[SOLVED] Fractal Deign Core 1000 CPU Overheating - Need Cooling Design Experts!

[David Ralph]

Hello!

I'd like to start by thanking anyone who is able to help me with this, I really appreciate it.

So, I recently purchased new PC parts. I previously had an SG13 small form factor setup that worked great for me, but I wanted a case with a little more breathing room. Thus, I chose the Fractal Design Core 1000. Everything was going swimmingly (I really love this case, features, size, etc.) until I encountered a game changing problem. I started up Star Wars Battlefront II on ultra settings and after loading into a game (about 10 seconds after the match started) my CPU overheated. How do I know it overheated? I have had CPU's overheat before, my screen went mostly black and only hits of red, blue, and green showed up for a few seconds before my computer restarted itself. Upon restart the bios showed up saying, "CPU overheated!" I understand that in all likelihood, BOTH my CPU and GPU overheated, but that's the error I was given.

I have all Corsair peripherals and therefore use Corsair's iCue software to monitor temps and (currently as I write this) my CPU is hovering around the mid 40C range (wavering between 43 degrees and 48 degrees on all cores) and my GPU is a pretty constant 40C). I know that this is abnormal for idle and I need to get my temps down, which brings me to my question, what's the best way to go about cooling taking my setup as a whole into consideration?

The Core 1000 only comes with a single front 120mm fan, I have a Noctua NH-U9S 46.44CFM CPU cooler and besides that the only other fans in my case are on my graphics card. I understand that this is inadequate and I have come up with a plan and I want to know what you think of it. I ordered a Corsair H80i v2 and am planning to put that at the front of the case where the current included 120mm resides, move the 120mm to the side of the case (pulling air in or pushing it out? Not sure yet), and I have also ordered a 92mm fan for the rear exhaust. I've been trying to find good videos on pulling air vs pushing it front to back through the system and it's proving difficult to conclude the best solution.

However, there is an important second factor to take into consideration. I have added structure underneath my desk to support the PC and it fits pretty "snug." I have a standard L shaped desk so the freshest air would be available through the front of the case, but the last thing I want is for my PC to end up heating air up, pushing it out underneath my desk, and the sucking that still warm air back through the front again.

Current setup can be found here: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Kakoomba/saved/edit/?saved=BXHgBm
CPU: Intel Core i5-11600k (I would like to overclock if I can get the cooling under control)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9S
MOBO: Asus TUF Gaming B560M-PLUS Wifi micro atx
MEMORY: Silicon Power 32GB 4x8GB
STORAGE: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 250 GB NVME (C drive) & SanDisk SSD Plus 1TB 2.5" SSD
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB Founder Edition
CASE: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: EVGA GD (2019) 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Power Supply
Core 1000 Setup

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

best option would be to return the case and get something that allows more fan\radiator placement options and much better airflow.

also, place the system on top of the desk.
underneath is going to cause exactly what you are afraid of plus will be heating the air all around your legs & torso as you sit there.
and will be closer to any dust, dirt, etc from the ground.
possibly though adding a large static fan under the desk could help by blowing the exhausted air away from you & the system.

considering the cramped nature of this case and the lack of airflow;
removing any internal drive housing & 5.25" bays,
adding some high air pressure \ high airflow 120mm fans to the front & side as intakes,
adding a second NF-A9 fan to the NH-U9S CPU cooler,
and adding a NF-A9 fan to the rear as exhaust
would be the best possible solution here.

i seriously doubt the Corsair H80i v2 will do any better at all than the Noctua NH-U9S with dual fans.
i would actually expect it to perform worse.

 

[David Ralph]

best option would be to return the case and get something that allows more fan\radiator placement options and much better airflow.

also, place the system on top of the desk.
underneath is going to cause exactly what you are afraid of plus will be heating the air all around your legs & torso as you sit there.
and will be closer to any dust, dirt, etc from the ground.
possibly though adding a large static fan under the desk could help by blowing the exhausted air away from you & the system.

considering the cramped nature of this case and the lack of airflow;
removing any internal drive housing & 5.25" bays,
adding some high air pressure \ high airflow 120mm fans to the front & side as intakes,
adding a second NF-A9 fan to the NH-U9S CPU cooler,
and adding a NF-A9 fan to the rear as exhaust
would be the best possible solution here.

i seriously doubt the Corsair H80i v2 will do any better at all than the Noctua NH-U9S with dual fans.
i would actually expect it to perform worse.

Thanks for the reply. Definitely will look at higher airflow cases, but due to my current setup (I don't like L desks... but it was free lol) there's really no space to place it on top of my desk. I'm going to remove all of the extra bays and re cable manage in the meantime, hopefully that helps.

 

[David Ralph]

best option would be to return the case and get something that allows more fan\radiator placement options and much better airflow.

also, place the system on top of the desk.
underneath is going to cause exactly what you are afraid of plus will be heating the air all around your legs & torso as you sit there.
and will be closer to any dust, dirt, etc from the ground.
possibly though adding a large static fan under the desk could help by blowing the exhausted air away from you & the system.

considering the cramped nature of this case and the lack of airflow;
removing any internal drive housing & 5.25" bays,
adding some high air pressure \ high airflow 120mm fans to the front & side as intakes,
adding a second NF-A9 fan to the NH-U9S CPU cooler,
and adding a NF-A9 fan to the rear as exhaust
would be the best possible solution here.

i seriously doubt the Corsair H80i v2 will do any better at all than the Noctua NH-U9S with dual fans.
i would actually expect it to perform worse.

Just finished some cable management and realized I made a huge noob mistake. I had the cpu cooling fan blowing backwards facepalm, after correcting this and some light cable management, I was able to play a full match of star wars battlefront 2 (which is what caused my computer to shut off last night). I was watching the temps the entire time on my second monitor and my CPU peaked at 83 degrees Celsius which seems extreme. WITH the side panel OFF the entire time. I'm happy that it didn't shut down this time, but these temps just don't seem sustainable and thus my cooling journey continues lol.
Thanks for your help, I just wanted to respond with my findings for anyone else who happens upon this thread.