Ryzen Wraith Stealth vs Wraith Spire: Cooler Review & Comparison

Find AI Tools

No difficulty

No complicated process

Find ai tools

Home Hardware Ryzen Wraith Stealth vs Wraith Spire: Cooler Review & Comparison

Ryzen Wraith Stealth vs Wraith Spire: Cooler Review & Comparison

Article:

Hey guys, I'm Rick and welcome back to Maple Syrup Tech. Today, we're relaunching our CPU cooler series and the main reason for that is because I've upgraded my test bench to a Ryzen 3 1200. This means that we will be using this test bench to compare all our CPU coolers and as a result, we have to reset all our charts for comparison purposes. Today, we will be starting with a comparison of the two stock AMD coolers. When you buy a Ryzen 7 1800X down to a Ryzen 5 1500X, you essentially get the same cooler, which is the Wraith Spire. The only difference is that the Ryzen 7 coolers have an LED display and an LED light, but in terms of performance, they are the same throughout this range of processors. However, starting from the Ryzen 5 1400 and below, you get what's called the Wraith Stealth, which is a more budget version of the stock cooler.

The question we want to answer today is how much difference does the Wraith Stealth cooler actually make for the Ryzen 5 1400 and lower CPUs compared to the Wraith Spire. Overall, I think we'll be pretty satisfied with the results from the test, which means that AMD didn't compromise that much. Before we dive into the performance comparison, let's take a quick overview of the CPU coolers and understand their differences.

Overview of CPU Coolers

3.1 Size of the Aluminum Stack

The Wraith Stealth cooler has a 20mm aluminum stack, while the Wraith Spire, which is the high-end edition, has a 39mm stack. This means that the high-end cooler has almost double the volume of aluminum, which can be important in certain cases.

3.2 Design Differences in Fans

Although the fans on both coolers may appear similar at first glance, they are actually different. The Wraith Spire has a five fin blade design, which may contribute to lower noise levels as we will see in the charts later. On the other HAND, the Wraith Stealth has a seven fin design, with the fins being slightly more vertical and less curved compared to the Wraith Spire.

3.3 Heat Transfer Mechanism

One major difference between the two coolers is the heat transfer mechanism. The Wraith Spire has a copper plate making direct contact with the CPU, which helps in efficient heat transfer. However, the Wraith Stealth has a pure block of aluminum with no copper plate. This design may be slightly less efficient, but it saves on production costs as there's no need for the copper plates.

Now that we understand the differences in the coolers, let's move on to the performance comparison.

Cooling Performance Comparison

We will start by examining the most important aspect, which is the cooling performance. All temperature measurements are in Delta temperatures, which represent the difference between the room temperature and the CPU temperature. For the purpose of comparison, both CPUs were overclocked to 3.9 GHz with 1.3 volts. This is the maximum voltage that I would recommend using with the stock coolers on a Ryzen 3 CPU.

The Chart should now be displayed on the screen, showing the Delta temperatures of the Wraith Spire and the Wraith Stealth coolers. Surprisingly, the temperature difference is only around 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. I was personally expecting a larger difference, considering the design variations between the two coolers. However, it's good to see that the AMD Stealth cooler is not significantly limiting the performance of the lower-end processors.

In terms of noise, there is very little difference between the two coolers. To the human ear, it's difficult to distinguish any noticeable variation in noise level. However, when measured with a sound meter, the Wraith Spire was consistently about 2 decibels quieter than the Wraith Stealth. This could be attributed to the blade design, which seems to have a slight impact on noise reduction. The noise levels for the Wraith Spire were around 42 decibels, while for the Wraith Stealth, it was around 44 decibels.

Overall, both coolers perform adequately for stock coolers, and it's impressive to see that AMD includes decent coolers with their CPUs. This allows users to start overclocking their CPUs without immediately needing to invest in aftermarket coolers. From a manufacturer's perspective, including different coolers might be a cost-saving measure, but it also ensures that the aftermarket cooler market still has potential buyers. It's a win-win situation where users get a usable stock cooler, and aftermarket cooler manufacturers have a market to cater to.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the stock coolers provided by AMD, specifically the Wraith Stealth and the Wraith Spire, perform reasonably well and offer a good starting point for CPU cooling. The slight temperature and noise differences between the two coolers are not significant enough to discourage users from choosing the lower-end processors with the Wraith Stealth cooler. Overall, this comparison serves as a basis for all our future CPU cooler reviews, as it helps us determine if aftermarket coolers perform better or worse than the stock coolers.

Don't forget to hit the like button if you found this information helpful, and make sure to subscribe to our Channel for more tech updates. Stay tuned for our next video!

Highlights:

The Wraith Stealth and Wraith Spire are the two stock coolers provided by AMD for their Ryzen processors.
The Wraith Stealth is a more budget version of the cooler, while the Wraith Spire is the high-end edition with LED display and light.
The differences between the two coolers include the size of the aluminum stack, fan design, and heat transfer mechanism.
The cooling performance of the Wraith Stealth is slightly lower compared to the Wraith Spire, with only a 4 to 5 degrees Celsius difference in Delta temperatures.
Noise levels between the two coolers are similar, with the Wraith Spire being about 2 decibels quieter.
AMD's decision to include different coolers is likely a cost-saving measure and to support the aftermarket cooler market.
Both stock coolers perform well for stock cooling and provide a good starting point for overclocking.

FAQ:

Q: Does the choice of cooler affect the performance of the Ryzen 5 1400 and lower CPUs? A: The difference in performance between the Wraith Stealth and Wraith Spire coolers is relatively small, with only a 4 to 5 degrees Celsius difference in Delta temperatures. Therefore, the choice of cooler does not significantly impact the performance of these CPUs.

Q: Can I overclock my Ryzen CPU with the stock coolers? A: Yes, you can overclock your Ryzen CPU with the stock coolers, but it's recommended to stay within safe voltage limits. The stock coolers provide adequate cooling for moderate overclocking.

Q: Should I invest in an aftermarket cooler for my Ryzen CPU? A: If you plan to do heavy overclocking or prefer lower noise levels, investing in an aftermarket cooler might be a good idea. However, for most users, the stock coolers provided by AMD are sufficient.