Best tower cooler/case for a 9800X3D (or 9950X3D) build?
Posted by SirCabbage@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 56 comments
Now that we know that the 9800X3D is about the same if a little less power/heat consumption I can ask the question. Which is the best tower cooler for this kind of chip?
For my last two computers I have chosen AIOs- due in part to their less noise and easier cleaning. But with the raising heat generation of graphics cards- I am instead thinking of an AIO for the eventual 5090 I want to buy.
Given I don't want a case that is GIANT; I will likely need to stick with only one AIO; Currently I am thinking of the NZXT H6 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case - which if you have any knowledge of I would appreciate that too.
But as It has been literally 11-12 years since I owned a computer with a Tower Cooler- I have no idea what I will need. I assume Noctua is still the go to for high end air cooling, but even then there are multiple scews with very similar amount of radiator to fan- so I have to wonder which is currently top.
If anyone could give me some advice on which cooler I should get for my upcoming 9800X3D or 9950X3D, I would appreciate it. Alternatively, if anyone has any idea of good cases that would be helpful too.
Thank you, I look forward to any responses.
EveningHorror94@reddit
Noctua NH-D15 G2 9800X3D Fractal Design R5 CASE idle 37c
30 minutes full load with multicore Cinebench r23 (very intensive) 57c core 66c package
no undervolt
gaming 41c (arma reforger) 3440x1440
ASUS AMD Ryzen ROG STRIX B650E-E GAMING WIFI 6E AM5 PCIe 5.0 ATX Motherboard
Chipset temp under full load 65c gaming 60c
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT PULSE 20GB temp 79.5c hotspot.
Dark_Souls_VII@reddit
I will build in a Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact and cool the 9800X3D with a Noctua NH-U12A.
Mefumetto@reddit
Hey, any updates on this? How are the temps?
Dark_Souls_VII@reddit
Things have gone a little different. I run a NH-D15 G2 and it never exceeded 80°C in Prime95 Small FFTs. BUT since the demand for the 9800X3D is high I sold mine with a little profit. I also sold my 4080 Super. I will get a 5080 and a new 9800X3D at the end of the month. So I can not test anything right now.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Cheers, I will also look up this case
Dark_Souls_VII@reddit
The best part about those Meshify 2 cases is that they already come with two front fans and one rear fan. You don't need to invest more
ShrapnelShock@reddit
You'd be doing a disservice to get a water-cooler for 9800x3d which is more noise, louder, more failures, and 5 yr warranty vs 10-20.
Get the peerless assassin or phantom spirit (same company, minor difference). You can even remove one fan like I did and still cool and basically enjoy a dead silent system.
shansta619@reddit
I thought aio water coolers were quiter and better at cooling than fans (someone in another post told me that) is that inaccurate
ShrapnelShock@reddit
That's the general misconception people have, including me.
Watercooler = Wow, cooled by water! Must be quieter! Reality = it has a pump, 3 fans, all making additional noise.
Air cooling = A big hunk of solid metal cooling. No moving pieces, no points of failure, 1 or 2 fan. That's it.
Watercooling is only required if the CPU is way too hot (Intel CPUs). If you can get away with air cooling on cooler CPUs (AMDs), then you should.
shansta619@reddit
cool thanks
a-mcculley@reddit
Don't listen to that guy. Any decent pump running at <= 40% cannot be heard from inside a case. Also, running a peerless assassin is 2x 120mm fans. And, those fans are just going to be moving around hot air unless the case is also well ventilated... with, you guessed it, more fans.
And if you are going to have all those fans, you may has well strap them all to radiators, run them at a fraction of the RPMs, cool just as well (probably better) and yes, be less noise.
If you are trying to save money... go the air cooler route. They do perform well. But they are not quieter than a good loop. They are way better for the budget though.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Yeah as I said, my AIO will be for my GPU this time, I don't want the weight on my motherboard. Hence why I was asking for tower cooler recommendations. Cheers, that sounds great. I'll look up that case too,
ShrapnelShock@reddit
Congrats and enjoy! I know what it feels like to have the top of the line CPU. 7800x3d was my first!
kaje@reddit
Thermalright Phantom Spirit is the most popular cooler on this sub. It's $35 and competitive with Noctua's biggest coolers.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Hm interesting, I'll have to see those benchmarks. My computer plans aren't entirely about being budget, but I can't say no to something cheap that is as good as something much more expensive. Cheers
PraxicalExperience@reddit
I've got one on a 7800x3D and it does fine; I don't see temps past 71C even when I'm running a stress test. While the 9800x3d dissipates a little more power, the better conductivity to the IHS should reduce the amount of heat in the chip, so I figure it should have about the same results overall. Averages in the low to mid 40s when just putzing around and mostly idle.
Merrick222@reddit
9800X3D runs cooler due to them moving the X3D layer underneath instead of on top.
bassgoonist@reddit
If you want max quiet go for the arctic liquid freezer iii, but that's overkill
reddituser4156@reddit
Pump is too loud. Not a good recommendation.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
I would but I am not planning and aio for my CPU this time, just for my gpu
op3l@reddit
It's good enough for the price. I have my peerless assassin set to no higher then 60 percent and my temps besides a spike to 78c or so remains under 75c during gaming.
Just for your reference
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Much better than Intel for sure
op3l@reddit
Yep, no reason to go intel right now unless you need all the cores and know the program you're using can use all the cores. The latest benchmark for 9800x3d just obliterates anything in existence right now for gaming performance. Just insane and makes me optimistic that in another year or so I can maybe plunk a 10800x3d(weird ass name) in my AM5 motherboard and keep the CPU refreshed.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
See that was my thought, buy a really nice motherboard now, get a cheaper CPU then upgrade right before the end of am5 to a 13950x3d or whatever borderline Intel like name it'll be by then
op3l@reddit
That's a way to go too and it really depends on what GPU you're going to pair with the CPU. Anything below a RTX 4080 I feel like you can just get a 9600x and will still be good until 2026 which is the what AMD promised to support AM5 to. Then put in a whatever x3d they have as the last hurrah for AM5 and be golden for another 3 or 4 years.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Plan is a 5090. Overkill I know, but I'm a teacher who has really gotten into making my students AI images and using them in lesson plans. That and I love VR and heavily modded games.
My only fear with the 9800x3d is that it doesn't seem as good for video work, which is why part of me wants the higher core clocked 9900x3d or a 9950x3d.
My current computer is a 2080ti and a 9900k, which has been mostly perfect up until now, now it is starting to slow and I am dreaming of av1 encoding and larger model sizes in AI.
Also I find it great and ironic that this is the best stellaris chip, when that is exactly my favourite game to heavily mod and record series of.
op3l@reddit
Do you do the video work for income? If not it might not be worth the extra cost to save time going up to the 9950x3d.
As for the 9900x3d, it's a compromised CPU. You get 2 CCd of 6 for total of 12 cores, but only one CCD has the 3d cache so during games you'll only be playing off a 6 core CPU. But it could be a good middle ground CPU for your case as it still does have 12 cores for your content creation work.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
I do not do it for income, but yes I was wondering the difference thank you for confirming. 9950x3d may be the go depending on the price
rocklatecake@reddit
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/id-cooling-frozn-a620-pro-se-cpu-air-cooler/6.html
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/air-cooling/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-evo-review/2
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Oh wow something even better? Awesome
HexaJet@reddit
Yeah, GN and a few others have videos on it. It essentially became the gold standard for CPU air coolers, doubly so at the given price point. They even have ARGB versions for sub 50 bucks, it’s nuts. Not that there isn’t anything better out there but for what you’re paying, the value is insane
costafilh0@reddit
https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15-g2-lbc
Visible-Chapter-1871@reddit
I would say the best tower cooler for airflow builds is a antec flux pro or the Fractal Torrent. Both are like top rated for airflow with noctua cpu coolers and you will be fine with both of them and they will be quiet.
If you are looking for aio's the antec flux pro I know has enough spacing for a 420mm radiator but, for the Fractal torrent I am not sure.
The best cpu cooler for airflow is the noctua nh-d15 G2, and its quite a bit more quiet but, in terms of cooling performance it's on average 2 to 4 degrees less in Celsius. Both nh-d15's are good and as good as aios for the 7800x3d or 9800x3d, since you really don't need an AIO for these since if you got good airflow and your room temp is around 72f you should be fine if it's on room temp. Just make sure the case has positive airflow, and that your fan controller for the case all the case fans are as high as they can do BEFORE YOU HEAR THEM. So like if its 50% and you can't hear it, keep bumping them up until it's like barely audible then put it down 5% or however much rpm. Then make a curve going up from there.
For AIO's I do know that a lot of people use the nf-a12x25's for the push/pull configuration and the phanteks t30's. I would recommend the new nf-a14x25 G2, if you are doing 420mm aio cooling even though its overkill for this chip, the same for 360mm aios. This chip is honestly not that hard to cool, I would understand with the 9950x3d since it will have higher temps and tdp or anything from intel but, so far the past few years you could easily cool 5800x3d, 7800x3d, and now the 9800x3d with just a good high end air cooler aslong as the air flow was good.
TDLR: For aios I would recommend most 360 aios, aslong as they don't have quality control issues ngl. Since I do still look at reviews and sometimes there are issues. I would recommend trying air cooling since you would be fine with a nh-d15 G2. For the case I highly recommend the antec flux pro, even though it is sold out everywhere currently since its the best airflow case on the market right now.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Australia is rarely 22C - maybe in winter, summer is 30-35 all season.
Visible-Chapter-1871@reddit
Oh I understand then I never thought of a aio on a gpu ngl. For the CPU though, I would highly recommend antec flux pro, look at some reviews on the temps and you will see that it's really good. Also its quite the spacious case since it can fit e-atx motherboards aswell, and u can rotate the psu at the bottom if needed for a configuration like that.
For cpu cooler though, the thermalright like other people were saying was good but, if you want genuinely top of the line cpu cooler for a cpu get the noctua NH-D15 G2, there is like a version for amd and intel but, just get the base one that fit's for both since it will keep your options for upgradability in future and the temperature differences are minimal.
30 to 35 C outside or inside though? If you have room temp of around 21C you should be fine if that's inside your room. It should stay cool overall. Especially with a good airflow setup. Even if the temps go upwards towards 25C in your room, you should be okay.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
if it gets too high the air con goes on anyway, but yeah, my place is pretty horrible for high end computers. I should know I always have one.
I'll look at the Noctua vs the Thermalright ones, cheers. If the flux pro fits eatx that is a good sign it will fit most things which is good.
Reperian@reddit
Just a note about the H6 Flow. The case is a bit shorter than a standard tower, so an AIO on the thicker side like the artic liquid freezer III 360 may not fit or will be a tight fit in the case as it will collide with the IO shield of the motherboard
ecktt@reddit
The best heatsink is the Thermalright Frost Commander 140.
On of the best airflow cases to complement that Heatsink is the LianLi 207 or Antec Flux Pro (yes Antec is making premium cases again).
Noctua does make a top notch heatsink but other have caught up. They finally updated their heat sink recently but cost 150USD for margin of errors gains. ie they make no sense to buy.
Visible-Chapter-1871@reddit
The Antec flux pro truly is the best case since the fractal torrent in terms of airflow that has come out in years. I highly agree with this.
I still do think noctua makes the best quality air coolers just because other companies I can sometimes hear the slight whine that bothers me, that noctua just does not have for its fans. In terms of performance the NH-D15 G2 barely beats out most other air coolers and it's too expensive for the cost but, I will probably upgrade from my noctua u12a when the antec flux pro comes to canada and I get the 9800x3d aswell.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
I had an antec 600 or 900 pro at one point maybe j should go back
ecktt@reddit
It's a snazzy case. I wish Antec would make a new version of the SuperLAN Boy. I personally prefer the current Asus ProArt case, but I've seen no comparisons test.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Hmmmm it looks ok, not sure how I feel about the wood but it looks really chill thermals wise. Love the bottom fans
ecktt@reddit
The LianLi 207 is practically the same thermals at a stupid low price.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
It could just be me, it looks rather small, will it be able to fit a tower cooler + 5090 with aio? I guess technically all I need to check is the aio, as the 5090 aio will likely be much smaller
ecktt@reddit
If the 5090 does come with an AIO, the card itself will be small. The 4090 is a surprising small videocard with a huge Heatsink.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Yeah I fell in love with the surprim liquid or whatever it was called and wanted the same for the 5090
kttm@reddit
I had a 240 rad and a 120 in a mid tower no problem and it worked but that was a few years ago and 1080s don't produce nearly as much heat
KirillNek0@reddit
Get 240mm AIO.
FrequentWay@reddit
So far its about 120mm radiator for 100W dissipation.
Based on the 4090 power consumption you got something that needs 460W. Worst case the 12VHPWR connector can supply 600W, while the motherboard can support 75W of power so maximum power supplied to a GPU card can be 675W.
The 9800X3D currently can consume between 120W to 240W depending on how far you can push the PBO settings. You would need something that has 6x120mm radiators equivalents or more with radiators and a fan attached to the radiator. You can also do a push and pull configuration to improve cooling but I dont have the numbers on how much wattage it can support.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
sounds like the "going with AIO for GPU instead of the CPU" isn't a bad call on my end then, dayam, power levels are rising fast arent they
FrequentWay@reddit
Blame Nvidia on going for performance at the cost of power efficiency.
SirCabbage@reddit (OP)
Indeed
FrequentWay@reddit
So going to push pull shifts your power dissipation to (120w to 160w) per a 120 mm radiator and depending on your adjustments for variables for fan speeds.
LawdTunderin@reddit
Lian Li 216rx - I love it for the cable management - and the airflow has been great on it. I have the Noctua CPU Cooler - but as most have said, go with the Phantom
etom21@reddit
I really like my Liam Li Lancool case. Comes with fans, a fan controller hub, big enough to build in and fit a massive graphics card without being completely oversized. For right around the $100 price point, I would say it's very hard to beat.
Low-Blackberry-9065@reddit
Lian li A3 + Peerless or Phantom coolers: small, inexpensive, great ventilation and fits most parts.