I'm experiencing some unexpected thermal behavior with my AMD 9950X3D and could really use some help. I've compared two videos that show my CPU performance at different times. In the earlier video, it was pulling about 115-120 W of power, reaching a boost of about 5.5 GHz and temperatures between 58-60 °C while playing Genshin Impact. In the later video, the power usage dropped to around 100-105 W, still hitting the same boost clock, but temperature increased to 61-63 °C.
I upgraded my cooling system between these videos. I changed the thermal paste from the stock to Noctua NT-H2, swapped my AIO cooler from a Deepcool LE360 V2 to an Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 420mm, and improved the case airflow with Noctua fans. All fans are now running aggressively through FanControl. Mounting pressure and paste application have been verified by a technician.
Additionally, I added two Samsung 990 Pro Gen4 SSDs, changed some scheduler settings, and adjusted PBO settings. With so many improvements, I'm puzzled as to why I'm seeing higher temperatures with less power draw and the same clock speeds. Could this disparity stem from increased heat density or something else I should investigate? I'd appreciate any insights!
1 Answer
It sounds like you've made some solid upgrades! The 3 °C difference you mentioned might actually be within the margin for error considering variables like ambient temperature changes or the time needed for your cooler to reach its optimal cooling efficiency after the upgrades. Sometimes, even with better cooling, you might not see a drastic drop in temps because of these factors. It's worth keeping an eye on whether the ambient temperature during your tests was similar.
Thanks for your thoughts! I get that there are variations, but I expected significantly better results with the cooling upgrades. The new video was shot during winter when the room should have been cooler. I'm just hoping to see that performance improvement I paid for, and I want to ensure I've installed everything correctly.