[SOLVED] How hard is it to replace a CPU cooler?

[Clueless1200]

Hi,

My system is loud as all hell, and I assume it's because I've got a Ryzen 3700X with a stock cooler. If I replaced it, would a complete nub like me be able to do it myself? I've only ever replaced RAM.

Specs:
RTX 2070 Super
Ryzen 3700X + stock cooler
Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16GB (3200mhz)
Corsair TX650M 650W Modular 80+ Gold PSU
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro 512GB M.2-2280 NVMe PCIe SSD
Crucial MX500 1TB 2.5" SATA III SSD
Seagate BarraCuda 2TB SATA III 3.5" HDD
BitFenix Spectre PWM 140mm Fan - White (x2)
Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO AMD Socket AM4 Motherboard

If there are any coolers out there that are white to go with my colour scheme, that'd be a plus, but not important at the end of the day. Thanks in advance.

 

[richiestang_78]

Its pretty easy. What case do you have?

 

[Wolfshadw]

The hardest part about replacing a CPU cooler isn't the actual installation, but making sure everything you disconnected in order to remove the motherboard gets reconnected properly. It can be a challenge and while it's certainly doable, it's not something I'd recommend for someone who's never built a system... but we all have to start somewhere.

If you take good notes, take lots of pictures, and even label each of the motherboard connections as you remove them, it shouldn't be that difficult.

I'll leave recommendations to other folks as I tend to just use the stock coolers.

-Wolf sends

 

[Gmoney06ss]

There are a few white aios on the market, but no white air coolers I can think of.

Like said, it's a fairly easy process depending on your case.

 

[richiestang_78]

There are a few white aios on the market, but no white air coolers I can think of.

Like said, it's a fairly easy process depending on your case.

Noctua makes the Chromax NA HC4 and NA HC6 covers in white for some of their air coolers. And Cryorig makes the R1 which come sin white.

He could also just buy a standard metal cooler and get white fans.

 

[rickypicky5]

Some CPU heatsink/fan solutions as well as AIO kits come with pre-applied thermal paste/pads, and some don't. If you need to apply your own thermal paste, make sure you look at some online videos on how to do it properly. Too much paste or too little may effect your cooling performance.

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of your case?
Most good cases have 160mm height available for a good air cooler.
Modern cases will also have a sufficiently large motherboard cut out to allow you to install a backplate which most coolers use.

The process is relatively simple.
As a tip, first run your cpu a bit to heat it up.
That softens the paste and lets you easily lift off the old cooler.
Clean the cpu die with alcohol (91% is best, 72% is ok)and a lint free paper. I use coffee filters.
A small drop of paste in the center of the die is the simplest.
It will spread out under heat and temperature.

Probably the simplest and best cooler mounting system comes from Noctua.
Noctua fans are also very quiet.
larger fans move more air and are more quiet.
You should be looking at the cooler versions with at least 120mm fans.
Check their web site for details on compatibility.
https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail
Most coolers will be silver in color, but black is becoming more available(at a price premium).
Aesthetics count, but to my mind, pretty is as pretty does. I have no problem with the beige noctua fans.
If anything, beige is a sign of quality.

 

[Clueless1200]

Its pretty easy. What case do you have?

What is the make/model of your case?

Oh yeah sorry, forgot to mention the case. It's an NZXT H500.

The colour is just a bonus for me though really, I'm not gonna go through a whole bunch of trouble for it. The quality and price is more important - I don't know how much these things usually cost but I could probably spend up to £80.

 

[geofelt]

NZXT is a very good case with 165mm headroom.
You can install any air cooler you want.
Ryzen does not overclock well so a top cooler is not necessary.
For best cooling and quietness a good suggestion might be the noctua NH-D15s. About $80.
It uses a 140mm fan sandwiched between two towers.
You will hardly see the fan and the package is exceptionally quiet.
The cooler ships with a couple of low noise adapters so you can select the noise vs. cooling balance that is good for you.

 

[Clueless1200]

NZXT is a very good case with 165mm headroom.
You can install any air cooler you want.
Ryzen does not overclock well so a top cooler is not necessary.
For best cooling and quietness a good suggestion might be the noctua NH-D15s. About $80.
It uses a 140mm fan sandwiched between two towers.
You will hardly see the fan and the package is exceptionally quiet.
The cooler ships with a couple of low noise adapters so you can select the noise vs. cooling balance that is good for you.

OK, cool. Although, will I definitely have to remove the motherboard to do that? If that's the case I honestly might wait until the world is normal again and get somebody to fit it for me, I don't trust myself with that.

 

[geofelt]

You are good.
Take the right side cover off.
You should see a huge opening which lets you access any backplate you might need

 

[Clueless1200]

You are good.
Take the right side cover off.
You should see a huge opening which lets you access any backplate you might need

Hey, would the Noctua NH-U12S be any good in terms of noise and easy-ish installation? The D15 looks fine, except I don't love how it partially covers the RAM.

 

[geofelt]

For noise and easy installation, the NH-U12S would be very good.
If you are OK with the price of a NH-D15, look at the NH-D15s.
The NH-D15s is a high compatibility version of the NH-D15.
It is designed to clear tall ram heat spreaders.
One other non obvious difference is that the D15s is also offset to avoid conflicts with a graphics card.

 

[Crivel43lo]

You should evacuate the bygone one typically 4 screws, clean the old warm glue off with liquor, apply another globule of warm glue, and introduce the new cooler tellpopeyes.