Gaming PC Cooling Guide – Everything You Need to Know

Keeping a gaming PC cool is important, but PC cooling is one of those subjects that can quickly become far more complicated than it needs to be.

Do you need liquid cooling? How many fans should a gaming PC have? Is 80°C too hot? Is a 360mm AIO always better than an air cooler? Should the fans blow in or out? And does adding more fans automatically make a PC cooler?

In this Gaming PC Cooling Guide, we'll explain everything in plain English.

The simple version is this:

A good gaming PC needs a suitable CPU cooler, sensible airflow through the case and enough ventilation for the graphics card.

You don't need ten fans, an enormous liquid cooler and a case full of radiators to cool every gaming PC properly.

Why Does a Gaming PC Need Cooling?

Almost every component inside your PC produces heat.

The biggest sources are normally:

• The processor (CPU)

• The graphics card (GPU)

• The motherboard power delivery

• NVMe SSDs

• The power supply

  
  

The CPU and graphics card are by far the most important.

When electricity passes through these components, some of that energy is converted into heat. The more power a component consumes, the more heat generally needs to be removed.

A modern gaming processor or graphics card can produce a substantial amount of heat when gaming.

Cooling takes that heat away from the components and eventually moves it out of the PC case and into the room.

That last part is important.

A brilliant CPU cooler won't perform properly if the hot air has nowhere to go.

How Does PC Cooling Actually Work?

There are effectively two stages.

Stage 1 – Get the heat away from the component

A CPU cooler transfers heat away from the processor into either:

• A metal heatsink

• Or liquid inside an AIO cooler

Stage 2 – Get that heat out of the case

Fans move cool air into the computer and warm air out.

You therefore need both:

Component cooling + case airflow.

A huge CPU cooler inside a case with terrible ventilation can still struggle.

Air Cooling vs Liquid Cooling

This is probably the most common question we get.

Neither is automatically better.

A quality air cooler can outperform a cheap liquid cooler, and for many gaming PCs an air cooler is actually the better choice.

Air CPU Coolers

An air cooler consists of a metal heatsink, heatpipes and one or more fans.

The heatpipes move heat away from the processor into the heatsink fins, and the fan blows air through them.

Advantages of air cooling

• Excellent performance for the money

• Very reliable

• Simple design

• No pump to fail

• Usually quieter at lower loads

• Easy to replace

• Very little maintenance

Disadvantages

Large coolers can:

• Take up a lot of space

• Cover memory modules

• Be difficult to fit in small cases

• Put more weight around the CPU socket

For most mainstream gaming processors, a good tower air cooler is more than enough.

Single-Tower vs Dual-Tower Air Coolers

You'll often see CPU coolers described as single-tower or dual-tower.

A single-tower cooler has one main heatsink.

These are great for many Ryzen 5, Core i5 and similar processors.

A dual-tower cooler has two heatsink sections and often two fans.

They have considerably more surface area and are designed for processors producing more heat.

A good dual-tower cooler can provide surprisingly close performance to some liquid coolers.

Why We Swear By Thermalright

At Advanced Systems, Thermalright is the cooling brand we swear by for price and performance.

We've used a huge number of different coolers over the years, and Thermalright consistently offers some of the best cooling performance we've found without charging ridiculous money for it.

Products such as the:

• Thermalright Assassin range

• Peerless Assassin

• Phantom Spirit

• Aqua Elite AIO range

provide excellent options across everything from affordable gaming PCs through to considerably more powerful systems.

We use Thermalright coolers regularly throughout our Ascension gaming PC range because they allow us to spend the customer's money where it actually matters.

A cooler doesn't need to cost £150 simply because it has a famous logo on it.

If a substantially cheaper cooler keeps the processor at the temperatures we want, remains quiet and performs reliably, we'd rather put the saving towards a better graphics card, processor, memory or storage.

Good cooling is about performance – not the badge printed on the pump.

What Is an AIO Liquid Cooler?

AIO stands for All-In-One liquid cooler.

Unlike a custom water-cooling system, an AIO comes preassembled and sealed from the factory.

It normally consists of:

• CPU water block

• Pump

• Tubing

• Radiator

• Fans

Liquid absorbs heat from the CPU and carries it through the tubing to the radiator.

The radiator fans then transfer that heat into the air.

AIO coolers don't normally need filling or topping up.

120mm, 240mm, 280mm and 360mm AIOs Explained

The number refers roughly to the radiator size and therefore the number and size of fans it supports.

120mm AIO

Usually one 120mm fan.

We don't generally recommend these for a normal gaming desktop unless space restrictions make one necessary.

A good air cooler often provides better value.

240mm AIO

Usually two 120mm fans.

This is an excellent all-round size and enough for a huge number of gaming processors.

280mm AIO

Usually two 140mm fans.

A 280mm radiator has considerably more surface area than a 240mm radiator and can offer excellent cooling without needing three fans.

Not every case supports them, though.

360mm AIO

Three 120mm fans.

These are ideal for powerful processors, sustained workloads or builds where we want extra thermal headroom.

They also look great in larger gaming cases.

We regularly use Thermalright 240mm and 360mm AIO coolers in our more powerful Ascension systems.

Does Every Gaming PC Need Liquid Cooling?

Absolutely not.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions in gaming PCs.

Putting a 360mm liquid cooler on a low-power processor doesn't suddenly make the computer faster.

Once the processor is already running comfortably within its intended temperature range, making it another 10°C cooler may achieve very little.

For many gaming systems, a £20-£40 air cooler makes far more sense.

We choose the cooler based on the processor and the system, not because liquid cooling looks impressive on a specification sheet.

When Does Liquid Cooling Make Sense?

An AIO becomes more attractive when you have:

• A high-power processor

• Sustained CPU workloads

• Limited space around the CPU socket

• A powerful gaming system

• A preference for the cleaner appearance of an AIO

• A case designed around radiator cooling

• A processor that benefits from additional thermal headroom

For powerful Ryzen 7, Ryzen 9, Core i7 and Core i9 systems, a good 240mm, 280mm or 360mm AIO can make a lot of sense.

How Many Fans Does a Gaming PC Need?

More fans do not automatically mean better cooling.

Three properly positioned fans can outperform six badly positioned fans.

For a typical gaming PC we'd normally want at least:

2 intake fans + 1 exhaust fan

That's a very solid starting point.

Larger and more powerful systems may benefit from additional fans.

Intake Fans and Exhaust Fans

An intake fan pulls fresh air into the case.

An exhaust fan pushes warm air out.

Most gaming PCs work best with something similar to:

Front

Intake

Bottom

Intake

Rear

Exhaust

Top

Exhaust

This creates a natural airflow path through the computer.

Cool air enters from the front or bottom, passes over the components and warm air leaves through the rear and top.

How Do I Know Which Way a PC Fan Blows?

A PC fan normally blows air towards the side containing the support struts holding the motor.

So:

Open-looking side = intake side

Side with support arms = exhaust side

Many newer fans also have arrows on the frame showing airflow direction.

What Is Positive Air Pressure?

You'll sometimes hear PC builders talking about positive and negative pressure.

It sounds complicated, but it isn't.

Positive pressure

Slightly more air enters the case than leaves.

For example:

3 intake fans2 exhaust fans

This is generally what we prefer.

If the intake fans are filtered, positive pressure can also help reduce the amount of dust entering through random gaps in the case.

Negative pressure

More air is being exhausted than brought in.

This can pull air – and dust – through unfiltered gaps around the case.

A tiny amount isn't disastrous, but we generally prefer a slightly positive or balanced airflow setup.

Where Should an AIO Radiator Go?

The most common positions are:

• Top of case

• Front of case

• Side of case

Top-mounted radiator

For many builds this is our preferred arrangement.

The radiator usually acts as an exhaust, removing warm air through the top of the case.

It also naturally keeps the radiator above the pump.

Front-mounted radiator

This can work extremely well too.

Fresh outside air passes through the radiator, which can improve CPU temperatures slightly.

The trade-off is that the air entering the rest of the case has already passed through a warm radiator.

That can sometimes increase GPU temperatures slightly.

Neither configuration is automatically wrong.

AIO Pump Position Matters

One thing we try to avoid is having the pump as the highest point in the liquid cooling loop.

Small amounts of air can exist inside an AIO.

Air naturally moves towards the highest point.

You would rather that air collects inside the radiator than around the pump.

With a top-mounted radiator this is usually straightforward.

With a front-mounted radiator, having the tubes towards the bottom can also be beneficial where the case and tubing allow it.

What Temperatures Should a Gaming PC Run At?

There isn't one temperature that applies to every processor.

Different CPUs have different thermal limits.

The processor, cooler, case, room temperature, workload, fan speeds and motherboard settings all affect the result.

As a very rough real-world guide:

CPU idle

Around 30°C to 50°C is common.

CPU while gaming

Roughly 50°C to 80°C is perfectly normal for many gaming PCs.

Heavy CPU stress testing

Temperatures in the 70°C to 90°C range can be completely normal depending on the processor.

Some modern processors are designed to operate even closer to their thermal limit.

Seeing 85°C does not automatically mean your processor is overheating.

Modern CPUs Are Designed to Run Hotter

Modern processors constantly monitor their own temperature.

They dynamically adjust:

• Clock speed

• Voltage

• Power consumption

• Boost behaviour

Many processors will intentionally use available thermal headroom to increase performance.

That means a modern CPU reaching a high temperature under a very heavy workload isn't necessarily faulty.

What we're interested in is:

• Is it within the manufacturer's limits?

• Is it maintaining expected clock speeds?

• Is it throttling excessively?

• Is the PC stable?

• Is the fan noise reasonable?

Temperatures should always be considered alongside performance.

What Is Thermal Throttling?

Thermal throttling happens when a component reduces its speed because it has reached its thermal limit.

For example, a processor might normally boost to 5GHz but reduce its speed when it becomes too hot.

This protects the component.

Modern CPUs have multiple protection systems and can ultimately shut the PC down if temperatures become unsafe.

The goal of good cooling is to prevent unnecessary throttling so the processor can maintain its intended performance.

What About GPU Temperatures?

The graphics card usually generates more total heat than the CPU while gaming.

Typical gaming GPU temperatures will vary enormously between graphics cards, but seeing temperatures around 60°C to 80°C during gaming is very common.

You'll sometimes also see something called:

GPU Hotspot Temperature

This measures the hottest sensor location on the GPU rather than the average GPU temperature.

The hotspot will therefore normally be higher than the main GPU temperature.

This is completely normal.

Why Case Airflow Is Especially Important for the GPU

Most graphics cards dump much of their heat directly into the PC case.

If the case cannot remove that warm air, the graphics card starts drawing in increasingly warm air.

That can cause:

• Higher GPU temperatures

• Higher CPU temperatures

• Faster fan speeds

• More noise

• Reduced boost performance

This is why a good airflow case can sometimes make more difference than simply installing a bigger CPU cooler.

Don't Ignore Your NVMe SSD

Modern PCIe NVMe drives can also get hot.

High-performance PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 SSDs in particular can benefit from a motherboard heatsink.

If an SSD becomes too hot, it can reduce its performance to protect itself.

Most modern gaming motherboards include at least one M.2 heatsink, and we recommend using it where appropriate.

Thermal Paste – What Does It Actually Do?

The surface of a CPU and the bottom of a cooler might look perfectly smooth, but microscopically they aren't.

Thermal paste fills the tiny imperfections between those surfaces.

This allows heat to transfer more efficiently from the CPU into the cooler.

You only need a small amount.

More thermal paste does not mean better cooling.

Too little can cause poor contact, while using far too much simply creates unnecessary mess.

How Often Should Thermal Paste Be Replaced?

There isn't a fixed rule saying thermal paste must be changed every year.

Good thermal paste can last for years.

We wouldn't take apart a perfectly functioning gaming PC simply because the paste has reached an arbitrary age.

Consider replacing it if:

• CPU temperatures have noticeably increased

• The cooler has been removed

• You're servicing an older system

• The original paste has dried out

• You're replacing the CPU or cooler

If temperatures haven't changed, leave it alone.

Dust Is One of the Biggest Cooling Problems

Even the best cooling system performs badly when everything is covered in dust.

Dust can clog:

• Front filters

• Radiators

• CPU heatsinks

• GPU heatsinks

• Case fans

• PSU filters

Over time this reduces airflow.

We recommend periodically checking the dust filters and cleaning the system when necessary.

How often depends entirely on the environment.

A PC sitting on a carpeted floor in a house with pets will usually collect dust faster than one sitting on a desk in a clean office.

Should My Gaming PC Sit on the Floor?

It can, but there are a few things to consider.

Avoid placing a PC directly on thick carpet if the power supply or case has bottom-mounted air intakes.

The carpet can restrict airflow.

The floor also tends to contain more dust.

If your PC must sit on carpet, putting something solid underneath it can help.

Are Mesh Cases Better for Cooling?

Generally, a case with good ventilation makes cooling easier.

Mesh front panels allow fans to pull air in with less restriction.

That doesn't mean every glass-fronted case is bad, but a sealed front panel usually requires air to enter through smaller side vents.

For powerful gaming systems, we generally favour cases with sensible airflow paths.

Does RGB Affect Cooling?

No.

RGB does not make a fan cooler or faster.

Some excellent fans have RGB lighting.

Some excellent fans don't.

Lighting is purely aesthetic.

We choose fans based on their performance first and appearance second.

Bigger Fans Can Be Quieter

A 140mm fan can move a large amount of air without spinning as quickly as a smaller fan.

Lower RPM generally means less noise.

That's why some cases using 140mm fans can achieve excellent airflow while remaining relatively quiet.

However, fan design matters too.

A good 120mm fan can still outperform a poor 140mm fan.

Fan Curves – The Secret to a Quieter Gaming PC

Your fans don't need to run at 100% all the time.

A fan curve controls how quickly a fan spins at different temperatures.

For example:

Low CPU temperature = slow fanMedium temperature = moderate fanHigh temperature = faster fan

A properly configured fan curve can make a gaming PC significantly quieter without meaningfully increasing temperatures.

There's no benefit in having every fan screaming at full speed while browsing the web.

Air Cooling vs AIO – Which Is More Reliable?

Air coolers are mechanically simpler.

There is essentially only one moving part: the fan.

If the fan eventually fails, it is normally inexpensive and easy to replace.

An AIO has:

• Fans

• Pump

• Tubing

• Seals

• Liquid

Modern AIO coolers are generally very reliable, but pumps do eventually wear.

For pure simplicity and long-term reliability, air cooling wins.

For additional cooling capacity, appearance and installation flexibility, an AIO may be preferable.

What About Custom Water Cooling?

Custom loops can provide fantastic cooling and look spectacular.

They can cool:

• CPU

• GPU

• Or both

But they also introduce considerably more:

• Cost

• Complexity

• Maintenance

• Installation time

• Potential failure points

For the vast majority of gaming PCs, a good air cooler or AIO makes far more sense.

Custom water cooling is primarily an enthusiast option.

Choosing the Right Cooler for Your Gaming PC

As a simple guide:

Entry-Level Gaming PC

A quality basic tower cooler is normally plenty.

There's little reason to spend £100+ cooling a processor that produces relatively little heat.

Mainstream Gaming PC

A good single-tower or dual-tower air cooler is often ideal.

A 240mm AIO is another excellent option.

Powerful Gaming PC

A quality dual-tower cooler, 240mm, 280mm or 360mm AIO may be appropriate depending on the processor.

Extremely Power-Hungry CPU or Heavy Workstation Use

This is where larger AIO coolers become particularly useful.

Sustained rendering or CPU stress workloads can create significantly more heat than gaming alone.

Don't Buy a Cooler Based on CPU Price

An expensive processor doesn't necessarily require an expensive cooler.

Likewise, two processors with similar prices may produce very different amounts of heat.

Cooling should be selected according to:

• Actual CPU

• Power consumption

• Case airflow

• Workload

• Noise requirements

• Available space

Not simply the price printed on the CPU box.

Common PC Cooling Mistakes

Some of the most common issues we see include:

Fans installed backwards

The PC may have plenty of fans but no sensible airflow direction.

No exhaust fan

Fresh air enters but hot air isn't being removed efficiently.

Every fan set as exhaust

This creates heavy negative pressure and pulls dust through every gap.

Plastic film left on the CPU cooler

Yes, it happens.

The protective plastic on the cooler base must be removed before installation.

Too much thermal paste

You don't need half a tube.

Cooler mounted incorrectly

Uneven mounting pressure can dramatically increase CPU temperature.

Poor case ventilation

A huge cooler can't compensate for a completely restricted case.

Choosing appearance over airflow

A case may look beautiful but give the GPU almost no fresh air.

Running every fan at maximum speed

More noise doesn't necessarily mean meaningfully better temperatures.

Assuming any high temperature means something is wrong

Modern CPUs can operate at temperatures that would have looked alarming on processors from 15 years ago.

Our Approach at Advanced Systems

When we build an Ascension Gaming PC, we don't simply install the biggest cooler we can find.

Cooling should make sense for the system.

An affordable six-core gaming processor may receive a good Thermalright tower cooler.

A more demanding X3D gaming system might receive a larger air cooler or an AIO.

Our most powerful systems may use a Thermalright 360mm liquid cooler to provide additional thermal capacity.

It's about balance.

We'd rather put £70 into a better graphics card than spend it on an unnecessarily expensive CPU cooler that provides no noticeable gaming benefit.

That's one of the major reasons we swear by Thermalright.

Their products repeatedly give us the combination we're looking for:

Excellent cooling performance, sensible noise levels and extremely competitive pricing.

How Can You Check Your PC Temperatures?

There are several free programs available for monitoring PC temperatures.

Popular options include:

• HWiNFO

• AMD Adrenalin

• NVIDIA monitoring tools

• MSI Afterburner

• OCCT

Don't judge temperatures from idle alone.

A proper test includes running the machine under load and watching:

• CPU temperature

• GPU temperature

• GPU hotspot

• Clock speeds

• Fan speeds

• Power consumption

That's far more useful than simply seeing that your CPU is 42°C on the Windows desktop.

The Most Important Thing to Remember

A gaming PC doesn't need to be cold.

It needs to be properly cooled.

Those are two different things.

If your processor runs at 70°C while gaming, maintains its expected performance and remains reasonably quiet, spending another £100 to make it run at 60°C probably won't improve your gaming experience.

Good PC cooling is about finding the right balance between:

Temperature + performance + noise + reliability + price.

And that's exactly how we approach cooling when building our own systems.

Gaming PC Cooling FAQ

Is 80°C too hot for a gaming CPU?

Not necessarily. Many modern CPUs can operate perfectly normally at around 80°C under heavy load. The important figure is the manufacturer's thermal limit for your exact processor.

Is liquid cooling better than air cooling?

Not automatically. A high-quality air cooler can outperform a cheap AIO and is often better value. Liquid cooling becomes more useful with high-power processors or when additional thermal capacity is required.

How many case fans should a gaming PC have?

For most gaming PCs, two intake fans and one exhaust fan provide a good starting point. More powerful systems may benefit from additional airflow.

Should top PC fans be intake or exhaust?

They are normally used as exhaust fans because this creates a straightforward airflow path from the front/bottom of the system towards the rear/top.

Should front fans be intake or exhaust?

Front fans are normally intake fans, bringing fresh outside air into the computer.

Is a 360mm AIO necessary for gaming?

For most processors, no. A 360mm cooler is useful for powerful CPUs, heavy workloads or systems where extra thermal headroom is desired, but it isn't necessary for every gaming PC.

Is Thermalright a good CPU cooler brand?

It's the brand we use extensively and swear by at Advanced Systems. Thermalright offers some exceptional air and liquid cooling options, particularly when comparing cooling performance against price.

Does better CPU cooling increase FPS?

Sometimes, but only if the processor was previously reaching a thermal or power limitation. Making an already properly cooled CPU colder usually won't suddenly increase gaming performance.

How often should I clean my gaming PC?

There isn't a fixed schedule. Check the dust filters periodically and clean the system when dust begins to build up. Homes with pets, carpets or a dusty environment may require more frequent cleaning.

Should I replace thermal paste every year?

No. If temperatures remain normal, there is usually no reason to dismantle a working PC simply to replace the thermal paste every year.

Final Thoughts

PC cooling doesn't have to be complicated.

Start with a case that can breathe.

Give it a sensible intake and exhaust airflow path.

Choose a CPU cooler appropriate for the processor rather than simply buying the most expensive one available.

Keep the system clean.

And remember that modern processors are designed to operate at temperatures that may initially look surprisingly high.

For us at Advanced Systems, Thermalright has become our go-to cooling brand because it consistently provides the combination we care about most:

Price, performance and reliability without unnecessary cost.

Whether we're using a straightforward Thermalright Assassin air cooler in an affordable gaming PC or a 360mm Aqua Elite AIO in one of our more powerful Ascension systems, the principle is exactly the same:

Use the right cooler for the job and spend the customer's money where it makes the biggest difference.

Advanced Systems – Ascend to the next level.