I'm a motion graphics artist mainly using After Effects and Cinema4D, and I'm not building this PC for gaming. I have an ASUS B850-F motherboard and the 9950X CPU. I'm wondering if an air cooler would adequately cool the 9950X. If so, what are some good options? My budget is between $50 and $100.
5 Answers
If you're looking at air coolers, the Thermalright models like the Peerless Assassin, Phantom Spirit, or Royal Knight are solid choices. Just a heads up, they can get a bit loud. If noise is a concern, consider the Noctua NH-D15 or the Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5, which are quieter alternatives. That said, for a hot chip like the 9950X, a liquid cooler might be worth the investment, like the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360, which is around the $80 mark.
The Thermalright Peerless Assassin SE is a budget-friendly option at about $35. It can definitely cool the 9950X, but keep in mind it might be a bit noisy.
If I decide to go with liquid cooling, what options are available in the $100-$150 range?
I have the 9950X too, and it runs pretty hot. Even with an AIO cooler, the fans can get loud under heavy load. I’d recommend going with an AIO if you can, and I've heard great things about the Arctic Liquid Freezer Pro at around $80—it seems like a reliable choice.
That Freezer Pro looks awesome, but my case can only fit up to a 240mm radiator.
For a solid liquid cooling option, check out the Thermalright Aqua Elite 360 or the Frozen Prism 360, both of which should be around $50-$60 and will do the job nicely while looking good.
Don’t forget to manage your CPU voltage as well! I built a couple of systems for my team, and lowering the voltage reduced temperatures by almost 30 degrees without sacrificing performance. My setup runs at over 5 GHz on all cores, and it works great.
Oh, that’s awesome! Thanks for the tip!
I checked, the Thermalright coolers are about 60 bucks right now and the Arctic Liquid is close to 80.