I'm wondering if I can make a 5090 FE work in my setup, given the cooling situation. My ambient temperature is around 29 degrees Celsius, and I'm using a Noctua NH U12A air cooler. My case is a Fractal Torrent with two 180mm fans pulling air in from the front and three 140mm fans on the bottom, also as intakes. The 5090 FE will look really small compared to everything else, but the main reason I'm interested is the MSRP price. The downside is that it exhausts hot air directly into the CPU cooler. My current setup with a 4090 AIB already has my 7800x3d running at about 75-80 degrees Celsius during heavy gaming and around 60-70 degrees on lighter loads. Given my case layout, do you think the 5090 FE is feasible with my CPU air cooler, or should I just spend the extra $800 for an AIB?
3 Answers
Which model of the 4090 do you have? Most triple-fan AIB models for both the 40xx and 50xx series usually have pass-through airflow to help with cooling. Also, check if there's ventilation on the backplate at the far end; it could help with the hot air issue.
Honestly, it should handle a little heat just fine with all that airflow you have. Maybe tweak the fan curves to find the sweet spot for cooling, and you might be just okay.
Considering your case design, you might want to think about liquid cooling for your CPU instead of sticking with the air cooler. It'll give you much better temperatures, especially with how hot the 5090 FE can get.
But keep in mind that the Fractal Torrent is actually optimized for air cooling—switching to liquid could restrict airflow.
I have a Zotac Amp Holo Infinity 4090. Can you check if that has good airflow for cooling?