Building a battle station is easy but managing the noise levels can give you some sleepless nights. The stock coolers are designed to be loud and there’s not much you could do to reduce the noise coming from the CPU fan. But, if you’re looking for the quietest CPU coolers that don’t make much noise then you’re at the right place. We’ve gathered the best silent CPU coolers that are available on the market in 2024. We’ve included all sorts of quiet CPU coolers in our list so make sure to stick with us till the end.
In a hurry? The highly-rated Noctua NH-D15 is our first choice for the quietest air CPU cooler while NZXT Kraken X63 is next in line for the best silent AIO cooler that you could get your hands on. Corsair H100i and Cooler Master Hyper 212 are ideal options for RGB-fanatics. If you’re going for a clean build then Be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 will be the one for you.
Read also: Best Most Silent PSU 2024
Best Quiet CPU Coolers for Silent PC Build: Quick Comparison
Best Quiet CPU Air Cooler  |
Noctua NH-D15
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Quietest AIO Cooler  |
NZXT Kraken X63
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Second Best Silent AIO Cooler   |
Corsair H100i
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Second Best Air CPU Cooler   |
Be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
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Cheapest Quiet CPU Cooler  |
Cooler Master Hyper 212
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Quietest CPU Coolers 2024: Reviews
1. Noctua NH-D15
Best Quiet CPU Air Cooler
Noctua NH-D15 is an enthusiast’s dream if they’re looking for a quiet CPU cooler with modern heat dissipation technology and excellent build quality.
However, it’s brown-ish exterior coupled with beige color isn’t really ideal for minimalist setups but for keeping the core cool, Noctua NH-D15 would be our first pick.
This premium air CPU cooler features a dual-heatsink design which comes with 140mm fans on each side.
Coupled with 6 highly-effective heat pipes, Noctua NH-D15 is capable of significantly reducing the temperature of the processor.
And in case if you’ve overclocked your processor, this air cooler from Noctua will hold up its end of the bargain and will maintain safe temperatures.
Furthermore, this air cooler comes with PWM fans with a speed control option that lets you tweak the fan speed now and then.
The ultra-quiet option further decreases the noise coming out of the CPU coolers and it’s virtually noiseless.
You’re probably here because you’re looking for a quiet CPU cooler for your build and for that, Noctua NH-D15 is a very decent option.
The color scheme might be a bit too old-school for some people but other than that, there’s nothing wrong with this super quiet CPU cooler.
Specification wise, Noctua NH-D15 uses SicuFirm mounting which lets you install this CPU cooler on all the next-gen processors from Ryzen and Intel.
Moreover, price-wise, Noctua NH-D15 is a bit expensive and if you’re looking for the ideal silent cooling CPU cooler for your PC then you will have to spend a decent sum to get your hands on this one.
2. NZXT Kraken X63
Quietest AIO Cooler
An AIO cooler with the excellent build quality and silent fans with a reliable pump for a reasonable price almost seems impossible but, NZXT Kraken X63 is everything and more that you ask from an AIO cooler.
It is, without any doubt, one of the most reliable AIO coolers on the market in 2024 that also offers the best bang for the buck.
NZXT Kraken X63 is a 280mm AIO cooler that comes with an RGB-lit pump and silent 140mm fans to keep the core temps on the down-low.
The pump is designed to efficiently dissipate heat and keep the processor cool under extreme stress and because AIO coolers are more effective than air coolers, NZXT Kraken X63 would be a decent choice if you’re ever interested in overclocking your processor to witness its capabilities.
The quality of the product speaks for itself and the matte-black exterior goes with all the other components of the PC.
For minimalistic geeks, Kraken X63 would fit right in with their clean builds. Furthermore, Kraken X63 comes with factory sealed dual-chambers with coolant inside of them to further decrease the temps.
For those worrying about leaking chambers, those uncertainties don’t happen with NZXT AIO coolers.
Price-wise, NZXT Kraken X63 is very fairly priced compared to its peers and its silent mode is far superior to many so-called quiet AIO coolers.
Lastly, NZXT Kraken X63 would be our top pick for the quietest AIO cooler that you could get your hands on. Read also: best quietest 140mm fan 2024 and best silent case fans
3. Corsair H100i
Almost Silent 240mm AIO Cooler
Whether it’s air coolers or AIO coolers, people tend to think that dual-fan heatsinks make much more noise.
But little did they know that AIO coolers like Corsair H100i are one of the quietest 240mm AIO coolers out there.
This AIO from Corsair features two 120mm fans that come laden with RGB lights with up to 16.8m color combinations.
Coupled with white dual-chamber tubes and an effective pump at the heart of the cooler, Corsair H100i is another excellent choice if you’re looking for a silent AIO cooler for your battle station.
The PWM fans of the cooler can be customized and if you want the quietest experience then switching to silent mode with minimum RPM would significantly reduce the noise levels.
The default mode is pretty loud but if you opt for the adaptive settings then you won’t be hearing much noise coming out of your PC case.
Aesthetically, H100i features an eye-catching matte white exterior with more than a dozen RGB lights to lit up your case with all sorts of lighting.
Although, you will have to regularly clean this AIO cooler if you don’t want it to fade after a few months.
Lastly, Corsair H100i is quite expensive and you’ll have to pay more than usual to get your hands on this one.
If you’re eyeing a decent CPU cooler that doesn’t make much noise and does an excellent job in keeping the cool of the processor then we really recommended taking a closer look at this noiseless AIO cooler.
4. Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
Second Best Silent Air CPU Cooler
Be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 is arguably the best performing CPU cooler that you could find out there and its silent fans won’t be exceeding the noise levels of 26dBA.
Be quiet! is famous for manufacturing the most reliable and the quietest gaming hardware and Dark Rock Pro 4 is an example of their finest work.
This silent air CPU cooler from Be quiet! comes with dual-heatsinks, similar to Noctua NH-D15 and the rest of the design is also quite similar.
The additional heat pipes and pre-installed thermal paste does an excellent job in keeping the temperature of the processor on the safe side.
In terms of noise, Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 is very quiet and even during stressful processing, the fans won’t be exceeding the noise levels of 26dBA while running at peak performance.
An added bonus of this CPU cooler is that it is compatible with the latest-gen Intel and Ryzen processors which makes it ideal and a future-proofed option.
Furthermore, aside from its cooling abilities, Be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 features a rigid build quality and the exterior is also quite impressive.
A CPU cooler of this caliber is often priced above a hundred bucks but, Dark Pro 4 is very reasonably priced and you won’t have to pay much to buy this quite quiet CPU cooler for your build.
5. Cooler Master Hyper 212
Cheapest Quiet CPU Cooler 2024
Last but not the least, Cooler Master Hyper 212 is an appropriate choice if you’re looking for a budget-oriented low noise option.
Compared to other silent CPU coolers on our list, Cooler Master Hyper 212 is relatively cheap and offers the best bang for the buck.
And in terms of loudness, this quiet CPU cooler from Cooler Master is known to be very silent with maximum noise levels of 26dBA under peak performance.
Design-wise, Cooler Master Hyper 212 features a 3-in-1 cooling option with an SF120R RGB-lit fan backed with heat pipes and a copper heatsink.
The cooling abilities of this cooler will definitely amaze you and even with overclocked processors, Cooler Master Hyper 212 would easily maintain safe temperatures while keeping the murmuring sounds away from your ears.
We’re pretty impressed with the build quality of the product and its low-profile design allows the users to easily install this quiet CPU cooler in mini/micro-ATX computer cases.
Lastly, Cooler Master Hyper 212 is a decent CPU cooler that is silent and the price tag will not break your bank.
Final Thoughts on Most Quiet CPU Coolers
Your search for the quietest CPU air coolers and quietest CPU liquid coolers ends here because we’ve already picked all sorts of silent CPU coolers on our list.
Some of these CPU fans are budget-oriented while a few of them are expensive and might break your bank but, one thing that we’re certain of is that there is not a bad choice here.
All the CPU fans mentioned on the list are top-notch products that are worthy of your time and money.
If it was up to us, we’d go for Noctua NH-D15 or NZXT Kraken X63 because both of them offer effective cooling and both are equally quiet.
But, gamers with a deep connection with RGB lights have the luxury to choose Cooler Master Hyper 212 and Corsair H100i to get those glowing lighting effects that light up the entire PC case.
And then there are people who like clean builds and for them, Be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 is the most suitable choice.
Dave Pearson is a Canadian musician, sound editor, and audiophile. He is also the founder and owner of the website SoundProofGeek. On SoundProofGeek, Pearson offers advice and resources on audio equipment, including how to assess and improve audio quality, how to troubleshoot and repair audio equipment, and how to improve the music listening experience.
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