does away with bursty fan behavior because, in contrast to other coolers, its noise level is directly related to the temperature of the CPU coolant. As a trade-off, we observed noisier functioning at the sustained load levels that we test at.
In terms of features and performance, the Corsair iCUE H170i Elite LCD XT is among the top coolers on the market right now. At $310, it’s also very pricey, but if you don’t mind forgoing the attractive 2.1-inch LCD, the business also sells an iCUE H170i Elite Capellix XT for about $240, which has the same radiator and pump.
Even still, that sum of money for a cooler is not insignificant. However, if your demands are so great that a 420 mm radiator is necessary, you can definitely afford to pay a little bit more to ensure that your potent CPU runs as coolly as possible when under strain.
6. Lian Li Galahad II LCD 280
Specifications
- Dimensions: 396 x 130 x 32mm
- Pump Height: not specified
- Weight: not specified
- Fans: (3) 120 x 28 mm
- Socket Support: Intel:/1700/1200/1151/115x AMD: AM5/AM4
- Warranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
- Stronger than most 360mm AIOs
- Low noise levels
- Vibrant 2.9-inch IPS LCD Display
Reasons to avoid
- Display makes for an expensive AIO
Lian Li’s Galahad II LCD 280 demonstrates that a 360mm AIO or a loud cooler are not necessary to prevent throttling in today’s high-end CPUs when done correctly designed. Its 280mm size means that it will fit in many situations where a 360mm model won’t, and its performance is among the finest of any AIO that we have encountered. Bright and effective, the accompanying LCD panel enhances the cooler’s visual appeal.
The Galahad II LCD 280 is priced at $229, which puts it at the higher end of the AIO range. However, if you’re on a tight budget or don’t want an LCD display, the Galahad II is still affordable at $159.99 for the 360mm model and $119.99 for the 240mm variant.
7. Lian Li Galahad II Trinity Performance 240
Specifications
- Dimensions: 277 x 119 x 52mm
- Pump Height: not specified
- Weight: not specified
- Fans: (2) 120 x 25 mm
- Socket Support: Intel:/1700/1200/1151/115x AMD: AM5/AM4
- Warranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
- Class-leading performance
- Competitive with 360mm AIOs
- Low noise levels in common workloads
- Reasonably priced
Reasons to avoid
- None
Lian Li’s Galahad II Trinity 240mm is a highly recommended option for those searching for a robust 240mm AIO. It is the best-cooling AIO available for its size, according to our testing. In addition, it is silent under typical workloads and costs a relatively affordable $119.99.
It never occurred to me that a 240mm AIO would dominate in cooling. Galahad Trinity II Performance 240mm from Lian Li was able to match or surpass 360mm AIOs, which were thought to be the best on the market.
8. Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 Atmos
Specifications
- Dimensions: 277 x 119 x 52 mm
- Pump Height: not specified
- Weight: not specified
- Fans: (2) 120 x 25 mm
- Socket Support: Intel: LGA 115x/1200/1700 AMD: AM5/AM4
- Warranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
- Low noise levels in common workloads
- Extremely strong performance for a 240mm AIO
Reasons to avoid
- Noise levels vary slightly at full speed
I was really impressed with Cooler Master’s new MasterLiquid 240 Atmos after installing and testing it. It’s evident that the business has made significant improvements to its flagship AIO. Even in the hottest workloads, the 240 Atmos is one of the few AIOs I’ve tested that can keep Intel’s i7-13700K below its maximum temperature. Noise levels are low in the majority of common workloads. It also has a thinner 240mm profile.
The RGB lighting and package, which includes installation instructions, further demonstrate the attention to detail. Additionally, Cooler Master provides a 5-year guarantee along with rated lifespans of over 160,000 hours for the fans and 210,000 hours for the pump to support the quality of this product.
Galahad II Trinity Performance 240 by Lian Li is significantly less expensive and cools slightly better. However, an ARGB controller box is included with Cooler Master’s Atmos to synchronize your lights with other parts. With the use of this controller, which alone would set you back roughly $20, the two coolers are essentially priced equally.
9. Enermax LiqMaxFlo SR 120mm
Specifications
- Thickness: 1.06″ (2.12″ w/fans)
- Width:
- Depth:
- Fans: (1) 120 x 26mm
- Socket Support: Intel LGA 1700/1200/115x/2066/2011/2011-3(Square ILM)/1366, AMD AM5/AM4
- Warranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
- Good balance of performance and low noise
- Unique CPU block fan
Reasons to avoid
- Not the absolute best performer
Most of the time, an air cooler will perform better and cost less than a modest 120mm AIO. Furthermore, an air cooler won’t make your computer noisy. However, there are some types of systems where a small 120mm AIO will be your best (or maybe only) option, due to factors such as extreme compactness or simply having very little clearance above the CPU socket and no room to add a larger 240mm radiator.
We put four of these well-liked tiny liquid cooler models to the test. Even though it wasn’t the best at cooling, the Enermax LiqMaxFlo SR 120mm provided the best value in terms of cooling capacity, low noise levels, and cost (it was retailing for about $80 at the time this article was written).
An additional interesting feature of the Enermax cooler is its RGB block-mounted fan, which not only provides some glow but also aids in air circulation around your RAM and VRMs. The additional airflow in this area might be a very useful feature, especially in very small cases where you would need to use a 120mm AIO.
New coolers, and likely new chipsets and CPUs, coming very soon
A plethora of new motherboards will undoubtedly be on display at Computex 2024 in early June, as new chipsets (and the CPUs that go with them) are anticipated from both AMD and Intel. We anticipate seeing a number of new coolers to go along with these impending new platforms because the trade show is also heavily component-heavy.
It would be interesting to observe how the new silicon—along with an updated socket from Intel—affects both the coolers that are introduced in Taiwan and the current AIOs. However, we’ll have to wait for the platforms to launch in order to do so. In the interim, visit our Computex 2024 coverage page to discover everything that Taipei has to offer in terms of new cooling hardware, along with a ton more.
Savings on the Best AIO CPU Coolers
Check out our list of Newegg promo codes or Corsair coupon codes to see if you can save some money on a product—whether it was included in our list of the top CPU coolers or not.