The best CPU coolers for Ryzen 9 5900X


Gaming with a 12-core and 24-thread processor can be exhilarating. AMD has stuck to the AM4 socket size and increased the number of cores within those dimensions, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a great example. The result is an increase in operating temperature, but AMD allows the T-junction max to reach 90°C. We have compiled a list to help you buy the best CPU cooler to keep running temperatures below 80°C. Our list includes liquid coolers and air-based coolers. Depending on your application and requirement, you can select either of them. Each poses its unique advantages and disadvantages. There are some inherent features of an air cooling system that cannot be achieved by liquid cooling, and we will point them out during our review.
We will discuss the best CPU cooler for Ryzen 9 5900X, including Air-based and liquid coolers. Air-based coolers have a lower number of moving parts and are not complicated. If a fan fails, the replacement is easy and can be done by yourself. However, in a liquid cooling system, failure of pumps will cause difficulty as most liquid coolers do not have detachable joints to replace components or tubing. Air-based coolers have lower TDP than liquid coolers, whereas the power consumption of liquid coolers is higher than those of air-based coolers. If you are looking for a reliable long-term solution, it’s better to go for an air-based cooler. However, liquid cooling is an excellent option if you are an overclocking enthusiast and might be pushing the Ryzen 9 5900X above its 105W TDP. We will discuss the good and bad of each product in our review.
The best CPU coolers for Ryzen 9 5900X at a glance:
- 1 Noctua NH-D15
- 2 Dark Rock Pro 4
- 3 DeepCool Assassin III
- 4 ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- 5 Alphacool Eisbaer LT360
The best CPU coolers for Ryzen 9 5900X you can buy today
01 Best air
Noctua NH-D15
Brand: Noctua
Noise level: 19.2 dB
Material: Copper & Aluminium
Color: Brown
Voltage: 12 volts
Weight: 2.86 pounds
Dimensions: 5.91 x 6.34 x 6.5 inches
PROS
+Pro-grade thermal NT-H1 included
+64mm RAM clearance with a single fan
+140mm fan ideal for component cooling
CONS
-No diagnostic indication
-Low compatibility with symmetric design
Noctua has a reputation for providing high-end product quality with reliable performance. The Noctua NH-D15 is one of their best design, with thermal design power (TDP) of 183W. The perfection in the product is represented through their detail in maintaining low noise by using advanced acoustic optimization technology. The fan’s frame is fitted with anti-vibration pads to reduce vibration-related contact noise. Airflow is disturbed using a stepped-inlet design which makes the flow turn from laminar to turbulent reducing tonal intake noise and improving static pressure for tight spaces. The dual tower design incorporates two fans in the push and pulls configuration resulting in a 140.2 m³/h air flow rate. Due to its large diameter, it achieves high airflow at 1500RPM.
The fan, the main active component in the cooler, has a mean time to failure (MTTF) of 150000hrs. Noctua includes a low-noise adapter with their product. The LNA can be good for a processor like Ryzen 9 5900X. There is a significant difference of 78W, which makes low noise adapter an ideal choice as it reduces noise and power consumption. Instead of making 24.6 dBA noise at maximum revolutions, the fan will only produce 19.2 dBA. Due to the large fan size of 140mm, the fan extends beyond the heat sink, which adds to the cooling effect of other components on the motherboard. The design has received more than 350 awards from various magazines and world-leading websites.
02 Quietest
Dark Rock Pro 4
Brand: Be quiet!
Noise level: 24.3 dB
Material: Copper
Color: Black
Voltage: 12 volts
Weight: 2.49 pounds
Dimensions: 5.3 x 5.7 x 6.4 inches
PROS
+6-pole fan motor
+Silent 24.3dBA operation
+250W overclocking suitable TDP
CONS
-No low noise adapter
-Heatsinks over VRM heatsink
be quiet! It is a German brand with products that exceed expectations. The massive Dark Rock Pro 4 can handle a 250W thermal design power CPU. Its large heat sink and dual fan configuration allow overclocking for the high-end processors in the market. It is 100% compatible with the AM4 socket and produces a mere 24.3dBA noise at maximum RPM. The massive overclocking headspace the air-cooler provides will keep it running at lower RPM, thus making approximately 12.8dBA noise or lower. Due to its enormous size, it hovers over the RAMs and VRM heatsink, posing limitations to the specific motherboards. To ensure that your motherboard is compatible with the cooler, visit their official product page and select “check the motherboard.” Select your motherboard from the drop-down menu to check for compatibility.
The complete assembly is made from black, ensuring it seamlessly blends with the motherboard color theme. They have paid attention to detail by providing that the mounting system is also black. It has a symmetric body with 7-heatpipes running from the base plate to the fins. The heatpipes are made of copper, which provides rapid heat transfer capability. If we analyze the 120mm and 135mm fans built quality, they are rotated using a 6-pole motor and fluid dynamic bearings to ensure 300,000 h / 25°C of lifespan. Users have reported that the ceramic coating on the aluminum-based heat fins is easily scratchable. Therefore, it’s recommended that the assembly is treated with care. Instructional videos are available on the official product page for support. Overall, it’s an ideal choice for overclockers who want a long-lasting product compatible with loads of sockets.
03 Best budget
DeepCool Assassin III
Brand: Deep Cool
Noise level: 34.2 dB
Material: Copper
Color: Black
Voltage: 12 volts
Weight: 3.23 pounds
Dimensions: 6.34 x 5.51 x 6.5 inches
PROS
+Convex copper base 0.1mm finish
+Copper baseplate with 7-heatpipes
+Patented two-layer 140mm fan design
CONS
-No color option
-Louder than competitors
The DeepCool Assassin III utilizes its design to provide a 280W TDP for cooling the CPU. It has no problem with air bubbles affecting the cooler’s performance compared to liquid cooling. The only factor that can be detrimental to your cooler’s performance is the thermal paste. DeepCool includes all the necessary sets of tools required for installation. Including a high-quality thermal paste, screwdriver, mounting screws, paste applicator, power cables, cleaning swab, and a backplate. The installation is easy, and if you follow the instructional video on their official website, you will face no problem. The dual-tone silver and black combination might be eye-catching for many. DeepCool incorporates an obsidian-like spoiler to direct air through the fins. It is compatible with a wide range of Intel and AMD sockets.
Their 140mm patented fan design makes the air more focused and turbulent, generating a static pressure of 17.56Pa. Owing to the features, it produces <29.5dBA at its maximum capacity, i.e., 280W TDP. Running as the best CPU cooler for Ryzen 9 5900X with 105TDP will lower the fans' load, reducing their RPM as PWM-based fans. The fan power consumption is 2.52 W at max load, which will also decrease. DeepCool has included a low noise adapter or LSP, which can be installed using a simple wire connection to the motherboard with the one supplied. We recommend using it with the mentioned above as it has lower thermal design power, and using the LSP will significantly reduce the noise level and power consumption. Overall it’s an ideal package for a budget building with long-lasting capability.
04 Best AIO
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
Brand: ARCTIC
Noise level: 22.5 dB
Material: Aluminium, Copper
Color: Black
Voltage: 12 volts
Weight: 3.47 pounds
Dimensions: 12.48 x 5.43 x 1.5 inches
PROS
+Leak-free tight closed loop
+280mm radiator for mATX case
+VRM cooler reduces 15°C temperature
CONS
-Difficult to maneuver tubes
-No makeup or air purging option
The Arctic always has something unique to bring to the table. Their Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 has remained our favorite liquid cooler primarily due to its unique design and price tag. The complete assembly is sealed tight, and as per the Arctic, there will be no need to make up the water or purge air as the EPDM tubing is fiber reinforced to avoid any potential liquid leakage or evaporation. The cable management is also hidden within the fiber sleeves and eventually leads to a single port for power connection. RGB can be distracting, and its wire management is challenging to handle, so the Arctic decides not to include any lighting. Due to the 280mm radiator, users can install the cooler in mid-tower PC cases with mATX motherboards, or it is even compatible with mini-ITX motherboards.
The only thing that makes it difficult to route the tube and maneuver them is the non-flexible joints. The Arctic backs their quality with a 6-year warranty. The reliability of the 40mm is comparable to their fans. It is capable of reducing the VRM heatsink temperature by 15°C. Liquid Freezer II is a complete package that takes care of CPU temperatures and the system that ensures that the CPU is adequately supplied with sufficient power for overclocking. The radiator is 38mm thick with high-fin density. Two ARCTIC P14 140mm fans are installed on the radiator designed for high static pressure with low noise to ensure the heat is appropriately dissipated. The micro-skived channel within the copper base plate allows surface contact area and better heat transfer. It’s an ideal liquid cooler for overclockers.
05 Best 360mm
Alphacool Eisbaer LT360
Brand: Alphacool
Noise level: 29 dB
Material: Aluminum, Copper
Color: Black
Voltage: 7 volts
Weight: 6.38 pounds
Dimensions: 17.32 x 10.24 x 5.91 inches
PROS
+75 liter/h flowrate pump
+Copper-based 360mm radiator
+2 pre-assembled quick-release latches
CONS
-No leak-free loop design
-High-power consumption
Alphacool is another German CPU cooler manufacturer which produces high-end products designed for performance. The Alphacool Eisbaer LT360 beats all the liquid and air coolers in the market by a significant margin, mainly due to its high quality of materials. The 360mm radiator is made of high-conductivity copper material, resulting in better performance within a smaller thickness of 25mm. They have a quick connector feature with standard G1/4” threads in case you need to extend your tubes for a larger case or require makeup of liquid. It uses the DC-LT 2 Ceramic pump, which produces negligible noise compared to its competition. With the included 7V adapter, you can reduce the noise further, which is ideal for the Ryzen 9 5900X. Its standard flat surface and aluminum caps give it a minimalist look.
The cooler comes with a flexible tubbing, and thanks to the brass fittings, it can be replaced with hard tubbing if desired. The tubes are made of anti-kink springs and are standard 11/8mm in size. Routing the tubing in tight PC enclosures is easy. AlphaCool uses high-end Eiswind PWM-based fans that allow a wide range of operations from 500 RPM to 1700 RPM. However, they use sleeve bearing, which is not the most reliable for fan shaft support. A maximum of 1700 RPM produces 29 dB(A) of noise. All the joints are made flexible to support maneuverability and ensure tube management. If you are a serious overclocker looking to gain extra framerates or achieve lower times while compressing files, then Eisbaer LT360 is the best money to buy.
Final Words
If you are a gamer or developer who must compress or decompress large files, then every little increase in Hz will result in better performance. Having a significant overclocking headspace is never a bad option. We have listed all the coolers in the air and liquid category for selecting the best CPU cooler for Ryzen 9 5900X. As a gaming CPU with 12-cores, the die area of the CPU surface gets hot under high loads. The heat needs to be removed to keep the processor from thermal throttling. The heat is conducted from the CPU via the thermal paste and to the coolers' base plate. It is essential to have a high-quality thermal paste applied carefully to ensure there is no gap between the CPU and the base plate.
Some manufacturers supply thermal paste with their products. We recommend doing research into which thermal paste is ideal for better conductivity. The base plate could be made of copper or aluminum. It could have direct contact heatpipes, or heatpipes may carry heat from the base plate. Direct contact heatpipes have a better response to changing temperatures. All the manufacturers on the list use a high-quality fin design, but AlphaCool is the only brand that uses high-end copper and brass material for their manufacturing. Its hefty price tag is justified by its choice of material. However, the air-based liquid cooler has a longer lifespan with more extensive warranties. Overclocking compatible air-coolers are enormous and cover most of the motherboard, toying with the aesthetics. To conclude, we leave our readers to decide what suits them the most depending on their usage.
Learn More About the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
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