I bought a pre built and its hot .. too hot

MostlyHuman · 15 Apr 2021 at 07:44

I bought a new pc, mainly cos it was the only way to get a 3060Ti. The original CPU, a 3600, temperatures when watching you tube would reach 60C. Playing Total War Warhammer II took it to 90C and then the PC started to turn off completely.

I had already bought a 5600X so flashed the bios and fitted that. Temps are still very high. I think I have 2 problems:

The case a Aerocool Shard RGB Tempered Glass Mid Tower Case - Black has very bad air flow, it looks pretty but the 3 front fans can only draw air in from tiny side grills
The wraith stock cooler

I have taken off the glass side panel and removed the mesh covers to get cooler air into the case (a 5 to 10C improvement) but I do need a permanent solution. I will look at undervolting the CPU over the week end.

Some ideas I have thought of:

Getting a single fan aio cooler, mounting it on the back panel and putting the fan that was there on the top to draw air in.
Getting a decent air cooler and adding an extra fan to the top to draw air in.
Getting a 240mm cooler and mounting it to the top

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Pocket10s · 15 Apr 2021 at 09:14

Can you contact the company you bought the prebuilt from to ask for a solution? Maybe a new case with better airflow?

Apart from that - yes you can definitely upgrade the cooler. Is the GPU temps okay?

Gray2233 · 15 Apr 2021 at 09:20

I'd replace the stock cooler and see where you stand, it's your easiest option by far and while a case upgrade would definitely help it may not be necessary and can be a bit of a faff.

Some suggestions at different price points, any of which would be ample:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Arctic Freezer 34 eSports 120mm CPU Cooler - Black / Grey= £24.95
1 x Alpenfohn Ben Nevis Advanced CPU Cooler - 130mm= £25.99
1 x be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 High Performance CPU Cooler= £39.95
1 x Scythe SCFM-2000 FUMA 2 Dual Fan CPU Cooler - 2x120 mm= £49.99

Total: £149.58 (includes shipping: £8.70)

If you decide to opt for an AiO I'd recommend the Arctic Freezer II.

MostlyHuman · 15 Apr 2021 at 11:28

I dont want to move everything to a different case if I can help it. GPU temps seem OK, 60ish C, the internal case temp rises to 35 - 40 C during long game sessions.

So replace the stock cooler and I think I'll also add a fan to the top to increase air flow into the case.

bloodiedathame · 15 Apr 2021 at 11:40

I totally agree, just change your cooler.

Gray2233 · 15 Apr 2021 at 11:40

MostlyHuman said:
I dont want to move everything to a different case if I can help it. GPU temps seem OK, 60ish C, the internal case temp rises to 35 - 40 C during long game sessions.

So replace the stock cooler and I think I'll also add a fan to the top to increase air flow into the case.

The top fan should typically be an exhaust, heat rises so it should help push the warm air out of your case.

APW · 15 Apr 2021 at 11:40

That case doesn't come with top fans by default (optional)so either add 2 fans on top + better cooler, or just buy a 240aio (double check compatibility) and make sure to mount it so so that it exhausts air. That should get you down to 70-75c even in that case.

So around £50-80 depending on which solution you go for. I'd probably go for 240mm aio on top, much easier and less hot air swirling around case (unless your 3060 is a blower style cooler which will make air cooler in case fine)

mickyflinn · 15 Apr 2021 at 11:42

MostlyHuman said:
I dont want to move everything to a different case if I can help it. GPU temps seem OK, 60ish C, the internal case temp rises to 35 - 40 C during long game sessions.

So replace the stock cooler and I think I'll also add a fan to the top to increase air flow into the case.

You should be adding a couple of 120mm fans to the front of the case and a cpu cooler no taller than 155mm.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/arctic-cooling-p12-silent-black-fan-120mm-fg-04l-ar.html

silvagti · 15 Apr 2021 at 12:01

mickyflinn said:
You should be adding a couple of 120mm fans to the front of the case and a cpu cooler no taller than 155mm.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/arctic-cooling-p12-silent-black-fan-120mm-fg-04l-ar.html

I've read reviews of similar cases suggesting that when front airflow is restricted it's not worth placing front mounted fans in the case as they can't draw in sufficient air to aid cooling. The recommended setup for solid front cases generally seems to be only fitting 1-2 exhaust fans and leaving the front to draw in air by negative pressue via the front side/lower vents.

Definitely worth fitting a better CPU cooler rather than the stock as well.

mickyflinn · 15 Apr 2021 at 12:31

silvagti said:
I've read reviews of similar cases suggesting that when front airflow is restricted it's not worth placing front mounted fans in the case as they can't draw in sufficient air to aid cooling. The recommended setup for solid front cases generally seems to be only fitting 1-2 exhaust fans and leaving the front to draw in air by negative pressue via the front side/lower vents.

Definitely worth fitting a better CPU cooler rather than the stock as well.

I would slightly disagree adding a couple of fans to the front which has small vents can only aid the movement of air. For £10 its a no brainer.

silvagti · 15 Apr 2021 at 12:40

mickyflinn said:
I would slightly disagree adding a couple of fans to the front which has small vents can only aid the movement of air. For £10 its a no brainer.

I've read it on a couple of sites but wouldn't consider myself an authority on air flow so you may be right! I have a similar case (NZXT) with only 2 exhaust fans and it runs cool though my CPU and GPU are lower powered than the OP's.

I reckon the OP should start with a better CPU cooler and then try playing about with air flow elsewhere as I've heard those Ryzen 5000 chips run pretty hot by default anyway.

Getting a decent air cooler and adding an extra fan to the top to draw air in.

Also ensure any fans at the back/top of the case are set to exhaust air rather than draw it in. That should create better airflow as having fans both front and rear intaking air will see them fighting against each other and trap hot air in the case.

Apparently Ryzen 5800x / 5900x don't come with stock coolers and I suspect that might be an admission from AMD that stock sized coolers aren't really capable of cooling them adequately! Maybe the 5600X is just on the limit of what the stock cooler can cope with hence the high temps.

MostlyHuman · 15 Apr 2021 at 13:05

The case came with 3 front mounted fans. But honestly all they are good for is looking pretty (RGB)

As for mounting an aio on top it looks as there is only 25mm clearance between the top of the case and the top chunk of metal on the mb

APW · 15 Apr 2021 at 17:51

MostlyHuman said:
The case came with 3 front mounted fans. But honestly all they are good for is looking pretty (RGB)

As for mounting an aio on top it looks as there is only 25mm clearance between the top of the case and the top chunk of metal on the mb

Yep looking at manufacturer spec:
Liquid Cooling Front: 240mm Radiator (Optional)
Air Cooling System Front: 120mm x 3 (Optional)
Top: 120mm x 2 (Optional)
Rear: 120mm x 1 (Includes 120mm Fan) Supports
VGA Fan: 120mm x 2 (Optional)

You can only do AIO on the front up to 240mm.
So you put AIO front and move one fan to top.

Alternatively just an air cooler but be careful as case only supports up to 155mm height so won't fit some of the bigger ones.

I think AIO is worth it, they're cheap now a good quality 240mm is £50-70 so just 30more than air cooler and you get to keep one fan from front. Should allow the cpu to keep higher clocks too so more performance

Gray2233 · 15 Apr 2021 at 18:01

If you can only fit the AiO to the front in that case I wouldn't bother given the restricted airflow, you're better off saving some money and picking up a decent air cooler and mounting it to push air upwards.

As stated earlier fit an exhaust or two to the roof.

Given you're on stock cooling for the CPU your temps aren't that terrible given the conditions, I'm confident a new HSF will solve your problems even if it's just one of the cheaper options I listed above.

APW · 15 Apr 2021 at 18:24

Starved radiator still better than a tiny cooler though. I have radiator in front with same "blocked" intake and side wents on most cases provide more than enough. Maybe get 3-4c less if I take front off, and thats on 280mm rad.

Amd stock coolers are rather good normally so moving to something cheap is unlikely to provide much benefit. Most decent air coolers won't fit the case as it's restricted to 155mm height, even the arctic freezer 120mm is 157mm. Could go for low profile cooler but then you just swirl hot air around case. It will also take the hot air off gpu first if it's not a blower.

Gray2233 · 15 Apr 2021 at 18:34

APW said:
Starved radiator still better than a tiny cooler though. I have radiator in front with same "blocked" intake and side wents on most cases provide more than enough. Maybe get 3-4c less if I take front off, and thats on 280mm rad.

Amd stock coolers are rather good normally so moving to something cheap is unlikely to provide much benefit. Most decent air coolers won't fit the case as it's restricted to 155mm height, even the arctic freezer 120mm is 157mm. Could go for low profile cooler but then you just swirl hot air around case. It will also take the hot air off gpu first if it's not a blower.

Tiny isn't really entirely true though is it? The Scythe Fuma 2000 is a little under 155 in height, plenty of good HSF's are, you just need to make sure you measure up prior to buying.

A smaller air HSF will do just as well if not better than a large AiO that's utterly starved of air.

I just don't think it's worth spending a premium on an AiO when it wont be any better than a cheaper air cooler.

APW · 15 Apr 2021 at 19:24

Gray2233 said:
Tiny isn't really entirely true though is it? The Scythe Fuma 2000 is a little under 155 in height, plenty of good HSF's are, you just need to make sure you measure up prior to buying.

A smaller air HSF will do just as well if not better than a large AiO that's utterly starved of air.

I just don't think it's worth spending a premium on an AiO when it wont be any better than a cheaper air cooler.

Yep that one should just about fit and should do a decent job with 2 good fans at the top. Basically same price as AIO though and both will do similar so I'd say it's down to preference. Side vents aren't all that bad unless you try to push at super high rpm. A lot of high end cases use that.

The fans on top will make the most difference here probably. Also it's silly but stock cooler thermal paste isn't great, that alone could probably knock off 5c!

Whatever the op decides to go for though should sort the problem.

Gray2233 · 15 Apr 2021 at 19:28

APW said:
Yep that one should just about fit and should do a decent job with 2 good fans at the top. Basically same price as AIO though and both will do similar so I'd say it's down to preference. Side vents aren't all that bad unless you try to push at super high rpm. A lot of high end cases use that.

The fans on top will make the most difference here probably. Also it's silly but stock cooler thermal paste isn't great, that alone could probably knock off 5c!

Whatever the op decides to go for though should sort the problem.

I would say so.

Stock thermal paste against something like MX4 even would net you 3-4c if not more, and that's coming from someone that doesn't think aftermarket paste is worth it over what usually comes with the heatsink you buy. It's just that the stuff that comes with stock coolers is so incredibly poor from my experience.

It's a bit of a poo case really, it's just that it isn't worth the hassle of totally replacing it given the usage -- so we're focused (rightfully so) on the HSF.

Something like a Rajintek Aidos can be had for around £15 and would probably knock 15-25c off the temps depending, pretty small form factor at 92mm height, but those 4 heatpipes go a long way, it actually rivals the Hyper 212 in some circumstances.

Edit:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Raijintek Aidos Direct Contact CPU Cooler= £18.95

Total: £18.95 (includes shipping: £0.00)

Were I the OP I'd probably play it safe and spend a tad more.

MostlyHuman · 15 Apr 2021 at 19:38

Looks like its buy two extra fans to exhaust the case out the top and see if that works. Otherwise its buy a new case and a better cooler which I'm guessing is going to set me back £200+ or drill a gazillion holes in the front panel so those 3 fans actually suck a decent amount of air in.

ETA

I've removed the paste that came with the cooler and used artic mx-4

Gray2233 · 15 Apr 2021 at 19:40

MostlyHuman said:
Looks like its buy two extra fans to exhaust the case out the top and see if that works. Otherwise its buy a new case and a better cooler which I'm guessing is going to set me back £200+ or drill a gazillion holes in the front panel so those 3 fans actually suck a decent amount of air in.

Drilling some holes around the front pannel fans would actually be a good idea tbh, might not be visually noticeable depending on how you do it.

I'd say a better cooler is a must, a new case might be worth it afterwards if you still have problems.

You can get some fantastic mesh fronted cases for £70-90 or so.

Regardless, always try the cheapest options first -- in your situation they're the ones most likely to have the biggest impact.