AMD includes stock coolers with most of their chips. The company calls their newest line of stock coolers the “Wraith” coolers. At a first glance, these coolers look much more capable as compared to the coolers Intel packs with their chips. These coolers pack much more heatsink mass, and AMD has paid strong attention to the looks and noise levels of their thermal solutions. But, are the Wraith coolers any good? Let us find out.
What are the Different Stock Coolers Current AMD Ryzen Processors Come With?
AMD includes various stock coolers with their Ryzen processors. Some high-end chips come with the Ryzen Prism cooler, which also has programmable LEDs on board. Some hot-running Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 processors come with the Wraith Spire cooler. And, the other comparatively cooler chips come with the low-profile Wraith Stealth cooler. AMD also sells the Wraith Ripper cooler for their 1st and 2nd gen Threadripper processors through Cooler Master. Find out more details about these coolers here.
Is AMD Stock Cooler Good for Gaming?
The short answer is, it depends. Gaming workloads are not particularly taxing on some high-end processors. And, if you have a Wraith Spire or Wraith Prism cooler included in your build, you will have no problems in playing games with your current cooling solution. But, in case your build rocks a Wraith Spire cooler, you might have to be a bit concerned. Some hot running chips like the Ryzen 7 5700G and the Ryzen 5 5600X include the Wraith Stealth cooler in the box. These chips push the low-profile Stealth cooler to its maximum, and in case you do not have sufficient airflow in your system, you might face thermal throttling issues.
Also, the stock coolers cannot handle overclocked CPU speeds. Overclocking a chip significantly increases its thermal output by a huger margin. Stock coolers have not been designed to handle these situations. So, if you intend on overclocking your CPU, get a beefier air cooler or look at some quality AIO liquid coolers on the market.
AMD’s stock coolers are extremely good and then can handle basic workloads with ease. They are much better than Intel’s stock coolers. Some of their offerings, like the Wraith Prism, redefine the definition of a stock cooler. You can use this cooler to easily overclock some lower-end chips like the Ryzen 5 3600 way above its stock capabilities. You can easily rely on the stock coolers unless you are dealing with some resource-heavy workloads, like long renders, or overclocking your chipset.