This round-up shows benchmarks for the Best CPU Coolers of 2021, including the best air coolers vs. water coolers (AIOs), best coolers for AMD Ryzen, and best for Intel desktop CPUs. Sponsor: Buy Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut paste on Amazon (https://geni.us/JMVNtOE) or Hydronaut paste for water cooling (Amazon - https://geni.us/Fsray) Watch our Best CPUs of 2021 round-up here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_ZAdsAUN7s This flyover round-up for the end of 2021 looks at the best coolers available right now. That means we're looking for coolers in various categories, following a year of in-depth, intensive reviews of each of the coolers we're evaluating (and more that we haven't published yet). The best CPU coolers for Intel Alder Lake (e.g. 12900K, 12600K, 12700K) and AMD Ryzen (R9 5950X, R9 5900X, R5 5600X) mostly follow the same parameters, and so we'll be looking at noise-normalized thermals, flat-out thermals at full fan speed, mechanical design, and value (budget pricing). If you're upgrading an existing system with a new cooler, this is a great way to reduce the noise level and improve the thermal performance of something like an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel i5-10600K (or similar) CPU. Remember that CPU cooler upgrades often carry forward to new builds, as long as mounting is compatible, and so the metal is rarely wasted if planned right. That means you could benefit from lower noise levels (and more OC headroom) today, then pull it forward to a new build. Testing includes some data on AMD stock coolers to help determine if they're worth using or upgrading. GN Toolkits are up on back-order! https://store.gamersnexus.net/products/gamersnexus-tear-down-toolkit - grab one to support us while getting something quality in return. We have been consistently selling through everything we make lately, especially toolkits, so back-ordering will guarantee you get one in the next run! Check out our Cooler Review Playlist to see full reviews of these coolers and more:    • Cooler Reviews   RELATED PRODUCTS [Affiliate Links] Best Overall CPU Cooler 2021: Scythe FUMA 2 on Amazon - https://geni.us/5qM0v Our Scythe FUMA 2 full review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT0UtQQ1rEo Best Noise-Normalized Thermals 2021: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 on Amazon - https://geni.us/PpbWg Our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCxqITPtXXA Best Flat-Out Thermals 2021: Lian Li Galahad AIO 360 on Amazon - https://geni.us/L54S Review of the Lian Li Galahad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FTtBHKMOAM EK AIO Elite D-RGB (Tied with Lian Li) on Amazon - https://geni.us/BLoSrXY Review of EK AIO Elite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTRFkYJMf9Y Best Budget CPU Cooler 2021: Vetroo V5 on Amazon - https://geni.us/9IAQF9 Review of the Vetroo V5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GXNgPSBq8g Best Mechanical Design 2021 - EK AIO D-RGB Elite (linked above) Worst CPU Cooler 2021 - Golden Field Initiate (review coming soon) Like our content? Please consider becoming our Patron to support us: http://www.patreon.com/gamersnexus TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Best & Worst CPU Coolers of 2021 03:07 - Best Overall CPU Cooler 2021 05:10 - Best Noise-Normalized Thermals (Liquid Cooler) 07:03 - Best Flat-Out Thermals 08:27 - Best Budget Cooler 2021 10:41 - Best Mechanical Design (CPU Cooler) 13:15 - Worst CPU Cooler 13:48 - Worst Trends & Conclusion (FYI - the note at about 9 minutes for the pressure map is mislabeled; it should be the Vetroo) ** Please like, comment, and subscribe for more! ** Links to Amazon and Newegg are typically monetized on our channel (affiliate links) and may return a commission of sales to us from the retailer. This is unrelated to the product manufacturer. Any advertisements or sponsorships are disclosed within the video ("this video is brought to you by") and above the fold in the description. We do not ever produce paid content or "sponsored content" (meaning that the content is our idea and is not funded externally aside from whatever ad placement is in the beginning) and we do not ever charge manufacturers for coverage. Follow us in these locations for more gaming and hardware updates: t: http://www.twitter.com/gamersnexus f: http://www.facebook.com/gamersnexus w: http://www.gamersnexus.net/ Host, Writing, Test Lead: Steve Burke Testing, Additional Research: Mike Gaglione Video: Keegan Gallick