Whats The Best Approach to Air Cool Ryzen 9 5900X?

LBargainBuddy on 24/04/2021 - 20:53
Last edited 24/04/2021 - 21:43

My situation

  • Avoiding liquid cooling as i was a bit traumatised by liquid leaks.
  • More of a productivity PC. High CPU and mostly memory intensive work.
  • Not planning to OC at the moment. Thats because i havnt done it yet other than in RPIs. So not sure - only if its worth the benefits.
  • I have 4 x 8GB sticks (to get 2 ranks each in each channel)
  • [Edited] PC Case - Corsair 4000D Airflow

Given the above setup what would you recommend for CPU cooling. Options that i checked so far,

  • Noctua NH-15S
  • Noctua NH-U12A
  • Be quiet Dark Rock 4
  • Or anything else that you might suggest
Computing AM4 AMD Computer Component CPU

Comments

  • Hybroid on 24/04/2021 - 20:56
    +1

    Did you have a previous leak in a closed loop cooler system or open watercooling? I've had a H100i running for 8+ years 24/7 with no issues. Would always recommend at least 2-fan radiator closed loop cooling solution personally.

    • BargainBuddy on 24/04/2021 - 21:09

      Its a closed loop one from cooler master. I cannot remember the model number. After seeing his ruined PC pics my cousin shared with me, i thought of keeping mine dry. TBH I believe what he got might been a faulty one.

  • Hellcrusher3304 on 24/04/2021 - 21:01
    +1

    I've got it paired with NH-D15 with single fan config due to ram and case clearance. It runs at around 45C idle and spikes to 65-70C when I open up lots of porgrams or gaming. I just use the second included fan as a case fan.

    Maybe consider undervolting the CPU which reduces heat and power consumption whilst giving slight performance gains. It's quite easy to do, I just followed Optimum Tech's video

  • bbbilly05 on 24/04/2021 - 21:10
    +2

    I rate the Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4… Works really well, quiet and looks great. Easy to fit.

    • Sleeqb7 on 27/04/2021 - 14:27

      I use the Dark Rock 4 (The Pro was too large for my case) - Also works really well.

  • jonagrah on 24/04/2021 - 21:39

    What case are you using?

    • BargainBuddy on 24/04/2021 - 21:42

      Sorry I should have put it in the post it self. It's a Corsair 4000D Airflow.

  • JoKing on 24/04/2021 - 21:39
    +1

    Noctua NH-U12A. I would recommend this to anyone. I did lots and lots of research for my recent build and this kept coming out on top in the comparison reviews - even beating a lot of liquid coolers. It's a lot smaller than the older Noctua CPU coolers, has plenty of RAM clearance, works on both AMD and Intel CPU's and has easy clip on fans. Additionally, the Noctua fans are considered some of the best. My CPU runs really cool now, on idle its around 35C and when I am gaming it only ever gets to like 45-50C (from what I have seen).

    Noctua has a really good reputation and the build quality is impressive - not cheap plastic builds.
    I think the Be Quiet stuff is good too, but from what I have seen Noctua is the leader.

    • Hellcrusher3304 on 24/04/2021 - 21:49

      Do you use it on the 5900X? If so that's so impressive temps, my single fan NH-D15 runs much hotter for some reason…

      My case (Pure Base 500DX) has decent airflow too with 4 case fans.

      • JoKing on 24/04/2021 - 21:57

        I am using it on the Ryzen 7 5800X. Just then I was playing Valheim (on full graphics) for about 30 mins and just checked temp and it was at 46C so yeah its getting good results.
        The NH-U12A has dual fans - to push and pull the air.
        If you're using a single fan make sure you're pushing the air through the cooler, not pulling air through (if that makes sense).

        • Hellcrusher3304 on 24/04/2021 - 21:58
          +1

          Apparently 5800X produces more heat than 5900X, but yeah it makes sense, I thought the U12A was single fan.

          • JoKing on 24/04/2021 - 21:59
            +1

            @Hellcrusher3304: Nup, dual fans. And has a slightly different design to the older D15 cooler. Think it may have more fins or tubes (veins?) for dissipating the heat.

        • JoKing on 24/04/2021 - 21:58
          +2

          Should also add I am using the Coolermaster Mastercase 5 case with 3 front fans, 2 top fans and 1 back fan (all 140mm). 3 of those fans are Noctua fans, eventually I will change them all to Noctua fans because I have been so impressed with their performance and quality.

  • Yuri Lowell on 25/04/2021 - 11:02
    +1

    An AIO would suit your use case scenario (high sustained CPU usage). But if you're dead set on air cooling then I'll throw a recommendation to the Scythe Fuma 2: https://www.amazon.com.au/Scythe-FUMA-120mm-CPU-Cooler/dp/B0…

    It's a solid all around air cooler, almost matching the Noctua NH-D15 and it's whisper quiet even at 100% fan speed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT0UtQQ1rEo

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