What CPU Cooler should i get for my Ryzen 7 7800X3D

[k20e24]

Hey!

 

I would like to ask you for advice on choosing a processor cooler.
The processor for which I am looking for cooling: 7800X3D.
I have a Corsair 5000D case.

The motherboard is an Asus Strix B650E-E and I use G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB memory.
Basically, I haven't even decided whether I will use Air cooling or AIO.
What you need to know is that during the winter, the temperature of the room where the PC will be is roughly between 20-22 celsius. In summer, it can reach 26-30 celsius.
My financial limit for the cooler is a maximum of 200 euros. In this price range, it doesn't matter how much it costs, I'm willing to pay more for minimally better cooling.
These coolers are on my list, but if you recommend something else, I'd be happy to accept it as well:

1. Peerless Assassin 120 Black
2. Noctua NH-D15S with offset AM5 mounting bars and + 1 fan
3. Noctua NH-U12A with offset AM5 mounting bars
4. EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB

I want to be able to achieve the best possible temperature values with the quietest possible device. I shouldn't have to pay attention to when the processor takes the clock back because it's too hot.

 

What else I would like to ask you for feedback on is whether to worry about leakage in the case of the AIO specified here? One of my nightmares is that the AIO is leaking in my machine.

 

Please, if you can, justify your answers.

[TatamiMatt]

1 hour ago, k20e24 said:

Hey!

 

I would like to ask you for advice on choosing a processor cooler.
The processor for which I am looking for cooling: 7800X3D.
I have a Corsair 5000D case.

The motherboard is an Asus Strix B650E-E and I use G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB memory.
Basically, I haven't even decided whether I will use Air cooling or AIO.
What you need to know is that during the winter, the temperature of the room where the PC will be is roughly between 20-22 celsius. In summer, it can reach 26-30 celsius.
My financial limit for the cooler is a maximum of 200 euros. In this price range, it doesn't matter how much it costs, I'm willing to pay more for minimally better cooling.
These coolers are on my list, but if you recommend something else, I'd be happy to accept it as well:

1. Peerless Assassin 120 Black
2. Noctua NH-D15S with offset AM5 mounting bars and + 1 fan
3. Noctua NH-U12A with offset AM5 mounting bars
4. EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB

I want to be able to achieve the best possible temperature values with the quietest possible device. I shouldn't have to pay attention to when the processor takes the clock back because it's too hot.

 

What else I would like to ask you for feedback on is whether to worry about leakage in the case of the AIO specified here? One of my nightmares is that the AIO is leaking in my machine.

 

Please, if you can, justify your answers.

For air coolers Phantom Spirit 120, Frost Spirit 140 or Frost commander 140, The Phantom spirit is just an upgraded peerless assassin and costs the same, the Frost series works slightly different with bigger heatpipes but less of them, but they both perform slightly better than the peerless assassin aswell, again for roughly the same cost

 

Theres also the Phantom spirit EVO with slightly upgraded fans and a little bit of RGB, slightly more again but it should perform marginally better than the normal PS120

 

Im running a FC140 in a 5000D to cool a 7800X3D also, i have never seen my cpu throttle, gaming it sits comfortably at around 50-60 max and thats with a suboptimal fan setup for aesthetics

[PDifolco]

1 hour ago, k20e24 said:

Hey!

 

I would like to ask you for advice on choosing a processor cooler.
The processor for which I am looking for cooling: 7800X3D.
I have a Corsair 5000D case.

The motherboard is an Asus Strix B650E-E and I use G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB memory.
Basically, I haven't even decided whether I will use Air cooling or AIO.
What you need to know is that during the winter, the temperature of the room where the PC will be is roughly between 20-22 celsius. In summer, it can reach 26-30 celsius.
My financial limit for the cooler is a maximum of 200 euros. In this price range, it doesn't matter how much it costs, I'm willing to pay more for minimally better cooling.
These coolers are on my list, but if you recommend something else, I'd be happy to accept it as well:

1. Peerless Assassin 120 Black
2. Noctua NH-D15S with offset AM5 mounting bars and + 1 fan
3. Noctua NH-U12A with offset AM5 mounting bars
4. EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB

I want to be able to achieve the best possible temperature values with the quietest possible device. I shouldn't have to pay attention to when the processor takes the clock back because it's too hot.

 

What else I would like to ask you for feedback on is whether to worry about leakage in the case of the AIO specified here? One of my nightmares is that the AIO is leaking in my machine.

 

Please, if you can, justify your answers.

Really any will do fine, a 7800X3D is easy to cool, get the cheaper one or the one that pleases you more esthetically

TR PE (or PS/whatever version) are the cheapest, Noctuas are fine but a bit expensive, EK Nucleus is really overkill, you can also look at any cheap AIO if you want one for looks (TR Frozen Note or Deepcool LE/LS, avoid MSI Coreliquid those have/had clogging issues)

[GuiltySpark_]

1 hour ago, PDifolco said:

Really any will do fine, a 7800X3D is easy to cool

This is all that needs to be said, it really doesn't matter. Any of the popular dual towers currently are plenty.

 

I've had it under a PA120, FS140v3, AK620 and Assassin IV. All were more than enough. 

[k20e24]

8 hours ago, TatamiMatt said:

For air coolers Phantom Spirit 120, Frost Spirit 140 or Frost commander 140, The Phantom spirit is just an upgraded peerless assassin and costs the same, the Frost series works slightly different with bigger heatpipes but less of them, but they both perform slightly better than the peerless assassin aswell, again for roughly the same cost

 

Theres also the Phantom spirit EVO with slightly upgraded fans and a little bit of RGB, slightly more again but it should perform marginally better than the normal PS120

 

Im running a FC140 in a 5000D to cool a 7800X3D also, i have never seen my cpu throttle, gaming it sits comfortably at around 50-60 max and thats with a suboptimal fan setup for aesthetics

I started from the premise that the smallest possible weight pulls the motherboard:
Phantom Spirit 120 EVO - Weight: 810g (Without Fan)
Frost Commander 140 BLACK - Weight: 1000g (Without Fan)
Frost Spirit 140 BLACK V3 - Weight: 1000g (Without Fan)
Peerless Assassin 120 Black - Weight：750g (Without Fan)

However, the 120 coolers are preferable in terms of weight.

Why did you completely throw away the Noctua coolers?

 

7 hours ago, PDifolco said:

Really any will do fine, a 7800X3D is easy to cool, get the cheaper one or the one that pleases you more esthetically

TR PE (or PS/whatever version) are the cheapest, Noctuas are fine but a bit expensive, EK Nucleus is really overkill, you can also look at any cheap AIO if you want one for looks (TR Frozen Note or Deepcool LE/LS, avoid MSI Coreliquid those have/had clogging issues)

I don't want a cheap AIO because I'm afraid of leaks.
Regardless of the noctua being expensive, do you think it could deliver the most efficient thermalright level with 2 fans?

 

6 hours ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

This is all that needs to be said, it really doesn't matter. Any of the popular dual towers currently are plenty.

 

I've had it under a PA120, FS140v3, AK620 and Assassin IV. All were more than enough. 

Which of the above gave the best temperature? I want it to be really cool. I also like the AK620, but it's incredibly heavy.

[GuiltySpark_]

1 minute ago, k20e24 said:

 

 

Which of the above gave the best temperature? I want it to be really cool. I also like the AK620, but it's incredibly heavy.

There is no significant difference. I'm struggling to know what you mean by "really cool", this chip is not hard to cool and 1, 2 or 5 degrees here or there isn't going to make a difference in anything in the real world. 

[k20e24]

2 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

There is no significant difference. I'm struggling to know what you mean by "really cool", this chip is not hard to cool and 1, 2 or 5 degrees here or there isn't going to make a difference in anything in the real world. 

There can be a maximum of 1-2 degrees of difference? , because then I will choose based on appearance.

[freeagent]

The weight is not a problem.

[PDifolco]

30 minutes ago, k20e24 said:

There can be a maximum of 1-2 degrees of difference? , because then I will choose based on appearance.

Or maybe 4 or 6 but it makes no difference neither !

36 minutes ago, k20e24 said:

I started from the premise that the smallest possible weight pulls the motherboard:
Phantom Spirit 120 EVO - Weight: 810g (Without Fan)
Frost Commander 140 BLACK - Weight: 1000g (Without Fan)
Frost Spirit 140 BLACK V3 - Weight: 1000g (Without Fan)
Peerless Assassin 120 Black - Weight：750g (Without Fan)

However, the 120 coolers are preferable in terms of weight.

Why did you completely throw away the Noctua coolers?

 

I don't want a cheap AIO because I'm afraid of leaks.
Regardless of the noctua being expensive, do you think it could deliver the most efficient thermalright level with 2 fans?

 

Which of the above gave the best temperature? I want it to be really cool. I also like the AK620, but it's incredibly heavy.

Budget AIO don't leak more than expensive ones, it's the same tubes and fittings for the most parts

A Noctua cooler won't really fare better than a TR PE/PS, but fans are better quality and more silent

For a Noctua I'd go with a NH-D12, you don't need a D15 , it's ginormous and it can be hard to make it fit in some cases or with high RAM

[freeagent]

If it helps I can run my 58X3D, and 5900X (180w) semi passively* with FC140. Should be able to do the same with PS120 EVO.

 

* In a stock Fractal Torrent Compact fan configuration using the stock 180mm fans.

 

 

[RevGAM]

On 2/9/2024 at 7:15 AM, k20e24 said:

• Peerless Assassin 120 Black
• Noctua NH-D15S with offset AM5 mounting bars and + 1 fan
• Noctua NH-U12A with offset AM5 mounting bars
• EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB

This comment is not meant as a disagreement with what's already been suggested. 

 

The EK CR360 is highly rated, and for good reason. It is better than just about any air cooler for cooling, but it's certainly not the only top grade AIO. If you had chosen a hot CPU, this would be one that would be recommended. 

 

If you were to choose the D15S, I'd recommend getting more powerful fans on it in order to push it up near our possibly even past the level of the EK. The same is true with the U12S, the PA120 and just about any other cooler you can find... but better fans give better results up to a point that is complicated by various factors.

 

If you're trying to get every MT/s and MHz out of your machine, all 4 will help... until they can't. The PA120 is the most lightweight of the 4, and cannot properly cool the hottest CPUs. The U12 is the second weakest, although such a word is misleading when looking at such top-notch coolers. All 4, and many more, are fine for your CPU. IIRC, the U12 can handle a higher heat load than the PA120 because of the larger heatsink.

 

Do keep in mind that any cooler that doesn't offer the AMD offset mount will be at a disadvantage.

 

The main difference between Noctua, regarding these choices, is the superior warranty and fans.  TR generally doesn't use its best fans in heatsinks. @freeagentcould say more on that. EK has made some powerful fans, but it isn't notable for investing in high quality bearings like Noctua has.  Still, I'm not aware of Noctua fans that can compete performance-wise with the strongest fans out there. They do well in providing good performance, quality and some are low noise, however. 

[k20e24]

On 2/9/2024 at 2:07 PM, TatamiMatt said:

For air coolers Phantom Spirit 120, Frost Spirit 140 or Frost commander 140, The Phantom spirit is just an upgraded peerless assassin and costs the same, the Frost series works slightly different with bigger heatpipes but less of them, but they both perform slightly better than the peerless assassin aswell, again for roughly the same cost

 

Theres also the Phantom spirit EVO with slightly upgraded fans and a little bit of RGB, slightly more again but it should perform marginally better than the normal PS120

 

Im running a FC140 in a 5000D to cool a 7800X3D also, i have never seen my cpu throttle, gaming it sits comfortably at around 50-60 max and thats with a suboptimal fan setup for aesthetics

On 2/9/2024 at 2:41 PM, PDifolco said:

Really any will do fine, a 7800X3D is easy to cool, get the cheaper one or the one that pleases you more esthetically

TR PE (or PS/whatever version) are the cheapest, Noctuas are fine but a bit expensive, EK Nucleus is really overkill, you can also look at any cheap AIO if you want one for looks (TR Frozen Note or Deepcool LE/LS, avoid MSI Coreliquid those have/had clogging issues)

On 2/9/2024 at 4:11 PM, GuiltySpark_ said:

This is all that needs to be said, it really doesn't matter. Any of the popular dual towers currently are plenty.

 

I've had it under a PA120, FS140v3, AK620 and Assassin IV. All were more than enough. 

On 2/10/2024 at 2:30 AM, freeagent said:

If it helps I can run my 58X3D, and 5900X (180w) semi passively* with FC140. Should be able to do the same with PS120 EVO.

 

* In a stock Fractal Torrent Compact fan configuration using the stock 180mm fans.

 

 

The Trident Z5 Neo is 44mm high.
Let's look at the coolers, from the point of view of how much RAM fits under them:
- Peerless Assassin 120 Black - 42 mm
- Phantom Spirit 120 EVO - 42 mm
- Frost Commander 140 BLACK - 43 mm
- Frost Spirit 140 BLACK V3 - 43 mm

So none of these will be good when I look at the heights.

Let the NOCTUA coolers come:
NH-U12A - No limit, but since it's not a dual tower, I'm guessing it can't bring the level of dual tower coolers.
NH-D15S - Here 66 mm fits, it seems ok.

Here comes the next question. Can the D15S or U12A match the performance of thermalright coolers or not?

 

On 2/9/2024 at 10:47 PM, GuiltySpark_ said:

There is no significant difference. I'm struggling to know what you mean by "really cool", this chip is not hard to cool and 1, 2 or 5 degrees here or there isn't going to make a difference in anything in the real world. 

I want to keep the processor as cool as possible so that it has a long life.

 

17 hours ago, RevGAM said:

This comment is not meant as a disagreement with what's already been suggested. 

 

The EK CR360 is highly rated, and for good reason. It is better than just about any air cooler for cooling, but it's certainly not the only top grade AIO. If you had chosen a hot CPU, this would be one that would be recommended. 

 

If you were to choose the D15S, I'd recommend getting more powerful fans on it in order to push it up near our possibly even past the level of the EK. The same is true with the U12S, the PA120 and just about any other cooler you can find... but better fans give better results up to a point that is complicated by various factors.

 

If you're trying to get every MT/s and MHz out of your machine, all 4 will help... until they can't. The PA120 is the most lightweight of the 4, and cannot properly cool the hottest CPUs. The U12 is the second weakest, although such a word is misleading when looking at such top-notch coolers. All 4, and many more, are fine for your CPU. IIRC, the U12 can handle a higher heat load than the PA120 because of the larger heatsink.

 

Do keep in mind that any cooler that doesn't offer the AMD offset mount will be at a disadvantage.

 

The main difference between Noctua, regarding these choices, is the superior warranty and fans.  TR generally doesn't use its best fans in heatsinks. @freeagentcould say more on that. EK has made some powerful fans, but it isn't notable for investing in high quality bearings like Noctua has.  Still, I'm not aware of Noctua fans that can compete performance-wise with the strongest fans out there. They do well in providing good performance, quality and some are low noise, however. 

Overall, if I look at the thermalright processor coolers, they will be close to the price of the noctua, including fan replacement.

[TatamiMatt]

8 minutes ago, k20e24 said:

The Trident Z5 Neo is 44mm high.
Let's look at the coolers, from the point of view of how much RAM fits under them:
- Peerless Assassin 120 Black - 42 mm
- Phantom Spirit 120 EVO - 42 mm
- Frost Commander 140 BLACK - 43 mm
- Frost Spirit 140 BLACK V3 - 43 mm

So none of these will be good when I look at the heights.

This is all because of the fans on TRs coolers themselves being in the way of the RAM, if you move the fan up 1/2mm, it wont affect the RAM nor the cooling, i initially had my gskill RAM under the fan until i did the following

 

 

Ive noticed no real measureable change in temps with fans in this orientation, (the middle fan is the wrong way around here and attached to the wrong tower but i was mid changeover when this pic was taken)

[PDifolco]

19 minutes ago, k20e24 said:

The Trident Z5 Neo is 44mm high.
Let's look at the coolers, from the point of view of how much RAM fits under them:
- Peerless Assassin 120 Black - 42 mm
- Phantom Spirit 120 EVO - 42 mm
- Frost Commander 140 BLACK - 43 mm
- Frost Spirit 140 BLACK V3 - 43 mm

So none of these will be good when I look at the heights.

Let the NOCTUA coolers come:
NH-U12A - No limit, but since it's not a dual tower, I'm guessing it can't bring the level of dual tower coolers.
NH-D15S - Here 66 mm fits, it seems ok.

Here comes the next question. Can the D15S or U12A match the performance of thermalright coolers or not?

 

I want to keep the processor as cool as possible so that it has a long life.

 

Overall, if I look at the thermalright processor coolers, they will be close to the price of the noctua, including fan replacement.

All the TR coolers will fit, just clip the right fan (the one above the RAM) 2mm higher on the heatsink...

D15S and U12A will perform as well

Why would you replace fans ? If you want Noctua fans then buy a Noctua cooler

[k20e24]

48 minutes ago, TatamiMatt said:

This is all because of the fans on TRs coolers themselves being in the way of the RAM, if you move the fan up 1/2mm, it wont affect the RAM nor the cooling, i initially had my gskill RAM under the fan until i did the following

 

 

Ive noticed no real measureable change in temps with fans in this orientation, (the middle fan is the wrong way around here and attached to the wrong tower but i was mid changeover when this pic was taken)

It still looks pretty good. Thanks for the picture.
 

34 minutes ago, PDifolco said:

All the TR coolers will fit, just clip the right fan (the one above the RAM) 2mm higher on the heatsink...

D15S and U12A will perform as well

Why would you replace fans ? If you want Noctua fans then buy a Noctua cooler

I understand that Noctua coolers are famous for their quietness. That's why I thought that since I want a quiet machine, I would choose noctua cooling. Am I right that they are quieter than thermalright coolers?

[GuiltySpark_]

1 hour ago, k20e24 said:

want to keep the processor as cool as possible so that it has a long life

I think your perspective for how this all works is a little off base if you think 2-3c has any relevance to real world processor lifespan. 

[freeagent]

1 hour ago, k20e24 said:

So none of these will be good when I look at the heights.

Cool. I have 4 sticks of Trident Z installed, 44mm.

 

24 minutes ago, k20e24 said:

Am I right that they are quieter than thermalright coolers?

Nope.

[RevGAM]

1 hour ago, k20e24 said:

Here comes the next question. Can the D15S or U12A match the performance of thermalright coolers or not?

D15 comes within a degree or 3. U12 cannot cool the hottest CPUs, unless perhaps you upgrade to much stronger fans. Still, the D15 and U12 are very close to each other.  Without AMD offset mounts, though, they fall behind. If course. 

1 hour ago, k20e24 said:

Overall, if I look at the thermalright processor coolers, they will be close to the price of the noctua, including fan replacement.

If you want to maximize whichever cooler you choose by using stronger fans, the Noctuas will already cost significantly more, unless you live where the prices are the reverse of the USA.

 

It's possible to get many CPUs to where they're cool enough that no further performance improvement is possible, but I theorize that that doesn't really apply to some CPUs that always ramp up to 95 C.

[RevGAM]

1 hour ago, PDifolco said:

Why would you replace fans ? If you want Noctua fans then buy a Noctua cooler

A stronger fan will improve the cooling of a cooler, limited by the mass, TIM, CPU design, etc. 

 

56 minutes ago, k20e24 said:

I understand that Noctua coolers are famous for their quietness. That's why I thought that since I want a quiet machine, I would choose noctua cooling. Am I right that they are quieter than thermalright coolers?

It depends on which fan and which cooler. Not all Noctua coolers and fans are very quiet. 

[PDifolco]

1 hour ago, RevGAM said:

A stronger fan will improve the cooling of a cooler, limited by the mass, TIM, CPU design, etc. 

 

It depends on which fan and which cooler. Not all Noctua coolers and fans are very quiet. 

Usually the Noctua fans are quieter than most budget fans like the TR ones

But actually using them (TR fans coming with the PE120 cooler) they're pretty quiet

[RevGAM]

1 hour ago, PDifolco said:

Usually the Noctua fans are quieter than most budget fans like the TR ones

But actually using them (TR fans coming with the PE120 cooler) they're pretty quiet

It depends on which fan and what speed.  14cm IPPC-3000, for example, is great...up to a point and then it's really loud. Not as bad as if it were 12cm, though!

[freeagent]

All iPPC are loud when you have more than one. Great if you care nothing for noise. Except the 120.. terrible fan.

[PDifolco]

49 minutes ago, RevGAM said:

It depends on which fan and what speed.  14cm IPPC-3000, for example, is great...up to a point and then it's really loud. Not as bad as if it were 12cm, though!

Sure I was talking at same CFM/pressure so around same speed and same size !

47 minutes ago, freeagent said:

All iPPC are loud when you have more than one. Great if you care nothing for noise. Except the 120.. terrible fan.

Sure, this one is super loud, swapped it for a BQ SW pro 5

Arctic max are pretty weird too, they have an annoying constant buzz/resonance

[freeagent]

I am running all Thermalright fans in my setup right now, it’s pretty decent.