[SOLVED] 3400G: Which of these CPU coolers?

[lordfeepness]

I'm having trouble deciding on which of 3 CPU coolers I have on hand to use in a new AMD build I'm doing. The CPU is a 3400G, it's going in an X570 motherboard, and I'm not installing a discrete GPU (just going to use the integrated Vega 11). The case is a Corsair 200R, and I'll be installing 2x 140mm Noctuas in the front, the stock 120mm fan in the back, and probably no fans on the top due to space constraints (unless I end up being able to fit a couple of 120x15mm fans there). The side panel also has fan mounts, though I'm not crazy about using them since it makes opening the case difficult.

This machine is going to run 24x7, and the CPU load is going to be spikey--continuous pattern of a couple of minutes idle followed by a couple of minutes at high load. My ambient temps tend to be fairly high; around 80-85F/26-29.5C. I don't plan to do any overclocking, except maybe to enable PBO on the motherboard.

So my question is this: I have 3 CPU coolers on hand: the stock Wraith Prism, an Arctic Freezer 7 Pro, and a Masterliquid Lite 120 AIO. Which of these would provide the best cooling for my use case and ambient temps? And, which would be quietest? Are any of these coolers totally inadequate?

Thanks!!

 

[Lutfij]

The stock cooler that comes with the APU will do the job, you can allocate the money elsewhere or treat yourself to something good, after the build goes well.

 

[lordfeepness]

The stock cooler that comes with the APU will do the job, you can allocate the money elsewhere or treat yourself to something good, after the build goes well.

Thanks! That's probably the easiest option of the three coolers I have, so I'm glad to know it'll handle the heat okay.

 

[Karadjgne]

The Arctic Freezer 7 Pro is a hair better than the stock cooler when it comes to just the cpu, it's worse for the VRM's and other voltage regulatory circuitry surrounding the socket that benefits from the downdraft airflow of stock.

Win for stock cooler.

The Masterliquid lite 120mm is the best of the bunch as far as capacity goes, it'll do a much better job at heavier loads than either of the 2 aircoolers. But. It's a lite version. If there was possibly a corner that could be cut to save a few ¢ per unit, it got it. I much prefer liquid cooling, but even I wouldn't trust that unit not to fail long before the warranty was up. It's also an aio, so has the worst overall socket area cooling by a wide margin. For a pc that's going to be run with little no no regular supervision, it takes a backseat to expediency, necessity and dependability.

Win for the stock cooler.

Arctic Freezer 7Pro; not worth the effort
Masterliquid 120mm lite; not worth the paranoia
Stock cooler; not the best, but gets the job done.

 

[lordfeepness]

Thanks for the detailed analysis! That's two votes for the stock cooler, so I think I'm going to go with that.

It's also an aio, so has the worst overall socket area cooling by a wide margin.

Slightly off topic, but I've never heard this before. Do AIOs concentrate the cooling in the center of the package? I have another machine with a 3950x and an H115i cooler that still runs pretty hot. I wonder if that's why?

 

[Karadjgne]

Noo lol, it's a matter of airflow. Think about how a stock cooler works, it's parallel to the motherboard, the fan blows air directly onto the socket area, blasts all the VRM heatsinking with a warm breeze.

Tower coolers have bleed air, not all the air gets pushed directly through the heatsink, some always bleeds out the sides. Or if the fan is large enough it gets pushed underneath, so catches some breeze that way.

With an aio or any liquid loop, there's no fan,(except the oddball like the Cryorig) there's no breeze. The VRM heatsinking is totally at the mercy of whatever breeze is created by the exhaust fans suction cone.

It's one of an aios drawbacks, the cpu often gets better cooling, even small or thinner cases get higher capacity cooling, at the expense of higher VRM temps. With heavy OC and high voltage demands, this can put a damper on Ryzen boosts.

The best method to combat this that I've seen was genius. A simple 'L' bracket attached to both the screws on the rear exhaust fan and a fan attached to them, putting a 120mm fan right on top of the heatsink area, combined with a low rpm curve. Might not look the best, but provides unparalleled cooling ability to the hottest part of the motherboard.

 

[lordfeepness]

This makes a ton of sense, thanks!