[SOLVED] Can someone help me understand the whole cooling thing please?

G4M30V3R

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Build: Strix X570-e, asus tuf rtx 3070, R5 5600x, Case corsair carbide spec 04

First question: So what do i need for cooling if i stick to stock? 1 case fan, the gpu's own fans and the stock wraith cooler of the cpu. This is all right? No more?

Second question: If i decide to amp up and do more than stock like overclock and push my gpu then the only thing i need to change from above is the cpu cooler right? The gpu stock cooler is designed to handle higher performance stuff yes?

Third question: if i do need to change ONLY my cpu cooler then which one of these two should i go for
  1. Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black RGB
  2. NZXT Kraken X53 240mm RGB Water Cooling
 
Solution
You think 750w is enough? I was thinking 850w. My cousin has Antec 850 watt gold PSU.
Yes, as long as the unit being considered isn't crap or something mediocre.
Internal component quality > wattage.
The latest RTX 30 cards have lousy power efficiency - not the total power draw, but they have these hard spikes that can trip over current protections on psus.

By the way, if i switch down from x570-e to b550-f that won't affect anything big right?
No.

I wanted to save more money. Like i only have the cpu, two 1TB Msata SSDs and RTX 3070 and two 16gb rans that i want to install.
1)Well two 1TB SSDs certainly isn't cheap.
-250 to 500GBs is enough for an OS-only drive.
-If need be, an option is a 250GB SSD(OS-only)...

Phaaze88

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1)No way that is going to be alright. You need more fans, period. At least 3 more fans - well, that's just 1 fan short of the fully capacity(5), so you may as well get 4 more and fill it out. The Spec 04 is preinstalled with 1.
FYI, the reason you need more fans is because of the gpu in the proposed build.

2)You asked 2 questions here, but ehh~
A)No, that's not the only thing; better have a real nice psu if you're going to try and push an already power inefficient gpu that RTX 30 has been shown to be so far...
B)Sure, but those aftermarket designs do so while literally crapping heat on the cpu coolers above them.

3)Since the cpu cooler isn't the only thing you need to change... I'm left answering this with a question:
Before that, did you cut corners on the psu? [Include make and model.]
 

G4M30V3R

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Sep 23, 2020
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1)No way that is going to be alright. You need more fans, period. At least 3 more fans - well, that's just 1 fan short of the fully capacity(5), so you may as well get 4 more and fill it out. The Spec 04 is preinstalled with 1.
FYI, the reason you need more fans is because of the gpu in the proposed build.

2)You asked 2 questions here, but ehh~
A)No, that's not the only thing; better have a real nice psu if you're going to try and push an already power inefficient gpu that RTX 30 has been shown to be so far...
B)Sure, but those aftermarket designs do so while literally crapping heat on the cpu coolers above them.

3)Since the cpu cooler isn't the only thing you need to change... I'm left answering this with a question:
Before that, did you cut corners on the psu? [Include make and model.]
I haven't decided the psu and i don't want to cut corners so what are you suggesting i should get?

You are saying that i need a total of 5 fans? So if i throw out the wraith stock cooler then:
  • 1 case stock fan
  • Nzxt kraken water cooler
  • The gpu's own stock fan
Isn't that 3 already and i need only like two more?
 

G4M30V3R

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Sep 23, 2020
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Wait. Are you talking about case fans? Like i should get 4 more case fans in addition to the 1 case fan, gpu fan and the kraken cooler?

Btw, is the kraken cooler sufficient for the cpu? Also, cant i just put my gpu in verticle?
 

Phaaze88

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Wait. Are you talking about case fans? Like i should get 4 more case fans in addition to the 1 case fan, gpu fan and the kraken cooler?
1)Yes.
2)This was in response to your first question of sticking to stock fan and cooler.

Btw, is the kraken cooler sufficient for the cpu? Also, cant i just put my gpu in verticle?
1)Yes.
2)Maybe. Maybe not. Vertical gpu with an aftermarket model screws with chassis airflow even more than it normally does; it's likely to be worse in that orientation.

I haven't decided the psu and i don't want to cut corners so what are you suggesting i should get?
Corsair RM750X
Seasonic Focus Plus Gold(750w)
Thermaltake Toughpower Grand(750w)
Super Flower Leadex 3 Gold(750w)
^Just a few examples.
 

G4M30V3R

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Sep 23, 2020
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You think 750w is enough? I was thinking 850w. My cousin has Antec 850 watt gold PSU.

By the way, if i switch down from x570-e to b550-f that won't affect anything big right? I wanted to save more money. Like i only have the cpu, two 1TB Msata SSDs and RTX 3070 and two 16gb rans that i want to install. My friend said x570-e is more of a "future proof" type choice which is unnecessary.

So at least 3 more case fans with my stock case fan, kraken and gpu for overclocking or stock speeds or both? Any suggestions?
There's three 120nm fans that i have looked up:

  • Corsair LL120 hydraulic bearing (the sp120 costs $10 les than LL120)
  • Corsair ML120 magnetic bearing
  • Cool master sickle flow rifle bearing (costs $17 unlike the above two which are $30-$40)
 
Last edited:

Phaaze88

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You think 750w is enough? I was thinking 850w. My cousin has Antec 850 watt gold PSU.
Yes, as long as the unit being considered isn't crap or something mediocre.
Internal component quality > wattage.
The latest RTX 30 cards have lousy power efficiency - not the total power draw, but they have these hard spikes that can trip over current protections on psus.

By the way, if i switch down from x570-e to b550-f that won't affect anything big right?
No.

I wanted to save more money. Like i only have the cpu, two 1TB Msata SSDs and RTX 3070 and two 16gb rans that i want to install.
1)Well two 1TB SSDs certainly isn't cheap.
-250 to 500GBs is enough for an OS-only drive.
-If need be, an option is a 250GB SSD(OS-only), plus a 1TB or larger 7200rpm HDD. Add another SSD later on.

2)A chassis with good airflow and a few preinstalled fans would cost just as much as you having to add more fans like you have to do with the Spec 04.
Phanteks P400A /P500A
Cooler Master H500
Corsair 220T Airflow /4000D Airflow
^Just a few examples.

3)An air cooler will be cheaper up front, as well as in the long run compared to a hybrid cooler like the Kraken.
 
Solution

G4M30V3R

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Sep 23, 2020
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Ok, so
  • switching down the mobo to B550-F
  • 750w psu gold
  • Add more fans to the spec04, at least 3 more (which bearing is better? hydraulic, magnetic or rifle?)
That's all sufficient for overclocked gaming with 5600x and rtx3070 right?

And when you say "air cooler" instead of the kraken, you mean one like the stock wraith stealth cooler of the R5 3600x but only of a better quality yes? I get it's cheaper up front, but why long term?
 

Phaaze88

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which bearing is better? hydraulic, magnetic or rifle?
Depends on you, really: https://www.mobhouse-productions.com/tech-tips/pc-fan-bearings-types/

And when you say "air cooler" instead of the kraken, you mean one like the stock wraith stealth cooler of the R5 3600x but only of a better quality yes?
Any air cooler. Price to performance and longevity, air coolers wipe the floor with hybrid coolers.
Having played around with both air and hybrid coolers, I've found the biggest downsides of the hybrids are:
1)They have an extra point of failure compared to air coolers, and it's a crucial one: the pump. Once it inevitably fails, toss it out and keep the fans that work.
Very few models let you service them, and the ones that do are pricey.

2)You'd best have a replacement cooler on hand for when this does happen.
This 1-2 combo leads them to be more expensive than they actually are.

So if you do go with that Kraken, don't trash the Wraith cooler.
And depending on how the user plans to operate and mount the hybrid cooler, pumps can last between 1-8years.
 

G4M30V3R

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Sep 23, 2020
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Depends on you, really: https://www.mobhouse-productions.com/tech-tips/pc-fan-bearings-types/


Any air cooler. Price to performance and longevity, air coolers wipe the floor with hybrid coolers.
Having played around with both air and hybrid coolers, I've found the biggest downsides of the hybrids are:
1)They have an extra point of failure compared to air coolers, and it's a crucial one: the pump. Once it inevitably fails, toss it out and keep the fans that work.
Very few models let you service them, and the ones that do are pricey.

2)You'd best have a replacement cooler on hand for when this does happen.
This 1-2 combo leads them to be more expensive than they actually are.

So if you do go with that Kraken, don't trash the Wraith cooler.
And depending on how the user plans to operate and mount the hybrid cooler, pumps can last between 1-8years.
So which air cooler are you suggesting for cpu overclock? You've seen my build. I am thinking:

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black RGB (the case i am going for is cooler master master case h500)

Suggest other air cooler but first tell me what do you think of this.

Btw, thanks for bearing with me. Probably gave you a lot more questions than you needed. This one is probably my last one.
 

G4M30V3R

Commendable
Sep 23, 2020
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I don't have that much to go off of, but from what I'm seeing here and here, the Hyper 212 is a no-go with overclocking involved.

Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo
Noctua NH-U12S
Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B
be quiet! Shadow Rock 3
Thermalright ARO-M14G
Thanks.

By the way, what model is the hyper 212 rgb? It's not hyper212x, nor is it evo. Is it better than both?