Have a Ryzen CPU and want to equip it with an aftermarket air cooler? Well, we’ve picked the nine best air coolers for Ryzen CPUs. Our picks include both budget models that cost the same as the AMD’s Wraith Prism cooler and high-end choices sporting three digits price points.
We have both regular and low-profile coolers used in Mini-ITX builds. We’ve also included a couple of quiet choices that can go great with quiet PC cases. These are for users who want both low temperatures and absolute silence coming from their PC.
But before we dive into our list of best air coolers for Ryzen CPUs, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Why buy an aftermarket cooler since almost every Ryzen CPU comes with a pretty solid box cooler?
Best Air Coolers for Ryzen CPUs – Our Picks
| Award | Model | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Budget Air Cooler for Ryzen 5 3600/3600X | DeepCool Gammaxx 400 |  |
| Best Budget Air Cooler Alternative for Ryzen 5 3600/3600X | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO |  |
| Best Budget Low Profile Cooler for Ryzen CPUs | Scythe Shuriken 2 |  |
| Best Mid-Range Air Cooler for Ryzen 7 CPUs | DeepCool AS500 |  |
| Best Mid-Range Quiet Air Cooler for Ryzen 7 CPUs | Scythe Fuma 2 |  |
| Best Mid-Range Low-Profile Coolers for Ryzen CPUs | Noctua NH-L12S |  |
| Scythe Big Shuriken 3 |  |
|
| Best High-End Cooler for Ryzen 9 3900X | Noctua NH-D15 |  |
| Best High-End Quiet Cooler for Ryzen CPUs | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 |  |
| Best High-End Cooler for Ryzen 9 3950X | DeepCool Assassin III |  |
Do You Really Need An Aftermarket Cooler?
Almost every Ryzen 3rd gen CPU comes with a box cooler and those coolers are doing a fine job. Why would you buy an aftermarket cooler when you get more than a decent one with the CPU?
The Wraith Spire (bundled with the Ryzen 5 3600X) and Wraith Prism (bundled with the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 3900X CPUs) are pretty good coolers. They can keep the Ryzen 5 2600 temps used for testing at bay even during heavy loads. Wraith stealth is fine when running stock frequencies but it becomes pretty bad when stress testing OCed CPU.
Wraith Prism is fine for running the 3900X on stock clocks. Temperatures are kept at around 70 degrees Celsius, which is a great result for a box cooler. When overclocking, temperatures don’t go over 80 degrees under medium loads. But if you plan on using the CPU for heavy work while overclocked, it’s better to get an aftermarket cooler. The same goes for the 3700X and 3800X.
The Ryzen 5 3600 and the pair of latest Ryzen 3 CPUs with their meek Wraith Stealth cooler will work fine on regular clocks. But if you plan on overclocking them, it’s better to get a budget aftermarket cooler. The Ryzen 3600X with its Wraith Spire cooler will reach acceptable temperatures at stock clocks. Overclocking the CPU again means getting a better cooler.
To summarize. Box coolers shipping with most AMD CPUs are enough to run these CPUs at stock clocks, even under extreme loads. But, if you want to overclock, you should get a better cooler no matter which CPU you own.
Price Ranges and What They Get You
Budget air coolers are perfect for the newly released 3rd gen Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 CPUs. They sport affordable prices and offer noticeable improvement compared to Wraith Stealth and Spire coolers. We’ve also included one ultra-low-profile cooler, perfect for low-profile ITX builds.
The middle range can work great with Ryzen 7 processors but also with the Ryzen 9 3900X. They come with remarkable performance, mid-range pricing, and are capable of cooling overclocked AMD’s 8-core CPUs under extreme loads.
High-end coolers are the big boy field. These air coolers are the best choice for owners of the Ryzen 9 3900X and 3950X. They provide top performance but also sport flagship prices. If you plan on overclocking your 3900X or 3950X get one of these.
Best Budget Air Cooler for Ryzen 5 3600/3600X
DeepCool Gammaxx 400
| Dimensions | 135 × 80 × 154.5 mm |
| Number of Fans | 1 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 17.8 - 30 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1500 RPM |
The DeepCool Gammaxx 400 is an extremely affordable air cooler that features a relatively small heatsink and one 120mm fan. It is capable of providing surprisingly low temperatures for its humble price, making it a superb budget choice. Yes, it can be loud but the performance and low price are worth it.
Its heatsink is quite small so you don’t have to worry about RAM clearance and motherboard access. Its main strengths are the low price and excellent price to performance ratio. Overall, this cooler would be an excellent improvement over the Wraith Stealth cooler bundled with the Ryzen 5 3600 if you plan to overclock the processor.
Best Budget Air Cooler Alternative for Ryzen 5 3600/3600X
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
| Dimensions | 135 × 80 × 154.5 mm |
| Number of Fans | 1 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 17.8 - 30 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1500 RPM |
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO sells for about a dozen bucks more than the Deepcool Gammaxx 400 and provides about the same performance. It works great with the Ryzen 5 3600X and picking between this one and the Deepcool Gammaxx 400 comes down to whether you want a popular brand and are you ready to pay more for it.
Whichever you pick you will get a quality cooler that works noticeably better than both the Wraith Stealth and Spire and that won’t break the bank. You don’t need anything more powerful and expensive for Ryzen 3 and 5 CPUs.
Best Budget Low Profile Cooler for Ryzen CPUs
Scythe Shuriken 2
| Dimensions | 94 × 93 × 58 mm |
| Number of Fans | 1 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 1.8–23.2 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 2500 RPM |
With the height of only 58 millimeters and solid performance for such a small cooler, the Scythe Shuriken 2 is the choice for low-profile Ryzen builds. This cooler can fit into almost every Mini-ITX case. Just remember that with low-profile coolers overclocking is not an option.
If you need a cooler with even lower height, one that can fit into ultra-low-profile cases such as the Fractal Design Node 202, we recommend the Noctua NH-L9a. This is the same model as the Noctua NH-L9i but with socket AM4 mounting. Its height is only 37mm and its performance is pretty good.
Best Mid-Range Air Cooler for Ryzen 7 CPUs
DeepCool AS500
| Dimensions | 142 × 98 × 164 mm |
| Number of Fans | 1 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 26 - 29 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1200 RPM |
Now, while this category targets Ryzen 7 CPUs, we can recommend this cooler not only for the 5800X but also for the 5600X and 5900X. If you plan on overclocking the 5800X, maybe go with a more potent heatsink or an AIO solution since that one’s the hottest member of the Zen 3 family.
Anyway, the DeepCool AS500 presents the best bang for the buck you can find at the moment. The cooler itself features a single tower, single fan design, but it’s almost as powerful as the high-end dual tower air coolers. Do note that in the review linked above, we have the AS500 Plus that comes with two fans. That said, the decrease in thermals you’ll get with the second fan is about 2-4 degrees Celsius so we recommend just getting the base version.
On top of its incredible performance, the AS500 is also extremely silent, mostly thanks to its 140mm fan. On top of everything else, you also get a tasteful and subtle RGB implementation that could end up even in some non-RGB builds.
Overall, the DeepCool AS500 is an exceptional mid-range air cooler and is our prime choice for everyone looking for an air CPU cooler. The only potential drawbacks are tied to the clearance. First of all, the cooler is 164mm tall, which may create issues with lots of mid-tower cases. Next, the cooler brackets may touch certain board elements when installed (capacitors next to the VRM section, for instance) so be careful about that.
Best Mid-Range Quiet Air Cooler for Ryzen 7 CPUs
Scythe Fuma 2
| Dimensions | 137 × 131 × 154.5 mm |
| Number of Fans | 2 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 4,0 - 24,9 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1200 RPM |
The Scythe Fuma 2 is another exceptional air cooler from Scythe that falls into the mid-range category but punches above its weight when it comes to the ratio between performance and noise levels. First of all, its performance is quite good for the price. It cannot beat the Mugen 5 Rev.B’s thermal performance but when it comes to noise levels, this is the one to buy.
Noise levels are exceptional no matter the use case. Even if you overclock your CPU this cooler will provide solid thermal performance while being impossible to hear. The only scenario when it loses its silent throne is when you manually set its fans to max load, which won’t happen in real-life use. This is the best mid-range quiet cooler you can get for your Ryzen CPU.
We would recommend this one even for the 3900X. If you need an alternative, get the Scythe Ninja 5. It’s almost as quiet while providing very similar thermal performance and selling for almost the same price as the Fuma 2.
Best Mid-Range Low-Profile Coolers for Ryzen CPUs
Noctua NH-L12S
| Dimensions | 146 × 128 × 70 mm |
| Number of Fans | 1 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 23,9 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1850 RPM |
If you’re building an ITX rig and need low-profile coolers but not ultra-low profile like the Noctua NH-L9a, get either the Noctua NH-L12S or Scythe Big Shuriken 3. Their height is just 70mm and 69mm, respectively. The thing to watch is RAM clearance since both can cause issues with sticks featuring tall heatsinks.
They offer very similar thermal performance with the Noctua NH-L12S offering just a bit lower noise levels. Finally, the two coolers sport virtually the same price. You won’t make a mistake by picking any of the two.
Scythe Big Shuriken 3
| Dimensions | 122 × 122 × 69 mm |
| Number of Fans | 1 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 2,7 - 30,4 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1800 RPM |
Best High-End Cooler for Ryzen 9 3900X
Noctua NH-D15
| Dimensions | 160 × 150 × 161 mm |
| Number of Fans | 2 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 24.6 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1500 RPM |
The Noctua NH-D15 is among the best air coolers on the market and a natural choice for everyone ready to overclock their 3900X. It provides excellent performance and does that by staying very quiet. Exceptional thermal performance comes with a price in the form of huge size.
This cooler is very large and quite heavy at 1320 grams. It can block access to the motherboard and can cause problems with RAM sticks that come with tall heatsinks. But if you want performance that can match AIO systems this is the one to get.
Best High-End Quiet Cooler for Ryzen CPUs
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
| Dimensions | 145.7 × 136 × 162.8 mm |
| Number of Fans | 2 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 24.3 db(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1500 RPM |
The champion of quiet operation under heavy loads is the Dark Rock Pro 4 from be quiet!. This is the best quiet cooler you can get for your high-end Ryzen CPUs. It provides superb thermal performance while keeping noise levels at around 30 decibels even under max load. And it also looks rather attractive, with an all-black design and nice-looking fans.
Best High-End Cooler for Ryzen 9 3950X
DeepCool Assassin III
| Dimensions | 161 × 140 × 165 mm |
| Number of Fans | 2 |
| Advertised Acoustical Noise | 34.2 dB(A) |
| Max Fan Speed | 1400 RPM |
The DeepCool Assassin III is a monster of an air cooler. Its thermal performance is noticeably better than its main rival, the NH-D15. Especially when you overclock the CPU and put it under heavy load. Noise levels aren’t great. This cooler can be pretty loud but the thermal performance is worth it. This is the best air cooler around and the best choice for the Ryzen 3950X.
When it comes to downsides, the first one is, obviously, the size. This cooler is as massive as they get weighing in at almost one and a half kilos. Next, Ram clearance and motherboard accessibility can be a problem. You can adjust fans to make room for tall RAM sticks. By doing this you can raise the height of the cooler to almost 200mm, with many cases unable to host such a tall cooler. But if you have the money and are ready to have a 1.5kg cooler inside your case, go for it.
4 comments
I do not completely agree.
In my opinion the best budget air cooler for ryzen cpus (of course when possible) is the stock cooler. It is the best value cooler possible. Having it already in the box means actually having the possibility to use the cpu for regular use for 0 extra dollars. That being said, in the first paragraph you told about aftermarket coolers, excluding the stock cooler, but the inclusion of it would have made for a more complete article answering an important question: should I even think about an aftermarket cooler? (By the way I’m about to get an nh-d15 for my r5 3600 that in rendering reachs 92 degrees a bit overkill, but it is wonderful)
78 degrees is quite hot, for the lifetime of you’re cpu I would consider if you have the option to buy a aftermarket. It doesn’t have to be as big as a be quiet! dark rock pro 4, but just a mid range would be a better option. Well that is my opinion. 🙂
I’m a professional video editor using 3700x with stock cooler, no over clocking (don’t intend to do it in future either) but my CPU does reach 100% load alot of times. The max temp I’ve noticed is 78 degrees. Do you think I should invest in aftermarket cooler?
Hi Ritwik,
As for the 100% load of your CPU, don’t worry about it. 100 percent load means that apps you’re using are optimized for Ryzen CPUs and are able to use the CPU to the max. Temperature, on the other hand, is still considered as normal, but it’s on the upper limit of what is considered as normal 3700X temperature under load.
If it doesn’t go over 80 degrees you’re absolutely fine. You could get a budget cooler (such as the Deepcool Gammaxx 400) for a couple of degrees lower thermals. Or you can get something like the Scythe Mugen 5 if you want both noticeably lower temperatures under load and quiet performance.