Intel · 13th Gen Core · LGA1700

Best coolers for the Core i5-13600

A 65 W base, 154 W boost ceiling, about 82 W in games and a 100 °C junction limit. 60 of 70 coolers keep it in the Excellent band; every cooler below is scored against those numbers.

How to check CPU cooler compatibility covers the four checks behind these verdicts: socket, boost power, RAM clearance and case fit.

Reviewed by Farrukh Sufyan SarwarHow we estimate temperaturesPrices verified November 2, 2026Model v1.2 · data updated November 2, 2026

60
excellent: 3
acceptable: 6
Throttle: 1
No fit

Three picks

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Top air value

$16.11as of Nov 2, 05:59 AM UTC · In Stock

ThermalrightAssassin X 120 Refined SE

Single-tower air cooler · 148 mm

Excellent fit

26 W of headroom; the best-value tower air cooler that passes on this CPU

Pro: 120 mm fan rated 25.6 dBA at 1,550 RPM, on an S-FDB bearing.
Pro: A 46 mm-thick single tower (120 × 46 × 148 mm): it does not overhang the memory slots, so RAM height is not a limit.

Con: Four 6 mm heat pipes, the lighter single-tower class: check its sustained rating against your CPU's boost limit.
Con: 148 mm tall: compare with your case's maximum cooler height.

From the maker’s spec sheet, checked 2026-10-26: Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE specifications

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Silent liquid pick

~$54

ThermalrightFrozen Infinity 360

360 mm AIO liquid cooler · 52 mm

Excellent fit

Estimated 62 °C under full load with quiet fan curves

Pro: 5-year warranty, and Thermalright adds leakage-damage compensation for its liquid coolers.
Pro: Pump and fans run from standard 4-pin PWM headers; LGA1851 mounting is listed.

Con: Fans are rated up to 28.2 dBA at 2,000 RPM, and the pump adds its own noise.
Con: The 397 × 120 × 27 mm radiator needs a 360 mm mount in the case.

From the maker’s spec sheet, checked 2026-10-23: Thermalright Frozen Infinity 360 specifications, Thermalright warranty policy

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Small-form-factor pick

$27.99as of Nov 2, 05:59 AM UTC · In Stock

ThermalrightAXP120-X67

Low-profile air cooler · 67 mm

Acceptable fit

67 mm tall and still 97 °C at full load

Pro: 67 mm installed height (52 mm heatsink plus 15 mm fan) for small-form-factor cases.
Pro: Single 120 mm fan rated 26.1 dBA on an S-FDB bearing; LGA1851 is listed.

Con: Thermalright's warranty policy lists no term for its low-profile line.
Con: A low-profile heatsink: check its sustained rating against your CPU's boost limit.

From the maker’s spec sheet, checked 2026-10-23: Thermalright AXP120-X67 specifications, Thermalright warranty policy

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Power behaviour of the Core i5-13600

The Intel Core i5-13600 is a 13th Gen Core processor for the LGA1700 socket with a 65 W base power and a 154 W PL2 turbo limit. That is 2.4× its base figure, so a cooler chosen from the TDP alone will be undersized for sustained all-core work; this site rates every cooler against the 154 W ceiling instead.

On most Z-series boards the turbo window (Tau) is disabled, which turns 154 W into a continuous load during renders, compiles and benchmarks. In GPU-bound games the package settles closer to 82 W, which is why gaming temperatures are far lower than Cinebench temperatures on the same cooler.

Which cooler classes suit it

60 of the 70 coolers in this database keep the Intel Core i5-13600 in the Excellent band (at least 25 W of thermal headroom under a sustained load); 69 ship with LGA1700 mounting hardware at all.

By class: 19 of 19 dual-tower air coolers, 12 of 14 single-tower air coolers, 0 of 7 low-profile coolers, 15 of 15 240/280 mm AIO liquid coolers and 13 of 13 360/420 mm AIOs rate Excellent. The smallest cooler that avoids a throttling risk is rated 150 W (Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition). The most affordable Excellent option is the Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE.

LGA1700 mounting notes

LGA1700's long package bends slightly under the stock Independent Loading Mechanism, which degrades cold-plate contact. A contact frame is a cheap fix for high-power 13th and 14th Gen parts; cooler brackets must be the 1700-specific kit, not the 115x/1200 one.

All 70 coolers, ranked

Coolers ranked by thermal verdict then price for the Core i5-13600
Cooler	Type	Headroom	Full load	Height	Verdict
Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE$16.11	Single-tower air cooler	+26 W	86 °C	148 mm	Excellent fit
ID-Cooling SE-224-XTS~$25	Single-tower air cooler	+26 W	86 °C	154 mm	Excellent fit
ID-Cooling FROZN A620 Pro SE$29.99	Dual-tower air cooler	+106 W	71 °C	157 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Assassin X 120 R SE$17.49	Single-tower air cooler	+66 W	77 °C	155 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Burst Assassin 120$21.49	Single-tower air cooler	+46 W	81 °C	155 mm	Excellent fit
Vetroo V5$19.99	Single-tower air cooler	+26 W	86 °C	158 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120$38.90	Dual-tower air cooler	+86 W	74 °C	155 mm	Excellent fit
Arctic Freezer 36$22.49	Single-tower air cooler	+86 W	74 °C	159 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE$32.69	Dual-tower air cooler	+91 W	73 °C	155 mm	Excellent fit
Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB$35.80	Single-tower air cooler	+86 W	74 °C	159 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Assassin King 120 SE$17.29	Single-tower air cooler	+76 W	75 °C	160 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Frozen Magic 240 ARGB V2$43.90	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+96 W	72 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Aqua Elite 120 V3$33.90	120 mm AIO liquid cooler	+26 W	86 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Frozen Infinity 240$46.90	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+106 W	71 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE$37.89	Dual-tower air cooler	+96 W	72 °C	154 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Digital ARGB$45.90	Dual-tower air cooler	+96 W	72 °C	157 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Frozen Notte 240 ARGB V2$47.19	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+96 W	72 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Cooler Master Hyper 622 Halo Black$49.99	Dual-tower air cooler	+101 W	71 °C	157 mm	Excellent fit
ID-Cooling FX240 Pro$54.99	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+106 W	71 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Aqua Elite 240 V3$44.90	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+96 W	72 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Frozen Notte 360 ARGB V2$55.39	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+166 W	64 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140$42.39	Dual-tower air cooler	+126 W	68 °C	157 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO$46.90	Dual-tower air cooler	+101 W	71 °C	158 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 140 Digital$53.09	Dual-tower air cooler	+126 W	68 °C	157 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Frozen Infinity 360~$54	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+186 W	62 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3$54.90	Single-tower air cooler	+46 W	81 °C	155 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Vision MAX ARGB$57.69	Dual-tower air cooler	+96 W	72 °C	157 mm	Excellent fit
Thermalright FW360 ARGB~$59	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+186 W	62 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Cooler Master 240 Core II$53.99	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+96 W	72 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Scythe Fuma 3$37.26	Dual-tower air cooler	+96 W	72 °C	154 mm	Excellent fit
be quiet! Dark Rock 5$64.90	Single-tower air cooler	+56 W	79 °C	162 mm	Excellent fit
MSI MAG CoreLiquid A13 240$64.99	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+96 W	72 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Noctua NH-U12S~$70	Single-tower air cooler	+26 W	86 °C	158 mm	Excellent fit
be quiet! Dark Rock Elite$84.90	Dual-tower air cooler	+126 W	68 °C	168 mm	Excellent fit
Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360$69.89	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+216 W	60 °C	63 mm	Excellent fit
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5$84.90	Dual-tower air cooler	+116 W	69 °C	168 mm	Excellent fit
Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth~$100	Dual-tower air cooler	+116 W	69 °C	165 mm	Excellent fit
Corsair Nautilus 240 RS ARGB$83.48	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+106 W	71 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Noctua NH-D12L$99.95	Dual-tower air cooler	+66 W	77 °C	145 mm	Excellent fit
Noctua NH-U12A$109.95	Single-tower air cooler	+76 W	75 °C	158 mm	Excellent fit
Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 A-RGB$76.99	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+216 W	60 °C	63 mm	Excellent fit
Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 420 A-RGB~$110	420 mm AIO liquid cooler	+236 W	59 °C	63 mm	Excellent fit
Noctua NH-D15$109.95	Dual-tower air cooler	+96 W	72 °C	165 mm	Excellent fit
Noctua NH-D15S$109.95	Dual-tower air cooler	+86 W	74 °C	165 mm	Excellent fit
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 6$109.90	Dual-tower air cooler	+126 W	68 °C	168 mm	Excellent fit
Cooler Master Atmos II Stealth 240~$120	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+126 W	68 °C	63 mm	Excellent fit
NZXT Kraken Plus 240$119.99	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+106 W	71 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Corsair Nautilus 360 RS$109.99	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+166 W	64 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Lian Li Galahad II Trinity 240~$130	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+106 W	71 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
NZXT Kraken Plus 280~$130	280 mm AIO liquid cooler	+136 W	67 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
NZXT Kraken Plus 360$175.99	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+176 W	63 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Lian Li Galahad II LCD 280$139.99	280 mm AIO liquid cooler	+146 W	66 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
MSI MAG CoreLiquid I360$109.99	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+166 W	64 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Corsair iCUE Link Titan 240 RX RGB$89.50	240 mm AIO liquid cooler	+126 W	68 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Noctua NH-D15 G2$159.95	Dual-tower air cooler	+126 W	68 °C	168 mm	Excellent fit
Lian Li Galahad II Trinity 360$186.16	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+176 W	63 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Corsair iCUE Link Titan II 360 RX RGB$179.99	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+196 W	61 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX RGB$127.39	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+186 W	62 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
NZXT Kraken Elite 280 RGB$231.99	280 mm AIO liquid cooler	+146 W	66 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB$299.00	360 mm AIO liquid cooler	+186 W	62 °C	52 mm	Excellent fit
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition$54.81	Single-tower air cooler	-4 W	97 °C	159 mm	Acceptable fit
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo Black~$40	Single-tower air cooler	+6 W	93 °C	154 mm	Acceptable fit
Thermalright AXP120-X67$27.99	Low-profile air cooler	-4 W	97 °C	67 mm	Acceptable fit
Thermalright AXP90-X47$21.90	Low-profile air cooler	-59 W	100 °C	47 mm	Throttling risk
ID-Cooling IS-55$39.99	Low-profile air cooler	-24 W	100 °C	55 mm	Throttling risk
be quiet! Pure Rock Low Profile$42.90	Low-profile air cooler	-54 W	100 °C	45 mm	Throttling risk
Noctua NH-L9i-17xx$49.95	Low-profile air cooler	-89 W	100 °C	37 mm	Throttling risk
Scythe Big Shuriken 3 Rev.B~$55	Low-profile air cooler	-24 W	100 °C	69 mm	Throttling risk
Noctua NH-L12S$74.95	Low-profile air cooler	-34 W	100 °C	70 mm	Throttling risk
Noctua NH-L9a-AM4$49.95	Low-profile air cooler	-89 W	100 °C	37 mm	Incompatible socket

Terms used on this page

PL1 / PL2: Intel's two power limits. PL1 (Processor Base Power) is the sustained draw the CPU settles at; PL2 (Maximum Turbo Power) is the short-term boost ceiling. Many desktop boards run PL2 indefinitely, so a cooler must be sized for PL2, not PL1.
TjMax: The maximum junction temperature the maker allows, typically 95–100 °C. AMD lists 90 °C for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, 89 °C for the 7800X3D and 95 °C for the 9800X3D. At TjMax the CPU throttles clocks to stay in place; it will not overheat, but it will lose performance.
Thermal headroom: The cooler's sustained dissipation rating minus the CPU's boost power limit, in watts. Positive headroom lets fans run slower and quieter; 25 W or more is rated Excellent here.
Thermal throttling: Automatic clock reduction when the CPU hits TjMax. A pairing is flagged as a throttling risk when the modelled full-load temperature reaches the junction limit or the cooler is rated 15 W or more below the CPU's boost power.
ILM: Intel's Independent Loading Mechanism, the socket clamp. On LGA1700 the stock ILM bends the long CPU package slightly, reducing cold-plate contact; contact frames replace it to improve temperatures.