[SOLVED] My rig keeps hitting 90+ degrees

[Mad Ewok]

I am currently running this rig:
Case: Corsair Carbide SPEC-06 RGB TG Tower
GPU: Geforce RTX 2080 super dual evo oc v2
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H60 CPU Cooler

While playing AC:Odyssey (1440p with 60 fps) I've been using CoreTemp to monitor the temperatures and it seems I am wayyy above the recommended temperatures. It seems to avg at around 78-81 C after an hour of playing and occationally pops up in the 90-range after 2 hours of playing.

What can I do to get my rig within safe temperatures? I am looking into other coolers, but I honestly don't know which coolers are powerful enough to cool my system. I feel somewhat scammed as customer support recommended this cooler and assured me it would be sufficient.

 

[Phaaze88]

Don't use Core Temp for that cpu. Use Ryzen Master or HWINFO.

How old is that cpu cooler?
Where is it mounted in the case? Is it intake or exhaust?

 

[Mad Ewok]

Don't use Core Temp for that cpu. Use Ryzen Master or HWINFO.

How old is that cpu cooler?
Where is it mounted in the case? Is it intake or exhaust?

I've added a picture of the rig. The CPU is hardly 6 months old. I assume the intake is exhaust as there is only 1 fan on the back(It was mounted by the store provider).

 

[Phaaze88]

Ok, but I still can't see the fan and because of that, I can't tell whether the provider mounted the cooler as intake or exhaust.'

Now, what does either Ryzen Master or HWINFO say about temps?

 

[Mad Ewok]

Ok, but I still can't see the fan and because of that, I can't tell whether the provider mounted the cooler as intake or exhaust.'

Now, what does either Ryzen Master or HWINFO say about temps?

It seems ryzen master gives overall lower temps, but i still max out at about 88 degrees. There's no way to get a good picture, but i can try. The picture is from the back of the case. The blades are pointed towards the camera and the fan spins clockwise from this angle. Sorry for the poor explanation, but I believe it looks like it is an exhaust fan.

My temperatures look something like this:

 

[bryanc723]

It looks to be, and should be exhausting to me. Assuming it spins clockwise. (It shouldn't actually be exhausting, but based on location it should be...)
Do you have any other case fans? They should be intake fans, and if you don't have any, you really need some.
What's the room temp the computer is in? Obviously the AiO can't cool it much if the room itself is hot.
Has it always ran hot or is this a pretty new situation? Or do you even know? If its been cooling well until recently it could be something as simple as blowing off the radiator fins, and if you don't know or it has always ran hot, it could be a thermal paste issue.

If i had to take a guess, i would assume you only have the 1 fan, on the AiO and no other proper intake fans in the case. So 1 exhaust fan only?
If this is indeed the case, if you make the AiO fan an intake you should see pretty dramatic improvement over what it is now, and if you add some intake and exhaust fans to the case, it could only be better. This is also assuming the thermal paste is doing its job correctly.

 

[Mad Ewok]

It looks to be, and should be exhausting to me. Assuming it spins clockwise. (It shouldn't actually be exhausting, but based on location it should be...)
Do you have any other case fans? They should be intake fans, and if you don't have any, you really need some.
What's the room temp the computer is in? Obviously the AiO can't cool it much if the room itself is hot.
Has it always ran hot or is this a pretty new situation? Or do you even know? If its been cooling well until recently it could be something as simple as blowing off the radiator fins, and if you don't know or it has always ran hot, it could be a thermal paste issue.

If i had to take a guess, i would assume you only have the 1 fan, on the AiO and no other proper intake fans in the case. So 1 exhaust fan only?
If this is indeed the case, if you make the AiO fan an intake you should see pretty dramatic improvement over what it is now, and if you add some intake and exhaust fans to the case, it could only be better. This is also assuming the thermal paste is doing its job correctly.

I do have 1 intake fan to the front. I think you have a point about the room, my gaming room is rather small and gets hot rather quickly even with the window fully open. That said, I believe the graphics card is the main reason for the high temperatures. On CPU-heavy games like arma 3 i avg. at around 70-75 degrees even after several hours of playtime, but the moment i launch GPU-heavy games like AC:Odyssey or Cod:Warzone the rig gets really hot within an hour.

 

[Phaaze88]

It is running as exhaust.

Do you have any other fans in the case? If so, they should be installed in the top as exhaust.
Corsair's Spec 06's design hurts front intake fans - the front panel is a significant choke point. This case should operate a little better as negative pressure.

I would also suggest taking the AIO out - if you have some thermal paste on hand, if not, skip it, as it was to suggest blowing some of the dust out of the radiator.

Anyways, take the radiator out, and turn it 180 degrees so the tubing is entering the radiator from the bottom instead.
What this does is: these units are not topped off with fluid - there is some air present. What the 180 flip will do is cause the pump to push air trapped in the loop to the opposite end of the rad, where it will get trapped there and not interfere with the unit's performance.

 

[Mad Ewok]

It is running as exhaust.

Do you have any other fans in the case? If so, they should be installed in the top as exhaust.
Corsair's Spec 06's design hurts front intake fans - the front panel is a significant choke point. This case should operate a little better as negative pressure.

I would also suggest taking the AIO out - if you have some thermal paste on hand, if not, skip it, as it was to suggest blowing some of the dust out of the radiator.

Anyways, take the radiator out, and turn it 180 degrees so the tubing is entering the radiator from the bottom instead.
What this does is: these units are not topped off with fluid - there is some air present. What the 180 flip will do is cause the pump to push air trapped in the loop to the opposite end of the rad, where it will get trapped there and not interfere with the unit's performance.

I do have an intake to the front of the case. And you're right, the case seems like a significant choke point for the intake in the front of the case. Are you suggesting i move my intake fan? Also, where can I read more about creating negative pressure in my setup?

The radiator trick seems brilliant. However, I wonder if it will be enough to lower my temperatures to more acceptable ranges. It seems my graphics card generates a ton of heat when I play graphically demanding games. Thank you for the detailed responses!

 

[bryanc723]

Well, with your AiO being the exhaust fan, and the 1 intake, you have positive pressure in the tank, with most of the air being warmed up before it ever hits your radiator as it exhausts. I definitely agree with having your case at negative pressure unless you can flip your water radiator to make it an intake with your other fan as an exhaust. It's hard to say whether or not that would work well since the intake would be high and the exhaust low tho. Having the air pocket at the top of the radiator instead of circulating also makes sense.

Really, knowing that, I would say just mess with your fans for a few days to find what gets you the lowest temperatures as far as their placement is concerned. You might have to get an extra fan to get your desired results however.

 

[Phaaze88]

Kinda long post - bad habit of mine, sorry!

Are you suggesting i move my intake fan?

Yes.

Also, where can I read more about creating negative pressure in my setup?

Spoiler

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh6F2eccMec


Google text versions.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLX54ounENY


Here's one on a known(?) negative pressure case, the NZXT H500 series:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ixFt7h8fak

This chassis is preinstalled with rear and top exhaust fans - no intakes. This is the best overall setup for it - at least, on air cooling. I would suggest saving the front of the case for a liquid cooler.

Some people will stand by one or the other regardless of a user's scenario.
Me? I believe it depends. And those factors are:
-Chassis design
-The type of coolers being used(cpu and gpu)
-What is being cooled
-The devices being cooled are overclocked?
-The specs of the chassis fans, where and how they're being used

However, I wonder if it will be enough to lower my temperatures to more acceptable ranges. It seems my graphics card generates a ton of heat when I play graphically demanding games.

I have doubts about whether or not it'll work in the end:
1)The 'obstacles': the more obstacles present, and the greater they are for air to go through/around, the weaker it becomes.
Front panel has these little gaps in 4 directions, and the air has to turn upon entering.
Rear panel has the fan currently pulling through the radiator and out though the fan grille.
Currently, I believe your chassis is already negative, but you just don't have enough fans running inside.
A Ryzen 3600 is quite undemanding and easy to keep cool, a 2080 Super is another story.

2)Psu shrouds. They do more than just make the chassis look pretty internally. They also seal off a potential source of air for the gpu; from the bottom.

3)This covers the previous points: Silence-focused, or choked front panel chassis, are the enemy of high power gpus.
You've got a 300w gpu in there, and airflow is restricted from the front and the bottom. it's getting most of it's air from the rear of the chassis. If high temps are a concern, then that's not enough for it.

I think you will need to liquid cool the gpu(Kraken G12 kit) if you want it to run a good deal lower than it currently is while keeping with the current chassis.

 

[Mad Ewok]

I think you will need to liquid cool the gpu(Kraken G12 kit) if you want it to run a good deal lower than it currently is while keeping with the current chassis.

No worries about the long post, I am learning a lot from this thread. Unfortunately i think you're right about the limitations of my case. I'll make sure to get a Kraken G12 for my gpu, and if I understand you correctly it should be mounted in the front where the intake is mounted now? Also, to increase airflow, should I invest in an additional fan as well and place both the existing intake and the new exhaust at the top of the cabinet? I watched all the videos you linked and I'm not sure if this setup will cause turbulence inside the rig. Once again, thank you for such a detailed response, highlighting the issues I currently face with my setup.

Considering how expensive my components are, I want to do everything I can to cool it down so that it doesn't break down prematurely from repeatedly overheating.

 

[Phaaze88]

1)You could do either front or top mounted rad if you want.
Top: up to 240mm
Front: up to 360mm for 120mm sized rads, and 280mm for 140mm sized rads.

2)You need more fans in the PC simply because of the 2080 Super. If you had a gpu on the lighter side, like a 1660 Super, the 2 fan config would be fine, I'd bet.

3)It's best to experiment with fan setups, but in most chassis that aren't high airflow types, a negative pressure setup works best for 'em.
Another reason why has to do with the design of some of them - for example, Bitfenix's Enso.
Putting front panel fans in this chassis actually had the funky behavior of said fans grabbing the warm exhaust air and recirculating it inside the chassis!

4)I think the cheapest thing you could do without replacing the chassis is down below - because that would be the cheapest thing you could do, but if you like it, that's cool.
You like what you like, and I'm not gonna touch that - just make do with what you have.
Cpu: the 120mm AIO can stay in the rear as exhaust
Gpu: Kraken G12 mounting kit - compatibility list for AIOs included in the specs - front mounted as intake, or top mounted as either intake or exhaust - experiment
If you choose to do the top mounted AIO, get some high static pressure fans(like 2.0mmH2O or higher) for the front.

 

[Mad Ewok]

1)You could do either front or top mounted rad if you want.
Top: up to 240mm
Front: up to 360mm for 120mm sized rads, and 280mm for 140mm sized rads.

2)You need more fans in the PC simply because of the 2080 Super. If you had a gpu on the lighter side, like a 1660 Super, the 2 fan config would be fine, I'd bet.

3)It's best to experiment with fan setups, but in most chassis that aren't high airflow types, a negative pressure setup works best for 'em.
Another reason why has to do with the design of some of them - for example, Bitfenix's Enso.
Putting front panel fans in this chassis actually had the funky behavior of said fans grabbing the warm exhaust air and recirculating it inside the chassis!

4)I think the cheapest thing you could do without replacing the chassis is down below - because that would be the cheapest thing you could do, but if you like it, that's cool.
You like what you like, and I'm not gonna touch that - just make do with what you have.
Cpu: the 120mm AIO can stay in the rear as exhaust
Gpu: Kraken G12 mounting kit - compatibility list for AIOs included in the specs - front mounted as intake, or top mounted as either intake or exhaust - experiment
If you choose to do the top mounted AIO, get some high static pressure fans(like 2.0mmH2O or higher) for the front.

Thank you so much for being so patient with me. I've seen some reviews on the kraken mounting set and the temperature change looks very promising.

Some final questions: You mention needing high static pressure fans. Does this mean that if I decide to mount the kraken radiator and AIO fan as exhaust in the top, I would need a powerful fan in the front as well? And this would serve as an extra intake i suppose? In this case, would something like this be overkill? (It does seem quite loud compared to the 1,6 H2O rating fans). Once again, thank you for all the time and effort you've put into answering this post so far, you've provided some very clear and detailed responses for which I am grateful.

 

[Phaaze88]

You mention needing high static pressure fans. Does this mean that if I decide to mount the kraken radiator and AIO fan as exhaust in the top, I would need a powerful fan in the front as well? And this would serve as an extra intake i suppose? In this case, would something like this be overkill? (It does seem quite loud compared to the 1,6 H2O rating fans). Once again, thank you for all the time and effort you've put into answering this post so far, you've provided some very clear and detailed responses for which I am grateful.

1)Yes. SP fans are best for dealing with major airflow obstacles.
2)Those are not overkill, nor would I consider it loud either. 30dBA is when things start getting loud.
3)You're very welcome!