I've got a pretty standard setup with 3 fans at the front, 2 on top, and 1 at the back, along with a Peerless Assassin 120SE cooler for my Ryzen 5 9600X. Lately, my thermals have been a bit higher than I'd like for both the CPU and GPU. Do you think adding 3 fans at the bottom of the case, along with reapplying thermal paste to the CPU, would help lower the temperatures?
1 Answer
Adding fans at the bottom can definitely improve airflow, but don’t expect a drastic temperature drop like 20°C or anything. Ideally, you want your airflow to have front and bottom intakes, with top and back as exhaust. Also, if you’re going to reapply thermal paste, make sure you do it correctly to get the best results. By the way, how high are your temps?
I’m not expecting a huge difference, just looking to improve my CPU idle temps. They're not alarming—most say they're normal—but I feel like my 9600X shouldn't be idling at 49-52°C. Under load, I'm seeing 55-70°C. My GPU has just one fan too, which makes it heat up, so adding those bottom fans and reapplying paste should help with the overall cooling.