I'm building a system with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and want a cooler that keeps temperatures under control without risking a liquid leak damaging other components. My case supports radiators up to 360 mm, but I'm also open to using a high-end air cooler if that's enough. My budget is around €100, though I can stretch it a little, and I'm shopping within European countries. Would a good tower cooler be sufficient, or should I choose an AIO?
3 Answers
You really don’t need an AIO for this processor. A decent dual-tower air cooler should handle it easily, and the CPU may still reach relatively high temperatures because of how its boost and 3D cache behavior work. If you want lower temperatures, you can also adjust the temperature limit or PBO settings in the BIOS. Look for a cooler rated around 200 W or more from Thermalright, Noctua, be quiet!, or Endorfy.
I prefer air cooling because there’s no pump to fail and no liquid to worry about leaking. Something like the Thermalright Phantom Spirit or Royal Pretor 130 Ultra would be more than capable. The Royal Pretor is probably overkill, but it offers excellent cooling performance and should fit comfortably within your budget.
A 360 mm AIO can work, but it may not provide a huge improvement over a strong air cooler. In one comparison, a 9800X3D ran at roughly 55°C at idle, around 80°C during shader compilation, and between 58–74°C while gaming on a 360 mm AIO. A Phantom Spirit SE performed very similarly, so a good air cooler is likely the better value if you want to avoid liquid cooling.
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