The Core i5-4670K is a 2013 Haswell quad core on LGA 1150, rated at 84W and unlocked for overclocking, and many still run in budget gaming or home-server PCs. This guide to the best CPU coolers for i5 4670K systems lists seven current coolers that still name LGA 1150 support, so you can quiet or overclock an old build cheaply.
Quick verdict
The Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is the best overall upgrade for an i5-4670K: a 155mm dual tower that lists LGA 115x support and has thousands of Amazon ratings. At stock, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Spectrum V3 costs less and still beats a stock cooler on noise. Slim cases suit the Noctua NH-L9i.
| Cooler | Type | Height or radiator | LGA 1150 listed | Best for | Amazon US, Nov 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | Dual-tower air | 155mm | Yes (115X) | Best overall, overclocking | about $35 |
| Cooler Master Hyper 212 Spectrum V3 | Single-tower air | 152mm | Yes | Stock clocks on a budget | about $20 |
| Vetroo V5 Black | Single-tower air | Not clearly stated | Yes | Cheapest ARGB tower | about $20 |
| be quiet! Pure Rock 3 Black | Single-tower air | 154mm | Yes | Quiet everyday use | about $38 |
| Noctua NH-U12S redux | Single-tower air | 158mm | Yes (115x) | Long warranty | about $60 |
| Thermalright Frozen Notte 240 Black ARGB V2 | 240mm AIO | 240mm radiator | Yes | Liquid on a budget | about $47 |
| Noctua NH-L9i | Low-profile air | 37mm | Yes | Slim or ITX cases | about $50 |
How we selected coolers for the i5-4670K
Intel’s specification page lists the i5-4670K with four cores and four threads, 3.4GHz base and 3.8GHz turbo clocks, an 84W TDP and the FCLGA1150 socket, launched in the second quarter of 2013. That puts it on Z87 and Z97 boards, which share cooler mounting with LGA 1151, 1155, 1156 and 1200.
Many new coolers drop older Intel sockets, so the first filter was an explicit LGA 1150 or LGA 115x entry on the manufacturer page or Amazon listing. We then favored models with hundreds of Amazon ratings and published heights. This is a research roundup from spec sheets and dated Amazon data; we did not test these coolers on a 4670K and quote no temperatures.
Because the 4670K’s 84W TDP is modest, nearly any decent tower handles it at stock. The real choice is how far you plan to overclock, how much case room you have and whether you want the cooler to move to a future build, so the list covers each of those cases.
Best CPU coolers for i5 4670K upgrades
The reviews below cover fit, verified specs, the Amazon rating snapshot and limits. Ratings and prices are from Amazon US in November 2026 and will move. Where a listing claim is not confirmed by the maker’s own page, we attribute it to the seller or leave it out.
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE
The Peerless Assassin 120 SE is the cooler to buy if you plan to push the i5-4670K’s multiplier. Thermalright’s page lists a 125 x 110 x 155mm dual-tower heatsink with six 6mm heat pipes, TL-C12C 120mm fans rated at 1550 RPM and 25.6 dBA, and Intel LGA 115X, 1200, 1700 and 1851 plus AM4 and AM5.
The Amazon listing confirms two PWM fans. An overclocked quad core raises voltage and power well above the 84W TDP, and a dual tower keeps fan speeds lower while it does. If you later move to a new platform, the same cooler mounts on current Intel and AMD sockets.
It was rated 4.7 out of 5 from about 3,400 Amazon ratings and listed around $35 on Amazon US as of November 2026. Older mid towers sometimes list less than 155mm of clearance, so check yours, and note that the towers overhang the first DIMM slot on many boards.
- Pro: dual tower with two fans for a modest price
- Pro: large Amazon review base
- Con: 155mm may not fit older compact cases
- Con: no warranty length on Thermalright’s page
Buy it if you overclock the i5-4670K or want the quietest gaming fan speeds. Skip it if your case limit is under 160mm.
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Spectrum V3
The Hyper 212 Spectrum V3 is the budget choice for a stock or lightly tuned i5-4670K. Cooler Master’s official page lists 124 x 73 x 152mm, four nickel-plated direct-contact heat pipes, one 120mm ARGB fan running 650 to 1750 RPM at 27.2 dBA, a two-year warranty, and Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, 1151, 1150, 1155 and 1156 plus AM5 and AM4.
That broad socket list is useful on a Z87 or Z97 board and again later. ARGB needs a 5V 3-pin header, which older Haswell boards may not have; the fan still works on a standard 4-pin CPU header without lighting.
It was rated 4.7 out of 5 from about 1,000 Amazon ratings and listed around $20 on Amazon US as of November 2026. Four heat pipes and one fan are a good match for 84W at stock but leave less room for big overclocks.
- Pro: very low price and official LGA 1150 support
- Pro: 73mm depth leaves RAM slots clear
- Con: ARGB unusable on boards without a 5V header
- Con: two-year warranty
Buy it if you run the 4670K at stock and want a quiet upgrade for little money. Skip it if you want a large all-core overclock.
Vetroo V5 Black
The Vetroo V5 is the cheapest tower in this list that pairs ARGB lighting with five heat pipes. The Amazon listing describes five direct-contact heat pipes, a PWM fan from 800 to 1700 RPM and 5V 3-pin ARGB, with Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200 and 1150 plus AM5 and AM4 listed.
It suits a stock or mildly overclocked 4670K in a standard ATX case. The listing’s dimension fields are inconsistent, so we could not verify its height; compare the box figures to your case before installing if clearance is tight.
As of November 2026 it was rated 4.6 out of 5 from about 6,200 Amazon ratings and listed around $20 on Amazon US. That rating base is large, but it reflects buyer satisfaction, not measured cooling.
- Pro: five heat pipes at a budget price
- Pro: LGA 1150 explicitly listed
- Con: height not verifiable from the listing
- Con: no manufacturer spec sheet found
Buy it if you want lighting and a low price. Skip it if you need a documented height for a tight case.
be quiet! Pure Rock 3 Black
The Pure Rock 3 Black is for owners who want a quiet, simple single tower. A published spec list gives 71 x 124 x 154mm without mounting hardware, one Pure Wings 3 120mm PWM fan, a 190W rating and a three-year warranty. The Amazon listing names Intel 1851, 1700, 1200, 1151, 1150 and 1155 plus AM5 and AM4.
The listing describes four black 6mm heat pipes and a slim body that leaves RAM banks fully usable. For a stock 84W i5, a single tower like this runs its fan slowly in most workloads, which is where be quiet! aims it.
It was rated 4.5 out of 5 from about 500 Amazon ratings and listed around $38 on Amazon US as of November 2026. The fan is rated up to 2000 RPM and 34.8 dB at full speed in the spec table, so a moderate fan curve matters if silence is the goal.
- Pro: three-year warranty and explicit LGA 1150 support
- Pro: slim body with full RAM clearance
- Con: costs more than towers with similar heat pipes
- Con: high maximum fan noise rating
Buy it if you want a tidy, all-black tower for a stock 4670K. Skip it if you are overclocking hard.
Noctua NH-U12S redux
The NH-U12S redux is for builders who want a long warranty and plan to move the cooler to a newer PC later. Noctua’s listing gives a 158mm height, five heat pipes, an NF-P12 redux-1700 120mm PWM fan, SecuFirm2 mounting for LGA 1851, 1700, 1200 and 115x plus AM5 and AM4, and a six-year warranty.
The slim 120mm tower does not overhang RAM slots, per the listing. On a Z87 or Z97 board it is a quiet, conservative choice for a stock or moderately overclocked 4670K.
It was rated 4.8 out of 5 from about 4,400 Amazon ratings and listed around $60 on Amazon US as of November 2026. You pay more than for the Thermalright dual tower, which has more fin area, so this is about warranty and fan quality rather than raw capacity.
- Pro: six-year warranty
- Pro: carries forward to LGA 1851 and AM5
- Con: 158mm is the tallest single tower here
- Con: one fan limits heavy overclocks
Buy it if you will reuse the cooler in a future build. Skip it if you only want the cheapest fix for an old PC.
Thermalright Frozen Notte 240 Black ARGB V2
The Frozen Notte 240 Black ARGB V2 is the budget liquid option. The Amazon listing describes a copper-base pump head rated up to 5300 RPM and two TL-E12B-S 120mm PWM ARGB fans at up to 2000 RPM, 72.37 CFM and 27.7 dBA, with Intel LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1200, 1700 and 1851 plus AM4 and AM5. Thermalright’s page lists a five-year warranty.
A 240mm AIO moves heat to a radiator, which helps if your case has a top or front 240mm mount and limited tower height. Many older cases lack 240mm mounts, so check before ordering.
It was rated 4.6 out of 5 from about 470 Amazon ratings and listed around $47 on Amazon US as of November 2026. For a stock 4670K it is more than needed, but it gives overclocking headroom and clears space around the socket.
- Pro: five-year warranty per Thermalright
- Pro: LGA 1150 listed explicitly
- Con: needs a 240mm radiator mount
- Con: pump adds noise and a failure point
Buy it if your case has a 240mm mount and you want liquid. Skip it if your older case only takes 120mm fans.
Noctua NH-L9i
The NH-L9i is for slim or ITX builds. Noctua’s listing gives a 37mm total height, a 95 x 95mm footprint with no RAM or PCIe overhang, an NF-A9x14 92mm slim fan rated at 23.6 dB and up to 2500 RPM, SecuFirm2 mounting for LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156 and 1200, and a six-year warranty.
Noctua describes it for CPUs with moderate heat load. An 84W i5-4670K at stock is workable in a ventilated case, but this is not an overclocking cooler, and the small fan will be audible under long loads.
It was rated 4.7 out of 5 from about 3,400 Amazon ratings and listed around $50 on Amazon US as of November 2026. It supports LGA 1150 natively, which many newer low-profile coolers no longer do.
- Pro: 37mm height fits very slim cases
- Pro: native LGA 1150 support and six-year warranty
- Con: not suitable for overclocking
- Con: works its fan hard at full load
Buy it if your case cannot fit a tower. Skip it if you have room for a 150mm cooler.
Buying guide for an i5-4670K cooler
An LGA 1150 build is usually an older case with an older board, so fit and mounting deserve as much attention as cooling. These checks cover overclocking plans, mounting, case clearance and fan headers, the issues that most often trip up an old-platform cooler swap.
Stock or overclocked use
At stock, the 4670K’s 84W TDP is modest, and a four-pipe single tower is enough for gaming and desktop work. Overclocking raises voltage and draws far more power than the rated TDP, so for a significant overclock choose the Peerless Assassin 120 SE or a 240mm AIO.
Start with modest multiplier steps and watch temperatures in monitoring software. The cooler choice sets your ceiling, but the chip’s own limits vary from sample to sample.
LGA 1150 mounting hardware
LGA 1150 shares the 75 x 75mm hole pattern with LGA 1151, 1155, 1156 and 1200, so any cooler that lists LGA 115x should include the right backplate. Coolers that list only LGA 1700 and LGA 1851, such as the ARCTIC Freezer 36, will not mount without a separate kit.
Before removing your old cooler, check whether the board needs to come out of the case to fit a new backplate. Some older cases have small cutouts behind the CPU, which makes the swap harder.
Case clearance and RAM
Heights here range from 37mm for the NH-L9i to 158mm for the NH-U12S redux. Older mid towers often allow less height than current models, and a report on Noctua’s survey of over 100 cases found that more than half did not match their listed cooler clearance.
Haswell boards use DDR3, and some DDR3 kits have tall heat spreaders. Single towers like the Hyper 212 Spectrum V3 and NH-U12S redux avoid overhang; dual towers may need you to raise the front fan.
Fan headers and lighting
Z87 and Z97 boards have a CPU fan header, but many were sold before 5V ARGB headers were common. The ARGB coolers here still cool normally without the lighting connected, or you can add a separate SATA-powered ARGB controller if you want the effects on an older board.
Two-fan coolers need either a splitter or a second header such as CPU_OPT. Check your manual before installing so both fans follow the CPU temperature.
FAQ
These answers cover common questions about cooling a Haswell i5 today, including whether an upgrade is worthwhile, which coolers still fit LGA 1150 and how to handle overclocking. They rely on Intel’s spec page and the listings above, not on our own testing.
Is an aftermarket cooler worth it for an i5-4670K?
Usually yes, if the PC is loud, runs hot or you want to overclock. A $20 to $35 tower costs far less than a new CPU, board and memory, and it makes the system quieter right away. Most picks here also list current Intel and AMD sockets, so the cooler can move to a future build.
Which of the best CPU coolers for i5 4670K fits a slim case?
The Noctua NH-L9i, at 37mm tall with native LGA 1150 support, is the pick for slim and ITX cases. It handles the 4670K at stock in a case with some airflow, but it is not meant for overclocking. If your case fits about 65mm, a taller low-profile model gives more headroom.
Can I use an LGA 1700 cooler on LGA 1150?
Only if it lists LGA 115x or includes a 115x bracket. LGA 1700 uses a 78 x 78mm hole pattern versus 75 x 75mm on LGA 1150, so the parts are not interchangeable. All seven coolers here list LGA 1150 or LGA 115x support, so no extra adapter kit is needed for a Z87 or Z97 board.
Conclusion
Buy the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE for an i5-4670K you plan to overclock or simply want near silent. It lists LGA 115x support, has two fans on a dual tower and sells for about $35. If you keep the chip at stock, the Hyper 212 Spectrum V3 is enough, and the NH-L9i is the answer for slim cases.
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