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Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
If you want the short answer: the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE is the cooler most LGA 1700 owners should buy. It cools a modern Intel chip hard, runs quieter than almost anything near it, and mounts without drama. The rest of this list splits by one question: a tall chip in a normal case, or a cramped build where height decides everything?
This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
Air coolers win on one thing water cannot match: nothing to leak, nothing to fail. Match heat-pipe count, fan RPM, and total height to your case and socket before you buy. Every pick below mounts on LGA 1700 from the start, from 57mm low-profile coolers to 154mm dual towers.
Top Picks
How To Choose The Best 5K RPM LGA 1700 Cooler
LGA 1700 is the socket Intel uses for its recent desktop chips, and those chips run warm under load. A cooler moves heat off the processor into the air your case fans exhaust. Three numbers decide whether a cooler actually does that job in your build.
Heat pipes and fin area do the heavy lifting
Heat pipes are sealed copper tubes that carry heat away from the chip, and more of them means more surface to shed that heat. A six-pipe dual-tower cooler simply has more metal touching moving air than a four-pipe single tower. That extra metal is why bigger air coolers hold lower temperatures on high-wattage chips.
You might think a faster fan always cools better, but fan speed, measured in RPM (revolutions per minute, or how fast the blades spin), matters less than people think. A faster fan moves more air but also makes more noise. the balance is a fan fast enough to push air through dense fins without sounding like a hairdryer.
Height and RAM clearance break more builds than heat does
Every tower cooler has a total height, and it has to fit inside your case with the side panel on. A cooler that stands too tall will not close. A second trap is RAM clearance — memory sticks with tall heat spreaders can collide with the fan, so many coolers let you slide that fan up a notch.
Do not confuse a fast fan with a good cooler
Beginners often assume a higher RPM fan always cools better. In practice, a quiet 1500 RPM fan on a big dual-tower can beat a screaming 1800 RPM fan on a small one. Pick the cooler that fits your case first, then balance airflow against noise.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Model | Best For | Fan Speed | Airflow | Noise Level | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE★ Best Overall | Most LGA 1700 builds | 1500 rpm | 66.17 cfm | 25.6 db | Amazon |
| ID-COOLING SE-225-XT BlackBest Value | Budget push-pull airflow | 1800 rpm | 76.16 cfm | 35.2 db | Amazon |
| upHere Dual 120mm 6-Pipe | Budget dual-tower value | 1600 rpm | 68.2 cfm | 26 db | Amazon |
| ID-COOLING IS-55 Black | Low-profile SFF builds | 3300 rpm | 54.6 cfm | 31.2 db | Amazon |
| Scythe Fuma 3 | Quiet dual-tower silence | 1500 rpm | 3000 cfm | 14 db | Amazon |
| be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 Black | High-TDP quiet builds | 2000 rpm | — | 34.8 db | Amazon |
| Cooler Master Hyper 620S | ARGB styling and reliability | 1750 rpm | — | 27.2 db | Amazon |
Detailed Reviews
1. Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE CPU Air Cooler
Our pick — 4.5+★ from 950+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
Seven heat pipes and dual fans that punch far above their size on any LGA 1700 chip.
This is the cooler to buy if you have a normal mid-tower case and a hot Intel chip, and you want to stop thinking about temperatures. It ships with seven 6mm heat pipes using Thermalright’s AGHP upgraded 4th generation design, which the brand says holds performance whether the cooler sits vertically or horizontally. The rated thermal load handling runs from 105W to 280W, so it covers everything from a modest i5 to a hungry i9. The dual 120mm TL-C12B V2 fans spin to 1500 rpm and push 66.17 cfm of air, each rated at or below 25.6 db.
What wins people over is the raw cooling for the money. Buyers report idle temps of 38-45°C and under 73°C at max load. Owners mention “On 9800X3D with Thermal Grizzly paste: under 70C CPU-Z all-core, 85C in 10-min Cinebench R23 (74F room, 1700rpm).” The cooler comes with thermal paste in the box, which saves a trip. It stands 154mm tall and fits a wide range of chassis, and the mounting kit covers Intel LGA1700, 1851, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, and 1200 plus AMD AM4 and AM5.
The honest catch is the fan clips. The metal wire clips that hold the fans on are fiddly, and more than one first-time builder found the orientation unclear. Expect to spend a few extra minutes seating them, especially if you want to raise the front fan for tall RAM. It also runs notably quieter than a faster budget rival nearby — the SE-225-XT Black is rated at 1800 rpm and 35.2 db, while this one holds 1500 rpm and 25.6 db, so the noise gap lines up with the lower speed.
Where It Shines
- Seven 6mm heat pipes with AGHP 4th-gen design handle 105W to 280W TDP
- Dual 120mm fans push 66.17 cfm at a quiet 25.6 db ceiling
- 154mm height clears most mid-tower cases
- Thermal paste included in the box
Where It Falls Short
- Metal fan clips have a steep learning curve for first-time builders
- Large heatsink can force you to raise the outer fan for RAM clearance
Buy it if: you want the highest-performing air cooler on this list for a standard ATX or mid-tower build.
Pass if: you are building in a low-profile or small-form-factor case where height is the limiting factor.
2. ID-COOLING SE-225-XT Black CPU Air Cooler
Two fans working as a push-pull team to move serious air through five thick heat pipes.
If your budget rules the build, this is the cooler that keeps showing up. It uses a push-pull setup, which means one fan pushes air into the heatsink and the other pulls it out the back for more throughput. The dual 120mm PWM fans spin up to 1800 rpm and move 76.16 cfm — more raw airflow than the Thermalright above — with a noise range of 15.2 to 35.2 db depending on speed. Five direct-contact heat pipes sit right on the chip, and the rated load handling tops out at 220W.
Owners keep it in the cart for the cooling per dollar. On a 65W chip it holds below 55°C under a full 10-minute combined CPU and graphics load, and it keeps a Ryzen 7600X under 80°C at full load. Customers note “Budget cooler keeps Ryzen 5 5500 (65W TDP) under 55°C in simultaneous Cinebench + Steel Nomad 10min 100% load; quiet, nice-looking, under.” RAM clearance is a genuine strength here — this cooler is designed to leave memory slots free even on mini-ITX boards, so tall sticks are not a problem.
Here is the trade-off. The noise is the mixed bag: with two fans moving that much air, it runs louder than the quiet crowd when you push it. It is also faster on paper than the Phantom Spirit — 1800 rpm and 76.16 cfm against 1500 rpm and 66.17 cfm — but higher airflow usually means more noise, and that fast fan is where the extra decibels come from. If silence is your priority over raw airflow, look elsewhere on this list.
Airflow leader: at 76.16 cfm and 1800 rpm, this moves more air than any other tower cooler here, and the push-pull layout makes the most of it.
Clearance win: designed to avoid blocking memory slots even on mini-ITX, so tall RAM is not an issue.
Reach for this if: budget is tight and you want maximum airflow per dollar on a mid-range LGA 1700 chip.
Look elsewhere if: you want the quietest possible build and can stretch to a lower-noise cooler.
3. upHere CPU Air Cooler with 6x6mm Heat Pipes
A six-pipe dual tower that lets you install the fan without pulling your motherboard.
For a builder squeezing a dual-tower cooler into a budget setup, this upHere model removes one of the worst chores. Its fan mounts without disassembling the board, so you do not have to unmount the motherboard or remove your RAM to fit the cooler. It pairs six 6mm heat pipes and two towers with a 30mm direct-contact heat-pipe area. The dual 120mm fans spin to a maximum of 1650 rpm, move 68.2 cfm, and stay rated below 26 db. Socket support is broad: Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1150, 1155, 1156, 1200, 1121, 1366, 1356, 2011, and 2066, plus AMD AM5 down through the AM3 and AM2 families.
The cooling holds up on mid-range chips. A Ryzen 5600X stays under 65°C gaming and under 72°C under sustained heavy load, even in a case with weak airflow. Reviewers point out “Excellent cooling for Ryzen 5 5600X: <65°C gaming, <72°C sustained heavy load even in limited-airflow OEM case.” One experienced builder flagged a limit worth knowing: it works best on standard high-wattage chips, and if you are running a top-end X3D processor, a cooler with a full base plate suits that chip better.
On noise it lands in a good middle spot — quieter than the SE-225-XT Black at 26 db versus 35.2 db — while still moving 68.2 cfm. The build is sturdy, the RAM slots stay clear for tall modules, and it comes with both Intel and AMD mounting hardware plus a screwdriver. The main thing to check is case space, because a dual tower this size eats vertical room and a few owners found it a snug fit even in mid-tower chassis.
Builder-friendly: the fan installs without removing the motherboard or RAM, which saves real time on a fresh build.
Broad fit: one of the widest socket lists here, covering older Intel and AMD platforms alongside LGA 1700 and AM5.
Best match: budget builders on mid-range chips who want dual-tower cooling and an easy install.
Think twice if: you run a high-end X3D processor, where a base-plate cooler is the safer pick.
4. ID-COOLING IS-55 Black 57mm Low Profile CPU Cooler
The 57mm-tall cooler that lets a tiny case run a full-size chip without choking.
If your build is a small-form-factor or mini-ITX rig, height is the whole battle, and this is where low-profile cooling earns its keep. The IS-55 stands only 57mm tall, so it slots into cases a tower could never enter. Five heat pipes sit under a 120x120x15mm slim PWM fan that moves 54.6 cfm. Socket support covers Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, 1151, 1150, 1155, and 1156 plus AMD AM5 and AM4. The fan spins up to 3300 rpm, which is the fastest on this list, because a thin fan has to work harder to move air in tight space.
Owners are consistently surprised by what a cooler this small can do. A Ryzen 9800X3D in an 8.5L case runs mid-50s to mid-60s °C in games, and a Core Ultra 7 265K holds around 80°C at 85-90% load in a bare-bones case before returning to normal within a minute or two. It also clears memory even in Mini-ITX builds, and the slim fan is removable for cleaning or swapping.
The catch is noise at the top end. Some find it quiet, while others report a coil whine, and a stock slim fan at 3300 rpm is audible when it spins up. One builder also found it installs in only one direction, with the cooler sitting over the RAM rather than the motherboard inputs, so low-profile memory helps. That fast fan is the reason to think about your case: in a roomy tower you would never need this, but in an HTPC or ITX box nothing else fits.
The standout spec: 57mm of total height is what makes this the fit for SFF and ITX builds that cannot house a tower.
Worth knowing: the 3300 rpm fan is the fastest here and can be audible at full tilt in an enclosed small case.
5. Scythe Fuma 3 CPU Air Cooler
Two fans spinning in opposite directions for steady airflow with almost no sound.
For builders chasing silence, the Fuma 3 is the one to study. It carries six 6mm heat pipes on a copper base plate, and its two PWM fans are different thicknesses — one 25mm and one 15mm — rotating in opposite directions to build static pressure and steady airflow. Scythe rates it at 1500 rpm and a 14 db noise level, the lowest on this list by a wide margin. Despite being a dual tower, it stands only 154mm tall, so it fits most Mini-ITX boards, including tight ones like the ROG Strix Z690I.
The thing owners notice most is temperature control under load. A 7800X3D sits in the low 70s gaming and around 80°C under stress at stock, dropping into the 60s with an undervolt. A 7700X under similar tuning holds the low 40s idle and around 71°C in Cinebench. That 14 db rating is the standout, and it lines up: this is quieter than an earlier pick — a genuine 14 db against the Phantom Spirit’s 25.6 db. One buyer summed up the jump from liquid: “Especially after coming from a 140MM Corsair water pump.”
Two things to weigh. And size is the one area reviewers called mixed — a 1.63 kg dual tower still needs case room. But for a machine you want to hear nothing from, the Fuma 3 is the air cooler most people stop looking after.
The Silence Case
- 14 db rated noise level, the quietest cooler on this list
- Opposite-spinning fans build static pressure for steady airflow
- 154mm height fits most Mini-ITX boards
- Ships with a magnetic screwdriver, paste, and extra fan clips
The Fine Print
- Costs more than near-matching value coolers
- Size verdict was mixed among owners, so check case room
Choose this when: a near-silent rig matters more than saving a few dollars, and your case has the depth for a dual tower.
Consider another pick if: budget is the deciding factor, since the value coolers run close on cooling.
6. be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 Black CPU Air Cooler
A compact offset dual tower built to keep a hot overclocked chip cool without the racket.
This is the pick for a demanding workstation or overclocked build where you want headroom and a clean look. The Pure Rock Pro 3 Black runs six black copper heat pipes with a nickel-plated base and is rated to handle up to 250W TDP. Its two Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM fans spin to a maximum of 2000 rpm, and the funnel-shaped air outlet is shaped to push airflow over the fins. The compact offset design is the smart part — it opens up room for your RAM and VRM coolers, and the front fan height can be raised if you need extra clearance. AMD AM5 users get an offset mount that centers the base plate over the chip.
Owners rate the cooling and the low noise together. An i7 11700K holds under 80°C in Cinebench where the previous cooler was hitting 96, and a Ryzen 9 5900X stays stable around 55°C while gaming. One reviewer noted it far outpaced their old liquid cooler: “It’s so much better than my water cooler.” The 34.8 db rating is a touch higher than the Scythe, but owners describe it as impressively quiet for the performance it delivers.
The honest catch is the AM5 mounting: some find the install straightforward, while others ran into issues needing specific bracket orientation, and the brackets are not interchangeable. The heat pipes also overhang the RAM, so tall memory sticks can create a clearance question, and a 1400g tower may not fit a small case. It supports Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, 1151, 1150, and 1155 plus AM5 and AM4, so LGA 1700 is fully covered.
Headroom play: a 250W TDP rating and 2000 rpm fans give overclocked and workstation chips the cooling margin they need.
Smart clearance: the offset shape and adjustable front fan make room for RAM and VRM heatsinks that block other dual towers.
Suits: overclocked or workstation builds that want quiet cooling with real thermal headroom on LGA 1700.
Measure first if: you have a small case or tall RAM, because the heat pipes overhang the memory area.
7. Cooler Master Hyper 620S Dual Tower ARGB CPU Air Cooler
Six heat pipes and a synchronized RGB fan for a build that looks as cool as it runs.
If your build has a windowed case and you want the cooling to look the part, this is the fit. The Hyper 620S pairs six heat pipes with a nickel-plated copper base and a dual-tower heatsink that the brand says doubles the surface area for heat dissipation. The 120mm PWM fan adjusts between 650 and 1750 rpm to balance noise and airflow, and its ARGB lighting syncs with your motherboard. It has a 27.2 db noise rating. The bracket design was reworked to simplify mounting on AM5 and LGA 1851 and 1700 platforms.
Owners value the simplicity and the steady temps. The cooling earns the most praise, with the dual-tower layout and dual fans keeping chips comfortable under heavy load. One long-term owner ran it for two years of heavy use and reported it stayed quiet and reliable, standing 154.9mm tall so it fits most mid-towers. The single-fan PWM design keeps the wiring simple, and it comes with an install kit and manual in the box.
Two practical notes. A 154.9mm height clears most mid-towers but can conflict with high-profile RAM, so check your memory heat-spreader height before you commit. And the airflow figure in the spec sheet is listed in milliliters per second rather than cfm, so do not try to compare that number directly against the other coolers here. The rest of the package — the ARGB look, the tool-light install, and the two-year reliability report — is what you are buying.
Style and signal: ARGB lighting that syncs with your motherboard and a dual tower that keeps the build looking finished behind a glass panel.
Set-and-forget: the adjustable 650 to 1750 rpm fan and simple bracket make this an easy install that shoppers say staying reliable over years of use.
Pick it for: a windowed build where matching ARGB lighting and simple mounting matter as much as the cooling.
Check before you buy: the 154.9mm height against your case and your RAM heat-spreader height.
Know the Specs
Fan Speed in RPM
RPM stands for revolutions per minute — how fast the blades spin. A faster fan moves more air but usually makes more noise, which is why the fastest fan here (3300 rpm on the low-profile IS-55) trades silence for the airflow a thin fan needs. For a tower cooler on LGA 1700, a fan in the 1500 to 1800 rpm range is typical, and the key is whether the maker balanced speed against noise.
Heat Pipes and Fin Area
Heat pipes are sealed copper tubes that move heat off the chip into the fins. More pipes and a second tower add metal surface, which is what lets dual-tower coolers hold lower temperatures. Pipe count here ranges from five on the low-profile model to seven on the Phantom Spirit, and the six-pipe dual towers sit in the middle.
Airflow in CFM
CFM measures cubic feet of air moved per minute — the raw amount of air the fan pushes. Higher CFM generally means more cooling potential, but it only helps if the air can escape your case. The SE-225-XT leads this list at 76.16 cfm, while the slim low-profile cooler delivers 54.6 cfm through a thinner fan.
Noise Level in DB
db, or decibels, measures how loud the cooler runs. Lower is quieter, and the gap matters in a bedroom or office build. Here the range runs from 14 db on the Scythe up to 35.2 db on the push-pull ID-COOLING, so a decibel-minded buyer has a clear spread to shop across.
Common Questions
Will these coolers fit an Intel LGA 1700 socket from the start?
How tall can a cooler be before it will not fit my case?
Will a dual-tower cooler block my RAM sticks?
Do I need to remove my motherboard to install these coolers?
Is a higher RPM fan always a better cooler?
How does a low-profile cooler compare to a full tower on LGA 1700?
Will these air coolers handle a high-end or overclocked chip?
Do these coolers come with thermal paste and mounting hardware?
How loud will a dual-fan cooler be in a normal gaming session?
Can I swap the stock fans for quieter aftermarket ones?
The Bottom Line
For most people building on LGA 1700, the winner is the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120SE because it cools a hot Intel chip hard, runs quietly at a 25.6 db ceiling, and fits a standard mid-tower without drama — the crowd favorite holds 4.5+ stars. If quiet is everything, grab the Scythe Fuma 3 at a 14 db rating. And for a cramped small-form-factor box, the ID-COOLING IS-55 at 57mm tall is the one to reach for. Whichever you pick, match the cooler’s height and RAM clearance to your build first — that single check prevents more returns than any cooling spec ever will.
How we choose
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of October 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
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