Intel very recently released the Core i9 10900K and touted it to be the king of the mainstream gaming processors. The Intel Core i9 10900K is built with the same 14nm technology and comes with 10 cores and 20 threads. However, the performance it provides comes at the cost of its power consumption. The TDP mentioned over Intel’s official website is 125 W.
Now in a real-time scenario, this TDP goes way beyond that when the processor is pushed for performance. The cores in the i9 10900K come pre-overclocked at 4.9GHz and go as high as 5.3GHz. The higher the processor reaches the performance marks the more heat it will dissipate. Hence, if you are going to buy this for your system then bear this in your mind that you will definitely need a good CPU Air Cooler or AIO Liquid Cooler to help this processor performing well while staying in a good range of temperature.
Noctua NH-D15 chromax.Black
Quick Specs [wp-svg-icons icon=”wrench” wrap=”i”]:-
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Type: Air
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Heatsink: Aluminium Dual tower with 6 copper heat pipes
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Fan: 2x 140mm Noctua NF-A15
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Dimensions: 140x 150x 25 mm
If you are going for CPU Air Coolers the Core i9 10900K, then the Noctua NH-D15 is undoubtedly the best you will find in the present market that is capable of handling the processor quite well. It has a mean look that can satisfy anyone if they are want to have something that will give a mean aesthetics to their builds.
The cooler is a full tower with two strong and huge black heatsinks that are connected via 6 heat pipes that are nickel-plated and use 140mm fans: one sandwiched between the heatsinks and one on either side. It is huge in size and also has the ability to handle the CPU thermal quite well. It can take another fan but it will be very difficult to do in practice because then your whole motherboard and you might find it difficult to have rooms for your other accessories.
The Noctua fans are the most silent fans and that means that you can have overall nice cooling performance and less operational noise. The NF-A15 fans support PWM for convenient automatic speed control through the motherboard and the maximum fan speed can be reduced from 1500 to 1200rpm using the supplied Low-Noise Adaptors for even quieter operation.
If you are having a good cabinet that offers sufficient air-flow, then you can opt for this cooler. It will serve the purpose of cooling quite well and it is capable of handling the CPU even at its peak performance. Moreover, being a CPU air cooler, it doesn’t need much maintenance.
Related:- Best CPU coolers for i5 10600K
[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-down” show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”true” pros_title=”What is Good?” cons_title=”What is Not?” button_icon=”icon icon-shopping-cart-1″ link_text=”BUY FROM AMAZON” link=”https://amzn.to/3iBHta5″ ][i2pros] Dual heatsink towers7 copper heat pipes
Top-notch build quality
Easy to install
Dual 140mm fans for massive airflow
Comes with 6 years of warranty
[/i2pros][i2cons]No inbuilt RGB lighting
Heavy
Need spacious and good air-flow cases
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Deepcool Assassin III
Quick Specs [wp-svg-icons icon=”wrench” wrap=”i”]:-
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Type: Air
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Heatsink: Aluminium Dual tower with 7 copper heat pipes
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Fan: 2x 140mm DeepCool fans
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Dimensions: 135×138×165 mm
The Assassin III is going to be the successor of the Legendary Assassin II and it is our second consideration if you are looking for a nice overall CPU Air Cooler that aesthetically pleasing and on the other hand also capable of providing top-notch performance. The Assassin III is designed in a novel thermal module layout and is equipped with 7 high-tech heat pipes. It uses groove-sinter technology which extensively increased the heat pipes’ internal surface area, and thereby elevates its heat transfer efficiency to a whole new level.
The Assassin III is also equipped with 2 powerful patented two-layer fan blades that can amplify the airflow up to 2.5m³/minute. Despite its chunky design, the cooler has enough room clearance even for your high profile RAM. The only con is that it is heavy and you need to be careful while installing this heatsink and it’s best to install the RAM kits before you put back the fan that is outside of the heatsink.
The Assassin III from Deep Cooler offers similar performance with that of the Noctua NH-D15 however, the main difference of this cooler is the price at which it is available. It also comes with good clearance for RAM modules and easy to maintain. The cooler can handle the CPU with ease, considering the fact that there is a good amount of airflow in the cabinet.
Related:- Best CPU coolers for i7 10700K
[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-down” show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”true” pros_title=”What is Good?” cons_title=”What is Not?” button_icon=”icon icon-shopping-cart-1″ link_text=”BUY FROM AMAZON” link=”https://amzn.to/3fu5LAV” ][i2pros] Dual heatsink towers7 copper heat pipes
Dual 140mm fans for massive airflow
Easy to install and maintain
[/i2pros][i2cons]No inbuilt RGB lighting
Heavy
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Cooler Master ML360R
Quick Specs [wp-svg-icons icon=”wrench” wrap=”i”]:-
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Type: Liquid
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Heatsink: 360mm radiator
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Fan: 3x 120mm MF120R ARGB
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Dimensions: 394x 119x 27.2 mm(Radiator)
The MasterLiquid ML360R features a dual-chamber pump along with double layer tubing and three MasterFan MF120R ARGB 120mm fans. The AIO supports all the latest sockets along with back-end compatibility for older CPU sockets.
The MasterLiquid ML360R comes with a brand new pump design along with 12 addressable RGB LEDs on the CPU Block and eight addressable RGB LEDs on each fan which can produce 16.7million color options and it is fully compatible with all motherboards and lighting accessories.
The MasterLiquid ML360R comes with a dual-chamber pump along with double layer tubing and three MasterFan MF120R ARGB 120mm fans. The AIO supports all the latest sockets along with back-end compatibility for older CPU sockets and is also backed by 2 years of warranty. This CPU cooler is a monster and is perfect for overclocking any 10 or 12 core CPU including the Ryzen 3900X and of course the i9 10900K.
What makes this AIO cooler different from air cooler? The answer comes with many variables. If you are having a case that doesn’t offer proper airflow, then a CPU air cooler won’t be able to provide satisfactory results. So in those scenarios, an AIO comes handy. However, what gives this one entry to our list is the fact that it is quite capable of handling the CPU at its peak load with ease. Apart from that, it is also aesthetically pleasing due to the inclusion of ARGB fans from Cooler Master.
[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-down” show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”true” pros_title=”What is Good?” cons_title=”What is Not?” button_icon=”icon icon-shopping-cart-1″ link_text=”BUY FROM AMAZON” link=”https://amzn.to/3gwRLYt ][i2pros] Huge 360mm radiator for strong overclockingPerfect for any high-end CPU like i9 10900K
Great aesthetics with ARGB lighting
High airflow fans with 66.7CFM of airflow
[/i2pros][i2cons] Expensive
A bit loud under full load
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
NZXT Kraken X63
Quick Specs [wp-svg-icons icon=”wrench” wrap=”i”]:-
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Type: Air
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Heatsink: Aluminium Dual tower with 7 copper heat pipes
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Fan: 2x 140mm DeepCool fans
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Dimensions: 135×138×165 mm
The Kraken series is the newest AIO cooling lineup from NZXT which comes with the best in class features. So if you are looking for a radiator that can fit well in most of the cabinets then this will be your option. It is of 280mm diameter and it comes equipped with Aer P radiator fans that guarantee silent operation.
It is easily one of the top 3 280mm AIO coolers ever made and has outstanding performance along with very silent operation that doesn’t reach even 40dBA. It does beat the Dark Assassin III by a few degrees as shown in tests done by different reviewers including the review of Guru3D but keep in mind that it costs much more than the Dark Assassin III.
It features a water block with Infinity mirror ring LED design which is unique and rare to find in AIO coolers. You can control the lighting via the CAM software from NZXT and display effects whatever you like from the customization area that can also let you control the operation of the fans. But unlike most of the AIO coolers that are nowadays trending in the market, this cooler doesn’t have RGB fans but if you care about performance more than that, then go ahead and overclock your 10900K without any worries.
[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-down” show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”true” pros_title=”What is Good?” cons_title=”What is Not?” button_icon=”icon icon-shopping-cart-1″ link_text=”BUY FROM AMAZON” link=”https://amzn.to/30tvZPE ][i2pros] One of the best 280mm AIO coolers ever madeGreat performance with overclocked processors
Silent operation with less than 40dBA noise
Infinity mirror ring LED design on the water block
[/i2pros][i2cons] Expensive than most of the 280mm coolers
Doesn’t have RGB LEDs in fans
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Thermaltake Floe DX RGB 360
Quick Specs [wp-svg-icons icon=”wrench” wrap=”i”]:-
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Type: Air
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Heatsink: 360mm aluminium radiator
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Fan: 3x 120mm Riing Duo RGB
[wp-svg-icons icon=”minus” wrap=”i”] Dimensions: 393x 120x 27 mm
The Floe DX RGB 360 TT Premium Edition is also a good option if you are seeking a cooler that is both superior in performance and also aesthetically pleasing. The Thermaltake Floe DX RGB 3600 TT Premium Editon is an RGB illuminated closed-loop cooler that spans across both the pump and fans featuring 16.8 million color options and can be controlled via its patent software.
It is equipped with digital control LED rings on the water block and fans and with addition to it, it comes with a Digital Lighting Controller on which you can add up to 5 devices at a time which means you can add an extra RGB fan along with the fans and pump that comes with this cooler.
Thermaltake Floe DX RGB 360 TT Premium Edition is definitely a good choice for the Intel Core i9 10900K processor and does beat the Cooler Master ML360R by 1-2 degrees as shown by the comparison done by Techpowerup. Surely, they are both very close and comparable but it depends upon you which one you like in terms of aesthetics, brand, and customizability.
[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-up” cons_icon=”icon icon-thumbs-o-down” show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”true” pros_title=”What is Good?” cons_title=”What is Not?” button_icon=”icon icon-shopping-cart-1″ link_text=”BUY FROM AMAZON” link=”https://amzn.to/30tvZPE ][i2pros] Best no-compromise AIO cooler for overclockingGreat aesthetics with RGB inbuilt lighting
RGB lighting can be controlled using software
Very silent operation
[/i2pros][i2cons] Not everyone can afford it
[/i2cons][/i2pc]
Conclusion
When it comes to picking a cooler for a high-performance processor like that of the Intel Core i9 10900K, I always personally prefer to opt for CPU air coolers considering the fact that I am having a good airflow case. The reason is quite simple, as compared with that of an AIO cooler, CPU air cooler requires less maintenance and care, and yet they offer more when it comes to the long run.
Further accidental leakage from AIO, might damage your hardware. However, if you are having a case that is not good for airflow then you can surely go for the AIO coolers and if that is the case, then make sure that you check them ofter to ensure maximum safety. For the Intel Core i9 10900K, my personal preference for CPU air cooler will be the Deepcool Assassin III and for the AIO, I will prefer to go with NZXT Kraken or Thermaltake Floe DX RGB 360 TT Premium Edition.
