Noctua vs Thermalright:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Noctua had more branded searches than Thermalright among CPU cooler brands worldwide. Noctua had about 117,000 branded searches, while Thermalright had 60,500. Noctua made up 7.4% 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 Noctua and Thermalright appeared in all five answers. Thermalright was mentioned before Noctua in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Noctua, about 93% more searches than Thermalright
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Thermalright, named ahead of Noctua in 3 of 5 answers
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Top CPU cooler brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Noctua and Thermalright showed up in all five answers. Thermalright was listed before Noctua in three of them.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Thermalright1st
- Noctua2nd
Arctic3rd
be quiet!4th
Corsair5th
NZXT–
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
Asked ChatGPT
“Which CPU cooler brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best CPU cooler brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best CPU cooler brand for a gaming pc?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best cpu cooler”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cpu cooler for gaming pc”
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 Noctua or Thermalright more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Noctua 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.
Share of searches by month for Noctua, Thermalright. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Corsair | Arctic | NZXT | be quiet! | Noctua | Cooler Master | Thermalright |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 46.6% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 9.4% | 5.7% | 6.2% | 4.2% |
| Nov 2025 | 48% | 11.8% | 17.7% | 7.9% | 5.8% | 5.3% | 3.6% |
| Dec 2025 | 46.7% | 14.1% | 17.2% | 7.7% | 5.7% | 5.1% | 3.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 53.4% | 16.1% | 10.8% | 7.2% | 4.5% | 4.8% | 3.2% |
| Feb 2026 | 50.7% | 15.2% | 12.4% | 8.3% | 5.2% | 4.6% | 3.7% |
| Mar 2026 | 54.6% | 13.4% | 11% | 7.4% | 5.3% | 4.9% | 3.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 53.2% | 13% | 10.7% | 7.1% | 6.3% | 5.8% | 3.9% |
| May 2026 | 50.9% | 15.2% | 10.2% | 8.4% | 6% | 5.6% | 3.7% |
| Jun 2026 | 51.3% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 6.9% | 7.4% | 5.6% | 3.8% |
| Jul 2026 | 52.2% | 15.6% | 10.5% | 7% | 6.3% | 4.7% | 3.8% |
| Aug 2026 | 51.2% | 12.5% | 10.3% | 8.4% | 7.4% | 5.6% | 4.6% |
| Sep 2026 | 52.2% | 12.8% | 10.5% | 8.6% | 7.4% | 4.7% | 3.8% |
How has the Noctua and Thermalright comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Noctua was ahead of Thermalright in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Noctua’s share of searches among CPU cooler brands worldwide moved from 5.7% to 7.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 100K to 117K.
- 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
In September 2026, Thermalright lost share of searches among CPU cooler brands worldwide, from 4.6% to 3.8%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Noctua worldwide rose 16.1% over 12 measured months, from 100K to 117K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Noctua’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.
Noctua
2 branded search terms
- noctua
- noctua cpu cooler
Thermalright
1 branded search term
- thermalright
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