I recently bought my first desktop after more than a decade of using laptops. It's a Powerspec G535 with two intake fans, and I added a 120 mm Arctic fan as an exhaust. While playing Cyberpunk, the CPU reaches about 72–73°C with the case closed. When I removed the side panel, temperatures fell to around 66–68°C. There's no throttling, crashing, or shutdowns, but I'm wondering whether that temperature difference suggests the case airflow could be improved. Would you leave the setup as it is, adjust the fan curve, or add more fans?
3 Answers
Those CPU temperatures are well within the normal range for gaming. A roughly 5°C reduction with the panel off is expected and doesn’t indicate a fault. The processor’s thermal limit is considerably higher, so temperatures in the low 70s shouldn’t affect the system’s lifespan in any meaningful way.
The added exhaust fan was probably the main improvement I’d make. You could also adjust the fan curve if you prefer lower temperatures, but that may increase noise. There’s no need to add fans just because the open-panel temperature is lower.
A drop of around 5°C with the side panel removed is completely normal. Open air will almost always provide better cooling than air moving through a case, even when the case airflow is good. Your temperatures are already quite healthy, so there’s no obvious airflow problem.
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