Are most of these huge air coolers for CPUs overkill in normal usage?

[Samuel Reichert]

Dear all,

 

I just bought and installed a Ryzen 5800x3d and kept my old Deepcool Gammaxx c40 as a cooler (92mm fans, ~130 TDP), because I hadn't decided on a new one yet. But now as I'm using the PC with this combination of CPU and cooler, I recognize that the CPU won't go above ~40°C average in idle and ~60°C while gaming, so quite okay temps, I think. Okay, when running cinebench, it's at 90°C in no time. But actually, I think, for me, the scenario cinebench is creating is quite unrealistic for the kind of work I will use this PC for, namely gaming and online-VTTs like roll20. So, my question is: Should I even buy a new cooler and more generally asked: Are most of these huge ~200W-TDP-coolers actually overkill for normal everyday use and just waste of money?

 

I apologize for grammar and spelling mistakes, I'm not a native speaker.

 

Thanks for any answers.

Samuel

Edited June 7, 2023 by Samuel Reichert

[Blqckqut]

1 minute ago, Samuel Reichert said:

Dear all,

 

I just bought and installed a Ryzen 5800x3d and kept my old Deepcool Gammaxx c40 as a cooler (92mm fans, ~130 TDP), because I hadn't decided on a new one yet. But now as I'm using the PC with this combination of CPU and cooler, I recognize that the CPU won't go above ~40°C average in idle and ~60°C. Okay, when running cinebench, it's at 90°C in no time. But actually, I think, for me, the scenario cinebench is creating is quite unrealistic for the kind of work I will use this PC for, namely gaming and online-VTTs like roll20. So, my question is: Should I even buy a new cooler and more generally asked: Are most of these huge ~200W-TDP-coolers actually overkill for normal everyday use and just waste of money?

 

I apologize for grammar and spelling mistakes, I'm not a native speaker.

 

Thanks for any answers.

Samuel

i have an ml360 illusion and in cinebench it goes to 83°C while it has -30 on all cores

 

so id say without undervolting, 90 is realisitc for benchmarks

 

but for general gaming i usulay dont go over 60

[Samuel Reichert]

4 minutes ago, Blqckqut said:

i have an ml360 illusion and in cinebench it goes to 83°C while it has -30 on all cores

 

so id say without undervolting, 90 is realisitc for benchmarks

 

but for general gaming i usulay dont go over 60

Hi Blqckqut,

 

thanks for your data. So, as I see it, there is no actual difference between your cooling solution and mine when it comes to actual temperatures? That brings me back to my question: Can you save your money on huge cooling solutions?

[Blqckqut]

1 minute ago, Samuel Reichert said:

Hi Blqckqut,

 

thanks for your data. So, as I see it, there is no actual difference between your cooling solution and mine when it comes to actual temperatures? That brings me back to my question: Can you save your money on huge cooling solutions?

depends on what saving money is, 70 bucks is the right amount for a good air cooler, my aio is 120 bc i wanted the rgb and nothing blocking the view

[Samuel Reichert]

2 minutes ago, Blqckqut said:

depends on what saving money is, 70 bucks is the right amount for a good air cooler, my aio is 120 bc i wanted the rgb and nothing blocking the view

Yes, I see. But I was really wondering if something like a DR pro 4 is really necessary for everyday use, when my temps seem just fine with a 92mm-fan-cooler. It's more of a general question.

[Blqckqut]

3 minutes ago, Samuel Reichert said:

Yes, I see. But I was really wondering if something like a DR pro 4 is really necessary for everyday use, when my temps seem just fine with a 92mm-fan-cooler. It's more of a general question.

well really depends on what games you play

if its games that arent AAA or anything like call of duty, then ur fine, altho if it is like that, then u might want a good cooler, especialy on the 5800x3d, speaking from experience

how long have you had this system? maybe you just need to repaste it

[gen_angry]

Many of the bigger bulkier ones are overkill for most gaming tasks, yes. That said, some games can absolutely put a higher load on your CPU and overwhelm your cooler if it's not up to par. Also, for longer gaming sessions when it spikes a higher workload - smaller coolers can experience thermal runaway over time and get 'heat soaked'. Larger coolers have more mass to mitigate that. A quick benchmark doesn't show that unless you run it for at least 20-30min or so.

 

The cooler you have now is probably similar to AMD's Wraith Prism in performance. Try playing a game for a while, if you find your temps sitting too high and thermal throttling, I would replace it with something a bit beefier. I'm using an Arctic Esports 34 Duo myself and have been pretty happy with it on a 5900X.

[Samuel Reichert]

2 minutes ago, Blqckqut said:

well really depends on what games you play

if its games that arent AAA or anything like call of duty, then ur fine, altho if it is like that, then u might want a good cooler

how long have you had this system? maybe you just need to repaste it

Sorry, I forgot half a sentence in my original post: It was supposed to say, that in gaming (Days Gone) it doesn't go above 60°C. I have the CPU since yesterday.

[Samuel Reichert]

3 minutes ago, gen_angry said:

Many of the bigger bulkier ones are overkill for most gaming tasks, yes. That said, some games can absolutely put a higher load on your CPU and overwhelm your cooler if it's not up to par. Also, for longer gaming sessions when it spikes a higher workload - smaller coolers can experience thermal runaway over time and get 'heat soaked'. Larger coolers have more mass to mitigate that. A quick benchmark doesn't show that unless you run it for at least 20-30min or so.

 

The cooler you have now is probably similar to AMD's Wraith Prism in performance. Try playing a game for a while, if you find your temps sitting too high and thermal throttling, I would replace it with something a bit beefier. I'm using an Arctic Esports 34 Duo myself and have been pretty happy with it on a 5900X.

Thanks! You are right. I wasn't thinking about thermal "soaking". Until now I just played days gone for about 2 hours and the CPU stayed at ~60°C. Maybe, as you said, I should try some more games.

[Blqckqut]

2 minutes ago, Samuel Reichert said:

Sorry, I forgot half a sentence in my original post: It was supposed to say, that in gaming (Days Gone) it doesn't go above 60°C. I have the CPU since yesterday.

then ur fine

[PDifolco]

24 minutes ago, Samuel Reichert said:

Sorry, I forgot half a sentence in my original post: It was supposed to say, that in gaming (Days Gone) it doesn't go above 60°C. I have the CPU since yesterday.

Gaming temps really depends on the game, some leave the CPU cool others are very demanding (try something like TW Warhammer 3, I'm up to 75C on a 280mm AIO!)

Cooler choice is a mix of price, performance and temps, if you have good temps and don't feel your cooler is too loud then it's ok  

[freeagent]

With Thermalright FC140 and PS120SE I can run my 5800X3D semi passively. If I run my 5900X at 100% box stock with ram at 3200 I could run it semi passively as well.

[Samuel Reichert]

Dear all,

 

a little update to whom it might be of interest: After your answers, especially concerning heat saturation and "mass to mitigate" it, I got me a Dark Rock 4 Pro and lo and behold, the behaviour of the temperature is far more stable. While playing Days Gone the CPU now is constantly around ~48°C and during idle there are no more sudden spikes into the 80s. So, obviously the cooler behaves much more inert (if that's the right word). Thank you all for your answers!

 

Have a nice day.

Samuel

[RevGAM]

11 hours ago, Samuel Reichert said:

Dear all,

 

I just bought and installed a Ryzen 5800x3d and kept my old Deepcool Gammaxx c40 as a cooler (92mm fans, ~130 TDP), because I hadn't decided on a new one yet. But now as I'm using the PC with this combination of CPU and cooler, I recognize that the CPU won't go above ~40°C average in idle and ~60°C while gaming, so quite okay temps, I think. Okay, when running cinebench, it's at 90°C in no time. But actually, I think, for me, the scenario cinebench is creating is quite unrealistic for the kind of work I will use this PC for, namely gaming and online-VTTs like roll20. So, my question is: Should I even buy a new cooler and more generally asked: Are most of these huge ~200W-TDP-coolers actually overkill for normal everyday use and just waste of money?

 

I apologize for grammar and spelling mistakes, I'm not a native speaker.

 

Thanks for any answers.

Samuel

Short answer: Keep the Gammax. No, 200W coolers aren't overkill. 

 

Long answer: Aside from sub-0 cooling, there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to cooling. This is because most, if not all, CPUs function better at lower temps. 

 

If your cooler fulfills your needs, you can keep it until you get to the point where it is no longer keeping your CPU's temps low, you can wait until you see a bigger cooler at an amazing price and get it then, or a combination of those 2 options. It may be months or years before you'll need something better.

 

Just my opinions. I hope that helps.