Best PC fans in 2024

The Noctua NH-D15 is fantastic, offering really impressive cooling capability, while also keeping things as cool as can be. It’s particularly impressive to see such impressive cooling from an air cooler because it can easily rival AIO liquid coolers.

The build quality is superb, and you can tell it’s a top-quality product as soon as you get your hands on it. Having said that, as much as it’s a well-made bit of hardware, it’s also pretty darn massive. You’ll likely find that it overhangs your memory modules, with just 32mm clearance, so your choice of memory will be severely limited.

If that’s not a problem for you though, you’ll probably be pleased to hear that it uses a splitter cable that powers both fans with a single header. In that regard, at least, it’s freeing up a bit of space and helping to keep your PC free of clutter. It might be expensive, but if you can afford it, you’ll be very pleased with its overall performance.

Read our full Noctua NH-D15 review.

You might know Noctua as the company that douses its fans in beige and brown, but this grey blower packs a huge punch for its price. As the perfect embodiment of the ‘why not both’ meme, the Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM refuses to compromise between noise and airflow, delivering a whopping 59.2CFM airflow at just 18.1dBA.

It’s possible to go even quieter, but the NF-S12B isn’t just our favorite overall fan, it’s one of the best cheap PC fans. A few decibels sacrificed are worth the cost and it’s still the second quietest fan on this list – you can use Noctua’s anti-vibration mounts if you want to pull out all the stops.

Noctua is almost entirely function over form as the two-tone color will divide plenty of PC gamers, but there is a solution at the bottom of this list if you want to add RGB and complete the trifecta. Yes, you read that right, you can add RGB to a fan (details on that at the bottom of the list).

If you’re looking for a PC fan that you can get set up and cooling your PC in no time, then the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo White is a fantastic choice. Our reviewer, Antony Leather, found it to be “blissfully simple” to install, which we’re sure will be appealing to anyone who’s struggled with anything more complicated in the past.

As for performance, it does a decent job on any entry-level or mid-range gaming PCs, but wasn’t made with high-end builds in mind. This a bit disappointing when you consider the higher cost. You can get similarly performing fans at a lower price – but having said that, RGB lighting always jacks up the price, so that’s really what you’re paying for, and we understand not everyone will be happy with that.

Overall, we still feel favorably towards this fan. It works well, it looks nice, it’s pretty quiet, it’s easy to install, and compact enough that you’ll have room to spruce up your motherboard with other beefy components. The price will be off-putting for those who are not RGB fans, but if it matches your style, then it’ll be a lot easier to stomach.

Read our full Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo White review.

There’s no beating around the bush, be quiet! is all about living up to its name and keeping things hush. Fortunately, its first attempt at a splash of color is no exception, as the Light Wings are the quietest RGB fans we’ve ever used. The ring light itself packs 18 LEDs in the 120mm model and 20 LEDs in the 140mm version, each of which is addressable in your motherboard’s software.

You’re not stuck for selection, as be quiet! not only sells Light Wings in 120mm and 140mm versions but in both airflow and high-speed models so you can cater to the best AIO cooler. Single fans are on the expensive side, though, so it’s worth grabbing the triple-pack that also includes an ARGB hub. If you do end up buying one fan at a time, however, you can add it into the loop using a built-in daisy chain system, keeping your cables neat.

Addressable RGB is in the DNA of the Cooler Master MF120 Halo, with two lighting rings that shine no matter whether you position it as an intake or exhaust. It cleverly uses white fan blades to better reflect the RGB across the entire face of the fan, which you can customize using Asus Aura Sync, MSI Mystic Light, ASRock Polychrome, or Gigabyte RGB Fusion.

The most impressive thing here is that Cooler Master undercuts the cost of most other premium fans if you don’t mind some extra noise. The triple pack serves up a decent discount than if you buy each fan separately and includes Cooler Master’s controller, but this isn’t mandatory. MF 120 Halos are also compatible with any addressable Gen 2 RGB header on compatible motherboards. Besides, $30 (£20) per RGB fan is pretty reasonable, and you’ll regularly find them reduced.

The Silent Wings line from be quiet! has been one of the best options for anybody who wants the quietest possible setup. The Pro 4 is the latest iteration of this fan, and it’s also the best one yet – although it does carry a higher price tag than others.

The fluid dynamic bearing helps to reinforce this fan for a long life, and the individual mounting systems make it easy for you to set it up however you please (e.g. as a case fan or with a radiator). Meanwhile, it’s a product with a very high built quality and one that comes with a five-year warranty. This all combines to make it one of the best options all-round and we strongly recommend it.

Another powerful, but expensive option here. If you’re after an all-in-one (AIO) cooling system, then this is the one to go for. You can get some really powerful speeds from this fan without the noise level ever rising too high. It’s designed to be a cooling solution that you install and then never think about again.

This is a static pressure fan, which means that it shunts air through the grills of a radiator on an AIO cooler. Because of its increased levels of airflow, it’s ideal for small factor setups. Got no room for multiple fans? Sneak this little rascal in and it’ll keep everything nice and cool. Admittedly, it’s more than a lot of people are going to need, but if you’re in need of an especially powerful cooler, this is the one to get.

The Noctua NF-A12x15 looks as though someone accidentally sat on an NF-A12x25, flattening it to give it a low profile. Regardless of how it got so slim, being just 15mm thick makes it ideal for small form factor (SFF) cases and CPU coolers when there isn’t a lot of clearance.

For its size, it’s pretty speedy at 1,850 RPM. The 23.9dBA noise level really isn’t anything to scoff at, but you have the choice to lower this to a near-inaudible 16.8dBA if you use the low noise adapter it comes bundled with – just be prepared to sacrifice some airflow in the process. And, as with all Noctua equipment, you’ll get anti-vibration mounts to cement its silence.