Hey folks, I'm a newbie to PC building and I've got a bit of a cooling issue with my Ryzen 7 9800X3D. When I play demanding games like Cyberpunk and The Finals, my CPU temps keep hitting around 85°C, and my CPU package goes up to 96°C. My idle temp sits at about 45°C, which makes me wonder if everything's okay.
I'm currently using a Noctua NH-D9L cooler and have two Trident Z5 RGB RAM sticks which have a clearance of around 44mm. Is this temp range typical for this CPU setup? If it's not, could it be due to the cooler's efficiency or perhaps I didn't apply thermal paste properly?
If I do need a new cooler, any recommendations? The NH-D15 seems like it might be too big for my case and to clear the RAM sticks. I've also been exploring liquid cooling options, but being a beginner, I'm still unsure about that. Other potential coolers I'm considering include the NH-D15S and the NH-U12A.
2 Answers
Honestly, Noctua coolers aren’t always the best fit for AM5 CPUs. I'd suggest looking into the Phantom Spirit 120 SE; you can use one fan on it like the D9L. Plus, it’s often cheaper than the Noctua options!
It's totally normal for 9000 series CPUs to hit those temperatures under heavy load, like when you're running benchmarks or gaming. They often max out at 95°C. If it worries you, you can adjust the PBO settings in your BIOS to set a lower temp threshold around 80-85°C, but keep in mind that your fan speeds might ramp up quite a bit. Overall, it seems like your temps are fine!
That makes sense! I heard about those high temps being common, so if it's normal, I can live with it. Just didn’t want to compromise on performance.
Nice, that sounds like a good idea! I’ve always trusted Noctua, but if this one is better and cheaper, I think I’ll give it a shot.