I've got a 9950x3d paired with a Thermalright Phantom Spirit cooler, and I've been monitoring the CPU temperatures through MSI Center. While idling, I noticed the temperature is around 55-60°C with only about 5% CPU usage, which strikes me as unusually high based on what I've heard from friends. However, when I'm gaming, like playing Helldivers 2 on ultra, the CPU temperature sits at around 75-80°C, which seems more within reason. I'm not overly concerned about the temperatures under load, but I am worried that the idle temperature might indicate a potential issue or that I made a mistake during the build. My case is a Phanteks XT Pro Ultra, so I believe airflow should be adequate, especially with three additional Phanteks fans directing airflow toward the graphics card. I also adjusted the fans on the heatsink to avoid interference with the memory sticks, but I wouldn't expect that to drastically change anything. You can check my full parts list [here](https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/68Fxdb).
2 Answers
Your temps are on the higher side but not critically so. The Phantom Spirit is decent, but the 9950x3d is known to run hot. You might want to tweak your fan curves or consider upgrading your cooler to a dual tower design—or even go for a 240mm AIO if you're really concerned about those idle temps!
Yeah, this CPU tends to run hotter than most under normal use. While your idle temps seem a bit high, they're not alarmingly so. If you're looking to cool things down, undervolting could really help; some users have drastically reduced their temps this way. An AIO cooler could also be a worthy investment if you feel your current air cooler isn't cutting it. But honestly, you're probably okay as is.
Thanks for the tips! I read that some CPUs just run hotter than others. I was considering an AIO originally, but thought it was overkill. Maybe I should rethink that!
Good advice! Any specific AIO models you think work well for this CPU?