I recently replaced my Deepcool Gammaxx GTE V2 with a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE because my Ryzen 5 3600 was reaching 87–90°C in games such as Helldivers 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds. The upgrade has made little or no visible difference in the temperatures reported by MSI Afterburner.
My system has a Ryzen 5 3600, RTX 3060 Ti, B550M WiFi motherboard, and a case with three front intake fans. The PC was recently cleaned, and a repair shop mounted the new cooler and applied the thermal paste. I also set the BIOS fan curves close to the turbo setting. The cooler's protective film was removed.
Temperatures are normal while idle and in games such as Elden Ring and Street Fighter 6, but they climb into the high 80s or low 90s in Helldivers 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds. I have already replaced the cooler several times, so I am wondering whether these games simply load the CPU unusually heavily, whether the CPU is boosting or overclocking automatically, whether I am looking at the wrong temperature sensor, or whether the cooler could still be mounted incorrectly. What should I check before spending more money on cooling?
3 Answers
First, confirm exactly which sensor you are reading. On Ryzen systems, the CPU package or Tctl/Tdie temperature is the useful number; motherboard socket temperatures can be misleading. Also check the CPU clock speed, package power, and utilization while the temperature is high. If the processor is boosting normally and performance is good, a short spike toward 90°C may not indicate a cooling failure.
That said, a Peerless Assassin should generally perform much better than the older cooler on a Ryzen 5 3600. If the temperature remains near 90°C under sustained gaming load, I would remove and remount it yourself, verify the mounting pressure, confirm both fans are blowing toward the rear exhaust, and check that the case has an actual exhaust fan.
Because the same behavior happened with multiple coolers, I would not assume the cooler itself is the problem. Check the cooler installation, including the mounting brackets, screw tension, fan direction, and whether the thermal paste spread evenly after removal. Make sure the three front fans are intake fans and that at least one rear or top fan exhausts hot air.
It is also worth checking BIOS settings for an unusually high core voltage or automatic overclock. Resetting BIOS settings to default, updating the BIOS, and then testing again can help separate a software or configuration issue from a physical cooling problem. A Ryzen 5 3600 reaching the upper 80s in a particularly demanding game is possible, but it should not require buying another cooler without checking those measurements first.
Some newer games can keep a CPU heavily loaded even when overall usage does not look close to 100%. Helldivers 2 in particular can produce unusually high CPU power and temperature compared with lighter games. Check whether Precision Boost Overdrive or another automatic motherboard enhancement is enabled; disabling PBO or using Eco Mode can reduce temperatures with only a small performance difference.
The important question is whether the CPU is throttling or losing boost clocks. If it is maintaining expected clocks and the system is stable, the temperature alone is less concerning. If it immediately reaches the thermal limit and clocks drop, then investigate mounting, voltage, and airflow.
I am checking the CPU readings rather than the GPU, including the core information, temperature, and usage. Idle temperatures are fine, but I will compare the package temperature, clock speeds, and power draw while one of these games is running.