I recently built a new PC featuring a 9800x3D CPU paired with an NH-D15 G2 LBC cooler inside a Fractal Torrent case. Right now, my idle temperatures hover around 49°C at a fan speed of 40%. Even when I crank the cooler up to 100%, the temperatures only drop to about 46°C. Under load, particularly while running Prime95, my temperatures spike up to 95°C, which I believe is the thermal limit for this CPU. I'm starting to wonder if I'm misguided in thinking these temps are higher than expected for this setup.
5 Answers
It sounds to me like something might be wrong. Those high temperatures under load aren't typical for decent cooling solutions like the NH-D15.
Have you thought about remounting the cooler? Sometimes, a bad mount can really throw off temperatures. Also, running benchmarks and comparing your results with posted ones might help you see if your setup aligns with others.
Did you use the offset mount for the NH-D15? Noctua mentioned that it might not have a significant impact on performance in your case, but it can still influence your temperatures.
From what I can tell, those temps sound pretty normal for your setup. I recommend trying Cinebench as well to see how it performs there and what temps you’re looking at. I got a score of 1256 with temps maxing out around 72.5°C—it might give you a good benchmark to compare against!
Thanks for sharing your Cinebench score! That gives me something to aim for.
Honestly, the AM5 CPUs do tend to run hot due to their thick heatspreaders. So, despite having a quality cooler like the Noctua, thermal transfer might not be as effective as you'd hope, especially with power-hungry CPUs like the 9800x3D.
I have to disagree with that. My Dark Rock 4 keeps my 7800x3D under 80°C, even during heavy benchmarking. If the Noctua is indeed better, then your 9800x3D shouldn't be hitting TJmax under load.
Yeah, I did use the offset mount. Turns out Noctua suggests not using it with this configuration, but they also said the effects would be minor.