But there’s more to the company than its cases. Lian Li’s better known for its high-quality cases like the O11 Dynamic, one of the best water-cooling cases available. Instead, consider them general indicators and not ways to directly compare the CPU coolers we’re discussing today. So, while we’ve included noise level measurements for all the coolers on our list, we should stress that not all of these benchmark results are directly comparable. This often leads to wildly different results, even for the same CPU cooler. There are many variables involved, including ambient noise and the distance the noise measurement is taken from.ĭifferent reviewers measure noise differently ambient noise, equipment, and distance all vary from reviewer to reviewer. Measuring a CPU cooler’s noise output isn’t as straightforward as other aspects of its performance. But a truly quiet CPU cooler, like the ones we’ve selected here, will run quietly out of the box and can be tweaked for even lower noise if you desire.

Yes, you can tweak fan curves to turn any CPU cooler into a relatively quiet one. The quietest CPU coolers on the market strike a perfect balance between both, sacrificing little (if any) cooling performance for ultra-low noise levels. Sure, lower temps are always great, but that shouldn’t have to come at the cost of a loud CPU cooler. Keeping a CPU cool involves finding the right balance between temperatures and noise.

Cooling fan decibel ratings chart