Need help with my air cooling setup

[Tavreth]

So recently I built myself my first computer, It has come to my attention that I need to revamp my poor air cooling setup. My cpu throttles itself even when it idles (I swear I have the world's worst heat sink right now), my gpu starts to throttle when I start anything intensive like gaming (both cpu and gpu throttle themselves at 60 celsius). I have 2 fans running in the front and one in the back. They are all 120mm and three pins. Also, 2 are static pressure fans? (I forget what their called). In terms of the cooling performance I do want to overclock my both my cpu and gpu. My case has 3 intakes (1 back (120mm) and 2 top (120-140mm) and 3 outakes (all front,120-140mm), I'm not too concerned about noise, but more effectiveness. I would also like a fan controller that would automatically change the fan speed based on cpu or gpu temps. For my cpu the clearance is 160mm (according to the box my case came in)

 

So basically to sum it up I'm thinking a heat sink, 4 fans (one static pressure to blow air through my drive cage), and a fan controller to control them. My budget is $100 Canadian.

[8-Bit Ninja]

With all respects spending another $100 dollars on cooling is a bit of waste with your specs, get a hyper 212 evo and then save up the money for a new cpu/gpu 

[WoodenMarker]

Are you referring to the system in your sig?

What are you using to monitor temps?

Quote

Specs
Cpu: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6cores
Gpu: GTX 750 Ti (Zotac)
Mb: 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ (MSI)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400
10gb Ram

 

[Tavreth]

1 minute ago, 8-Bit Ninja said:

With all respects spending another $100 dollars on cooling is a bit of waste with your specs, get a hyper 212 evo and then save up the money for a new cpu/gpu

I understand where your coming from but I figure I better get my cooling down as it won't become obsolete as I plan on using this case for a long time

 

2 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Are you referring to the system in your sig?

Yea, am I forgetting anything in there?

[Ordinarily_Greater]

Just now, Tavreth said:

I understand where your coming from but I figure I better get my cooling down as it won't become obsolete as I plan on using this case for a long time

 

Yea, am I forgetting anything in there?

Well, you need something as Noctua NH-U14S then

[Tavreth]

8 minutes ago, Ordinarily_Greater said:

Well, you need something as Noctua NH-U14S then

I'm guessing that is one of the best air cooling out there? Should I worry about it interfering with my ram? Cause I have heard of some people running into that problem.

 

Edit: The price doesn't look to bad, and it isn't supposed to clash with memory modules which is good. Anyone got fans or fan controllers to suggest?

Edited July 9, 2017 by Tavreth

[WoodenMarker]

Just now, Tavreth said:

IYea, am I forgetting anything in there?

I'm just making sure.

Your 750 Ti shouldn't be throttling--it's fine up to 80-90c at load. What program are you using for monitoring?

 

You should be able to control the case fans through the sys_fan1 header with a splitter: https://www.amazon.ca/WinnerEco-Cable-Splitter-Sleeved-Extension/dp/B06XV3WQP6/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1499642798&sr=1-4&keywords=splitter+fan

The fans you have are probably enough already.

As for the cpu, a Pure Rock would be good: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/cwPzK8/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk009

Just now, Ordinarily_Greater said:

Well, you need something as Noctua NH-U14S then

That's probably overkill and is too tall for the case.

[Tavreth]

1 minute ago, WoodenMarker said:

13 minutes ago, Tavreth said:

IYea, am I forgetting anything in there?

I'm just making sure.

Your 750 Ti shouldn't be throttling--it's fine up to 80-90c at load. What program are you using for monitoring?

 

You should be able to control the case fans through the sys_fan1 header with a splitter: https://www.amazon.ca/WinnerEco-Cable-Splitter-Sleeved-Extension/dp/B06XV3WQP6/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1499642798&sr=1-4&keywords=splitter+fan

The fans you have are probably enough already.

As for the cpu, a Pure Rock would be good: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/cwPzK8/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk009

I have the msi afterburner but I don't really use it that much, I more saw my gpu throttling when I was playing Overwatch (I turned on the built in overlay that showed my gpu temp)

 

Got any case fans to suggest as well?

[Ordinarily_Greater]

1 hour ago, Tavreth said:

I have the msi afterburner but I don't really use it that much, I more saw my gpu throttling when I was playing Overwatch (I turned on the built in overlay that showed my gpu temp)

 

Got any case fans to suggest as well?

Noctua Fans LTT edition

[WoodenMarker]

6 hours ago, Tavreth said:

I more saw my gpu throttling when I was playing Overwatch (I turned on the built in overlay that showed my gpu temp)

How did you determine the gpu was throttling?

[LogicalDrm]

8 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

How did you determine the gpu was throttling?

I'm also interested about claim on OP about them throttling on idle. Which is literally impossible.

[Tavreth]

10 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

16 hours ago, Tavreth said:

I more saw my gpu throttling when I was playing Overwatch (I turned on the built in overlay that showed my gpu temp)

How did you determine the gpu was throttling?

I just assumed as it wouldn't go above 60 degrees and it wasn't letting me get more frames.

 

1 hour ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

10 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

How did you determine the gpu was throttling?

I'm also interested about claim on OP about them throttling on idle. Which is literally impossible.

I only said my cpu throttles when idle, my gpu doesn't hit 60 (which I'm guessing it throttles at)  till I start playing a game like Overwatch. as for why my cpu throttles at 60, my heat sink literally looks like some cut a small aluminium cube, cut grooves into it, and slap a tiny fan onto it (i believe the fan it 60mm)

[LogicalDrm]

30 minutes ago, Tavreth said:

I just assumed as it wouldn't go above 60 degrees and it wasn't letting me get more frames.

 

I only said my cpu throttles when idle, my gpu doesn't hit 60 (which I'm guessing it throttles at)  till I start playing a game like Overwatch. as for why my cpu throttles at 60, my heat sink literally looks like some cut a small aluminium cube, cut grooves into it, and slap a tiny fan onto it (i believe the fan it 60mm)

Thats how stock cooler is supposed to be. And I think you might have some misunderstanding about what thermal throttle means. GPU idling at 60C just means that fan isn't running speed needed to cool it more. You can configure that with software like MSI Afterburner. Most GPUs use low-rpm mode when GPU isn't being used to save your ears. 60C is quite safe temp for any GPU. My idles around 50C with fan set at 35%. You would see throttle when it hits thermal limits preset to firmware, where it would drop clock speed in order to relief some load. Again, more aggressive fan curve would allow clocks to remain high even during high load situation.

 

Pretty much same principle goes with CPU. It goes up to temps which are preset to chip and lowers clock speed to keep everything under control. You don't necessarily see any chance in temps, which is why noticing throttling at all is questionable. 60C isn't that high for your chip. Its about normal load temp (if I remember FX chips right).

 

I would say that reason you don't get more fps in Overwatch is purely because game is too taxing for your hardware. If you want to know whether there is throttling or not, you need to run benchmark or stress test like Aida64 where load remains constant for longer periods.

[Tavreth]

1 hour ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

Thats how stock cooler is supposed to be. And I think you might have some misunderstanding about what thermal throttle means. GPU idling at 60C just means that fan isn't running speed needed to cool it more. You can configure that with software like MSI Afterburner. Most GPUs use low-rpm mode when GPU isn't being used to save your ears. 60C is quite safe temp for any GPU. My idles around 50C with fan set at 35%. You would see throttle when it hits thermal limits preset to firmware, where it would drop clock speed in order to relief some load. Again, more aggressive fan curve would allow clocks to remain high even during high load situation.

First, as I said earlier my gpu doesn't idle at 60 last time I looked it idled at 30-40. According to the msi afterburner it throttles at 80 but when I was playing overwatch it sat at 60-62. I'm wondering why it doesn't try to push out more frames if it isn't that hot, or do I need to change the clock speed in msi afterburner.

 

1 hour ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

Pretty much same principle goes with CPU. It goes up to temps which are preset to chip and lowers clock speed to keep everything under control. You don't necessarily see any chance in temps, which is why noticing throttling at all is questionable. 60C isn't that high for your chip. Its about normal load temp (if I remember FX chips right).

First off, Idk why my cpu throttles at 60 but all I know is when I went only into bios (and not after a gaming session) it showed my cpu at 70 degrees and when I finally boot my pc it would go down to 60 (again not under load)

 

1 hour ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

I would say that reason you don't get more fps in Overwatch is purely because game is too taxing for your hardware. If you want to know whether there is throttling or not, you need to run benchmark or stress test like Aida64 where load remains constant for longer periods.

If I had to guess on a bottle neck I would guess my cpu. For the reasons stated above.

[LogicalDrm]

5 minutes ago, Tavreth said:

If I had to guess on a bottle neck I would guess my cpu. For the reasons stated above.

I would agree. I also feel like you should redo CPU cooler. It shouldn't idle/low load at 60C.

[Tavreth]

Just now, LoGiCalDrm said:

7 minutes ago, Tavreth said:

If I had to guess on a bottle neck I would guess my cpu. For the reasons stated above.

I would agree. I also feel like you should redo CPU cooler. It shouldn't idle/low load at 60C.

Thus why I asked for some suggestions on a new heat sink. maybe for lolz I'll post a picture of my cpu block when I get home. When you see it you'll understand why it is so bad.

[LogicalDrm]

2 minutes ago, Tavreth said:

Thus why I asked for some suggestions on a new heat sink. maybe for lolz I'll post a picture of my cpu block when I get home. When you see it you'll understand why it is so bad.

No need I've seen AMD heatsinks in person. Though last I've personally used was for S939 socket.

 

As for coolers, even small and cheap ones like TX3, H7, M9a and so on will do. I wouldn't spend that much unless you are planning for CPU upgrade and would want to OC on that new one.

[HotdropHeinz]

@Tavreth your frames arent tied to your gpu temps the way you think. the amount of fps your pc is able to push to your monitor in a certain game has more to do with cpu and gpu usage or a combination of both. if your gpu is the limiting factor in a game you will see the gpu usage at around 100 percent but not necessarily the gpu temps on Tjmax aswell. if the gpu (or cpu) is used 100% and the cooler on it is keeping it on f.e. 60c it will not be able to get more performance for the temperature headroom the gpu (or cpu) has.

a chip like that will have basically the same performance on 30c as it will on 80c if the chip can run at the same speed under both conditions.

 

but whats about cpu boost and gpu boost?

modern cpus and gpus will boost their clock if there is a certain temperature headroom and all other conditions are fine. this will only work up to a certain point though.

 

--> 100% chip usage does NOT mean highest allowed chip temp in any case

[Tavreth]

42 minutes ago, Heinz57 said:

@Tavreth your frames arent tied to your gpu temps the way you think. the amount of fps your pc is able to push to your monitor in a certain game has more to do with cpu and gpu usage or a combination of both. if your gpu is the limiting factor in a game you will see the gpu usage at around 100 percent but not necessarily the gpu temps on Tjmax aswell. if the gpu (or cpu) is used 100% and the cooler on it is keeping it on f.e. 60c it will not be able to get more performance for the temperature headroom the gpu (or cpu) has.

a chip like that will have basically the same performance on 30c as it will on 80c if the chip can run at the same speed under both conditions.

 

but whats about cpu boost and gpu boost?

modern cpus and gpus will boost their clock if there is a certain temperature headroom and all other conditions are fine. this will only work up to a certain point though.

 

--> 100% chip usage does NOT mean highest allowed chip temp in any case

That makes sense, just means I'll have to overclock it in the future. Although, I do think there is boost because on msi afterburner it said something about boost. I haven't taken a close look tho.

[HotdropHeinz]

@Tavreth the term boost is often used very loosely. it simply means that the clockspeed is increased by x amount.

[Tavreth]

Just now, Heinz57 said:

@Tavreth the term boost is often used very loosely. it simply means that the clockspeed is increased by x amount.

Oh, Ok, anyways in the future I'll be messing around with msi afterburner

 

[HotdropHeinz]

1 minute ago, Tavreth said:

Oh, Ok, anyways in the future I'll be messing around with msi afterburner

 

yeah go for it  you cant really break anything with just msi afterburner anyway. JayzTwoCents has a great video regarding overclocking for beginners on youtube and also what happens if you increase the clock way to much.