cpu temperature

[Thinder]

Just a little reminder:

 

The Ryzen 5900X is generaly recognised as the most power-efficient CPU there is in the market today.

 

It does achieve increased performances with the same Max Temps 95°C than the 3600X but with a much lower TDP, meaning less generated heat due to power draw or else, the opposite would be true and TDP would be higher, not lower.

 

As an example a i9 9900k TDP is 95 W, 30W higher than the 5600X but 10W lower than a AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X and has a Maximum Temperature 5°C higher than both, so it really comes to designed thermal limits and the legend of AMD processors running "hot" goes with a bang.

 

Some AMD bashers were commonly pointing out the fact that AMD processors were running "hot", but if you compare manufacturers data you'll figure that the 5600X runs rather cool compared to some of its Intel equivalent, based on their respective TDP and raw performances.

 

So if you have a cooling issue upgrading from a Ryzen 5 3600X to a Ryzen 5 5600X as I did, just hit pause and think: TDP being a nominal value for cooling systems, it also mean that the 5600X requier LESS cooling than the 3600X while obtaining MORE performances and I have experienced this myself first hand.

 

From the moment I upgraded to the 5600X with the same Artic 7X cooler, I had a much more stable system and lower temperatures at full load with much higher scores while running my tests with the same settings, running the same tests.

 

We're not talking about motherboards here, but some motherboards can generate more heat than other and this affects the CPU socket and of course, cooling and TDP.

 

If you have this sort of issue, check your case ventilation first; there is no point into blaming the processor is you starve the fans from fresh air and your CPU runs in a hoven in the first place (as was mine before I upgraded my case), also take into account the ambiant temperature of your room, if you have 22°C, you will get more performances from your cooling system than if your room is at 30°C.

 

A little aerodynamic here since we're into cooling, higher pressures results into an increase in airflow temperature, so don't expect your case temperature to go down if you only increase pressure inside of the case, on the other hand, if you increase both in and out airflow, your cooling will be more efficient, regardless of fan types, high pressure or high airflow.

 

I personally chose to feed my CPU fan with a front high airflow 120mm fan while a high pressure Octua does the exhaust, which (in theory) lowers the pressure behind the Artic 7X blowing straight into it, what I tried to achieve here was a better aerodynamic for the upper part of the case and have the cleanest aiflow possible between the front and back fans.

 

For the GTX 1080 Ti 11GB which generates quite a bit of heat, I use another high pressure Octua at the front, I know it is not ideal but it could work better than another high airflow as there is no fan behind the GPU and airflow is disturbed by the presence of the GPU anyway, there is another issue here:

 

While a higher airflow would help a bit more the exausting heat at the back of the case which has a lot of honeycomb shaped holes, a high pressure fan minimise the risk of creating a boundary layer partially starving the GPU fan from fresh air, in short, the airflow could run over the surface of the GPU straight out of the case while not allowing the GPU fans to suck it into it and do their cooling work.

 

Air is compressible but also viscuous, its particules tends to stick to one another and the surfaces they touch, but there are no scoop in the back-to-front airflow line of GPUs, a too strong airflow from a front fan can create such an issue.

 

Check everything related to CPU cooling as you should, including "stealth" cabling = try to leave a clear space between front fans and CPU cooler, unobstructed by cables which will disrupt the airflow...

 

This doesn't mean spending thousand, it means planning properly and shopping around for the best cooling solutions, which are not necessarily the mose expensive or cheapest.

 

For after market cooling solution, quality is still a most, I know for a fact that out of the box, some coolers can have an uneven base and this reduce the size of the surface patch and creates hot spots, increasing the CPU running temperature, so look at your cooler quality because at the end of the day, this is business and manufacturers will sell you woden chariots for Rolls Royces if you're not careful, this includes videos from Youtubers BTW, you need to keep a critical mind.

 

So even if TDP is not computed around ther actual CPU power draw, it sill is totally related to it, power generates heat, so the lower the TDP, the less power the CPU is likely to use, if your CPU TDP is 60W higher than that of the 5600X as is the case for the i7-10700K, don't even start arguing that it doesn't use more power because it is the only source of heat in the case of your CPU.

 

Last but not least, maintain your filters and case, keep them clean.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Thinder