Collection: Fans, Heatsinks & Cooling

Which cooling option do you actually need?

Most PC builders get tripped up by treating cooling as a single number, like a TDP rating or a radiator size, when it's really a balance of heat transfer, airflow and noise. At the entry level, a stock cooler or a basic single-tower heatsink with four heatpipes handles mid-range chips fine, but the fans are usually sleeve bearing units with small blades. They get loud and gritty as they age because the lubricant migrates away. Moving to the sweet spot, something like a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 or a DeepCool AK620, gets you dual towers or thicker fin stacks, six or more heatpipes, and a 120mm fan with a better blade profile. That extra copper and aluminium surface area is what allows the fan to spin slower for the same temperature.

Enthusiast gear changes different things. A Noctua NH-D15 G2 or a 360mm AIO like the Arctic Liquid Freezer series adds mass, radiator surface and often a fluid dynamic bearing that stays quiet for years. The gains are real but shrink fast. Going from a stock cooler to a good air tower might drop load temperatures by 20 degrees or more. Going from that tower to a premium 360mm AIO often buys 3 to 8 degrees. Where it pays off is sustained all-core loads, like rendering or compiling, where a bigger thermal mass keeps boost clocks from sagging.

Fans themselves come down to airflow versus static pressure. High airflow fans suit open mesh case fronts. High static pressure fans push air through dense heatsink fins and radiators, so they're the better pick for coolers and AIOs.

Upgrading and technical nuances

On modern platforms, the socket matters less than people fear. AM5 reuses the AM4 mounting hole spacing, so many older coolers fit with the right bracket, and LGA1851 shares its mounting layout with LGA1700, so most existing Intel coolers carry over. Check the manufacturer's compatibility list anyway, because some older kits ship with the wrong backplate or screws. Also look at how high-end CPUs & Processors behave. Current Ryzen and Core Ultra chips boost aggressively and hit their thermal ceilings quickly, so a cooler with good thermal mass handles short spikes better than one that only looks good in a steady-state test.

For air coolers, Thermalright Peerless Assassin and Phantom Spirit lines are the value benchmark, with Noctua NH-U12A and NH-D15 G2 sitting at the premium end for quietness and fit-and-finish. For liquid, Arctic Liquid Freezer III is the sensible benchmark, while Corsair iCUE Link and Lian Li Galahad lines add display screens and fancier cabling for more money. AIO pumps are usually the noisiest part, so a quality pump matters as much as the fans.

For case fans, look at Arctic P12 and P14 for budget airflow, be quiet! Silent Wings for low noise, and Noctua NF-A12x25 where you want the best static pressure. Bearing type is the main durability factor. Fluid dynamic and similar bearings last longer and run quieter than plain sleeve designs. Daisy-chain fan systems like Lian Li Uni Fan or Corsair iCUE Link tidy up wiring, but they tie you to one ecosystem for control software.

Don't forget that today's Graphics Cards / GPU dump a lot of heat inside the case. A strong GPU can warm the CPU cooler's intake air, so case airflow is half the battle.

Practical things to check before buying

Start with height. Measure the internal clearance of your Computer Cases against the cooler's listed height, and leave a few millimetres spare. Tall dual-tower coolers can also overhang the first RAM slot, so check Desktop Memory height if you're running tall heat-spreader kits. Most good towers either offset the fan or have a raised-fin design for this reason, but it's worth verifying on the spec sheet.

For radiators, confirm the case officially supports a 240mm, 280mm or 360mm size at the front or top. Top mounts can collide with tall VRM heatsinks on Motherboards, and front mounts may clash with long GPUs. Thick radiators also add to the total depth, so fan plus radiator thickness has to fit.

Check headers too. A decent board should offer a CPU fan header, a dedicated AIO pump header, and several system fan headers, all 4-pin PWM. Plugging a pump into a normal fan header that ramps down with temperature is a classic mistake that can cause overheating. If you're running many fans, a fan hub saves headers, though the total current must stay inside the header's rated amps. Also keep an eye on cable length for AIO pump leads and RGB connectors, and consider Cables & Connectors for extensions.

Finally, think about the whole system's power and heat budget. A high-draw CPU and GPU needs a quality unit from Power Supplies or the ATX Power Supply range. Hot, cramped cases also stress storage, and some PCIe 5.0 drives throttle without airflow, so a spare fan near your Solid State Drives (SSD) can matter. Check the CPU Cooling range for matching mounting kits.

Brands and local warranty

Reputable names here include Noctua, Thermalright, DeepCool, Arctic, be quiet!, Corsair, Lian Li, Cooler Master, NZXT and ID-COOLING. Each has its niche. Noctua leads on quiet air cooling, Thermalright and Arctic on value, and Corsair and NZXT on software integration and aesthetics.

Warranty matters more with cooling than people think, particularly for AIOs, which contain liquid and a pump that can fail. Buying through an Australian retailer means your claim is handled locally under Australian Consumer Law, without shipping a heavy radiator overseas or dealing with a grey import that the brand won't cover. Keep your invoice, since coolers often come with multi-year manufacturer warranties.

Frequently asked questions

Is an AIO better than a big air cooler?

Not automatically. A premium dual-tower air cooler can match a 240mm AIO and has no pump to fail. A 360mm AIO wins on sustained heavy loads and on clearing space around the socket, but costs more and brings extra noise sources.

Do I need to replace the stock fan on my case?

Not always, but upgrading to quality fluid dynamic bearing fans can cut noise noticeably. If your current fans rattle or whine under load, replacing them is one of the cheapest improvements.

Will my old cooler fit a new platform?

Often yes for AM5 and LGA1851, thanks to carried-over mounting layouts. Always confirm with the maker, because some require a new bracket.

What fan size should I choose?

Larger fans move the same air at lower RPM, so 140mm is quieter where the case supports it. For radiators and dense heatsinks, 120mm high static pressure models are often the better fit.

How often should I reapply thermal paste?

Quality paste lasts years. Reapply when you remove the cooler or if temperatures creep up noticeably, and clean dust from fins and filters regularly.