CPU overheating

[OxikCZ_]

My friend has a pc with ryzen 5 3600 he has the Arctic freezer 7x "cooling" it but the temps are soo high like 50-60 on desktop and around 90-96 when playing. I was wondering if anybody had same experience with this cooler or if anybody has any ideas on how to fix it.

[One Angry Soldier]

What type of thermal paste is he using? I had a similar problem with mine and discovered that the thermal paste was not the right kind for the cooler. I was using basic thermal paste, for an AIO cooler. I later switched to Kingpin Cooling KPx, and have never looked back. I know that the cooler is a basic, and not an AIO, so you want to make sure that the CPU is fully covered. Most coolers come with thermal paste pre-installed but some of them won't give full coverage on the CPU. The old way used to be doing a pea-sized drop, but now they say it's better to use a thermal paste spatula to spread it, to ensure proper coverage.

[OxikCZ_]

4 minutes ago, One Angry Soldier said:

What type of thermal paste is he using? I had a similar problem with mine and discovered that the thermal paste was not the right kind for the cooler. I was using basic thermal paste, for an AIO cooler. I later switched to Kingpin Cooling KPx, and have never looked back.

Honestly i have no idea, could be worth looking into it. I called him and it was pre applied on the cooler.

Edited August 27, 2025 by OxikCZ_

[Dedayog]

42 minutes ago, One Angry Soldier said:

What type of thermal paste is he using? I had a similar problem with mine and discovered that the thermal paste was not the right kind for the cooler. I was using basic thermal paste, for an AIO cooler. I later switched to Kingpin Cooling KPx, and have never looked back. I know that the cooler is a basic, and not an AIO, so you want to make sure that the CPU is fully covered. Most coolers come with thermal paste pre-installed but some of them won't give full coverage on the CPU. The old way used to be doing a pea-sized drop, but now they say it's better to use a thermal paste spatula to spread it, to ensure proper coverage.

How does thermal paste differ from an aircooler to an AIO?

 

I can see if it's on a GPU maybe, runout being an issue, but the coldplates are basically the same, the mounting is the same, etc

 

39 minutes ago, OxikCZ_ said:

Honestly i have no idea, could be worth looking into it. I called him and it was pre applied on the cooler.

I'd say the cooler wasn't mounted well.  When he puts new paste on, literally any since it's just a 3600, then make sure to properly mount the cooler.

 

Pre-applied paste is fine.  I use it on anything it comes on.  If I am needing paste, I use ThermalGrizzly Kyronaut.  Otherwise preapplied all day.

[PDifolco]

23 minutes ago, OxikCZ_ said:

My friend has a pc with ryzen 5 3600 he has the Arctic freezer 7x "cooling" it but the temps are soo high like 50-60 on desktop and around 90-96 when playing. I was wondering if anybody had same experience with this cooler or if anybody has any ideas on how to fix it.

Cooler isn't good, badly installed, or fan too slow

Maybe reinstall/repaste it, check fan speeds, or just get a better one (TR PA120 is 30 bucks)

[One Angry Soldier]

Definitely look into it. It's quite possible that it wasn't covering the whole CPU, which could cause overheating issues over time. He should remove the cooler and use an alcohol pad, to completely clean off the paste from the cooler and CPU, then make sure it's completely dry (paper towel works), and try applying some Kryonaut Thermal Grizzly paste (if he doesn't mind the extra expense), or something like that. Like I said, they make different paste for different types of coolers. There are some that are great for fan coolers, but not recommended for AIO and block coolers.

[One Angry Soldier]

Like PDifocal said it's also possible that it wasn't mounted tightly. It has to be fully tight, to maintain full contact, so it can properly cool the CPU.

[One Angry Soldier]

5 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

How does thermal paste differ from an aircooler to an AIO?

 

I can see if it's on a GPU maybe, runout being an issue, but the coldplates are basically the same, the mounting is the same, etc

 

I'd say the cooler wasn't mounted well.  When he puts new paste on, literally any since it's just a 3600, then make sure to properly mount the cooler.

You might be correct. I'm still pretty new to this. I was doing some research about different thermal paste, since I was upgrading my system, and there was a statement somewhere saying that not all thermal paste is equal. They make some that's better for fan stock coolers, and others that are better for AIOs. They say that you can use thermal paste recommended for aios on stock coolers, but not the other way around. I can't remember which website I read that on. I think it was PC build, or something like that. Anyway, I know that this will probably be blasphemous, but I went with Jayz recommendation of Kingpin, because it doesn't dry out, or crack, and maintains that proper thermal regulation, for a lot of years. He said that some of the other pastes are really good, but can dry and crack over time, rendering it useless.