Is water worth it?

[bomber]

I have, 13700kf cooled by a noctua d15s. Oc to 5.2. + 4090 , in vr pimax crystal.

I have 3 intake fans and 3 exhaust.

my cpu temps can get above 80. 
Would a AIO watercooler improve the temps? I’m not worried about the fan noise.

although I have a large case I can only fit a 280 rad at most, therefore only two 120 fans.

thank you

 

[speed-of-heat]

[bomber]

Thank you very much for the comparison chart.

[speed-of-heat]

for comparison i went from an NH-15D to an arctic Freezer 360 AIO, it maybe gave me 1 or 2 fps, I had to do it because my MB wouldn't accept the NH15D in a normal orientation...  i had to have it vertical which was not ideal 

[SharpeXB]

Although it might seem hot, that CPU can support temps up to 100C, anything below that is ok. I think the chief benefit of any cooler is in overclocking. And perhaps noise. 

Edited June 9, 2024 by SharpeXB

[mikko.1842]

Not worth. If you don't care about noise, and if you don't overclock, below 100 °C is fine.

As the previous graph shows, you could get decent cooling with a classic air-cooling solution already (e.g. Thermalright Peerless Assassin).

Keep in mind 13700K is one of the least power efficient CPU, and one of the most power hungry ones. "High" temperatures are not surprising.

Power Consumption :

 

Power Efficiency :

 

13700K Core Temperatures 95 °C - Stock ; Noctua NH-D15 :

 

13700K Core Temperatures 89 °C -0.075 V Undervolt ; +100 MHz POverclock ; Noctua NH-D15 :

By the way, Thermalright Peerless Assassin cools better and is much cheaper than Noctua NH-D15.

Edited June 10, 2024 by mikko.1842

[Dragon1-1]

Compared to an air cooler you can get for similar money, a 2x120 AIO is mostly an aesthetic choice. It takes a 2x140 or a 3x120 to push beyond what a good air cooler will give you.

That said, 80 degrees is fine. If the CPU doesn't throttle, you don't need to worry about it. I have a 5800X3D, and it runs a bit hot, too, like X3D CPUs tend to. In benchmarks, at least, it never ran into the thermal limit, which is what really matters.

[LucShep]

On 6/9/2024 at 2:32 PM, bomber said:

I have, 13700kf cooled by a noctua d15s. Oc to 5.2. + 4090 , in vr pimax crystal.

I have 3 intake fans and 3 exhaust.

my cpu temps can get above 80. 
Would a AIO watercooler improve the temps? I’m not worried about the fan noise.

although I have a large case I can only fit a 280 rad at most, therefore only two 120 fans.

thank you

 

Your CPU temps at 80 and above... is that during gaming?  If so, that's quite hot.

I don't think going AIO water cooling will improve things much, not with a 240AIO or 280AIO, at high cost and quite a bit of fiddling.
Instead, I'd ensure some things are done, and try a few others, it can improve substantially to lower temps (~10ºC I'd wager).
I'll go in parts, not knowing if you already covered these:
 

1. Get an Anti-Bending Buckle for LGA1700. 
   This is pretty much a requirement in my experience with Intel 12th, 13th and 14th gen i7 an i9 processors, and it's worth the time (not complicated, watch the videos). 
   The stock ILM in Z790 and Z690 motherboards doesn't ensure the best connection between the cooler's coldlplate and processor, unfortunately.
   And this thing solves that problem. You get better temperatures, as it should have been from the start.
    
2. Not sure you've updated your motherboard BIOS, as there's been the recent "Intel Baseline Profile" implementation, but it should also help.
   There may be BIOS settings still worth amending, even after updating to latest BIOS.
   So, supposing that you have the very latest BIOS....  Load "Intel Baseline Profile", then Save + Exit BIOS.
   And after that (as optional), reboot and enter BIOS again, manually apply 307A in the ICCMax, then Save + Exit BIOS.
   "Why?" ....check this video, especially at about 4:25 and there on. That's for the 13900 and 14900 K/KF/KS, but for the 13700K/KF it should be 307A (not more) in ICCMax.
    
3. AFAIK, the Noctua NH-D15S has only one fan, sandwiched between the two heatsink towers.
   If so, one good hack solution would be a nice second PWM fan attached to the front of that cooler, to make it work in tandem with the other one already there. 
   Basically making it work like a regular NH-D15.
   You may need some zip-ties, as I doubt you have the metal clips for the extra fan. And also a "Y" fan splitter to get that second fan connected with the one already there, feeding both from same fan header on the motherboard. It's a 10 minute job at most.
   As for what PWM fan, get a good 120mm one with high static pressure meant for heatsinks and radiators.
   I suggest Arctic P12 MAX (for me, the very best 120mm fan for the price), or two of them if substituting the one there in your cooler as well.
    
4. If solution #3 doesn't look appealing and you just want a new CPU cooler, well.... maybe get a Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ?
   It's just £30.00 and it's really good, right at the top with the very best air coolers, even beating 280AIOs.
    

Edited June 11, 2024 by LucShep