Best CPU Cooler for Ryzen 7 9800X3D

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is currently the fastest gaming CPU in the world, and it’s not even close. In some games it’s up to 30% faster than Intel’s Core i9-14900K, and up to 14% faster than its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Given this CPU’s popularity, it is difficult to buy one currently, but a lot of people have it on their CPU wish list for 2025.

If you’re considering upgrading to the 9800X3D, you’ll also need a sufficient cooler to keep it chilly. Thankfully it is not a fire-breathing CPU given its relatively low TDP of just 120W, compared to 170W for flagship AMD CPUs. AMD also relocated the V-Cache from on top of the CPU cores to underneath them, allowing for better cooling. However, you will still need a decent cooler to ensure it doesn't thermally throttle, which is when the CPU lowers its clocks to prevent it from exceeding its maximum temperature of 95C.

The biggest choice to make when it comes to a CPU cooler for the 9800X3D is whether you want to go with an air cooler, or one that uses liquid instead. CORSAIR has a top-tier air cooler, multiple all-in-one liquid coolers, and of course, custom liquid cooling if you really want to keep things quiet and frosty. Let’s take a look at each of these options.

This is a big cooler, but if you’re not into RGB and like the look of a giant tower, it is a great option. It’s a beefy and powerful cooler that features dual 140mm fans and six copper heat pipes, and is compatible with the AM5 socket. It also has adjustable fan placement so you can move the fans up a notch if you have RAM with RGB light bars or tall heat spreaders. It’s a high-performance CPU cooler capable of taming even a 170W CPU, so the 9800X3D at 120W TDP is not a problem for it.

CORSAIR has a wide variety of options here, so you can go big with a 420mm AIO if it fits in your case (and you’re really into silent computing) or go smaller with a 240mm AIO if you’re using a smaller mid-tower case. Most people will likely want to split the difference and go with a 360mm AIO though, as it will fit in most mid-tower cases, and they provide a good balance of cooling and quiet operation.

The flagship CORSAIR 360mm AIO is the iCUE LINK Titan RX with RX RGB fans. It’s available in black or white in both 240mm and 360mm. It includes an LCD screen so you can watch your CPU temps at all times, in addition to a wide variety of system stats (or images and GIFs) you can put on the IPS display. If you want something less flashy, and more affordable, there’s the Nautilus RS Series without RGB, which uses PWM fans instead of iCUE LINK connectivity. The Nautilus series is also offered with RGB as well.

Either of these AIOs will keep a 9800X3D’s temperatures in the safe zone, and will provide quiet operation even under full load for more advanced tasks like rendering

If you have the time and expertise (and the budget) to go with a custom loop, there are few experiences in the DIY PC world as satisfying. This is a liquid-cooling loop you design yourself to cool the CPU — and GPU if you want—using custom-length hard or soft tubing, so it looks incredible, and its performance is unrivalled by anything else on the market. This is the pinnacle of cooling performance and silent operation using off-the-shelf parts.

The iCUE LINK XH405i is a great starting point for custom cooling. It ships with all the necessary bits for cooling your CPU, and is easily expandible to incorporate more radiators and of course a GPU, too.

The only downside to this approach is the added expense and difficulty of swapping out parts down the line, as you’ll need to disconnect everything, drain the system, and possibly be required to add different lengths of tubing if you change enough parts. However, it’s a great option for advanced PC builders who want a quiet, cool PC. It’s total overkill for a 120W CPU, but it sure would look amazing.