Best Window Air Conditioner for Medium Room

LG leads the pack, followed by Frigidaire

An 8,000-Btu air conditioner can cool a room of about 300 to 350 square feet. In this size range, we consistently found good ratings for the LG LW8012ER (Est. $220) . This specific model has not been included in any professional reviews, but an earlier version of the same unit, the LW8010ER, was a top performer in one professional test, with impressive scores for cooling performance and ease of use. The editors recommend the still-newer LG LW8013ER (Est. $230) based on its similarity to the earlier model, so we feel confident in predicting that the LW8012ER, which is virtually identical to the latest version, will perform comparably as well.

The LW8012ER earns excellent reviews from users on retail sites, including HomeDepot.com, Walmart.com and AJMadison.com. Owners consistently say it provides fast, effective cooling, and most also agree that it is quiet and easy to install. The remote control and programmable timer are also popular features. The most negative reviews we saw came from owners who say that their units were either defective right out of the box or broke down shortly after purchase.

We also found good overall ratings for the Frigidaire FRA086AT7 (*Est. $245) , along with the equivalent LRA087AT7 (sold exclusively at Lowe's) and FRA085AT7 (sold at Best Buy). The Frigidaire is recommended by TheSweetHome.com (sister site to technology blog The Wirecutter), which declares it a strong performer with a variety of useful features. We found mostly positive reviews for this unit at Walmart.com, Amazon.com and BestBuy.com, but they are more mixed than the reviews for the LG air conditioner.

Owners generally say the Frigidaire cools a room effectively, and they like the remote control with built-in thermostat that can monitor the air temperature from across the room. However, reviewers are divided over the noise level, which some describe as quiet and others as "incredibly loud." Moreover, in professional tests, the Frigidaire is both noisier and harder to use than the LG.