Whenever it comes to CPU coolers, my personal preference has always been towards air coolers as it is easy to maintain, and on the same hand, it is capable of offering better performance if channeled properly with other intakes and exhaust of the chassis.
If the airflow inside your cabinet is not quite good, then it will be best for you to get an AIO liquid cooler, but if you are having a good PC chassis that offers superior airflow, then it is highly recommended to opt for air coolers.
Consider the following list of CPU coolers we recommend for the Ryzen 5 5600X to achieve good thermal results in overclocking. Moreover, to avoid overheating and increase the potential of the processor, check out the best motherboards to use for Ryzen 5600X.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Overview
Ryzen 5 5600X is the smallest sibling among the latest released processors from AMD and features 6 cores and 12 threads, running at a base frequency of 3700 MHz and a peak turbo of 4600 MHz. The processor has the lowest TPD of 65W and is targeted directly to compete with the Intel Core i5-10600K.
However, surprisingly due to the introduction of the Zen 3 architecture, the single-core performance of the Ryzen 5 5600X is off the chart. It comes with a stock CPU cooler and it is the last option that we will suggest using if you are having no other option at the moment. However, since it has the lowest TPD among the bunch, we have listed a few coolers that will definitely satisfy this CPU’s thirst.
Best CPU coolers for Ryzen 5600 and 5600X
Cooler Master MasterAir MA410M
CHECK AMAZON PRICEThe first in the list of CPU air coolers that will be the perfect companion for the Ryzen 5 5600 and 5600X is the MasterAir MA410M from Cooler Master. The MasterAir MA410M comes with dual pre-installed MF120R fans that are arranged for push-pull setup and it helps to exhaust the hot air from the heatsink quickly out of the case.
The cooler is equipped with a thermal sensor that detects the CPU temperature and displays the same through color lighting effects. The MasterAir MA410M features Continuous Direct Contact Technology 2.0 (CDC 2.0) which can create 45% more contact surface area on the cooler base compressing heat pipes together resulting in increasing heat dissipation compared with its previous-gen CDC 1 technology. Further, the armor is also illuminated by 28 addressable RGB LEDs for full-color customization.
The MasterAir MA410M will be sufficient to handle the Ryzen 5 5600 and 5600X with a steady temperature of 60 degrees and might even keep it low depending on the airflow inside of the PC chassis.
Be Quiet Dark Pro 4
CHECK AMAZON PRICEDark Pro 4 from Be Quiet has been awarded by multiple reviewers and is a worthy choice for mid-end CPU coolers like the Ryzen 5600 and 5600X. It consists of a single tower that is big enough to work similarly to a dual tower and has wave-contoured aluminum fins for easy airflow.
It is equipped with a Silent Wings 3 135mm fan which is very close to the performance of the 140mm Silent Wings 3 fan and produces max noise of up to 21 or 22dBA. Moreover, the cooler can use one more 120mm fan on the other side for a push-pull configuration.
Unlike most single-tower CPU coolers it comes with 6 copper heat pipes and a very smooth base finish for making perfect contact with the chip. Aesthetically, it’s all black in color with a brushed aluminum cover on top that increases its beauty without the use of any LED lighting.
DeepCool AK620
CHECK AMAZON PRICEDeepCool recently released a new dual-tower CPU cooler called AK620 and this is the sleekest-looking air cooler I have seen from the company. This is one of the best affordable dual towers out there that deliver excellent cooling with the help of 6 copper heat pipes and has been praised by many independent reviewers.
According to Tomshardware testing, it performs better than Dark Pro 4 and outperforms the Assassin III which I previously recommended for the 5600X. It provides phenomenal cooling performance at 50% of the fan speed and this also creates 4dBA less noise.
At full fan speed, this thing can go crazy in cooling performance because the FK120 fans are designed for creating a lot of air pressure. With an insane cooling capacity of 260W, it can even cool higher-end Ryzen CPUs.
Design-wise, it looks excellent with minimalistic aesthetics and is available in three different colors.
MSI CoreLiquid 240R V2
CHECK AMAZON PRICEIf you are looking for some AIOs then the MSI CoreLiquid 240R V2 is a new and ideal option. Although MSI is newer in the CPU cooling market, it has offered great coolers whether air or liquid. The CoreLiquid 240R doesn’t disappoint and performs absolutely fantastic even though it is one of the cheapest sub $100 AIO.
It comes with a 240mm radiator equipped with dual MSI ARGB fans that are customizable. You will also get a CPU block equipped with ARGB LEDs that provides a great combination of aesthetics and performance at under $100. While its performance might not be the best among all the 240mm coolers. It certainly falls under the best value 240mm AIOs.
Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black
CHECK AMAZON PRICENoctua NH-D15 is the king of Air coolers and there has never been so powerful an AIO cooler that competes directly with the top-notch AIO coolers like the NH-D15. This cooler is a combination of performance and low noise whereas most CPU coolers compromise one of them to exceed the other.
It features 2x 140mm NF-A15 fans that throw about 68CFM of airflow while maintaining an air pressure of roughly 1.51mmH2O which is decent for cooling the heatsinks. As the cooler is equipped with two fans, it creates a push-pull configuration that can be optimized even more by adding another 140mm fan on the other side if your case allows.
For $120, it’s probably the most positive-rated CPU cooler due to its uncompromisable performance and silent operation.
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB Elite
CHECK AMAZON PRICEThe Corsair iCUE H115i Elite will be the best companion for the processor if you are going to take things next level. It can easily handle the Ryzen 5 5600X even with a huge load and at a high temperature.
The entire iCUE Elite family is one of the finest AIO solutions from Corsair that offers a slick design without compromising on the cooler’s functionalities. The iCUE H115i Elite comes with dual Corsair AF140 Elite Series AirGuide PWM fans which are capable to deliver up to 84.5CFM of airflow at a reasonable speed of 1600RPM.
As per Techpowerup, Corsair iCUE H115i falls in the top 3 280mm AIOs, and considering that it comes with a D-RGB CPU block, you don’t have to miss on the beautiful lighting effects controllable by Corsair iCUE software.
Final words
There are dozens of air and AIO coolers to buy from but it’s not practical to put every one of them on the list. A good CPU cooler should be easy to install, provide stable temperatures, and remain silent most of the time. The above-listed coolers can do these jobs perfectly which is why I chose them to be on the list.