7 Best Air CPU Coolers For i7-8700k in 2024

So you’re building your own PC — you’ve picked out an awesome i7-8700k processor as well as a sweet motherboard; however, you need to make sure that your processor stays cool. Processors output a lot of heat, especially when they’re under a heavy load, and as you might’ve guessed: heat is a processor’s worst enemy. That said, you’ll want to make sure that you have an excellent CPU Coolers for your processor.

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Our favorite Air CPU Cooler is the Noctua CPU Cooler

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Not sure what the best air CPU coolers for i7-8700k are? That’s why we’ve assembled this list for you, to cut through the mire and give you a quick glimpse at what your best options are. Let’s dive right in!

 

Best Air CPU Coolers For i7-8700k

1. Cooler Master Hyper 212

Fourth up on our list, we’re looking at the Hyper 212 air CPU cooler by Cooler Master — this cooler is an excellent CPU cooler available today but is also achievable for most consumers as it’s directed at the budget market. With several heat pipes that make direct contact with your processor, the i7-8700k will stay cool, even under heavy loads. It is made out of slightly cheaper materials, thus the budget-level pricing, but the Hyper 212 is a stout performer when it comes to cooling.

Buy it now: Amazon

2. Cryorig H7 Tower Cooler

Coming in as our second contender for the best fan cooler, the H7 Tower Cooler by Cryorig is a great way to keep your i7-8700k running cool. Whether you’re running this one at normal speeds, putting it under a heavy load, or overclocking your CPU, the H7 Tower Cooler will be able to keep your processor cool under all circumstances. It actually has a unique fin system, which keeps your processor cooler by increasing the heat dissipation. Now, this one is a reasonably large fan, so it can be challenging to install, but not too bad.

Buy it now: Amazon

3. Noctua 14cm U-Series Single Tower CPU Cooler

Coming up as first on our list, we’re taking a look at the 14cm U-Series Single Tower CPU Cooler by Noctua. If you’re looking for a premium fan cooler for your processor, this is your guy. It comes with easy to install instructions, the heat sink you need, and everything you need to get your processor up and running quickly. This one is a 150mm fan, so it’s rather large. That increases your cooling capability, but it also means that it won’t work in many smaller builds — just make sure that you have the right mounts on your motherboard for it.

Buy it now: Amazon

 

4. Cooler Master MasterAir MA410M

Cooler Master is one of the best brands when it comes to computer part accessories, offering excellent performance in the majority of the products they offer. The same goes for their Master Air MA410M air CPU cooler for the i7-8700k. Attached this one to your processor setup, and you’ll get excellent cooling performance, even under heavy loads!

This one has some smart, automated technology inside — there’s something that they call a Thermal Detection Sensor, which monitors your processor’s temperature levels, and then uniquely displays the temperature through color lighting effects. It helps you visually see a detailed look at what operating temperature your processor is at!

The Thermal Detection Sensor isn’t the only unique technology either — there’s also Continuous Direct Contact Technology (CDC). This technology compresses the heat pipes together, and as a result, this air cooler can cover 45% more surface area on the cooler base, giving you better cooling power. It actually means that you’re getting better heat dissipation, and ultimately, can keep things cooler under heavier loads, such as during overclocking.

Buy it now: Amazon

5. Cooler Master MasterAir Maker 8

You don’t get much more high performance cooling technology than with the Cooler Master MasterAir Maker 8. This one has Cooler Master’s own 3D Vapor technology inside of it, which will put your cooling capabilities above many of the standard coolers, not he market right now. With 8 heat pipes on this cooler, you will get incredible performance out of your heat dissipation, which will put you ahead of the curve when it comes to putting your CPU under heavy loads.

Buy it now: Amazon

6. DeepCool Gammaxx 400

Our first and favorite contender for the best air CPU coolers for your i7-8700k is theDeepCool Gammaxx 400. What we really like about this cooler is that it has universal compatibility — suffice to say, you shouldn’t have a problem getting this one to fit in almost any system. There are actually four copper pipes in the DeepCool Gammaxx 400 that make direct contact with the CPU — this means that you are getting hear dispersement at a rapid pace, keeping your Intel Core i7 cool, even under heavy overclocking loads.

Buy it now: Amazon

 

7. MSI Core Frozr XL

MSI is another big name in computer part accessories. They’re well known for their motherboards, but their air CPU coolers offer excellent performance as well. Their Core Frozr XL actually features the company’s own proprietary AirFlow control technology. This works to give you better cooling and airflow on your processor. The Airflow control technology actually uses small indentations in the aluminum fins to direct more airflow onto the heat pipes for better cooling prowess. This means that you can get some overall better airflow, such as during heavy loads, or when you’re overclocking!

MSI allows you to give your CPU cooler some of its own unique styles, as well. There are actually a bunch of RGB lighting effects inside, which will enable you to customize your rig with your lighting style better. MSI actually has an app that you can use to customize all of the different lighting effects inside. This one actually works for most CPU sockets today, both Intel and AMD alike.

Buy it now: Amazon

Air CPU Coolers For i7-8700k Verdict

As you can see, there are a lot of excellent air CPU coolers for i7-8700k. Any one of these will keep your processor running cool, whether it’s idling, under a heavy load, or even if you’re putting it through its paces with some overclocking. If you plan on doing some heavy overclocking, you’ll definitely want to make sure you have a quality cooler — for that, we recommend the DeepCool Gammaxx 400 or the Cryorig H7 Tower Cooler. We’re big fans of the choices from Cooler Master and MSI as well!

However, if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on a CPU cooler, you should be fine using any of the budget options we listed here, just keep in mind of your CPU’s temperature as you’re overclocking the hardware.

Do you have a favorite air CPU coolers sfor the i7-8700k? Let us know what it is in the comments section below!