NH-D15 + 3900X

[Forceflow]

I switched from an AIO which gave me nothing but trouble (Kraken Z73) to the best air cooler I could get: Noctua NH-D15. I knew that going from a 360mm AIO to an air cooler would cost me some temperatures.

My case is not optimal for airflow (Fractal Define R7, top closed, front door closed), and I'm seeing temperatures of 60 -> low 70s while gaming, and 79C when I'm stressing with Prime95 (small FFT's) or Realbench.

During gaming (Warzone), the spikes to 70 degrees are very short - I only notice them because I'm tracking the hottest core (TCtl)

Is this to be expected on a Ryzen 3900X?

 

[Cerbie]

Yes, this is fine - In a box with better airflow you'll get a bit lower max temp (~74C) but it depends on what gfx card you have dumping heat in the case.

In my case I have a better airflow case and I am getting 81C when load testing everything (CPU + GPU) but the GPU alone drops ~450W of heat right next to the CPU.

Changing from a poor airflow/silence-oriented case to a proper airflow one makes a huge difference if you have high heat load in your case like in my case. Changing from a BeQuiet Base 500 to a Phantecs P500A lead to a 15C drop in max CPU temps and ironically it is not louder.

Keep in mind that the 3900X won't start thermal throttling until ~95C so you have plenty of headroom.

 

[doyll]

I switched from an AIO which gave me nothing but trouble (Kraken Z73) to the best air cooler I could get: Noctua NH-D15. I knew that going from a 360mm AIO to an air cooler would cost me some temperatures.

My case is not optimal for airflow (Fractal Define R7, top closed, front door closed), and I'm seeing temperatures of 60 -> low 70s while gaming, and 79C when I'm stressing with Prime95 (small FFT's) or Realbench.

During gaming (Warzone), the spikes to 70 degrees are very short - I only notice them because I'm tracking the hottest core (TCtl)

Is this to be expected on a Ryzen 3900X?

As said, temps of okay.

What is case fan setup? Stock Fractal case fans are almost junk. The make 0.7mm H2O at 1000rpm (full speed) Good case fans make 1.3-1.8mm H2O at 1200-1500rpm. I think best airflow setup for R7 is fill front with good pressure rated intakes blocking any openings not covered by them so air they push into case flow on through case and can't leak back into front going in circles. I would remove PCIe back slot covers to increase rear vent area around GPU for better front to back airflow and thus lower temps and less noise. A bottom intake might help too. You might find link below about how airflow works and how to optimize it of interest:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/foru...-i-put-my-temp-sensor.18564223/#post-26159770

 

[Ross Thomson]

I switched from an AIO which gave me nothing but trouble (Kraken Z73) to the best air cooler I could get: Noctua NH-D15. I knew that going from a 360mm AIO to an air cooler would cost me some temperatures.

My case is not optimal for airflow (Fractal Define R7, top closed, front door closed), and I'm seeing temperatures of 60 -> low 70s while gaming, and 79C when I'm stressing with Prime95 (small FFT's) or Realbench.

During gaming (Warzone), the spikes to 70 degrees are very short - I only notice them because I'm tracking the hottest core (TCtl)

Is this to be expected on a Ryzen 3900X?

how are you running your 3900x. totally stock; PBO enables; overclock?

 

[Forceflow]

@Ross Thomson
Stock, memory XMP profile enabled (3600 mhz), PBO on "auto".

@doyll
Thank you for that extensive answer! I've ordered 3 Noctua NF-A14s,which should perform a lot better than the standard Fractal design fans in the front.

I'm currently using the vented top (with holes), because I figured warm air ... rised? You think that's not beneficial voor airflow?