Best CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

Team Red is trying its best to revolutionize the tech market with its latest inventions and current-era technologies. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a perfect example of their hard work and mastery in manufacturing high-end processing units. It has a basic pack of 6 cores and 12 threads but with an advanced multi-threading solution. Further, it’s an unlocked chip so you need to have the best CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 to unleash its true overclocking potential.

A good-quality cooling solution is a necessity to build a high-performance gaming or content creation system. It controls the thermal mismanagement that ultimately enhances the overclocking and then processing efficiencies. But finding the best-suiting cooler is a slightly difficult task due to the complexity of the market. Therefore, we have added the seven best products in this post to help you find one from hundreds of different items —read this post until the end.

Quick Shopping Tips

Thermal dissipation: The TDP or thermal power design value stipulates how much heat the cooler can dissipate or handle. This is the foremost important factor to consider if you want a well-performing cooler for your computer. For your information, the Ryzen 5 3600 has a TDP value of 65W so you have to make sure to purchase a cooler with either the same or higher TDP value. In this way, you can feel free from any type of CPU throttling or lag.

Cooler type: There are two types of cooling solutions; air and liquid. The type of cooler you need totally depends upon your usage and load requirements. If you play heavy-duty games or do some serious content creation, you have to go for a liquid cooler. In contrast, those who don’t have many bucks in their pocket can choose an air-based cooler. At the same time, make sure that you don’t put too much load on the system.

Noise: The next factor you have to consider while purchasing a cooler is the noise it produces. Generally, more fans mean more airflow and heat dissipation, and at the same time, more noise as well. If you’re purchasing an air cooler, make sure it has a larger dual-fan setup since it will produce lesser noises than smaller fans while giving the same heat dissipation. In contrast, the liquid cooling solution produces much less noise than air coolers.

Mounting bracket: Checking the mounting bracket of the CPU and cooler is important to ensure compatibility. The cooling solution comes with different mounting brackets to be compatible with a wide range of processors. For instance, the Ryzen 5 3600 has an AM4 socket so make sure that the cooler you’re purchasing is compatible with this socket. Otherwise, you have to purchase a separate mounting kit to pair with the processor.

Size: After checking the mounting bracket, you have to check the overall size or the form factor of the cooler. We’re suggesting this since there is a proper space inside the PC case to accommodate some particular types of coolers. You have to match the size of the cooler with what the PC case is offering to let the cooling solution fit in. In short, check the size of the cooler and match it with the PC case, if both are compatible, you are good to go.

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As I mentioned, we test all types of PC components and peripherals to give the users some truthful information. You can see the same thing in this article. We tested several but reviewed a few perfect products that met our standards. If you want a high-end CPU Cooler with all the current-era features, we have the Noctua NH-D15 for you. On the other hand, you can go for the Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.B, which is a satisfying staff choice. But the Noctua NH-L12s is for budget-conscious users.

The Best CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 You Can Buy Today

Noctua NH-D15

Best all-rounder CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓SecuFirm2 mounting system

✓Two Low-Noise Adaptors

✓PWM support

✓NT-H1 thermal compound included

REASONS TO AVOID

✗No RGB

✗Taller

Noctua has all types of cooling solutions in both air and liquid categories for its users despite the nature of their needs. The Noctua NH-D15 is one of such coolers which was released back in 2019 and has been a versatile option until now. It replaces the brand’s NH-14 series coolers with effective thermal management performance. No doubt, it’s the best all-rounder CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 with all the necessary features, technologies, and specifications.

What do we get?

The NH-D15 is in short a massive dual-tower cooler with a massive heatsink and a pair of fans to do its duties. Both of the fans are 140mm in diameter and are PWM-based so can automatically adjust their speed. The noise of these fans depends upon their speed which can go up to 1500 rpm. At maximum potential, you may hear a noise of 24.6dBA which becomes very faint, 19.2dBA, when put the given low-noise adaptors in their place.

The brand has used a durable material and copper heat pipes to manufacture this cooler. So, you can expect a longer life and effective heat dissipation to keep the temperature in its ideal bracket. There are some issues in the NH-D14 like lesser memory clearance and this NH-D15 eliminates all of them in no time. It has a 165mm with-fan height which is still on the higher side but allows a number of memory kits to fit properly without causing any trouble.

How does it perform?

The NH-D15 is the best CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 and one of the unbeatable air-based coolers on the planet. It gives strong competition to the DeepCool Assassin III and Dark Rock Pro 4 in terms of excellent performance. If you’re interested in overclocking your chip up to the peak level and don’t want to compromise even slightly on air-based cooling, this cooler is for you. Ensure to check the socket fitting in the specifications section.

Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.B

Best budget CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓Affordable

✓Quiet stock fan

✓Uses improved mounting system

✓Has six heat pipes

REASONS TO AVOID

✗Moderate cooling

Scythe isn’t a name that every enthusiast knows but it’s quite well known among the experts for making durable cooling products. The Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.B is currently under discussion which is the best budget CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 and other mid-tier chips. If you want to build a gaming system on a budget without compromising the performance, this cooler can help you. It’s efficient, durable, good-looking, and most importantly, affordable.

What do we get?

If I unfold the specifications chart, the cooler is powered by only one 120mm Kaze Flex fan which performs pretty impressively. It’s PWM-based so can vary the rotational speed according to recorded temperature. The speed can be anywhere between 300 – 1200 RPM while the sound can go up to a maximum of 24.9 dBA. In short, the results of performance, noise management, and speeds are pretty impressive and acceptable despite a low price tag.

Other than that, there are six heat pipes in the cooler’s structure along with a magnificent heatsink to boost heat dissipation. You won’t find any flashy features like RGB lighting to cut the price and keep it as low as possible. Rather, the cooler is designed in black color with black fans and some silver finishing across the surface. The asymmetrical design of the cooler allows all types of memory kits to fit with this cooler without any issues.

How does it perform?

The Mugen 5 Rev.B is a pretty good cooling solution with an affordable price and is enough to handle a wide range of mid-tier processors. This is a low-profile silently operating cooler with pretty much all the features to handle the heat and overclock CPUs up to their true potential. But if you want to pair it with some high-end processors, it may lag since it’s not made for those beasts—it can give you a smooth and adequate mid-tier performance.

Noctua NH-L12s

Best compact CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓Compact in size

✓Provide impactful thermal performance

✓100% RAM compatibility

✓Durable built quality

REASONS TO AVOID

✗Beige and Brown color

Once again, we have something on this from none other than Noctua—a famous name for manufacturing cooling solutions. It’s the Noctua NH-L12S standing alone to compete in the compact category of air-based coolers. Interestingly, it has only a 70mm profile height which makes it a perfect option to build an ITX system. Further, this best compact CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 will not let you worry about its build quality, cooling performance, and other factors.

What do we get?

The brand has given an NF-A12x12 PWM fan with a 120mm diameter to give better and low–noise cooling performance than the previous model with a 92mm fan. In addition, the fan can rotate with a rotational speed of 450 – 1850 RPM and can produce 23.0 dBA noise. Interestingly, when we put the low-noise adaptors in their place, the speed is reduced to 1400 rpm and noise also decreased to 16.8 dBA. It’s quite low and you will barely hear.

To ensure adequate airflow and heat dissipation, four copper heat pipes are given along with a compact but efficient heat sink. Further, the high-end NT-H1 thermal paste gives another reason for the cooler to dissipate heat in no time. The SecuFirm 2 mounting system is compatible with a wide range of sockets and very easy to install. Most importantly, you can pair 100% RAM kits under this cooler without worrying about any fitting issues.

How does it perform?

The NH-L12S comes with impactful thermal performance despite being a low-profile compact cooling unit. It can tackle a wide range of processors with default TDP values between 125-140W or lesser. The fan doesn’t produce much noise when running at peak velocities but rather gives effective airflow to deal with heat. In short, if you want to build a compact system and want to take full advantage of the CPU’s potential, buy this cooler.

DeepCool Gammaxx 400

Best premium CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓Compact cooler

✓Excellent performance

✓Affordable price

REASONS TO AVOID

✗Slightly high noise

Like each coolers’ brand is the master in certain aspects, DeepCool is known for introducing incredible thermal management technologies. The brand’s Gammaxx 400 is a perfect cooler capable of delivering adequate low temperature even at a quite affordable price. Overall, it’s the best premium CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 and numerous other mid-tier processing units. But it runs louder plus its mounting and installation may be a bit tougher than others.

What do we get?

The Gammaxx 400 is a single-fan thermal solution with a semi-transparent 125mm white fan with white RGB LED and numerous other features. It’s inspired by a white theme so if you want to build an all-white gaming rig, this must be a great option for you. In addition, the fan is PWM based so can vary its speed automatically between 900-1500 RPM while producing noise between 17.8-30 dBA. In short, all the current-era features are installed in this cooler.

Further, there is one massive heatsink given in white color along with four sintered powder metal heat pipes. All the pipes are directly connected with the CPU surface to get more room to remove heat from the processor and surroundings. As I mentioned earlier, there is only one pre-installed fan but you can mount another one to get the most out of the cooler. As far as compatibility matters, there are no issues regarding RAM clearance and mobo access.

How does it perform?

The DeepCool Gammaxx 400 is low-price and the best CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 with excellent price-to-performance issues. It’s an adequately improved solution than the wraith stealth cooler bundled cooler. You can give an effective thermal performance to all the processors and overclock them to an optimal pace. In short, if you want a valued white cooling solution with quiet operations and impactful effectiveness, this is for you.

Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4

Best quiet CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓All-black attractive design

✓Quietest operations

✓Seven heat pipes

✓Oppositely rotating two fans

REASONS TO AVOID

✗No anti-vibration pads

We have seen some cooling masterpieces from Noctua, Scythe, and DeepCool which are great brands. But be quiet! says a different story than the rest of the manufacturers and is known for producing noise-less cooling solutions as its name suggests. The brand’s Dark Rock Pro 4 stipulates the brand’s mastery of being the best quiet CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600. In addition, it gives strong competition to rivals in terms of performance and quietness.

What do we get?

If we look at the specifications, there are two silent wings III fans where one is 120mm in diameter while the other one is 135mm in size. The upper-speed limit of these fans is 1500 rpm and can be adjusted automatically by fans since these are PWM-based. In addition, the noise could be anywhere between 12.8dBA to 24.3dBA depending upon the rest of the conditions. You can pair some third-party low-noise adaptors to further minimize it.

Some folks are there who like to get the most out of any cooling solutions. Well, if you’re one of them, you can connect another 120mm fan to boost the airflow and thermal performance. Apart from that, there are seven 6mm copper heat pipes along with a pair of aluminum heat sinks and a nickel-plated base to get peak heat conductance. In addition, there is a brushed aluminum top and an all-black body that looks great especially when you fit it into the system.

How does it perform?

The Rock Pro 4 can be paired with a wide range of processors with either less or equal TDP to 250W and can achieve effective thermal results. You can overclock the system to play the demanding games without compromising the silence and thermal management. Since there are two pre-installed fans, the first fan blows the air into the heatsink and the second fan pulls it out of it. In this way, you can take your cooling game up to an optimal level.

Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT

Best overall CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓Excellent thermal performance

✓Low-noise operations

✓Attractive RGB lighting

✓Durable structure

REASONS TO AVOID

✗Plastic pump head

After reviewing so many of the air-based CPU coolers, we have the Corsair iCUE H115i RGB Pro XT which is the first liquid cooler on the list. For those who are looking for an impactful AIO liquid cooler, this is for them. Corsair isn’t only improving its cooling technologies with this cooler but also competing against a long list of competitors in this field. Interestingly, there are three variants of this cooler but we’ll look at 240mm—the others are 280mm and 360mm.

What do we get?

There are two Corsair ML-140 PWM fans with 140mm diameter along with magnetic levitation technology and enhanced blade shape fins. The fan speed can automatically vary between 400rpm to 2000rpm dispensing upon the temperature—these can also stop with Zero RPM mode. The maximum airflow can be 63 CFM while the sound can be anywhere between 10-36 dBA—these ratings may vary depending upon the rest of the conditions.

The pump is made of black plastic featuring a glossy finish on the upper and a matte finish on the bottom. In addition, there is a pump’s copper base which gives impressive heat transfer which further increases when you use the brand’s top-notch TMX-50 compound. Overall, this is the best overall CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 with pretty much every feature including impressive customizable RGB lighting with 16 addressable LED lights.

How does it perform?

The Corsair iCUE H115i RGB Pro XT is an incredible AIO liquid cooler and enough to maintain proper cooling for a wide range of AMD and Intel processors. A pair of pre-installed fans can deliver unmatchable thermal performance without producing much noise. In addition, intelligent airflow engineering gives an effective airflow to ensure adequate heat dissipation. In short, if you want a good-quality cooler at an affordable price, this is for you.

Corsair iCUE H100i RGB Pro XT

Best liquid CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓Perfect to sculpt a white system

✓Impressive 240mm AIO cooling

✓Excellent performance

✓Redesigned water block

✓Attractive RGB lighting

REASONS TO AVOID

✗Noisy fans at full speeds

The second AIO liquid cooler on the list is the Corsair iCUE H100i RGB Pro XT which is from the brand’s famous H100 hydro coolers series. It’s the best liquid CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 and several other high-end processors with a price tag even lower than the previous iCUE H115i Pro XT. It’s an all-in-one type of liquid cooler for those who want to build a custom all-black gaming system with effective thermal performance and in-game overclocking.

What do we get?

According to my observation, this cooler features all types of thermal technologies, even beating some of the high-end liquid coolers with an affordable price and an outstanding price-to-performance ratio. The cooler comes with two PWM-based magnetic levitation ML120 fans that have a 120mm diameter. In addition, the rotational speed can vary from 400rpm to 2400rpm with a noise level of 10-36dBA as the earlier iCUE H115i Pro Xt.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s an all-in-one AIO liquid solution with an all-black water clock assembled into a 240mm aluminum-made radiator. Interestingly, the cold plate uses a square surface area rather than the ordinary round shape in the standard H100i RGB Pro. Basically, the manufacturer has tried to make things more attractive by resigning this cooler. Other than that, the given RGB lighting on the water block further increases its selection chances.

How does it perform?

The iCUE H100i RGB Pro XT is one of the incredible liquid-based cooling solutions on the list with a 240mm radiator—you can choose other variants with 280mm or 360mm radiators according to your usage. Anyhow, this cooler is a stable combo of fine-tuned thermal management capabilities, low-noise operations, eye-catching RGB lighting, and an all-black structure. No doubt, it’s enough to optimally overclock your high-end processor

EVGA CLC 280mm RGB

Best attractive liquid CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600

REASONS TO BUY

✓Excellent CPU cooling

✓PWM-based fans

✓All-black design with attractive aesthetics

✓A wide range of compatibility

✓100% copper base

REASONS TO AVOID

✗Unusual price

EVGA has been in the tech market for decades producing a lot of computer components but is especially known for its cooling solutions. So, at the end of the list, we will take a look at the EVGA CLC RGB 280mm AIO liquid cooler to know more about the manufacturer. Well, the cooler is an all-in-one thermal manager with a closed loop working methodology. If you have the Ryzen 5 3600 or any other high-end chip, this cooler must be your priority.

What do we get?

Like the Corsair iCUE H115i RGB Pro XT, the liquid cooler in fifth place in this list, this cooler comes with a pair of 140mm fans. The brand has used the Teflon Nano Bearings to effectively rotate while producing the least resistance. Additionally, these can rotate with a 600-2200 RPM speed while making a maximum of 39dBA noise. It’s comparatively on the higher side but if this isn’t an issue, you can enjoy a good level of thermal performance.

There is a 280mm aluminum radiator with a 100% copper base—this combination makes sure the required heat dissipation. Overall, there are a lot of structural aspects about this cooler that make it the best attractive liquid CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 and other processors. Some of those include an all-black design with intelligently designed aesthetics. On top of that, some minimalistic RGB lighting is there in the brand’s logo that also looks great.

How does it perform?

Do we choose the CLS 280? Well, if you want an adequate thermal performance for Ryzen 5 3600 and other such mid-to-high-end processors, it’s great. But it produces slightly higher noise which may be an issue for you—keep this fact in your mind. Apart from that, this is a self-contained liquid cooler that doesn’t require any type of extra filling, maintenance, or custom tubing to properly operate. Rather just plug in the USB connector and get the top-tier cooling output.

Conclusion

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a great mid-tier processing unit to deal with mid-tier gaming loads and do content creation. But it’s quite impressive in terms of multitasking with its stable multithreading performance. It has a 65W TDP value so it won’t produce that much heat. But still, we have to purchase the best CPU cooler for Ryzen 5 3600 to uncover its true overclocking capabilities and get the most out of it. No doubt, a cooler can save the CPU from lagging or throttling under heavy-load conditions.

In the end, let’s put some names that we have gotten from the whole discussion. If you’re running on budget and looking for some low-price coolers, you can check out the Scythe Mugen 5 Rev.B. In contrast, those who want a top-tier air cooling solution can check out the DeepCool Gammaxx 400 or go for the Noctua NH-D15. An air-based cooler is enough to deal with the Ryzen 5 3600. But still, those who want to push the limits via a liquid cooler can check out the last three AIO coolers on the list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: Air or Liquid cooler?

If we talk about the performance, a liquid cooler is undoubtedly better than an air cooler. A liquid cooler provides way better thermal performance while being silent than the air cooler. In contrast, the air-based coolers are available at a pocket-friendly price plus provide great mid-tier cooling performance than liquid coolers.

What is best cooler for Ryzen 5 3600?

The Noctua NH-L12S is one of the best air coolers to pair with the Ryzen 5 3600. It has a compact form factor and is quite easy to pair with the CPU and install inside the PC case. Since it comes with a single-fan configuration, it won’t be able to compete with the dual-fan cooler but still, it’s a good option with a durable build and impactful heat dissipation.

Does Ryzen 5 3600 need a cooler?

Yes, the Ryzen 5 3600 needs a cooler. You can even pair the stock cooler that comes inside its box to deal with mid-tier load. But those who regularly overclock their processor and often put some serious load on the system, need to purchase a good-quality third-party cooler. You can check the given list in this post to make things easier and choose a cooler.

Zohaib Hassan

Zohaib Hassan is a true wizard of technology, with a boundless enthusiasm for exploring the depths of the digital realm. His fascination with computers began at a young age, and has only grown stronger with each passing year. As a content writer and manager for PCIdeaz, GamingSilk, and BesTechReview, he has honed his skills as a wordsmith and tech expert, sharing his knowledge with the world. Zohaib's love for technology goes beyond just writing about it. He is constantly experimenting with and testing new tech masterpieces, eager to uncover their hidden potentials. He spends hours delving into the intricacies of the latest gadgets, software, and hardware, always pushing himself to learn more.

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