Standing tall as one of the best value processors around, our AMD Ryzen 7 5800X review saw it praised at launch for incredible performance, let down only by its higher MSRP and incremental performance upgrades over the Ryzen 5 5600X. At least one of those issues has been solved with age.
These days, you can pick up the 5800X for a much more than reasonable price from practically any retailer offering PC parts. At Best Buy, for example, it's down to just $179 compared to the launch price of about $449. You'll still need to grab a great CPU cooler to pair it with because there aren't any AMD-branded freebies in the box.
As with any custom PC build, you'll need to check the clearance inside your PC case to ensure you have enough space to fit these choices, especially the larger air coolers. Still, even with the slimmer solution of an all-in-one (AIO) water cooler, you need enough room to mount the included radiator and its fans.
In any case, it's a fantastic 8-core processor that I still use in my personal gaming PC to great effect, even with an air cooler. The CPU is still available brand new for custom gaming PCs, so let's check out our picks for the best CPU coolers for the Ryzen 7 5800X.
Best air cooler
Noctua is a legendary CPU cooling brand for a reason. The NH-U12A is practically silent while efficiently keeping your 5800X cool while idle and under heavy load. It measures 158mm tall, so ensure the side panel of your case has enough clearance for this chunky air cooler and that your RAM won't be obstructed. You can pick it up for about $120 at Amazon.
Silent running
We favorably reviewed the Dark Rock Pro 4, and the updated Dark Rock Pro 5 remains a great choice for anyone who wants ample cooling with dual PWM fans that run nearly silently. This is a big cooler with a lot of thermal potential, but you'll want to be sure it can fit your case. Coming in at about $80, it's also great for more budget-minded builds.
Value AIO
Cooler Master is a leading name in the AIO space, and its PL240 FLUX can deliver strong cooling performance while also offering customizable RGB lighting for its two 120mm PWM fans. It will fit into more cases thanks to the relatively compact dual-fan design, and at about $105 you're getting a great piece of hardware without overspending.
Premium AIO
Our Kraken X73 review praised its powerful liquid-cooling system alongside the gorgeous RGB pump with its infinity mirror effect. It's more expensive, but it'll keep your 5800X from getting dangerously hot while looking stylish. You can still pick it up for about $198, and AM5 conversion kits are available should you eventually upgrade your AMD CPU.
For white builds
Corsair's H150i Elite we reviewed has tons of cooling potential from its three 120mm fans, with customizable RGB lighting to spice things up. The radiator, head, and hoses have a white finish, and the 2.1-inch LCD screen can be customized. It'll keep your Ryzen 7 5800X cool without issue, and you can usually pick it up for about $260.
Budget air cooler
The Scythe Fuma 3 is as cheap as it gets before sacrificing quality for air cooling the 5800X, coming in at about $50. It only stands 154mm tall, so it won't wholly tower over your entire motherboard. It's very highly rated everywhere you look, and it'll even cross over to AM5 when you make the big upgrade.
The 5800X is so great that I bought it myself (but..)
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While it's technically outperformed ever so slightly in pure value by its more lightweight sibling, the Ryzen 5 5600X, I still can't resist recommending the 8-core Ryzen 7 5800X whenever it's on sale. I even bought it for my personal gaming desktop, but there is a glaring oversight that you likely noticed when buying one yourself: there's no CPU cooler in the box.
The best CPU cooler for the Ryzen 5800X depends on your needs and case size. You might want to look at something more affordable, like the Scythe Fuma 3 for air cooling or the Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 FLUX AIO, to keep the costs down. My top pick, the Noctua NH-U12A, is a super-quiet air cooler with incredible performance if you can spare the space inside your PC case.
I usually stick with AIO coolers in my machines, simply because I'm a sucker for aesthetics and RGB. My go-to choice would be the NZXT Kraken X73 with a radiator appropriate for whatever case I'm building in. Clearance is crucial for any CPU cooler, especially the chunkier air-cooled variants, so double-check your available space for clearance over other components like low-profile RAM.
If you're building a system from scratch, be sure to check out our favorite motherboards for the Ryzen 7 5800X.
Should you choose air cooling or liquid cooling?
The choice between air and liquid cooling for your Ryzen 7 5800X ultimately comes down to budget and available space in your PC case. Liquid cooling used to be a much more involved process before AIO radiators, but you can now drop a loop into your PC without a lot of effort. Just get the head situated on your CPU and install the radiator at the front or top of your case.
An AIO might be the better option if you have limited space around your CPU, whether due to RAM or other hardware getting in the way. AIOs generally run cooler and offer better cooling performance; RGB lighting on the fans is just icing on top.
However, air coolers are still more than capable of keeping the Ryzen 7 5800X cool. You'll need more clearance around your CPU, but you can usually spend quite a bit less on reliable cooling.
What about an upgrade to AMD's AM5 socket?
The Ryzen 7 5800X operates on the AM4 socket, which is still fully supported by AMD. Heck, AMD even released a couple of new Ryzen 5000-series chips in 2024 alongside its new AM5-based Ryzen 9000 "Granite Ridge" hardware that's expected to launch at the end of July.
If you do eventually want to move away from the AM4-based Ryzen 7 5800X, the coolers listed here should be compatible. At worst, you'll have to pick up a separate conversion kit, that's still a lot less money than a brand-new cooler. Most companies ensure easy compatibility even across AMD and Intel, so your choices remain mostly open when it comes time to upgrade.
