Best Air CPU Cooler for i5 8600k in 2023 (Review March)
Intel has released newer CPUs, but the Intel 8600K is still a beast of a CPU for gaming and content creation.
It comes with six cores and six threads, and because it is a bit older, you can get some really sweet deals on this processor.
If you are interested in getting one of these CPUs, then you are going to need a CPU cooler as the Intel i5 8600K does not come with a cooler out of the box.
In this article, we are going to go over some of the best coolers that you can get for the Intel i5 8600K.
Best Overall
NOCTUA NH-D15
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2 Fans Included -
Fans are PWM -
6 Heat Pipes
Check Price
Premium Pick
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
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2 Fans Included -
Fans are PWM -
Great for High-end CPUs
Check Price
Budget Pick
Cooler Master Hyper Evo
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1 Fan Included -
Affordable Price -
Thermal Paste Included
Check Price
Table of Contents
Top Rated Air CPU Coolers for Intel i5 8600k
The following are all the CPU coolers that we are going to go over and some of their specifications that you might be interested in learning about at a glance:
| Noctua NH-D15 | 2 | 6 | Air Cooler | Check Price |
| be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 | 2 | 7 | Air Cooler | Check Price |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo | 1 | 4 | Air Cooler | Check Price |
| Noctua NH-L9i | 1 | 2 | Air Cooler | Check Price |
| Scythe Mugen 5 | 1 | 6 | Air Cooler | Check Price |
The Best CPU Cooler for i5 8600k in 2020
1.
Noctua NH-D15 – Best i5 8600k CPU Cooler
The Noctua NH-D15 is one of the best dual-tower CPU coolers that you can buy right now and it replaces the NH-D14, which was the king of its time. High-quality fans are included in the box and you can have them both installed with each tower. You can even add a third fan for even better cooling.
The cooler features 6 heat pipes that are soldered onto a flat shiny surface. The fin stacks have been widened as compared to the older model. This allows the 6 heat pipes to have more space between them for better efficiency. The bottoms of the heat stacks have been cut away for better RAM clearance.
Inside the box, you also get low noise adapters that decrease the speed of the fan from 1500 RPM to 1200 RPM. You also get a splitter so both fans can be plugged into a single fan header. You also get some thermal paste from Noctua. You also get the mounting hardware that you will need.
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Great RAM clearance -
6 heat pipes -
2 fans included -
3rd fan can be installed as well -
Fans are PWM -
Excellent thermal paste included -
6-year warranty
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The cooler is pretty beefy
2.
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 – Premium Intel i5 8600k Cooler
The Dark Rock Pro 4 has a 250W TDP and is a massive air cooler. It comes in black so it will blend in with the rest of your build nicely. The cooler has 7 large copper heat pipes and 2 fans. The 135mm fan is supposed to sit between the towers while the smaller 120mm fan is supposed to sit on the side for better RAM clearance.
The installation process is relatively easy and a screwdriver is included with the purchase of the cooler. This is a magnetic screwdriver and is very long so that you can easily install the cooler in place. There are holes on top of the cooler through which you can pass the screwdriver and screw in the screws. The screws themselves are not small enough to pass through these holes so you will need to hold them at the mount while you pass the screwdriver through the hole in the top of the cooler.
The cooler looks great and the cooling performance is impressive as well. All things considered, this is a very nice cooler for the 8600K that will keep the thermals in check and allow for overclocking as well.
Read also: Best Air Cooler for i7 8700k
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2 fans included -
PWM fans -
Screwdriver included -
Black finish -
Great for cooling high-end CPUs
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The new mounting system is a bit tricky -
Scratches are clearly visible -
Massive
3. Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo – Budget Cooler for i5 8600k
This is a 120mm CPU cooler that is very popular amongst PC builders due to its cooling performance and relatively low price.
This budget cooler is much better than the stock Intel cooler that you can buy separately. If you are interested in overclocking then this cooler can easily get the Intel 8600K to 4.6 GHz.
You might run into cooling issues if you push the CPU any further than that depending on the silicon and voltage tweaks but you will be perfectly fine up to 4.6 GHz. which is a decent overclock keeping in mind that this is a very reasonably priced CPU cooler.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo features a relatively slim design for better RAM clearance. It comes with 4 heat pipes and a single 120mm fan.
-
Impressive cooling performance -
RAM installation is no problem -
2nd fan can be installed with included attachment -
Thermal paste included -
Inexpensive
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Thermal paste is not pre-applied -
Not Ideal for pushing the CPU to the limit
4.
Noctua NH-L9i
Noctua is known for making some of the best cooling solutions for PCs. So, there is no surprise that we have yet another Noctua CPU cooler. This one has a low profile design which is ideal for small form factor builds. This will allow you to build a smaller PC without having to compromise on performance.
The cooler comes with a single 92mm fan which is enough to keep the 8600K cool even is you have overclocked it a bit. You should have no issues with RAM clearance with this CPU cooler. The cooler also comes with a noise adapter that controls the speed of the fan and reduces the noise. This cooler is great is silent operation is what you are looking for.
Noctua has simple mounting solutions and installing this cooler is pretty straight forward. All things considered, this is a great CPU cooler for smaller PC builds.
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Low profile design -
Great for small form factor builds -
Controller included -
Easy installation
-
The fan would look better in Black
5.
Scythe Mugen 5
The Scythe Mugen 5 comes with 6 heat pipes and a single fan but you can install another one if you want. The included fan features hydraulic bearing and is rated to run for 120,000 hours. The cooler is designed so that RAM clearance is not an issue. The cooler is beefy but it can keep the Intel i5 8600K cool even when overclocked. You can get some decent overclocks using this cooler.
The cooler is relatively inexpensive and the black fan will blend in with the rest of your build nicely. If you need something decent to cool your CPU and you are on a budget then this is a great option to consider. It can handle much more than the 8600K so if you upgrade your CPU down the line then you could use the same cooler.
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Second fan can be installed for push-pull configuration -
Inexpensive -
Great value for money -
Impressive cooling performance -
Great for CPU overclocking
-
Cooler is beefy
Which Cooler Should You Get For The Intel i5 8600K
All the coolers that we have mentioned here are great in their own way.
If you are looking for the best cooler on the market then you should go with the Noctua NH-D15. If you are building a small form factor PC then you should go with the Noctua NH-L9i. If you do not want to spend a lot of money then the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo and the Scythe Mugen 5 are both great options to consider.
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System Price:
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ASSEMBLED READY TO GO : +£0.00
Item Details
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Intel Core i5 8400 — 6 Cores — 6 Threads @ 2.8Ghz/4Ghz + 9MB CACHE : +£0.00
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Intel Core i9 9900KS — 8 Cores — 16 Threads @ 4/5Ghz + 16MB CACHE : +£456.04
Item Details
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HEATSINK/FAN For CPU Included : +£0.00
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AMD Wraith / AKASA Intel Copper — (AIR) : +£20.00
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COOLERMASTER h511R — (AIR) : +£30.00
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COOLERMASTER Hyper 212X — (AIR) : +£30.
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COOLERMASTER Hyper 212 RED LED — (AIR) : +£40.00
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AMD Wraith PRISM RGB (AMD ONLY) — (AIR) : +£40.00
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ARCTIC FREEZER 34 — (AIR) : +£50.00
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BE QUIET! Pure Rock — Ultra Quiet Option — (AIR) : +£40.00
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BE QUIET! Pure Rock 2 FX RGB — (AIR) : +£60.00
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BE QUIET! Shadow Rock 3 — Ultra Quiet Option — (AIR) : +£60.
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GameMax Ice Chill 120 mm ARGB — (WATER) : +£60.00
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COOLERMASTER MasterLiquid 240mm Lite AIO — (WATER) : +£70.00
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COOLERMASTER MasterLiquid ML240L RGB — (WATER) : +£95.00
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COOLERMASTER MasterLiquid 120 — (WATER) : +£50.00
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COOLERMASTER MasterAir MA610P RGB — (AIR) : +£55.00
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NOCTUA NH-U14S — Ultra Quiet — (AIR) : +£90.
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ANTEC M360 360mm AIO — (WATER) : +£80.00
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ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II — 240mm BLACK — (WATER) : +£100.00
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BE QUIET! Dark Rock Pro 3 CPU Cooler — Ultra Quiet — (AIR) : +£85.00
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NOCTUA NH-U12A — Chromax Black — (AIR) : +£120.00
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NOCTUA NH-D15 — chromax black Ultra Quiet — (AIR) : +£120.00
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ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II — 240mm ARGB — (WATER) : +£110.
00 -
BE QUIET! Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU Cooler — Ultra Quiet — (AIR) : +£110.00
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CORSAIR h200X High Performance AIO — (WATER) : +£95.00
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ANTEC Mercury 360 RGB AIO — (WATER) : +£110.00
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FRACTAL DESIGN Celsius S36 — 360mm — (WATER) : +£130.00
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SilverStone PermaFrost ARGB 360mm — (WATER) : +£150.00
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CORSAIR h250i PRO 360mm RGB — (WATER) : +£150.
00 -
CORSAIR iCUE h250i ELITE CAPELLIX 360mm RGB — (WATER) : +£185.00
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COOLERMASTER ML360R ARGB 360mm — (WATER) : +£150.00
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CUSTOM 280mm/240/120mm — Red, Blue Or Green — (WATER) : +£250.00
Item Details
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ASUS PRIME h410M-A — USB3.1 Gen2, USB3.0, SATA6 + M.2 : +£0.00
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ASUS PRIME B360M-A — USB3.1 Gen2, USB3.0, SATA6 + M.2 : +£28.00
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ASUS PRIME B360-PLUS — USB3.
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GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS MASTER — USB3.1 Gen2 Type C, RGB, Wifi, SATA6 + Triple M.2 : +£318.00
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ASUS ROG MAXIMUS HERO XI — USB3.1 Gen2, SATA6 + DUAL M.2 : +£228.00
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ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI CODE — USB3.
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ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI FORMULA — USB3.1 Gen2, SATA6 + DUAL M.2 Wifi : +£358.00
Item Details
- None : +£0.00
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4GB DDR4 2666Mhz — ADATA : +£20.00
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4GB DDR4 3000Mhz — CORSAIR — Vengeance LPX : +£22.00
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16GB DDR4 2666Mhz — ADATA : +£60.00
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32GB DDR4 4000Mhz — CORSAIR — Vengeance : +£250.
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Item Details
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ARCTIC MX-4 Thermal Compound — Applied : +£8.99
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ARCTIC Silver 5 Thermal Compound — Applied : +£9.
99
Item Details
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Standard — Dispatched within 3 Working Days then Next Day Delivery* : +£0.00
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Express Delivery — Next Day : +£14.99
Item Details
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1 YEAR RETURN TO BASE Warranty : +£0.00
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1 YEAR CAREFREE WARRANTY — Full Parts Tech/Build Support : +£30.00
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3 YEAR CAREFREE WARRANTY- Full Parts Tech/Build Support : +£60.
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Item Details
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