AMD's Ryzen 5000 series CPUs (opens in new tab) have been announced, and they're looking like the gaming chips from the red team that we've always wanted, nay, needed. There's just one thing, only the cheapest of the lot, the Ryzen 5 5600X, includes a CPU cooler, the low-profile Wraith Stealth.
It's not that surprising that these chips don't come with coolers. While we were rather smitten with the bundled chip chillers, they were surprisingly capable for effectively free gear, they were also notably absent with two out of three of the Ryzen refresh earlier this year, which saw the release of three chips: the Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT, and Ryzen 5 3600XT.
| CPU | Ryzen 9 5950X | Ryzen 9 5900X | Ryzen 7 5800X | Ryzen 5 5600X |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cores/threads | 16/32 | 12/24 | 8/16 | 6/12 |
| Base clock (GHz) | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Boost clock (GHz) | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.6 |
| L2 + L3 Cache | 72MB | 70MB | 36MB | 35MB |
| Package | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 |
| Process node | TSMC 7nm | TSMC 7nm | TSMC 7nm | TSMC 7nm |
| TDP | 105W | 105W | 105W | 65W |
| Cooler | None | None | None | Wraith Stealth |
| Price | $799 | $549 | $449 | $299 |
According to AMD's website (opens in new tab), only the Ryzen 5 5600X will come with an included cooler. That will be the Wraith Stealth, which is a slight step down from the Wraith Spire included with the Ryzen 5 3600XT. The other high-end Ryzen 5000 chips announced so far won't because they're "optimised for enthusiasts".
AMD does recommend that high-end CPUs be cooled with liquid cooling (or a high-end air cooler, let's not forget those), so it's no surprise that it's moved to ditch the included cooler near-enough altogether. It's a shame, however, I was a big fan of the Wraith Prism.
