Cooling - Air

From compact units that fit in the tightest confines to larger towers that offer better CPU temperatures and reduced noise there is a broad range of air coolers to choose from. Given the diversity, the air coolers here have at least one thing in common - they are all compatible with Intel CPUs.

As always, check that your chosen cooler is compatible with your specific CPUs socket, that it won't interfere with other components on your motherboard like RAM or heatsinks and that it will fit inside your case.

From compact units that fit in the tightest confines to larger towers that offer better CPU temperatures and reduced noise, there is a broad range of air coolers to choose from. Given the diversity, the air coolers here have at least one thing in common - they are all compatible with AMD CPUs.

As always, check that your chosen cooler is compatible with your specific CPUs socket, that it won't interfere with other components on your motherboard like RAM or heatsinks and that it will fit inside your case.

These air coolers are the most compact around, and are ideal for systems where space is at a premium, such as with mini-ITX builds or Home-Theatre PCs (HTPCs). Given that these coolers prioritise small size over performance, most are not suitable for high-end, overclocked CPUs.

Ensure you check that your selected cooler offers the cooling performance necessary to cool your processor, and whilst most provide multi-socket support, as always, check that your motherboard socket is supported.

This mix of active & passive air coolers are designed for use in servers or workstation PCs. Prioritising utility & reliability, over aesthetics & features, these coolers are designed to get the job done out-of sight, and with peace-of-mind.

Often designed around a specific enterprise CPU, motherboard, or server chassis, ensure you check that your selected cooler is compatible with your server or workstation.

Not all coolers fit all of Intel and AMD's processor sockets, so these kits can be used to make a heatsink work with a previously-unsupported motherboard. This category also includes spare screws, fan attachment brackets and other accessories for popular coolers - perfect if you've lost a crucial component.

VGA coolers are the best way to cool your Graphics card when overclocking. This prevents damage to your components and can also decrease fan noise on certain graphics cards. Updated

High-end memory modules can be overclocked to deliver extra speed. If you fancy ramping up your RAM, coolers like these will improve heat dissipation and prevent turbo-charged chips from overheating. They look fantastic, too, so they're useful if you're going for a particular aesthetic in your latest PC build.