AMD Mid-Range Gaming PC Build Guide: Summer 2020

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AMD Mid-Range Gaming Build: CPU Cooler

While all of the components we are selecting here today are what we would go with, and priced from vendors we trust, it is always a good idea to shop around as deals on these, or other good options, pop up from other reliable vendors all the time. With that said, let’s dive right into the next order of business.

Enermax Logo
AMD Logo

CPU Cooler

Enermax AQUAFUSION 240

Enermax AQUAFUSION 240 $99.99

60 FPS

  • Very Good Cooling
  • Overall Robust Design
  • Solid Price

30 FPS

  • Noisy To Some Users At Full Tilt
  • Large Cooler, Check Your Clearances!

CPU Cooler Alternate

AMD Wraith Spire Image

AMD Wraith Spire and/or AMD Wraith Prism Free*

60 FPS

  • Good Performance For Stock Cooler (Prism)
  • Solid Value As It Is Included (Prism and Spire)
  • RGB Solution For Those That Want It (Prism)
  • No RGB Solution For Those That Want It (Spire)

30 FPS

  • Noisy To Some At Full Tilt (Prism and Spire)
  • Gives Up Some Performance Compared To Other Included Options (Spire)
  • RGB Solution For Those That Don’t Want It (Prism)
  • No RGB Solution For Those That Want It (Spire)

When it comes to cooling our Ryzen selections there are, of course, a million offerings on the market. However, one of the most popular designs over the last few years in the enthusiast space has been the All In One Liquid CPU Coolers (AIO). From this general concept, many different size coolers have sprung up that cover the entire gamut of possible CPU’s on the market.

Unlike previous Build Guides (AMD Enthusiast Gaming PC Build Guide and Intel Enthusiast Gaming Build Guide), we are looking at chips today with TDP’s of around 65W. So, we are looking at needing some less beefy coolers to extract as much performance as we can from these chips. However, even these slightly smaller coolers can run into clearance issues. So, today, we are scaling back a bit and picking the Enermax AQUAFUSION 240 as it is beefy enough for the Ryzen selections we have made when overclocked (with its huge radiator and double 120mm fan setup). As our own David Schroth said in his review; “the AQUAFUSION 240 was more competitive, when looking at its performance and sound levels, than one might expect from such a small fan/radiator setup. In fact, there were advantages to that as this was, overall, as this was the quietest unit we have tested to date; which matters to a lot of people.” A bonus for those users looking for a light show are the included RGB options.

That said, not everyone wants an AIO cooler or to deal with the issues that come about with one. So, for users looking for a more conventional option, we have the option of using the included coolers with our processors today. The Ryzen 7 3700X ships with a Wraith Prism while the Ryzen 5 3600X ships with a Wraith Spire. While these are not the highest performing air coolers on the market, they do a good enough job if you are keeping your clocks stock or pushing just a little bit; particularly the Wraith Prism (less so for the Spire). So, if that is you, this makes for a great place to save a bit of cash on this particular build.

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