I recently bought a Ryzen 9 5900XT, but I'm using a super cheap stock cooler that was originally designed for the Ryzen 5 1600. When I set everything up, I noticed my CPU was hitting 85°C at idle, and it eventually shut down after going over 100°C. I'm starting to think the cooler just isn't strong enough, so I went ahead and bought a new one. However, my friend insists that it's not normal for a CPU to get that hot at idle just because of a weak cooler. Could there be another issue at play here? I'm confident that everything is properly installed and there's enough thermal paste applied.
4 Answers
Swapping from a low-tier CPU like the Ryzen 5 to a high-end model like the 9 can definitely lead to overheating, especially if you're still using a stock cooler. It can totally cause idle overheating. I'm just saying, it seems a bit off if you're experiencing that much heat.
Honestly, you should definitely invest in a better cooler. Something like a $35 dual tower air cooler would be a solid choice for that CPU.
Do you think the new cooler I bought is good enough? I mean, it should handle gaming and heavy loads, right?
The Wraith Spire cooler is rated for 95 watts, so I think your friend might be onto something. There could be another problem with your setup, especially since it shouldn't overheat at idle just from a weak cooler.
Actually, I found out the TDP is only 65 watts, which isn't great. Plus, that stock cooler is pretty dated. I guess my setup might just be on the edge of what it can handle.
Your old cooler is definitely on the smaller side, but it shouldn't have overheated to that extent during idle. Just to be sure, did you apply thermal paste when you installed it?
Yes, I put on a pea-sized amount like they recommend.
It's funny you say that when there are other commenters here who agree with my friend. Are they clueless too?