R7 1700 high idle temp and stock cooler upgrades

Crimmy · 14 May 2020 at 20:58

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to solve a bit of a problem. quite a bit of the time my R7 1700 (with stock wraith stealth cooler) is idling at 10% usage (if I'm browsing the internet etc) but the cooler fan is often at 1600-2000rpm to keep the CPU at 45-55 degrees. I don't know if I'm just getting fussier, but this seems high, and is the loudest fan in my PC, I think. is this about normal behaviour for the R7 1700, and I'm only just noticing after 3 years?

And I'm thinking of upgrading to a Pure Rock 2 when it comes in stock - this seems like a good upgrade in terms of thermals, acoustics and value. Are there any other coolers I should be looking at? Acoustics are going to be important; when I eventually upgrade in a few years this CPU, cooler and case (Define R4) are going to be repurposed as a homemade NAS, I think, and being able to be always on and run quietly are going to be important factors.

merlin6r · 15 May 2020 at 01:02

Hi, the stock cooler is ok, for a stock cooler, but it's not that good really is it. Also after 3 years your thermal paste might be going off ever so slightly so maybe it's a little noisier than it was?

I have a 2600 overclocked to 4.1 GHZ and I'm using an arctic freezer 33 with 2 fans on it. I don't think you can get a 33 anymore but the 34 is out. 29.99 with 1 fan or 34.99 with 2 fans. Its near silent on idle and keeps the CPU to 55c when in MW or BF. The cpu went well over 55c when at stock speed while I was using the stock cooler.

I would expect that its similar in performance to the Pure Rock 2.

Crimmy · 15 May 2020 at 07:07

Thanks @merlin6r ! Yeah, perhaps it is the paste getting a little old. I have a feeling I'm going to need to repaste an old powercolour r9 390 in another rig too, so maybe I will do that while changing this cpu cooler - how long do you expect stock paste to last?

I will have a look. That arctic freezer seems to be reviewed as a better cooler overall, but I'm very unlikely to be overclocking this, and sound profile will be more important, which apparently edges the Pure rock ahead with ita silent wings 2 fan. But more heatsink = lower fan speeds required, so it might have an edge overall.

Crimmy · 15 May 2020 at 08:13

Thinking about it, by the time I'm looking at a £40 Pure Rock 2, the Scythe Fuma 2 is within shouting distance (£48), which seems to give better and quieter performance overall...

merlin6r · 16 May 2020 at 03:47

Crimmy said:
Thanks @merlin6r ! Yeah, perhaps it is the paste getting a little old. I have a feeling I'm going to need to repaste an old powercolour r9 390 in another rig too, so maybe I will do that while changing this cpu cooler - how long do you expect stock paste to last?

I will have a look. That arctic freezer seems to be reviewed as a better cooler overall, but I'm very unlikely to be overclocking this, and sound profile will be more important, which apparently edges the Pure rock ahead with ita silent wings 2 fan. But more heatsink = lower fan speeds required, so it might have an edge overall.

Hard to say really, I stripped the cooler off my PS4 to re-goop it when it was about 3 years old and the paste was dry and bitty, but god knows what it is that they use. But after a few years of getting hot even the best pastes must deteriorate a little. Besides, don't we feel better after cleaning and re-gooping a cpu/gpu? That alone makes it worth it for me!

Crimmy · 16 May 2020 at 08:54

merlin6r said:
Hard to say really, I stripped the cooler off my PS4 to re-goop it when it was about 3 years old and the paste was dry and bitty, but god knows what it is that they use. But after a few years of getting hot even the best pastes must deteriorate a little. Besides, don't we feel better after cleaning and re-gooping a cpu/gpu? That alone makes it worth it for me!

I have to admit I haven't re-gooped a GPU before, so I'm a little nervous! But excited to try

Or re-done a CPU come to that...

merlin6r · 16 May 2020 at 13:26

Crimmy said:
I have to admit I haven't re-gooped a GPU before, so I'm a little nervous! But excited to try

Or re-done a CPU come to that...

You'll find a million videos on youtube on how to do it. The most common fault is applying too much so it stops any of the metal to metal contact. Remember the paste is only supposed to the fill the gaps, not form a layer between the contact surfaces. And don't form any air pockets as they are excellent insulators.

Simplest way is the grain of rice method, apply paste like a grain of rice in the centre of the CPU and fit the cooler. Make sure both surfaces are very clean first of course. I use Arcticlean cleaner and purifier.

(Apologies if you knew all that already)