Before we dig into the coolers we've chosen, it's vitally important to mention cooler compatibility. Every motherboard is designed to support a certain type of processor, with a CPU socket designed for that purpose. Each of these sockets also has a customized mounting platform with a set of holes or brackets onto which you attach the CPU cooler. You need to make sure that a cooler supports the socket of the motherboard you're using; otherwise it simply won't work. Indeed, you can damage your PC's hardware by trying to force a cooler to mount on an incompatible motherboard. The chart below presents a list of modern CPU sockets, as well as the processors and chipsets they correspond with, which should help make figuring out your supported hardware a little easier. Several of the coolers recommended below support many of the sockets on the list above (and older ones, too), while others support many sockets out of the box but may have optional mounting brackets sold separately to support others. This is commonplace, especially in the case of newer CPUs and CPU sockets; the easiest way for cooler manufacturers to support new platforms is by releasing a new mounting bracket sold separately from the original-issue cooler. Fortunately, cooler vendors are very good about listing which sockets their products support on their website product pages. You should double-check this information before buying any CPU cooler. With a firm handle on your system's size, case design, and motherboard and socket type, you're ready to choose a cooler. Here are the quick dozen we recommend, selected for the most common cooling scenarios.