Recommended cooler for an FX-9590 Black Edition

[SirFerret]

Just upgraded my old FX-6300 with a new FX-9590, and am having tons of overheating issues even under little loads. The current cooler seems to be pretty beefy (Cooler Master Nepton 120XL), as it had no trouble cooling my older CPU, even with a heavy overclock.

So my question to you guys is what kind of cooler is able to keep this new CPU happy? Even at the max stock turbo speed of 5.1GHz, with maybe some overclocking headroom? I was looking at a Corsair Hydro H100i, as it seems to have a lot of decent reviews. I will also be buying a new case for the dual radiator, as my old case (NZXT Source 210) doesn't have room for one. Was leaning towards a Fractal Design Define R5, so any case ideas are also welcome.

Edit: It also might be a motherboard (AsusM5A99FX PRO R2.0) issue, as according to the specs it only supports CPUs up to 140w, but 9590 is still listed as supported, although with a note for "Due to the high TDP, please be noted there are limitations while using this CPU(i.e. special thermal required..".

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Karsten75]

Yea, lately we've seen a few of these threads. Turns out some on-motherboard components may heat up significantly and you need good airflow even when using liquid cooling. That's what the note you mention refers to.

 

[Cryio]

The cooler isn't the problem. The motherboard is. There are only like 3 motherboards certified for FX 9590. And even then, you really can't overclock the 9590 more than 5.1 GHz. The CPU becomes too instable.

 

[SirFerret]

The cooler isn't the problem. The motherboard is. There are only like 3 motherboards certified for FX 9590. And even then, you really can't overclock the 9590 more than 5.1 GHz. The CPU becomes too instable.

You are on to something here. I did a little more research, and apparently this CPU doesn't like the "turbo" auto tuning modes motherboards usually have on by default. I turned that setting off, and am running fine at the default 4.7GHz. Temps are not bad, so I might be able to get close to the 5GHz without upgrading anything. The CPU likes to be kept at one constant speed and voltage, instead of being jumped up and down from 3.5GHz to 5.1Ghz.

 

[tAKticool]

Did not your CPU come with a liquid cooler? I was just about to buy an FX 9590 Black Edition but went a different route w/ Intel , but the CPU came with the cooler, I guess you got a different package?

 

[SirFerret]

Did not your CPU come with a liquid cooler? I was just about to buy an FX 9590 Black Edition but went a different route w/ Intel , but the CPU came with the cooler, I guess you got a different package?

Yes you are right about the cooler, as the OEM package that is like 250-300 dollars comes with a liquid cooler. I just purchased the chip separately because it was a good price ($170), and I already had a decent cooler for basic operation.

 

[RobCrezz]

Really need one of the 240mm AIOs or the high end air like the Noctua D15.

 

[Karsten75]

The cooler isn't the problem. The motherboard is. There are only like 3 motherboards certified for FX 9590. And even then, you really can't overclock the 9590 more than 5.1 GHz. The CPU becomes too instable.

I'm curious. Do you have a list of motherboards that are certified? If I look at manufacturer websites, I find some that state it's supported with caveats (like the Asus mobo under discussion), and some on the ASRock site that says unequivocally that they support 220W processors.

But a list, I've not seen and it seems that even some that claim support can't really be used to push the processor to the max.

It's also my understanding that the "stock" speed of this processor already incorporates a significant overclock from AMD itself, hence the massive TDP - that leaves little room for aftermarket overclocking.

 

[Gam3r01]

Your choices for the 9000 series:

Asrock 970 Performance
ASRock 990FX Extreme9
ASRock 990FX Extreme6
Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z
Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0
Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 R4.0\5.0
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7
MSI 990FXA-GD80V2

AMD.COM

The 9590 is just a factory OCed 8320. You can do the exact same thing yourself by OCing the 8320 to the 9590 speeds.
You motherboard technically supports the processor, but it is not the best for it.

 

[Karsten75]

Your choices for the 9000 series:

Asrock 970 Performance
ASRock 990FX Extreme9
ASRock 990FX Extreme6
Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z
Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0
Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 R4.0\5.0
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7
MSI 990FXA-GD80V2

AMD.COM

The 9590 is just a factory OCed 8320. You can do the exact same thing yourself by OCing the 8320 to the 9590 speeds.
You motherboard technically supports the processor, but it is not the best for it.

That's a good list, and similar to what I've seen from Asus and ASRock.

What drives me batty, though is the thermal specifications for the M5A99FX PRO R2.0, as an example, specifically says it's "up to 140W." Then if one looks in the CPU support list, the FX-9590( is listed, with a caveat about "special thermals" - but I'll be cross-eyed before one can find an official explanation for that caveat.

So we speculate that it needs the liquid cooler, but then some here mention that the 220W load also places a terrific strain on the VRMsand other components on the motherboard, causing them to heat up and that may then contribute to instability. In that case, special thermals might refer to improved cooling (airflow) in specific locations on the motherboard.

And, as you observed, it's just a factory OC'd 3820.

I wish AMD and Asus never inflicted this on their customers. It's just not right.

 

[Gam3r01]

To my knowledge that special thermals simply means reduced clock speeds. It will run the processor, but at a mild OC rather than factory settings.