So I'm building a new rig and deciding on what cooler to use for my CPU. I'm looking for something inexpensive but not cheap. Any suggestions? CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D MOBO: ROG Strix x870E-E RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB
Which case are you using? If you're using full tower then I recommend Assassin line up from DeepCool, either III or IV is fine. Alternative shoulde be Noctua nh-d15. Those two are flagship for both brand and should handle your cpu nicely. Sick setup btw
As somebody who owns 3x Noctua D15's of different years, I gotta recommend you the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE. For basically a quarter the price of the Noctua, it performs 95% as good and overclocks the same with similar CPUs.
I get wanting to spend money just for the sake of spending money - but I think you're giving this guy bad advice. Sure the Peerless cooler may seem cheaper based off of brand name, but it’s just insanely good value. Like I said, performs ~95% of the D15 at a fraction of the price of the D15. Writing it off based on looks or cost alone is missing the point. Sidenote, I’ve been using it in a datacenter on machines worth a combined $20,000 talkign about "cheapening the build" .
One of the many available Corsair all-in-one water cooled solutions are a pretty decent and affordable option. It's a self contained loop, no need to worry about leaks etc. just install and you are good to go. edit: I've got them in like 3 of my machines, they get the job done just fine. Just make sure you have a case that can fit a radiator.
you do you fam, your advice is not that good though I'm kinda curious on which kind of data center that you can fit a tower hsf on lmfao, maybe you mean your home lab server ? Is the 20k data center still there for me to behold or is it gone?
If a cooler performs almost identically for 1/4 the cost, calling it bad advice just because it lacks your "brand clout" kinda proves the point - you're paying for a label, it's just very basic 120mm fans and bent copper. Also, my servers were colocated with Path and Hivelocity, running both the Noctua and the Assassin I recommended. EDIT: also seconding this recommendation if you want it to be mindless and quiet.
what's brand clout hahaha. No no enlightened me with your 20k data center fam. It sounds like you've never seen a real server rack before and you thought you could just have shove a full size HSF into it lmfao. You could've said "your 20k build" then it might sound credible, but let's be real, no one would use a 35$ cooler on a 20k build LOL
I appreciate the sarcasm, sadly I'm not trying to sit and fight on a private MS server forum over computer fans lol - I was just trying to help OP. Just a message ago I SPECIFICALLY mentioned who I colocated my machines with, so feel free to cope however you like I guess? you clearly didn't even check to see because yes, you'd find out that they allow a "FUL LSIZE HSF INTO IT LMFAO". YES, many datacenters will colocate full-size systems without issue as long as they’re properly built to fit within your alloted rack space. Ironically, a lot of game servers such as this one are literally hosted on rented half-racks off of what is literally labeled "gaming" hardware with full size heatsinks. Sadly can't go into detail about what I do, because it’d cross into advertising being that it's largely in the gaming industry, but I’ve built more systems than I can count tyvm EDIT: I agree btw, definitely no $40 cooler on a 20k build, but I did not mean any singular build is 20k. I don't even think you could reasonably make a 20k build if you tried without an insane server mobo.
Let's be real here: you don't own any 20,000$ datacenter. If you do have the chance to physically work with a 20k data center you would know that no 20k data center fit a full size HSF into it, and your admin wouldn't let you turn a single piece of bolt there let alone swap out a component. anyone work in IT infrastructure field would know it's full of shit, so yeah the 20k datacenter is not in the room with us. I haven't said anything about your advice is bad, I said your advice isn't that good, before that you said "but I think you're giving this guy bad advice". Thermalright Assassin 120 is okayish but fitting it into a Strix x870 and 9800X3D out of place. Cheapen out 30$ on hsf on a 500$ cpu, talking about bad advice LOL, just say you love that HSF hahahaha
This argument doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. x870 motherboard and 9800X3D are what I would consider very sensible choices for a gaming-oriented PC, and a Thermalright 120 SE is a very sensible cooler given how 9800X3D is not the hottest CPU either, temps and wattage considered. The advice the other person gave is neither bad or out of place. There are reasons to go for Noctua over many competitors, and considering the case of 9800X3D the reason isn't temps since the two perform more or less equally with NH-D15 pulling ahead by a couple degrees. Between 120 SE and NH-D15, the argument is whether you want to save bucks vs. you want to shell out extra for Noctua's amazing warranty and customer service. At least with the latter you'll be able to get new installation kits after any major socket changes that require new installation kits, more or less free of charge. The 70 bucks saved could easily go towards a new SSD or whatever else OP might need if paying premium for customer service isn't something they value highly.
Of course it's a gaming pc, why are you mentioning this? Maybe tell gpt exclude these blanket statements. 9800x3D TDP is 120w it's one of the highest TDP on the consumer market right now, I'm not sure where do you get the idea that it's not the hottest CPU, this definitely doesn't make a lot of sense Their advice is out of place, OP spend some chunk on their combo with a ROG board... it doesn't fit nicely with a sub-optimal choice like A120SE. I'm not talkig about temperature alone, ofc NH-D15 still come out on top performance wise, there are also other points to consider like top of the line reliability, exceptional quietness, excellent customer service with long term support, and the most important is peace of mind, no hassle. I recommended Noctua is for the sake of the build and the excellent of its many qualities and it's a perfect fit with the R7 ROG combo, hands down. no one said the Assassin 120 SE is bad but with their years of support and their accessories service is easily cost the margin that the A120SE may have. If it doesn't make sense then you feel free to choose a Assassin 120 SE... maybe tell him to downgrade into a TUF board with a R5, or even better Prime board with a bigger discount, maybe they need a 3rd or 4th ssd LOL, or maybe show something else that A120SE surpass the Noctua beside the price tag.
Didn't use one. Rated at 120W and pulls 150W on average. 30 watts behind 9950X, while those new gen core 9s pull in the neighborhood of 200W (with Core 9 Ultra 285K rated at 125W TDP showing TDP is something you should take with a grain of salt). Thermalright's cooler being rated to handle up to 245W would therefore do just fine with a 9800X3D. Your argument is leaning heavily against "less pricey" = "suboptimal". Which is actually not the case since air cooler market is extremely competitive right now, with brands like Thermalright, Deepcool and ID-Cooling pushing out hefty dual tower coolers at a reasonable price. None of which are sub-optimal given they're rated to handle wattages greater than what 9800X3D pulls. And that pretty much sums up what I said. Did you ask GPT to summarize me and just copy-pasted it? So just because someone wants to cool their CPU on a budget, they -must- absolutely forget about any and all higher end motherboards, featureset and VRM quality be darned, and just go for something more budget-oriented? Asides from the price, no, there's nothing else going for the 120 SE compared to NH-D15. If you only care about cooling your CPU, there doesn't need to be. If you care about warranty and customer service as well, Noctua wins. It's just a matter of what you consider important. There's nothing "sub-optimal" about going for something cheaper that fits your needs, even if you went for premiums parts elsewhere. The only sub-optimal thing would be to try cooling a 9800X3D with some garbage stock cooler. Or downgrading your motherboard just so your less pricey CPU cooler that does its job just fine doesn't stand out among all the flickering RBG lights.
Another whole lot of blanket statements, 125W isn't that much compare with 120W, and with 9800X3D can pull up to 255W on extreme setting. According to you, if A120SE rated @ 245W then it is sub-optimal, not the right fit. No, there are many factor that I've mentioned in the post compare of which components OP have, his need and how the components pair witch each other with their excellent in quality. Again, cut out the blanket statements, and Improve reading comprehension No, you didn't say anything about Noctua reliability and quietness, try to re-read and understand. I don't use AI, I recommend you to use it to explain to you what I've said, seems like you didn't process my points properly. I love it when people trynna put words into my mouth and start with "So...". No, stay on the topic about OP need for a "inexpensive but not cheap" cooler, it was sarcasm. Pretty funny when you suddenly care about board VRM quality but didn't mention anything about NH-D15 quietness, reliability because A120SE can do the job just fine, TUF boards also can do the job just right, stick to one argument LOL Duh, LOLLL. No, there are other qualities like noise and compatibility I care about. Seems like you only care about price, there are people couldn't careless about price. It is sub-optimal compare with NH-D15 hands down, if not show us something the A120SE can surpass NH-D15 like performance... or anything. Not sure why you mention RGB here LOL, You gotta be really love computer, first post on a Maple forum is about computer components
You nailed it man, that guy just loves arguing, took me like 5 replies to realize that and finally stop lol. I'm glad to see somebody else (who presumably actually has personal experience with said products) shares the same sentiment as me.
