Do CPUs come with fans?

Buying a CPU that comes bundled with a fan or a cooler is one of the easiest ways save money while building a new PC. A processor with bundled cooler is great for casual users who don’t plan on overclocking their CPU or push it to its limits with some resource-intensive games or programs. But not all processors ship with a cooler these days, and both Intel and AMD only bundle it with select processors in their catalog. If you are in the market to buy a new processor and are wondering which ones ship with a fan then read on to find.

Which AMD CPUs come with a cooler?

The list of AMD CPUs that comes bundled with a cooler is rather slim. A quick look at the Ryzen 5000 and the current-gen 7000 series desktop processor will tell you that only a handful of them ship with a cooler in the box. In fact, only the ones with 65W default TDP ships with a bundled cooler, while the rest don’t. Below is a list highlighting the AMD CPUs that come bundled with a cooler, along with the type of thermal solution:

Those are the Ryzen CPUs that ship with a cooler in 2023. The information about the bundled cooler is mentioned on the retail box, so keep an eye for those while shopping for these chips online or at a retail store. Some relatively older Ryzen 3000 series processors also shipped with the Wraith Stealth and Prism coolers out of the box, but they’re no longer available to purchase directly from official retail channels. You may find them in used/renewed marketplaces, but I don’t recommend buying those processors now in 2023, as the newer Ryzen 5000 and 7000 series chips offer better value for your money.

Which Intel CPUs come with a cooler?

Much like AMD, Intel doesn’t bundle a cooler with all of its processors. In fact, none of the Intel processors with K, KF, KS, XE, or X suffix ship with a CPU cooler in the box. That still leaves you with a long list of processors, thanks to Intel’s expansive catalog of CPUs. Here’s a table highlighting the list of Intel CPUs that ship with the company’s relatively new range of Laminar RH1, RM1, and RS1 coolers:

The Laminar RH1, RM1, and RS1 are all basic coolers that aren’t meant to be used with high-end parts that tend to get too hot to handle. However, they should be enough for casual users who don’t plan on overclocking or pushing their CPUs beyond the default TDP values. Most of these included coolers also come with some pre-applied thermal paste that’s usually enough to set things up, but you might want to keep one of the best thermal paste handy, in case you end you don’t get the installation right the first time, and there’s not enough paste left to reseat the cooler.

Also, if you’re not happy with the included cooler, then I recommend stopping by our collection of the best CPU coolers to find some good options to consider. I’ll leave a link to buy the Noctua NH-D15 CPU cooler below, which is easily one of the best fan coolers you can buy for your CPU in 2023. It ships with mounting brackets for Intel and AMD CPUs, so you don’t have to worry about any compatibility issues either.

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Noctua NH-D15

Best CPU Cooler

$110 $120 Save $10

The Noctua NH-D15 is one of the most powerful air coolers on the market. It can handle high-performance CPUs, and while it’s large, it gets the job done. Oh, and it comes in a stunning brown color.

Closing thoughts

It’s safe to conclude saying that not all Intel and AMD CPUs come with a cooling fan out of the box. You do get them with relatively less powerful CPUs which aren’t designed to be pushed to extreme limits, so I recommend looking at an aftermarket CPU cooler in case you’re planning on overclocking or running some resource-intensive tasks. If you really want to buy an Intel or an AMD CPU that’s bundled with a cooler, then check out the ones mentioned below.

Source: AMD

AMD Ryzen 5 7600

AMD’s Ryzen 5 7600 is the new entry-level processor from the company, offering six-core performance at a more affordable price. Capable of boosting up to 5.1GHz, this 65W chip is a mighty package with an efficient architecture for a killer PC build.

Source: Intel

Intel Core i7-13700

The Intel Core i7-13700 may be locked and unable to be pushed past what Intel sets at the factory, but it’s still an amazing mid-tier processor. Inside, you’ll find 8 P-cores and 8 E-cores for a total of 24 usable threads.