When it comes to cooling your CPU, both air and liquid cooling have their pros and cons. Plus, depending on your preferences, you might lean one way or the other. But, of late, I've increasingly found myself preferring air coolers over the best liquid coolers despite some obvious advantages that the latter might have. If you find yourself debating which option to choose when building a new PC or contemplating a switch, air coolers might be better for you, all things considered.

1 Air coolers are shockingly impressive

It used to be that liquid cooling was the only serious option when cooling high-end CPUs. But things have evolved to a point where the best air coolers in the world comfortably compete with popular liquid coolers today. While overclockers should still prefer AIOs or custom water cooling loops, not everyone needs a powerful 360mm AIO to keep things under control during gaming or productivity workloads.

The majority of mainstream PC builds are probably rocking a 6-core or 8-core Intel or AMD chip with TDPs ranging from 65W to 125W. CPUs like these can stay comfortably cool even with budget CPU coolers, and you don't need to go into AIO territory either. You might be surprised to know that some premium air coolers like the revered Noctua NH-D15 are rated for 220W, so you have plenty of overclocking room as well, provided you don't have a Core i9 or Ryzen 9 CPU.

2 Air coolers cost less than liquid coolers

One of the more obvious advantages of air coolers over liquid coolers is the price. As there are no complex components like pumps and radiators involved, air coolers cost much less than liquid AIOs. Sure, you might find budget AIOs for as low as $70, but if you spend that much on an air cooler instead, you're likely going to enjoy much better cooling performance. Excellent options like the DeepCool AK620 are easily available for around $60, providing top-tier performance.

In the budget segment, AIOs don't really offer a level of performance that'll justify switching from air coolers. And if all you need is to cool your Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, Core i5, or Core i7 CPU, you can get a far better bang for your buck by sticking with a decent air cooler. You can even get some of Noctua's widely regarded air coolers in the $60-$70 range if you really want a premium product.

3 Air coolers are easier to install and maintain

Besides performance and price, another crucial factor is the convenience of air coolers versus liquid coolers. Even though you need to spend some time and effort installing an air cooler, it's far less than compared to that of AIOs or custom liquid cooling loops. You don't need to deal with finding an empty slot in your case for a large radiator or installing fans on the radiator before mounting it.

Even after installation, air coolers come with the peace of mind that you don't need to bother with maintenance or risk liquid leaking inside your case. Modern AIOs rarely fail, but they still have more points of failure compared to simple air coolers. Overall, if you don't have a strong reason to go for a liquid cooler, opting for air cooling is only logical. Custom loops are the toughest to set up and maintain, and should be considered only if you have the money and enthusiasm for it.

4 Air coolers are perfect for small form factor PCs

Most SFF or mini-ITX cases don't have the luxury of space and even need different form factors for power supplies and motherboards. In such cases (no pun intended), air coolers will allow you to choose the most compact cooling solution to save space as well as a few bucks. Some compact cases allow AIOs to be mounted while still not being as large as conventional cases. But, air cooling nets you better performance than liquid cooling in space-starved situations, provided you don't have the most power-hungry chip installed.

Noctua's NH-L9i is one of the best compact air coolers for mini-ITX builds with mid-range CPUs. If you're eyeing a console-sized PC build, air coolers would "fit" the bill perfectly well. Besides being easier to install, they can often result in a better look, considering there are no pipes to obstruct the view.

5 Air coolers can be good-looking too

One of the major allegations leveled against air coolers is that they stick out too much in otherwise minimalist PC cases. And, if you have a dual-tower air cooler almost touching the side panel of your case, the blame does hold merit. But, even with large air coolers, you don't have to compromise on aesthetics, considering there are numerous great-looking air coolers available.

Coolers like DeepCool's AK500 Zero Dark or AK620 WH go perfectly well with black- or white-themed builds, respectively. If you're a fan of Noctua's brown and khaki color scheme, there's no dearth of beautiful air coolers to choose from. Even for fans of RGB-laden AIOs, air coolers offer impressive RGB lighting, along with many other color schemes to choose from.

Clear the air

Air coolers have stayed relevant over the years due to a combination of solid performance, affordability, and simplicity. We've reached a point where even some budget air coolers perform better than budget AIOs. Air cooling vs liquid cooling will always be a lively debate due to different use cases and preferences, but for the majority of PC users, air cooling should absolutely be considered. You might even like how they look inside your build.