How to know which processor cooler you need
Every processor has its own Thermal Design Power (TDP) in watts, that shows how strong the cooler needs to be. And so does every cooler have its own specification on how much heat in watts it can effectively cool.
! Be aware, that some manufactors rate their TDP inaccurate because of optimal conditions! !
Examples
Efficiency is varies from processor to processor and can go over 300 Watts of cooling efficiency on some processors.
As you can see I took the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360mm as reference with some newer mid-end and high-end processors. The cooler used is way too overkill for our mid-end processor, the Ryzen 5600x and you could get off cheaper if you use a smaller variant like the Arctic Liquid Freezer 240mm, which by the way is still "overkill" or some equally good air-cooler like a Coolermaster Hyper 212.
Don't get me wrong. There is no issue with a cpu cooler being too overkill. You can just save money by choosing a weaker cooler if you have a less heat intensive processor (low TDP). It's money that can be used otherwise.
You should always try to go a little bit higher than the TDP so you're on the safe side when your processor gets a little hotter.
My Recommendations
High-End
Air coolers
'Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
image source: https://noctua.at/de/nh-d15-chromax-black
➥ price range: ~100€/100$
➥ efficiency: "NSPR" 183, see ➟ https://noctua.at/en/noctua-standardised-performance-rating
➥ size : 150x165x161mm (fans included)
➥ sound level : 24.6dB(A) at 1500rpm
➥ check your motherboard compatibility here ➟ https://ncc.noctua.at/coolers/3/motherboards
➥ socket compatibility : 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700 with installation kit, 2011-0/2011-1/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+, AM4, AM5, FM1/FM2/FM2+
| Cons | Pros | |
|---|---|---|
| - very large cooler | + good cooling performance | |
| - worse memory clearance | + very quiet | |
| - expensive in comparison | + six year warranty |
'Be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
image source https://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/1378
➥ price range: ~80€/80$
➥ efficiency: ! 250W (varies from processor to processor) may be unrealistic !
➥ size : 136x163x146mm (fans included)
➥ sound level : 24.3dB(A) at 1500rpm
➥ check your motherboard compatibility here ➟ https://www.bequiet.com/en/motherboardcheck
➥ socket compatibility : 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700 with installation kit, 2011-0/2011-1/2011-3/2066, AM4, AM5
| Cons | Pros | |
|---|---|---|
| - very large cooler | + good cooling performance | |
| - worse memory clearance | + very quiet | |
| - slightly worse than NH D15 | + relatively cheap |
Liquid coolers
'Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360mm
image source: https://www.arctic.de/LF2-360
➥ price range: ~100€/100$
➥ efficiency: 200W+ (varies from processor to processor)
➥ size : 398x120x38mm, cpu-block/pump: 98x78x53mm, tube length: 450mm
➥ sound level : 43.2dB(A) at full load
➥ socket compatibility : 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200, 1700 with installation kit, 2011-0/2011-1/2011-3/2066, AM4
| Cons | Pros | |
|---|---|---|
| - uncommon design | + very good cooling performance | |
| + quiet pump/fans | ||
| + good price/performance for liquid coolers | ||
| + unlimited memory clearance |
➥ specialities: VRM Fan to cool motherboard VRMs, Offset brackets to fit the Zen 2+/3 hotspots which result into lower temperatures.
note: you can expect this liquid cooler to outperform every other air cooler on this list basically because of the huge cooling area of the radiator!
Mid-End
Air coolers only
'Arctic Freezer 34 eSports DUO
image source: https://www.arctic.de/Freezer-34-eSports-DUO/ACFRE00075A
➥ price range: ~45€/45$
➥ efficiency: ! 210W (varies from processor to processor) may be unrealistic !
➥ size : 124x157x103mm (fans included)
➥ sound level : 35dB(A) at 2100rpm
➥ socket compatibility : 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700 with installation kit, 2011-0/2011-1/2011-3/2066, AM4, AM5 support may be coming soon as installation kit
| Cons | Pros | |
|---|---|---|
| - obviously worse than high end coolers | + relatively small cooler | |
| - a little louder than some other coolers | + quiet | |
| - unusual AM4 installation may confuse | + cheap | |
| + good coling performance |
'Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
image src: https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/coolers/cpu-air-coolers/hyper-212-black-edition/
➥ price range: ~45€/45$
➥ efficiency: ! 150W (varies from processor to processor) may be unrealistic !
➥ size : 123x159x77mm (fans included)
➥ sound level : 26dB(A) at 2000rpm
➥ socket compatibility : 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200, 1356/1366, 1700, 2011-0/2011-1/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+, AM4, AM5 may be coming as installation kit, FM1/FM2/FM2+
| Cons | Pros | |
|---|---|---|
| - obviously worse than high end coolers | + relatively small cooler | |
| - slightly worse than Arctic e34 DUO | + very quiet | |
| + cheap | ||
| + good cooling performance |
note: You can mount another CoolerMaster fan on the other side as push/pull configuration and can get very similar temperatures to the Arctic e34 DUO if you like this design better.
DISCLAIMER: im not sponsored in any way by recommending these to you.
Every cooler on this list comes with included thermal paste!
Thanks for reading my Post and have a wonderful day! I hope I could help you out a little :).