Getting 3950x, need better cooling

[Retro_R]

So, i'm getting a 3950x and I think I may need a cooling upgrade. Right now I have a Deepcool Gammaxx GT and i don't think that's enough for the 3950x. So I need an AIO. I checked my case (Zalman Z9 NEO) and it can support aios. I just need a decent one. I'm kinda looking at the lc240e or the ml240l since they're both realtively cheap, made by a pretty good brand and the rgb syncs with my mobo. Just want some opinions. If you guys do have suggestions heres what i'm looking for:

 

- 240 (or 280)mm rad, I think thats what my case can support.

- If it has rgb, I want it to sync with my motherboard (so no corsair or NZXT)

- less than like $150 (at least less than $200)

[boggy77]

go for a noctua nh-d15

[For Science!]

1 minute ago, boggy77 said:

go for a noctua nh-d15

Z9 NEO has a CPU cooler height restriction of 160 mm, the NH-D15 is 165 mm with its fans.

[aDoomGuy]

Noctua NH-d15 or BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4. 

[Retro_R]

Just now, aDoomGuy said:

Noctua NH-d15 or BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4. 

My case can fit the Dark Rock 4, not the pro.

[Guest]

A cheap 240 isn't going to do you any favors.

Scythe Fuma 2 is a good cooler ($60) that is 155mm tall and should fit your case.

https://www.amazon.com/Scythe-120mm-Cooler-LGA1151-Towers/dp/B07RFNG89S

[aDoomGuy]

Just now, Retro_R said:

My case can fit the Dark Rock 4, not the pro.

Dark Rock 4 is good too. I haven't tried it with 3950 but I don't think there is much difference compared to Pro version.

 

My case is rated for 160mm and it fits a Dark Rock 4.

[For Science!]

10 minutes ago, Retro_R said:

-

Agreed that a cheap 240 mm AIO isn't going to get you much more (or perhaps it might even get you less) than a high-er end CPU cooler of the dual tower category.

 

As for the AIO side of things, you're starting to talk to me if you are considering an Asetek pump system: one of these guys https://www.asetek.com/gamingenthusiasts/diy-partners

or Alphacool's copper AIO such as the LT240. Best if you are also able to swap fans for decent static pressure like Noctua A12x25.

 

Also I should mention that I think your case only supports 240 mm, not 280 mm

[Retro_R]

2 minutes ago, For Science! said:

As for the AIO side of things, you're starting to talk to me if you are considering an Asetek pump system: one of these guys https://www.asetek.com/gamingenthusiasts/diy-partners

or Alphacool's copper AIO such as the LT240. Best if you are also able to swap fans for decent static pressure like Noctua A12x25.

 

Also I should mention that I think your case only supports 240 mm, not 280 mm

So it says on the site that Thermaltake uses these pumps, Would one of those be a good one? What about this one? I would prob need a new mobo for that one since it's argb and my mobo doesn't support that. I have some rf120s, would those be a good replacement? Yeah, I knew it supported 140mm fans, just didn't know if it also supported the aio of that size.

[nick name]

Are you in love with that case?  

[Retro_R]

Just now, nick name said:

Are you in love with that case?  

Kinda yeah, I saw it in frys a couple of years back and when I opened the front door, I legit gasped. I knew I had to have that case. I know it's not really the best for airflow but I like the way it looks.

[For Science!]

15 minutes ago, Retro_R said:

So it says on the site that Thermaltake uses these pumps, Would one of those be a good one? What about this one? I would prob need a new mobo for that one since it's argb and my mobo doesn't support that. I have some rf120s, would those be a good replacement? Yeah, I knew it supported 140mm fans, just didn't know if it also supported the aio of that size.

I'm always a bit meh about TT as a company, looks like this particular AIO does not have liquid temperature based fan control (which in my opinion is a must have), so personally I would give that particular AIO a pass. Basically if the fans are to be plugged in directly to the motherboard as opposed to headers coming off the AIO, then its safe to assume it cannot control fan speeds based on coolant temperatures.

 

Not sure about the RF120 (Deepcool fans?) I would guess most stock AIO fans would be more suited for radiator based operation.

[nick name]

48 minutes ago, Retro_R said:

Kinda yeah, I saw it in frys a couple of years back and when I opened the front door, I legit gasped. I knew I had to have that case. I know it's not really the best for airflow but I like the way it looks.

I won't argue with that.

[Yogi_DaBear221]

Enermax Liqtech II I think it is a 240 
https://www.amazon.com/Enermax-LIQTECH-Liquid-Cooler-ELC-LTTO240-TBP/dp/B07LH4VWSX/ref=pd_sbs_147_2/140-5492199-5720308?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07LH4VWSX&pd_rd_r=3945430f-64d2-4568-8ccc-cfd2d493fa95&pd_rd_w=VprIh&pd_rd_wg=asuJI&pf_rd_p=7cd8f929-4345-4bf2-a554-7d7588b3dd5f&pf_rd_r=E9RKTT9PW3FG1QWQ588J&psc=1&refRID=E9RKTT9PW3FG1QWQ588J

and then if you wanted to you could get these fans:
https://www.amazon.com/DEEPCOOL-CF120-3in1-Customizable-Addressable/dp/B07D3K4XG1/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=deepcool+rgb+120mm+fan&qid=1583783789&s=electronics&sr=1-2

 

Both are compatible with Aura/Armoury

[HowardYing]

On 3/9/2020 at 11:27 AM, aDoomGuy said:

Dark Rock 4 is good too. I haven't tried it with 3950 but I don't think there is much difference compared to Pro version.

 

My case is rated for 160mm and it fits a Dark Rock 4.

It's a bit late, but I've been running a 3950x with a Dark Rock 4 for about 3 days now, It's decent temps for sure, but not what I'd want personally. It hovers around 58-63 under normal use but it never goes below 50 even on idle and can jump up to 84 (sometimes 87) under full load. I.E. Prime95.

[aDoomGuy]

25 minutes ago, GamingAsian0 said:

It's a bit late, but I've been running a 3950x with a Dark Rock 4 for about 3 days now, It's decent temps for sure, but not what I'd want personally. It hovers around 58-63 under normal use but it never goes below 50 even on idle and can jump up to 84 (sometimes 87) under full load. I.E. Prime95.

Prime 95 stresses the CPU in a way that would never happen under normal use. Remember when you think your CPU is idling along at desktop it still keeps boosting due to background tasks. If you want cooler temps you can change your power plan to power saving when lightly using the computer. I experimented with this and I didn't notice the lower clocks in any meaningful way.

 

When I monitor my 3600x it's constantly at 4,2-4,3 GHz all core even if it is "...idle" and temps go from 45 in one second to 60 in the next. I set my fans to a static setting though because it's pointless to let them spin up for these less than a second long temp spikes.

[HowardYing]

37 minutes ago, aDoomGuy said:

Prime 95 stresses the CPU in a way that would never happen under normal use. Remember when you think your CPU is idling along at desktop it still keeps boosting due to background tasks. If you want cooler temps you can change your power plan to power saving when lightly using the computer. I experimented with this and I didn't notice the lower clocks in any meaningful way.

 

When I monitor my 3600x it's constantly at 4,2-4,3 GHz all core even if it is "...idle" and temps go from 45 in one second to 60 in the next. I set my fans to a static setting though because it's pointless to let them spin up for these less than a second long temp spikes.

That said, editing on premiere pro, after a 10 hour session, I was peaking around 82 and when rendering, I was peaking around 85. That's interesting tho, I should look into the power plan.

[aDoomGuy]

2 hours ago, GamingAsian0 said:

That said, editing on premiere pro, after a 10 hour session, I was peaking around 82 and when rendering, I was peaking around 85. That's interesting tho, I should look into the power plan.

For light use yeah, our Ryzen don't need all that boosting goin' on.. Your case though, I took a look at some pics... You open that door in the front when the PC is working yeah? but do you have any fans in the top? Try to have one sucking in air in front of the CPU, see if that helps a bit? Also maybe try to remove the top cover if possible?

[louisssss]

if your case doesn't support a 360 radiator, and it also can't fit a noctua D15, its SEVERELY limiting your CPU cooling ability. i'd drop the case and get a D15 or a AC Liquid Freezer 360

[HowardYing]

8 hours ago, aDoomGuy said:

For light use yeah, our Ryzen don't need all that boosting goin' on.. Your case though, I took a look at some pics... You open that door in the front when the PC is working yeah? but do you have any fans in the top? Try to have one sucking in air in front of the CPU, see if that helps a bit? Also maybe try to remove the top cover if possible?

I do currently have a near neutral air pressure with the doors on like normal, but I can imagine taking off the front panel would help by providing much more airflow. Currently I have 3 120 front intake, 1 top and 1 back exhaust.

I have a D15 coming in the mail, and I expect the performance to be much better compared to my Dark Rock 4.

[aDoomGuy]

1 hour ago, GamingAsian0 said:

I do currently have a near neutral air pressure with the doors on like normal, but I can imagine taking off the front panel would help by providing much more airflow. Currently I have 3 120 front intake, 1 top and 1 back exhaust.

I have a D15 coming in the mail, and I expect the performance to be much better compared to my Dark Rock 4.

I don't think you'll notice much of a difference if you starve it of fresh air. I have 3x120 and one 140 mm as intake in my case and my CPU use less power than yours. The 140 and one 120 of those are Corsair ML fans with 2000+ RPM.

[HowardYing]

5 hours ago, aDoomGuy said:

I don't think you'll notice much of a difference if you starve it of fresh air. I have 3x120 and one 140 mm as intake in my case and my CPU use less power than yours. The 140 and one 120 of those are Corsair ML fans with 2000+ RPM.

So I tried it, not scientific nor was it controlled by any means, but just using it with FFXV on one monitor with 2 twitch streams open another. With the front off vs on my temps dropped about 2C, 58-61 (w/o front panel) and 59-64 (w/ front panel) which is something that's interesting that I noticed. Definitely one thing to account for that I didn't consider last night that didn't affect the temps mentioned prior, was those temps are because the ambient temperatures have been higher than preferred. As of writing, my cpu is at peak 47C with 8-12 cores running, most likely due to the drop in ambient temperature as nothing else has changed in terms of workload, fan curve, etc. I use the 4 stock NZXT case fans, 3x 120 as intakes and 1x 140m as rear exhaust with a Cooler Master SF120r as a top exhaust.

[tep]

The NH-D15S will fit. The total height of the D15S with its single fan is 160mm. You can then add a second 120mm fan (best to measure as this is dependent on your RAM height) but not the round 140mm A15 fan as that will bring the total height to over 160mm due to RAM clearance.

 

Once you add the 2nd fan, they perform similarly to the D15.

[SenKa]

19 hours ago, GamingAsian0 said:

It's a bit late, but I've been running a 3950x with a Dark Rock 4 for about 3 days now, It's decent temps for sure, but not what I'd want personally. It hovers around 58-63 under normal use but it never goes below 50 even on idle and can jump up to 84 (sometimes 87) under full load. I.E. Prime95.

I have a 3900x under a dark rock *pro* 4 and temps are about the same. Though as noted above, "Idle" isnt really idle.