Question Cooling down my smoking 10600k

[laker1706]

Hi Guys.
I just bought a 10600k and a few other components.

my full spec is this:
ASUS TUF Gaming Plus Z490
I5 10600K
Noctua NH-U12S
HyperX Fury 2X8GB 2400Mhz
Asus Gaming GTX 1080 Ti
FSP Aurum Gold 700w
Antec NX600 case
2 more Antec 120mm Spark fans.

My fans configuration:
The Noctua fan is on the right side of the heatsinks.
I have one exhaust in the back, 3 intakes in the front but they are blocked by the front glass as there is barely any air vents in the front.
And two more 120mm on top as intakes.

I'm getting to 84 degrees on my CPU(stock!) while gaming.
My 1080ti is also going above 80..

I have set my CPU and case fans profiles to be at 100% already at 60 degrees or something.

I miss the days I would leave my case open before I had this glass front!

Would love to get some help! Thanks!

 

[Phaaze88]

Get a new chassis, that's your best move, IMO.

I'm getting to 84 degrees on my CPU(stock!) while gaming.

Combination of
-strained chassis airflow
-the 10600K approaching the limits of what the NH-U12S can handle
-the 2nd top intake isn't really doing any favors here, blowing cool air into the path of warm exhaust

My 1080ti is also going above 80..

That's from the front panel alone. Those designs really hurt gpu thermals - but it's what's trendy these days...

 

[Deleted member 2720853]

Closed front panel, oh boy. Never again, please.

Invest in a case with a nice mesh front like the Fractal Design Meshify C or be quiet! Pure Base 500DX, and a case fan setup that has more intakes than exhausts. Leave the top alone, focus on front intakes and one rear exhaust.

 

[laker1706]

Closed front panel, oh boy. Never again, please.

Invest in a case with a nice mesh front like the Fractal Design Meshify C or be quiet! Pure Base 500DX, and a case fan setup that has more intakes than exhausts. Leave the top alone, focus on front intakes and one rear exhaust.

I literally just bought this case 🤦‍♂️
Any advice that doesn't include getting another case?

 

[Phaaze88]

Any advice that doesn't include getting another case?

You're looking to stuff high power hardware into a stuffy chassis. You're only going to get so far doing that...

But, to answer the question: Possibly, but none of 'em are solid solutions over just getting a new chassis that isn't so much form over function like the current one.
1)Get a 240mm AIO for the 10600K. Mount it up top as exhaust.
For the gpu, get a Kraken G12 + Corsair H75, some heatsinks and thermal tape + pads for the memory and VRMs. Mount the rad at the rear as exhaust.
^Quite the expensive alternative if you add it up...

2)Take the front fans and secure them on the opposite side of the bracket they're currently sitting in, if possible.
This should give the fans more 'breathing room', but it may not do anything at all. The front panel appears to be completely closed off, making the front fans as a decoration only.
Take the 2 top fans, remove the one furthest from the rear fan, and flip the closest fan to exhaust.

3)This is assuming the front fans can't be helped:
Remove the front fans completely, and just have a rear and top exhaust.

4)Getting a more airflow friendly chassis would be cheaper than #1, and won't require doing the fan roulette of #2 and 3, trying to find a set up that isn't guaranteed to work.

 

[Deleted member 2720853]

I literally just bought this case 🤦‍♂️
Any advice that doesn't include getting another case?

Well, now you know to invest in a mesh front case next time. Follow Phaaze's advice, not much you can do.

 

[rubix_1011]

We deal with a lot of 'I bought things first and did research second' threads around here.

 

[laker1706]

We deal with a lot of 'I bought things first and did research second' threads around here.

I did, I didn't find a lot of reviews and the ones I did find were pretty positive, none of them mentioned such a terrible airflow. idk why those cases (NX series)are super popular in my country and I got a few recommendations for that exact case...
I think I just didn't realize the front panel is almost completely blocked, except a few tony holes in the side of the front panel...
Whoever designed that case should be doing something else...correct me if I'm wrong but I think if there was only bigger air vents in the front the airflow could have been a whole lot better...
For now, I think I'll just leave the case open, until I'll come up with a creative solution or just buy a new case.

 

[rubix_1011]

That is one of the biggest disappointments in some of the cases on the market today - the drive to have glass and RGB lighting, but without thinking about how airflow (or the lack of it) might impact a system build. Sure, it might look good, but if they are not designed well with airflow in mind, hardware just suffocates in them.

 

[grimfox]

In your case ... puns... Water cooling is the most reasonable solution without replacing the case. For the price of a water cooling loop you could just buy a new case a really nice case. If you sell the case then you might be able to recoup half the cost towards a newer breathy case. It sucks to sell something you just bought, but if it's preventing you from using your other components or is going to cost you more in the long run then the choice is clear lose $60 on the case to gain $200 in performance lost to the case.

 

[Phaaze88]

I did, I didn't find a lot of reviews and the ones I did find were pretty positive, none of them mentioned such a terrible airflow. idk why those cases (NX series)are super popular in my country and I got a few recommendations for that exact case...

1)They're flashy, which is really trending with certain audiences. But one can still have their flashy case without sacrificing thermal performance - avoiding solid front paneled chassis is a huge first step to doing that.
2)They're cheap. It can't really be helped. Some brands are much more affordable than others by region.
3)The 'gamer' marketing. That word alone draws certain people in. Those people need to be able to look past that and see what the chassis really offers.

I've also noticed that some 'reviews' aren't actually reviews at all, but showcases; the 'reviewer' was simply paid by the manufacturer to show off, praise, and recommend the product.
There's no kind of thermal or noise testing to be seen, and no pros and cons present at all.

 

[rubix_1011]

In your case ... puns... Water cooling is the most reasonable solution without replacing the case. For the price of a water cooling loop you could just buy a new case a really nice case. If you sell the case then you might be able to recoup half the cost towards a newer breathy case. It sucks to sell something you just bought, but if it's preventing you from using your other components or is going to cost you more in the long run then the choice is clear lose $60 on the case to gain $200 in performance lost to the case.

Even the best cooling cannot do its job if there isn't adequate airflow.

 

[Karadjgne]

Your fan setup isn't doing you any favors.

Rear: exhaust.
Top-rear: exhaust
Top-front: blank it off with cardboard, plastic, something, anything that'll seal it off from being a vent of any kind.
Front: intake. If the fans are exterior to the frame, see if they can be moved interior to the frame. That'll create 25mm per fan of extra airspace to the glass, allowing for a stronger vacuum draw and consequently better airflow from the front fans.

 

[laker1706]

Your fan setup isn't doing you any favors.

Rear: exhaust.
Top-rear: exhaust
Top-front: blank it off with cardboard, plastic, something, anything that'll seal it off from being a vent of any kind.
Front: intake. If the fans are exterior to the frame, see if they can be moved interior to the frame. That'll create 25mm per fan of extra airspace to the glass, allowing for a stronger vacuum draw and consequently better airflow from the front fans.

Except blocking the front-rear fan slot I did everything you told me and I also used my extra antec spark over the case fans...not much of a difference sadly... I just keep my case open.

 

[laker1706]

Your fan setup isn't doing you any favors.

Rear: exhaust.
Top-rear: exhaust
Top-front: blank it off with cardboard, plastic, something, anything that'll seal it off from being a vent of any kind.
Front: intake. If the fans are exterior to the frame, see if they can be moved interior to the frame. That'll create 25mm per fan of extra airspace to the glass, allowing for a stronger vacuum draw and consequently better airflow from the front fans.

Ok, silly question, could it be that I put my antec spark fans reversed?
It feels like the intakes push less air into the case than the one that should be the exhaust...
Here are pics to show what I'm talking about

https://imgur.com/a/yiOTFJ1

View: https://imgur.com/a/yiOTFJ1

 

[DSzymborski]

Yup, you're using them to exhaust out the front. Or, at least you would if there was a lot of ventilation in the front!

Two exhausts in the front, exhaust in the back, intakes in the top (!) means that an already difficult airflow situation is a nightmare.

 

[Phaaze88]

In the natural flow of things outside of external forces, warm air rises...
So if you've got front and rear exhaust, and top intake, then the top intake is drawing some of the warm exhaust right back in...

 

[Karadjgne]

The pretty side is intake, the ugly side with the motor mounts is exhaust. That's airflow direction. How you orient the fan is different altogether. The first picture is of 2 fans acting as exhaust, they intake air from the pretty side you see, and exhaust it out the ugly side. Which happens to be the front of the case.

The second picture, the top fan is intaking outside air at the top fan, and exhausting it into the case from the ugly side. Which almost immediately gets intake from the rear exhaust fan, and exhausted out the back of the case. Rendering both fans kinda useless for cooling a pc case.

The only correctly oriented fan, is the rear exhaust position. You need to flip the top fan upside down, so you'll see the pretty side, same as the rear. The front fans need to be flipped, so they'll intake outside air and exhaust it Into the case.

 

[laker1706]

Yup, you're using them to exhaust out the front. Or, at least you would if there was a lot of ventilation in the front!

Two exhausts in the front, exhaust in the back, intakes in the top (!) means that an already difficult airflow situation is a nightmare.

In the natural flow of things outside of external forces, warm air rises...
So if you've got front and rear exhaust, and top intake, then the top intake is drawing some of the warm exhaust right back in...

The pretty side is intake, the ugly side with the motor mounts is exhaust. That's airflow direction. How you orient the fan is different altogether. The first picture is of 2 fans acting as exhaust, they intake air from the pretty side you see, and exhaust it out the ugly side. Which happens to be the front of the case.

The second picture, the top fan is intaking outside air at the top fan, and exhausting it into the case from the ugly side. Which almost immediately gets intake from the rear exhaust fan, and exhausted out the back of the case. Rendering both fans kinda useless for cooling a pc case.

The only correctly oriented fan, is the rear exhaust position. You need to flip the top fan upside down, so you'll see the pretty side, same as the rear. The front fans need to be flipped, so they'll intake outside air and exhaust it Into the case.

I'm so stupid lol...well at least now I got hope to get normal thermals with a closed case...

 

[laker1706]

You're looking to stuff high power hardware into a stuffy chassis. You're only going to get so far doing that...

But, to answer the question: Possibly, but none of 'em are solid solutions over just getting a new chassis that isn't so much form over function like the current one.
1)Get a 240mm AIO for the 10600K. Mount it up top as exhaust.
For the gpu, get a Kraken G12 + Corsair H75, some heatsinks and thermal tape + pads for the memory and VRMs. Mount the rad at the rear as exhaust.
^Quite the expensive alternative if you add it up...

2)Take the front fans and secure them on the opposite side of the bracket they're currently sitting in, if possible.
This should give the fans more 'breathing room', but it may not do anything at all. The front panel appears to be completely closed off, making the front fans as a decoration only.
Take the 2 top fans, remove the one furthest from the rear fan, and flip the closest fan to exhaust.

3)This is assuming the front fans can't be helped:
Remove the front fans completely, and just have a rear and top exhaust.

4)Getting a more airflow friendly chassis would be cheaper than #1, and won't require doing the fan roulette of #2 and 3, trying to find a set up that isn't guaranteed to work.

Your fan setup isn't doing you any favors.

Rear: exhaust.
Top-rear: exhaust
Top-front: blank it off with cardboard, plastic, something, anything that'll seal it off from being a vent of any kind.
Front: intake. If the fans are exterior to the frame, see if they can be moved interior to the frame. That'll create 25mm per fan of extra airspace to the glass, allowing for a stronger vacuum draw and consequently better airflow from the front fans.

I'm sitting right now at 75 degrees tops for the CPU and 70 for the GPU!
Thank you two so much!! @Phaaze88 that tip with the front fans did a lot more than I had expected!

 

[Phaaze88]

You're welcome!

That part about giving the fans more breathing room? Yeah, funny how that works isn't it?
Manufacturers putting fan installs right behind solid panels and 'mysteriously' enough, they can't move as much air...

 

[laker1706]

You're welcome!

That part about giving the fans more breathing room? Yeah, funny how that works isn't it?
Manufacturers putting fan installs right behind solid panels and 'mysteriously' enough, they can't move as much air...

Well it definitely makes sense but I didn't think it would make such a big difference, that and removing the front top fan alone reduced my thermals by 10-15 degrees.

 

[Karadjgne]

It's amazing how little thought some companies put into building a case, they just take a box, add some plastic and glass to accommodate a certain look, and throw in as many viable fan vents as possible.

Leaving it upto the buyer to figure out or end up with buyers remorse.

Top exhaust fan in front of the aircooler fan? Guess where all the air isn't going to go....

Works for an aio, but not an aircooler. Nobody tells ppl that in the literature.

 

[Phaaze88]

I don't think it's entirely the chassis engineers' fault.
There's budget limit, cost of materials, trying to fit certain features within that allowed budget and dealing with the marketing dept, who can ruin it for everyone.

 

[Karadjgne]

Oh, there's always that lol. But. I do the electrical for a major corporation new construction in this area. Use to be for years the stores (6 designs) were cookie cutter. Then somebody in Corporate had the bright idea to change everything to the White open ceiling, just like Walmarts. No thought to How this was to be accomplished, just 1 small addendum to the contract, Zero cost change. 👊👊👊👊👊POW!

Needless to say, design and engineering are almost never on the same page....