I'm building a system with a Ryzen 5 9600X and want to use an air cooler costing around $30–$40 CAD. Would the Thermalright Assassin Spirit 120 be sufficient, particularly for gaming with a Radeon RX 9060 XT? If not, what alternatives would you recommend in that price range?
4 Answers
A single-tower cooler is enough for the 9600X. Other suitable options include the Thermalright Burst Assassin 120, Jonsbo CR-1000 EVO, and ID-COOLING SE-214-XT. If you want lower noise or more headroom for a future upgrade, a dual-tower cooler such as the Thermalright Peerless Assassin or Phantom Spirit would be a stronger choice.
For gaming, a single-tower cooler will work well. A dual-tower model is mainly worthwhile if you want quieter operation or extra thermal headroom. The Phantom Spirit 120 SE is an excellent option if you can find it within your budget.
Yes, the Thermalright Assassin Spirit 120 should handle the 9600X without any trouble, especially for gaming. It’s a good fit for this budget.
The Thermalright Burst Assassin Evo is another great option. Its dual-tower, push-pull design performs well without blocking the RAM slots, and it has worked reliably with processors in the same performance range as the 9600X. The smaller Assassin Mini can also be worth considering if case space is limited.
Would a DeepCool AG400 or AK400 be suitable too? I can get one of those sooner.