AMD's Ryzen 9000 series is available, and the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X is the best of the bunch. Even though Zen 5 is more efficient than the last-gen Zen 4 chips, this flagship CPU calls for a hefty cooling solution. It has a 170W TDP, which is more than mid-range coolers can handle. You don't have to worry too much, though, as your new processor has plenty of cooling options. We've rounded up the best coolers for the Ryzen 9 9950X, including air and liquid-cooling options, so you can find the perfect one for your build and budget.

👁 AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
AMD's Ryzen 9000 series is a welcome departure from CPUs running near TjMax

I like what we've seen with AMD's Ryzen 9000 series processors. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X have notable performance gains with a drop in price, power draw, and temperatures. We've stopped the whole "who can run their chips the hottest" competition and are hopefully returning to a time of efficiency and I cannot wait to see what AMD and Intel can do with cooler CPUs. Today's performance is all we need for gaming and running heavier software. It's time to bring temperatures back into the fold.

  • Editor's choice
    Noctua NH-U12A

    Anyone who wants to cool their PC in near silence knows about Noctua, who makes some of the best air coolers available for any CPU socket. The NH-U12A is a solidly built air cooler with plenty of cooling fins and two near-silent 120mm fans in the company's signature browns. It'll outperform many larger coolers and is a great choice.

  • Best value
    Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Cooler

    Thermalright is the budget champ, with low-cost, high-performing air coolers that go toe-to-toe with the most expensive solutions on the market. For around $40, you get six heatpipes and two 120mm fans that move a ton of air. That's going to be enough for almost any CPU, and the 170W of the 9950X will be no issue.

  • Premium pick
    Noctua NH-D15 G2 LBC

    Noctua's original NH-D15 was our favorite cooler from the company for many years, and now it's back with an encore. The G2 LBC version has all-new fans, more surface area for cooling potential, and more heatpipes. This particular version also has a flatter coldplate, which is perfect for AM5 CPUs like the Ryzen 9 9950X.

  • High-end air cooler
    Cooler Master MasterAir MA824 Stealth

    Cooler Master knows their stuff when it comes to keeping thermals in check, and the MasterAir MA824 Stealth keeps heat down with low noise thanks to the dual Mobius fans. It's also really easy to install, thanks to screws that go all the way through the finstack so you don't have to stretch your screwdriver hand to find them.

  • Best 240mm liquid cooler
    be quiet! BW017
    $70 $115 Save $45

    be quiet! makes some of our favorite cooling equipment for PC use, and the BW017 is a no-frills AIO liquid cooler with 240mm of radiator space and two great 120mm SilentWings fans. It's perfect for SFF and M-ATX builds that don't have room for larger radiators, and the decoupled pump design is made to be refilled for years of peak performance.

  • Best 240mm liquid cooler with RGB
    Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 A-RGB

    Arctic makes great liquid coolers that are optimized for using with AM5 processors like the 9950X. That's done by shifting the center of the cold plate down slightly, so that it sits over the hot spot on AM5 CPUs for peak cooling performance. It's also got a proprietary pump that takes up less space, and A-RGB fans for a nice glow.

  • Best 360mm liquid cooler
    Corsair iCUE H150i Elite Capellix AIO Liquid Cooler

    Liquid cooling might be overkill for midrange CPUs, but the Ryzen 9 9950X is the flagship and deserves a little more cooling love. This Corsair model has tons of A-RGB bling, and will whisk away heat from your CPU in no time at all, letting it operate at peak performance for longer.

  • Best 420mm liquid cooler
    Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
    $109 $122 Save $13

    High-end CPUs need a high-end CPU cooler, and this 420mm liquid cooling AIO from Arctic is about as high-end as you can get. As with Arctic's other coolers it's optimized for use with AM5, with the cold plate shifted down to sit over the hotspot. It's also got three 140mm fans to effectively transfer heat away from the PC.

  • Best for silence
    be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5
    $75 $100 Save $25
    Brand
    be quiet!
    Cooling Method
    Air
    Noise Level
    ~24 dB(A)
    Fan Speed
    ~2,000 RPM

    This chunky air cooler from be quiet! has looks, style, and, most importantly, tons of cooling performance. It's easy to install and easy on the wallet. Thanks to the well-regarded SilentWings fans, it will cool your CPU with relative silence. It's one of our favorite air coolers, and will work well with your flagship CPU.

Things to keep in mind when choosing a cooler for the Ryzen 9 9950X

When picking a CPU cooler for the Ryzen 9 9950X, remember that it has the same 170W TDP as the Ryzen 9 7950X it's replacing in the lineup. That's not an easy wattage to cool, especially with Ryzen's preference to boost until it hits TJmax, then throttle to stay under. Our testing shows that the midrange 9000-series Zen 5 chips are more efficient, so we have high hopes for the new flagship chip. Still, you'll want to stick to liquid or larger air coolers, like the Noctua NH-U12A or NH-D15 G2 LBC. These large air tower coolers will quickly move excess heat away from your CPU, and the fans Noctua supplies are some of the quietest on the market.

Thermalright's Peerless Assassin 120 SE is hard to beat if cost is the primary concern, at under half the price of most similarly-performing coolers. It might not leave much thermal headroom with the Ryzen 9 9950X, but that's a good trade for the price. AIO liquid coolers will do a better job, and really, all you need to know is if the one you like fits inside your PC chassis and if you want to have RGB fans or not.