Question CPU Cooler Recommendations Needed (Also PWM-Cooling and SSD Heatsink Cooling Side-Questions)

[MasterYoda327]

I plan to build a new gaming PC soon. The primary use will be for 1440p gaming (possibly 4K) with secondary uses being for basic drone 4K video editing and YouTube content creation. No overclocking is planned. Please note, I plan to build a separate content creation PC for the mentioned drone and YouTube tasks, but want my gaming PC to be able to handle those tasks in case the content PC is out for repairs, upgrades, or replacement. Anyway, I am looking for a CPU air cooler to fit onto a Gigabyte X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ATX AM5 Motherboard with G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory, and a Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU (undecided on brand and model at this time). I am looking for a CPU air cooler that has a balance between good cooling and good silence. I also want it to have sufficient clearance from the RAM and GPU and, if applicable, still have good clearance if the CPU cooler allows for additional fans to be added. What CPU air cooler would best meet my needs?

I also have two side questions. First, I plan to connect a Noctua NA-FH1 Fan Controller between the motherboard and my PWM-capable case fans. Would I be better off connecting the recommended CPU cooler either directly to the motherboard or Noctua Fan controller?

Second, I want to provide cooling to my NVME SSD. I have selected the Crucial T700 W/Heatsink 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive. Does the mentioned Gigabyte motherboard come with a heatsink that the Crucial can fit in and receive additional cooling? If yes, does this mean I can save some money and get the mentioned Crucial SSD without a heatsink?

Thanks.

 

[Lutfij]

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120's are common suggestion as they're cheap and they are beefy coolers. What case are you going to be working with?

I am looking for a CPU air cooler that has a balance between good cooling and good silence.
Noise is a subjective topic such as design, as there are people who can hear the ticking of the fan's motor while others won't even notice it.

Would I be better off connecting the recommended CPU cooler either directly to the motherboard or Noctua Fan controller?
Either one works.

Does the mentioned Gigabyte motherboard come with a heatsink that the Crucial can fit in and receive additional cooling?
Yes, the entire board has heatsinks for all of the M.2 slots on the board.. Though in hindsight, you should avoid removing the heatsink off of an SSD that comes with a heatsink as the aforementioned task can void your warranty.

 

[MasterYoda327]

Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120's are common suggestion as they're cheap and they are beefy coolers. What case are you going to be working with?

Phanteks ECLIPSE G500A Performance ATX Mid Tower Case

 

[dwd999]

It may be better to connect the cpu fans directly to the motherboard since this allows you to set the Temperature Interval (how quickly the cpu fans speed up when the cpu temp increases) to 1, the fastest level. Then you can set the case fans Temperature Interval to a slower level. (For example on Asus motherboards the fastest level for cpu fans is 2.1 seconds and for case fans its 12 seconds.) The Gigabyte manual does not seem to indicate how fast each of the fan connectors speed up so you may want to test this on your own.

 

[LordVile]

What CPU?

If you're worried about RAM clearance the best option is an AIO cooler but for an air cooler you really need to give a CPU as some require larger coolers and some can't be cooled by an air cooler at all.

 

[geofelt]

Noctua makes some of the best coolers, and they are quiet.
Quiet comes from large fans moving slowly; that means 140mm and not 120mm or less.
Without knowing your intended cpu it is hard to say.
Here is the noctua cpu sizing form:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus
Your case allows 185mm high, that will fit any cooler around.
Also, your ram is low profile, 33mm high which should not impact any cooler.
https://www.gskill.com/product/165/396/1662622664/F5-6000J3636F16GX2-FX5

Some motherboards locate the first X16 slot too close to the cpu socket, and that may impact some coolers.
Looks like you are ok for any cooler:
https://ncc.noctua.at/motherboards/model/Gigabyte-X870E-AORUS-Elite-WIFI7-6090

It looks like a m.2 heat sink is included.
With 3 front 140mm intakes, there will be plenty of fresh air moving over the motherboard to dissipate m.2 heat.