While stress testing in Cinebench, I run both with power limits removed and with an enforced 200W CPU power limit, using MSI’s Z690 A Pro DDR4 Motherboard and Be Quiet’s Silent Base 802 Computer Case. Only the most capable coolers are able to pass Cinebench testing when power limits are removed.

No responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information. The listed offers do not constitute legally binding advertising claims of the merchants.If you’re not sure if you want to go the air cooling route (a big metal heatsink with fans) or opt for a liquid-cooled AIO (a pump attached to a radiator and fans), there are a few things to consider. Large air coolers tend to take up more internal space in your PC case, or at the very least they need more vertical clearance off your best motherboard, which can limit your case options. Air coolers can also be louder and less efficient than liquid coolers at moving heat away from your CPUand out of the chassis. These days, though, that’s not cut and dry. If you can go the extreme route, there are fanless air cooling options like Noctua's Colossal NH-P1 as well for the ultimate truly silent cooling option, although you'll still need case fans to move the warmed air out of your case.

Tier 1: These coolers are able to keep the i9-12900K below TJ max in most loads, with no power limits enforced. I expect only the best liquid coolers to meet this standard.Due to requests from our readers, I’ve begun to include 95W results, which should be broadly applicable to CPUs like AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600V or Intel’s Core i5-12400. In these lower wattage tests, the Peerless Assassin once again lives up to its name, outperforming it’s nearest rival by six degrees C when fans ran at the default fan curve, and a whopping 12 degrees C when set to 50% fan speeds.

Tier 2: These coolers are able to keep the i9-12900K under the TJ max threshold with CPU power limits of 200W enforced. I expect most liquid coolers and the best air coolers to meet this standard. Radiators marketed as "360mm" may sound better than those "280mm," but this naming scheme only takes into account the combined length of the fans, and ignores their width. Spinning at the same speed, two 140mm fans will cool almost as well as three 120mm ones, while making less noise, being easier to maintain, and fitting into cases with 5.25" bays. With OCCT, Thermalright’s Peerless Assassin SE continued to deliver outstanding results. While it wasn’t able to pass 200W with reduced fan speeds in this scenario, at the default fan curve it averaged 64 degrees C over ambient – once again degrees C cooler than DeepCool’s AK500!Tier 3: These coolers are able to keep the i9-12900K under TJ max with CPU power limits of 140W enforced. Testing Methodology