[SOLVED] Looking for opinions on my system

Dec 6, 2021
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I built this 5 years ago I believe, with the idea of going MSI and Corsair only (when possible).
MB: MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC
CPU: i9 9900K
Cooler: Corsair H100i v2
RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 PC-2666 16GB x 2
GPU: MSI/Corsair GTX 1080 Seahawk X
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB (+ a couple 7200 rpm hdds)
Case: Corsair Carbide 400C
PSU: Corsair RMX Series 80PLUS Gold 750W

A few days ago (because of BF2042 I guess) I finally thought after 5 years I could look at upgrades.
Worst time ever to upgrade GPU I know but oh well, I got an ASUS tuf gaming geforce rtx 3080 ti oc.
Why that card specifically? Because it is shorter than most 3080 ti's and would fit in my case for sure, reviews were positive)
Reading somewhere that the card would suck up to 500W and the Asus site recommending 850W for my configuration, upgraded PSU as well.

Current:
MB: MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC
CPU: i9 9900K
Cooler: Corsair H100i v2
RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 PC-2666 16GB x 2
GPU: ASUS tuf gaming geforce rtx 3080 ti oc
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB (+ a couple 7200 rpm hdds)
Case: Corsair Carbide 400C
PSU: Corsair RM850x 850W

New rig meaning benchmark..
Cinebench R15: CPU 1928 / OpenGL 133.26 fps
3DMARK (Time Spy): 17292 | CPU 10287 / Graphics 19654

I mainly do gaming and temps seem fine to me.
CPU: Idle 33~35℃ / in game 60~65℃
GPU: Idle 49℃ / in game 70~75℃

I ran Intel Extreme Tuning stress test to check max CPU temp but it ended up freezing each time.
Then I realized that when I bought the i9 9900K there weren't a lot of cooler options and just went with the H100i to keep with my idea of MSI and Corsair only.

Yesterday, I looked at the Noctua NH-D15 but with the fan sitting on top of the RAM, it would not fit in my case.
Then I looked at the Be quiet! BK022 that would fit but was wondering if it would actually be an improvement, and be worth getting lower temps just for gaming?

I don't manually overclock anything and just activate Game Boost and XMP on the motherboard.

So finally, now that you got the "reasoning" my question is, do you see any flaws, bottleneck or possible improvements that can be done to this build?
What do you think?

20211207-113411.jpg
 
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Solution
1)Should track down why the system freezes - the system isn't stable. Intel XTU stress test isn't that heavy - from reading, as well as personal experience. Cinebench R15 is outdated.
One of the first things I'd be looking at is this:
MB: MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC. A review right here says this board's VRM is adequate for NON-overclocked loads.
+
"I don't manually overclock anything and just activate Game Boost and XMP on the motherboard." Game Boost is an auto overclock.
+
AIOs typically do not provide as much direct airflow over mobo VRMs compared to air coolers, but if the VRM is beefy enough, it does not matter too much... but that's not the case here.

2)NH-D15: Vengeance LPX is 33.53mm tall. D15's front fan has a ram...
From a distance it does look like it can do with a bigger case. Feels like pretty crammed up in there but it might not be significant issue. The RMx 750w should have been fine for the 3080 as its a high quality unit. You might as well have put that money in a bigger tower. Asus and other such PSU recommendation sites usually factor in garbage PSUs while making wattage recommendations to be on the safer side. But anyways, I think overall you are good with that build.

As far as the IET test is concerned, it freezes or crashes if its unstable. There are other alternatives like OCT, AIDA, etc. Never used IET but back in the day the voltage settings were missing, not sure if it still is. Its one of the prime factors behind system instability.
 
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Phaaze88

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1)Should track down why the system freezes - the system isn't stable. Intel XTU stress test isn't that heavy - from reading, as well as personal experience. Cinebench R15 is outdated.
One of the first things I'd be looking at is this:
MB: MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC. A review right here says this board's VRM is adequate for NON-overclocked loads.
+
"I don't manually overclock anything and just activate Game Boost and XMP on the motherboard." Game Boost is an auto overclock.
+
AIOs typically do not provide as much direct airflow over mobo VRMs compared to air coolers, but if the VRM is beefy enough, it does not matter too much... but that's not the case here.

2)NH-D15: Vengeance LPX is 33.53mm tall. D15's front fan has a ram clearance of 31mm in its default position at 165mm tall. Carbide 400C has an air cooler limit of 170mm.
Just raise front fan 2mm, or move it behind the 2nd tower.
 
Solution
I have a top mounted radiator with push/pull, so 3 fans on both sides of the radiator to shovel air out the top of my case. Don't have a rear exhaust. Front and side intakes, 12 fans in total. I also have the ASUS TUF 3080 OC, thing made my side glass panel so hot so I went ahead and got a bigger case because thermals were outta wack.

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...d-Glass-Mid-Tower-ATX-PC-Case/p/CC-9011208-WW

This is what I upgraded to, got the white version. Thing is pretty big but it's still labeled a 'mid tower' so. Yeah with that card I would definitely get a bigger case to allow for more airflow.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ervXeVk0o


Pretty much followed that video, except I opted for the closed front panel as there's still openings along the sides of the front for airflow.
 
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Dec 6, 2021
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From a distance it does look like it can do with a bigger case. Feels like pretty crammed up in there but it might not be significant issue. The RMx 750w should have been fine for the 3080 as its a high quality unit. You might as well have put that money in a bigger tower. Asus and other such PSU recommendation sites usually factor in garbage PSUs while making wattage recommendations to be on the safer side. But anyways, I think overall you are good with that build.

As far as the IET test is concerned, it freezes or crashes if its unstable. There are other alternatives like OCT, AIDA, etc. Never used IET but back in the day the voltage settings were missing, not sure if it still is. Its one of the prime factors behind system instability.

Thanks for the input.
I didn't consider getting a bigger case. That would open to more CPU cooler options!
I'll give a try to OCT and AIDA and see if it's more stable.

Thank you!!
 
Last edited:
Dec 6, 2021
4
0
10
1)Should track down why the system freezes - the system isn't stable. Intel XTU stress test isn't that heavy - from reading, as well as personal experience. Cinebench R15 is outdated.
One of the first things I'd be looking at is this:
MB: MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC. A review right here says this board's VRM is adequate for NON-overclocked loads.
+
"I don't manually overclock anything and just activate Game Boost and XMP on the motherboard." Game Boost is an auto overclock.
+
AIOs typically do not provide as much direct airflow over mobo VRMs compared to air coolers, but if the VRM is beefy enough, it does not matter too much... but that's not the case here.

2)NH-D15: Vengeance LPX is 33.53mm tall. D15's front fan has a ram clearance of 31mm in its default position at 165mm tall. Carbide 400C has an air cooler limit of 170mm.
Just raise front fan 2mm, or move it behind the 2nd tower.

1) I'll try different stress tests (including the latest Cinebench) and see if it's actually stable.
If not, it could actually be my cooler not being good enough for that cpu.

2) Wow thanks for checking on that. So it should actually fit!

Thanks!!
 
Dec 6, 2021
4
0
10
I have a top mounted radiator with push/pull, so 3 fans on both sides of the radiator to shovel air out the top of my case. Don't have a rear exhaust. Front and side intakes, 12 fans in total. I also have the ASUS TUF 3080 OC, thing made my side glass panel so hot so I went ahead and got a bigger case because thermals were outta wack.

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...d-Glass-Mid-Tower-ATX-PC-Case/p/CC-9011208-WW

This is what I upgraded to, got the white version. Thing is pretty big but it's still labeled a 'mid tower' so. Yeah with that card I would definitely get a bigger case to allow for more airflow.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ervXeVk0o


Pretty much followed that video, except I opted for the closed front panel as there's still openings along the sides of the front for airflow.

Thanks for sharing, what are you GPU temps idle vs on load?
Did you notice any difference switching to the larger case?
I like the 5000D but just like the 400C it has that front panel. I wonder if that affects the front intake?

Thanks!
 
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I didn't considered getting a bigger case. That would open to more CPU cooler options!
When it comes to cases airflow should be the biggest consideration, and I trust GamerNexus...
https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3630-best-worst-pc-cases-2020
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBxo2_lwKps


I would say this case has it all, if the budget permits of course...

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
Case | Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 ATX Full Tower Case | $159.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $159.99
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-12-08 05:06 EST-0500 |
 
Noctua maintains a list of suitable coolers for each cpu.
Here is the one for the 9900K:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i9-9900K-307

If ram clearance is an issue, look at the NH-D15s.
The s variant is a high compatibility version that clears tall heat spreaders.
It is also slightly offset to clear large gpu backplates.

After 5 years, it is likely that air has eventually intruded into the aio.
Possibly debris in the pump.
They do not last forever.
What is your cpu temperature after a while idling?
It should be in the range of 10-15c. over ambient.
Much more would indicate a cooler change.

Put some strong intake fans in the front of the case.
That will also help cool the gpu and the motherboard vrm heatsinks.
Yemove the top fans, they would redirect the fresh air to the top of the case and out without doing much cooling.
 
Thanks for sharing, what are you GPU temps idle vs on load?
Did you notice any difference switching to the larger case?
I like the 5000D but just like the 400C it has that front panel. I wonder if that affects the front intake?

Thanks!
It does, but along the edges there are gaps that allow for airflow, as the front panel isn't a total wall for the front. If you watch the video you can see it in greater detail, or there is the option to go for the panel with the holes in it to help even more. I smoke in my room (not cigarettes) so I didn't opt for that open front panel though. My temps are in normal, ideal ranges under load. Idle we're blowing out cool air.
 
The 7700K was soon to be 'imminently released' 5 years ago. (I ordered mine in Feb 2017)

The 8700K was released in Oct 2017, and 9700K/9900K perhaps a year later...

In my opinion, the 9900K is still no slouch in anything.

Stand pat on CPU/mainboard/RAM.

You can decide when you feel the GTX1080 (which roughly matches an RTX 2060 even today) is no longer adequate.
 
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