What is the Best Cooler for the Intel Core i9-14900K?

Intel has released its Raptor Lake refresh of its desktop CPU line of processors. That means that there is a new CPU at the top of its stack, namely the Core i9-14900K. This begs the question: What sort of cooling should you be looking at to tame this powerful CPU? Let's take a look at the various options for cooling the Intel Core i9-14900K processor from the many CORSAIR AIO (All-In-One) liquid cooling options.

The most important pieces of information about the Intel Core i9-14900K, at least as far as cooling is concerned, are the Processor's Base Power draw of 125W and the Maximum Turbo Power of 253W. You'll need to be able to transfer and exhaust that heat produced from this power draw in order to keep your CPU temperature as low as possible. To dissipate that 253W, you'll need a large radiator surface area. The bigger it this, the more efficiently the processor will be cooled, and the lower the average fan speed will be.

Intel is using the same LGA1700 socket as it has used previously, which means that you have plenty of options for coolers. It's worth noting though, that your case could be a limiting factor when it comes to choosing a water cooling system. Depending of your case, you may encounter the following limitations:

• Installing an AIO water cooler in the front of the case will reduce the space available for the graphics card, so you need to take the GPU length into account.
• Installing an AIO water cooler in the top of the case can limit the maximum height of your DRAM, especially for 280mm water coolers, so bear that in mind too.

If your case allows it, the iCUE LINK H170i RGB AIO Liquid CPU Cooler offers the maximum cooling capacity thanks to it's 420mm radiator and 3x QX140 Fans. It'll also makes for a relatively simple and clean installation with an iCUE Link System Hub, thanks to the single cable connection design.

For more modestly-sized cases, front-mounting the iCUE LINK H150i LCD Liquid CPU Cooler is probably a more realistic option. This AIO cooler not only delivers excellent cooling performance with its 360mm radiator and the pre-applied CORSAIR XTM70 thermal past, but it also features the same iCUE LINK single-cable system and a 2.1" IPS LCD screen for monitoring temperatures or displaying the latest gif you're a fan of.

If the space in your case is more limited, then the iCUE H100x RGB ELITE Liquid CPU Cooler is a great option. The twin-fan design does mean that you won't quite have the radiator area to be able to run these fans as slowly as the above options, but it'll still handle day-to-day computing without issue.

To find the cooler which is compatible with your CPU socket, we have made a tool that will help ensure you don't run into problems once your shiny new AIO cooler arrives. It's called the CORSAIR CPU COOLING Finder.

To use the tool you'll be asked what CPU you have, what case you're building in, and also what graphics card you're packing. This is so we can check compatibility for you, and so that you do not end up in a situation where your new AIO cooler will not fit into your case because your graphics card is too long.

Another option would be to build a Custom Cooling Loop, you'll be able to reach even better performance than with an AIO cooler. It will also look incredible, although we'd admit will take a bit more effort than an AIO.

Whatever cooling option you're looking for, you'll find CORSAIR has something for you.