Brandwave

Arctic vs Thermalright:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Arctic had more branded searches than Thermalright among CPU cooler brands worldwide. Arctic had about 201,000 branded searches, while Thermalright had 60,500. Arctic made up 12.8% of all CPU cooler brand searches we track, and Thermalright accounted for 3.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about CPU cooler brands, both Arctic and Thermalright appeared in all five answers. Thermalright was mentioned before Arctic in every answer.

Among CPU cooler brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Arctic, about 3 searches for every 1 for Thermalright

Arctic 201K searchesThermalright 60.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Arctic in 5 of 5Thermalright in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Thermalright, named ahead of Arctic in every answer

Thermalright first in 5Arctic never first

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Top CPU cooler brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Arctic and Thermalright showed up in all five answers. Thermalright was listed before Arctic in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Thermalright1st
  2. Noctua2nd
  3. Arctic3rd
  4. be quiet!4th
  5. Corsair5th
  6. NZXT–
  7. Cooler Master–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Arctic5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Noctua5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Thermalright5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Corsair3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • be quiet!3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • NZXT0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cooler Master0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about CPU cooler brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Is Arctic or Thermalright more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Arctic and Thermalright by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven CPU cooler brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Arctic and Thermalright among CPU cooler brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Arctic, Thermalright. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCorsairArcticNZXTbe quiet!NoctuaCooler MasterThermalright
Oct 202546.6%13.9%13.9%9.4%5.7%6.2%4.2%
Nov 202548%11.8%17.7%7.9%5.8%5.3%3.6%
Dec 202546.7%14.1%17.2%7.7%5.7%5.1%3.5%
Jan 202653.4%16.1%10.8%7.2%4.5%4.8%3.2%
Feb 202650.7%15.2%12.4%8.3%5.2%4.6%3.7%
Mar 202654.6%13.4%11%7.4%5.3%4.9%3.3%
Apr 202653.2%13%10.7%7.1%6.3%5.8%3.9%
May 202650.9%15.2%10.2%8.4%6%5.6%3.7%
Jun 202651.3%12.5%12.5%6.9%7.4%5.6%3.8%
Jul 202652.2%15.6%10.5%7%6.3%4.7%3.8%
Aug 202651.2%12.5%10.3%8.4%7.4%5.6%4.6%
Sep 202652.2%12.8%10.5%8.6%7.4%4.7%3.8%

How has the Arctic and Thermalright comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Arctic was ahead of Thermalright in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Arctic’s share of searches among CPU cooler brands worldwide moved from 13.9% to 12.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 246K to 201K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thermalright’s share of searches among CPU cooler brands worldwide moved from 4.2% to 3.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 74K to 60.5K.

How did search popularity change for CPU cooler brands worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Thermalright lost share of searches among CPU cooler brands worldwide, from 4.6% to 3.8%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Arctic worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 246K to 201K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Arctic’s and Thermalright’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Arctic

1 branded search term

  • arctic

Thermalright

1 branded search term

  • thermalright

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among CPU cooler brands

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