I recently purchased a new CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, along with a new motherboard and RAM. After assembling everything, I noticed that my CPU is idling at a concerning 90°C, even with no programs running. I'm using an old stock AMD cooler, which I know isn't the best. I've cleaned it with alcohol and reapplied fresh thermal paste during installation. The cooler is spinning fine at 1800 RPM, and I've verified that it's working properly. I'm really puzzled about why the temperature is so high. Any suggestions?
3 Answers
It sounds like the cooler is definitely the issue here. Stock coolers struggle to manage the heat from higher TDP CPUs like yours. If it was barely keeping the previous CPU cool, it's unlikely to do much for the Ryzen 7 9700X. I think you're looking at needing a better cooler soon!
Wait, are you using a Wraith Stealth cooler? If so, that explains a lot. It's not designed to handle the Ryzen 7 9700X's heat output. That cooler is pretty inadequate for anything above lower-tier CPUs, so definitely consider upgrading if you're seeing 90°C idle.
Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm definitely going to look for an upgrade soon!
Just to clarify, which stock cooler are you using? If it's anything like the Wraith Stealth or older models, they can’t handle the higher TDP of the 9700X at all. You should think about getting at least a Wraith Prism or something more powerful.
That's correct! I found out it's actually the Wraith Stealth. Sounds like I need a serious upgrade after all!
You might be right! I guess it's time to find a new cooler then. It's just frustrating if that's not the only problem, but thanks for the heads up.