With most of the reviews I do for Tom’s Hardware, I’m looking to test the best CPU coolers on the market, capable of taming heat-intensive CPUs like Intel’s i9-14900K. However, not everyone needs a large dual-tower air cooler or a 360mm AIO.
While I would normally recommend using a standard air or liquid cooler, there can be situations where a 120mm AIO will be the best option for certain niche configurations. So below, I’ll be looking at the smallest AIO models from Be Quiet, Cooler Master , Corsair, and Enermax to see which are worthy of your consideration – and which ones you should avoid.
Spec Comparison Table
| Model | Enermax LiqMaxFlo | BeQuiet! Pure Loop 2 120mm | Corsair H60x Elite | CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML120L V2 RGB | CoolerMaster MasterLiquid 120L Core |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiator Material | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Radiator Dimensions | 154 x 120 x 27 | 152 x 120 x 27 | 156 x 120 x 27 | 157 x 119.6 x 27.2 | 157 x 119.6 x 27.2 |
| Pump Speed | 1200-3200 RPM | 4000-5000 RPM | Unlisted | Unlisted | Unlisted |
| Pump MTBF | >50,000 hours | Unlisted | Unlisted | 70,000 hours | >70,000 hours |
| Fan Model | Unlisted | Pure Wings 3 120 PWM | SP120 RGB Elite PWM | SickleFlow 120 RGB | Unlisted |
| Fan Speed | 1800 RPM | 2100 RPM | 1500 RPM | 1800 RPM | 1750 RPM |
| Fan Air Flow | 58.03 CFM | 59.6 CFM | 47.73 CFM | 62 CFM | 71.93 CFM |
| Fan Static Pressure | 2.4mmH20 | 2.41 mmH20 | 1.46 mmH20 | 2.5 mmH20 | 1.86 mmH20 |
| Price | $79.99 | $89.90 | $79.99 | $79.99 | $69.99 |
| Warranty | 5 years | 3 years | 5 years | 2 years | 3 years |
A summary of each cooler’s features
▶ Enermax LiqMaxFlo 120
Enermax’ LiqMaxFlo stands out from the competition with an fan included atop the CPU block, which can help lower VRM and RAM temperatures. I feel this could be especially useful in a space-constrained SFF system. It features low noise levels and has a user-accessible refill port.
▶ Be Quiet! Pure Loop 120
True to its brand name, Be Quiet’s Pure Loop 120 features moderately low noise levels, and its design features an external liquid pump. Not only is there a user-accessible refill port, Be Quiet goes the extra mile by including 100 ml of additional coolant for those who might wish to refill their coolers in the future.
▶ Corsair H60x Elite
The best feature of Corsair’s H60x Eliteis its extremely low maximum noise levels of only 38.2 dBA, the quietest of all units tested in this review. It also features RGB on the CPU block and the fan.
▶ Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120L V2 and 120L Core
The main difference between the ML120L V2 and the 120L Core are the fans included. The fan on the 120L Core is solid black, with mid-range noise levels. The fan included with the ML120L V2 runs quieter and features RGB illumination.
Testing methodology
Today's highest-end CPUs, whether Intel or AMD, are difficult to cool in intensive workloads. In the past. reaching 95 degrees Celsius or more on a desktop CPU might have been a cause for concern. But with today’s top-end CPUs, this is considered normal operation. Similar behavior has been present in laptops for years due to cooling limitations in tight spaces.
All testing is performed with a 23 degrees C ambient room temperature. Multiple thermal tests are run on each CPU to test the cooler to verify the accuracy of results. These tests include:
1. Noise-normalized testing at low noise levels
2. “Out of the box”/default configuration thermal & acoustics testing
a. No power limits enforced
b. Because CPUs hit Tjmax in this scenario, the best way to compare cooling strength is by recording the total CPU package power consumption.
3. Testing in Power Limited Scenarios
a. Power limited to 95W to emulate a medium-intensity workload
b. Power limited to 75W to emulate a low-intensity workload
Testing configuration – AMD AM5 Platform
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 7700X | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte A620I AX | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| Case | Silverstone SUGO14 | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| GPU | MSI Ventus 3X RTX 4070 | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
