Question Liquid-cooled Ryzen 7 3700x running hotter than expected

[GregsBalls]

Im cooling my CPU with the NZXT Kraken X53 and running between 48-60 degrees Celsius. It's performing similar and in some cases worse than the stock Wraith cooler. The liquid in the loop stays anywhere between 28-31 degrees Celsius. I have the pump sitting at around 1300rpm, any higher and it makes a bad whining noise. The CPU isn't overclocked and regularly sits at 4.16-4.2gHz and 1.4V. Any suggestions to improve my temps?

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Those temperatures are very good. I would expect the stock cooler to be 10-20c hotter actually.

 

[GregsBalls]

Those temperatures are very good. I would expect the stock cooler to be 10-20c hotter actually.

The fact that the stock cooler was performing similar leads me to believe I probably screwed up the installation somehow. I screwed it in until it felt I was close to damaging something. Should I try tightening the screws maybe or would that make no difference?

 

[Gmoney06ss]

Are those load temps or idle temps?

You definitely do not want to over tighten the block. Just snug and in an x pattern.

If the pump is already making noise it's possible it's a bad unit, or possible there's an air bubble trapped in there. Pumps are usually designed to be ran at max speeds, and then control temps with the fan curve.

If you have more thermal paste it may not be a bad idea to make sure it's making good contact with the CPU.

 

[Karadjgne]

Call nzxt or rma the cooler. They do not need to be pump speed limited and if it's making a noise that audible there's a manufacturer defect. The pump should be almost silent at any speed.

Screws are made to stop. They should be tight, but not excessively so. If you can tighten them with little effort, they were not tight enough to begin with and the whirring sound could be nothing more than loose vibration noise. Just tighten in an X, not 0 or you run the risk of warping the mount, which leads to off-center pressure and can/will affect core temps and possibly cause errors.

The word is 'Snug', beyond that is damaging.