Question New SFF Gaming Rig Intel CPU & Cooling

[nexuslotus]

I'm so puzzled and I really need good advice from experts on this forum. I would really appreciate your input and thank you so much in advance.

I have compromised myself to go with extremely SFF with limited space for cooling CPU for my new gaming rig. I currently play Overwatch and World of Warcraft but I could be playing different games in the future that require better CPU for decent FPS.

The case has CPU air cooler height clearance of 51mm and AIO radiator support for 120mm. It will have 3 additional case fans of 120mm.

I recently purchased i7-9700K but I'm returning it because it's running too hot when I'm playing games for 3-4 hours. Even though it does not reach 90+ degrees, I do not want my rig to become a heater plus I believe 9700K is a overkill for those two games.

I'm in search for a new Intel CPU that runs much cooler but at the same time I want to get the CPU with the fastest single core performance.

I looked at Intel Desktop Processor Comparison Chart for both i7 and i5 and I considered following CPUs that have TDP rating of 65W. Please let me know if buying CPU with TDP rating of 65W does not mean it will run much cooler(not per core but meaning less CPU cooling required overall) than the ones rated 95W.

Processor, Base and Max Turbo Frequency
i7-9700 (3.0, 4.7)
i7-8700 (3.2, 4.6)
i5-9600 (3.1, 4.6)
i5-8600 (3.1, 4.3)

Since they all have TDP rating of 65W, would running temperature while playing games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft be similar to each other under the same environment?

Things to consider
(1) The cost is not an issue. I do not mind paying extra so the value per dollar is not important. I would like to get the fastest CPU that can be cooled in my rig for some future proofing.
(2) I do not mind non-K versions even though it's not a wise choice considering price difference is small.
(3) I will be using GTX 1080, Z390 motherboard, and 1440p 144Hz monitor. I already bought Z390 motherboard and cannot exchange it. I understand if I get non-K version, I won't be utilizing OC feature but that is OK.
(4) No custom liquid cooling
(5) No AMD and Ryzen

Lastly, I know 120mm AIO cooler is not any better than decent air cooler but with 51mm height clearance limit, I can only get air cooler something like Noctua NH-L9i. Under this condition, wouldn't 120mm AIO be better than low profile air cooler? Please recommend which type of cooler I should use and what model.

 

[jeremyj_83]

Both of the i7's are going to get very hot and consume a lot of power. Intel's TDP is almost a complete lie now of days. The only time you will get a 65WTDP is when you are at the base clock and motherboards set the powerlimit on the CPUs to be unlimited by default. The 8700 will consume just about 2x its rated TDP during heavy usage and the Notcua NH-L9i is only rated for 65W TDP. The non HT CPUs are better with their TDP, but will still go into the 90's. Your best bet would be an AIO. The Corsair H60 (2018) is a good AIO. https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/corsair_h60_review,1.html

 

[nexuslotus]

@jeremyj_83 , Thank you so much for your advice. Which CPU would you recommend? I currently have i7-4790K and Noctua NH-L9i cools it without any problem. I know i7-4790K is such an amazing CPU with single core performance for gaming. Would i5-9600 or i5-8600 still be a good upgrade if I pair with DDR4 3200 RAM 32gb? I currently have DDR3 1600 16gb. What would be the running temperature of those two CPUs while gaming? Would they be about the same as i7-4790K?

 

[delaro]

i5-9600? Don't think you can find that yet, the K variant in gaming terms is pretty close to i7-9700K, or even the i9-9900K. All seem overpriced when you look at the performance per dollar of the higher end Ryzen chips which will just get worst with the 3000 series launch.

An i5 8600 + GTX 1080 @ 1440p in WoW will dip down to 40 fps in the absolute worst possible settings " Multiply 40 man raids on World Boss which is punishing on everything" The rest of the time that chip has no issues at all maxing the game out and that is the cheapest option from your list. In WoW and Overwatch, anything above an 8600 isn't going to benefit you all that much at least in my opinion and not for the added price tag.

As far as coolers go for an SFF.

Corsair Hydro H5 SF " good for up to 180W" has no issue at all cooling a moderately overclocked i7-4790K "4.8ghz", It's been around a few years now so no flashy RGB stuff and it's quite ugly.

 

[geofelt]

What is the make/model of your case?
What is the make/model of your motherboard?
With 51mm available, that is about the only situation where I can recommend an aio cooler.
One with a 120mm radiator is probably what you will end up with.

How many threads are useful to you in your games?
Before backing off to 4 or 6, try to see how sensitive your games are to thread count.
You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option.
You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. Set the number of threads to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many threads.
If you see little difference, your game does not need all the threads you have.

The Main reason for heat is high voltage.
If your motherboard supports overclocking, you could experiment with various combinations of clock rates and voltages.
You might, for example specify just one thread for maximum performance and limit the others.