[SOLVED] Ryzen 9 5950X: Cooling and case buying advice

[Nanako]

A couple months ago, I got a Ryzen 9 5950X. I have not overclocked it, just running on stock settings
It is a very awesome CPU and i'm pretty happy with it. But I've noticed things slowing down with extended play sessions in high intensity games, particularly VR. So I started up FPSVR to have a look during Blade & Sorcery at a time when the framerate was chugging, and noticed two key details:

1. Performance was being bottlenecked by the CPU. Which shouldn't be the case since it's the most absurdly overpowered component in this machine.
2. The CPU was running at 91 celsius

so, it seems pretty clear what's going on here. My CPU is gradually overheating and starts throttling itself. I need to get a better cooling system for it.

I'm currently just using the stock AMD cooler on the CPU, which came with a previous CPU i had before this one. It's apparently called Wraith prism, and its a fancy assemblage of pipes , heatsinks and fans. But it's pretty compact, and I know size matters when it comes to cooling
This seems to be fine for normal use, the heating only occurs after about 30 minutes of intense gaming
The current cooler for reference: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wraith-Cooler-Processor-AM4-Connector/dp/B07GKRR5WR

Once upon a time, I had a silly idea of getting a fancy closed loop watercooling system installed. That plan didn't work out unfortunately when I found out that my case lacks the space inside to fit it. The case i'm using is a Vibox Element X, here's what it looks inside
https://i0.wp.com/www.play3r.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Vibox-Element-X-Blue-8.jpg

I think this case was kinda cheap junk though, i bought it specifically for watercooling and I was pretty disappointed that it wouldn't fit. But anyways that was years ago.

So now, I have a cooling problem I need to solve. And I also have a big budget. I'm happy to toss a thousand quid at this problem if needed, no settling for cheap half measures this time. I am looking for recommendations

I should probably get a better cooler. Air or water, i don't know, whatever works. I would ideally like it to be pretty quiet (when not under intensive use) as I leave the computer on overnight in the same room i sleep in. For that same reason, something without silly RGB lights would be nice, although these are minor factors.

I might need to get a new case and i'm open to that too. If so, I should go for one that is significantly bigger, this vibox feels pretty cramped. Please post suggestions

Looking forward to replies!

My Current CPU Specs:
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix X470-F
Memory: 32 GB DDR4 (4x8GB)
Video: Nvidia RTX 3060 TI (this is a huge card)
Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum (specifics unknown)
CPU: Ryzen 9 5950X
Cooler: Wraith Prism AMD
Drives: 3x 3.5" drives (two of these are SSDs inside a 3.5" holder, one is a normal platter drive)

 

[tennis2]

What country are you shopping in?

Please list all PC components so we can choose a case that houses everything you have.

 

[JeffreyP55]

A couple months ago, I got a Ryzen 9 5950X. I have not overclocked it, just running on stock settings
It is a very awesome CPU and i'm pretty happy with it. But I've noticed things slowing down with extended play sessions in high intensity games, particularly VR. So I started up FPSVR to have a look during Blade & Sorcery at a time when the framerate was chugging, and noticed two key details:

1. Performance was being bottlenecked by the CPU. Which shouldn't be the case since it's the most absurdly overpowered component in this machine.
2. The CPU was running at 91 celsius

so, it seems pretty clear what's going on here. My CPU is gradually overheating and starts throttling itself. I need to get a better cooling system for it.

I'm currently just using the stock AMD cooler on the CPU, which came with a previous CPU i had before this one. It's apparently called Wraith prism, and its a fancy assemblage of pipes , heatsinks and fans. But it's pretty compact, and I know size matters when it comes to cooling
This seems to be fine for normal use, the heating only occurs after about 30 minutes of intense gaming
The current cooler for reference: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wraith-Cooler-Processor-AM4-Connector/dp/B07GKRR5WR

Once upon a time, I had a silly idea of getting a fancy closed loop watercooling system installed. That plan didn't work out unfortunately when I found out that my case lacks the space inside to fit it. The case i'm using is a Vibox Element X, here's what it looks inside
https://i0.wp.com/www.play3r.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Vibox-Element-X-Blue-8.jpg

I think this case was kinda cheap junk though, i bought it specifically for watercooling and I was pretty disappointed that it wouldn't fit. But anyways that was years ago.

So now, I have a cooling problem I need to solve. And I also have a big budget. I'm happy to toss a thousand quid at this problem if needed, no settling for cheap half measures this time. I am looking for recommendations

I should probably get a better cooler. Air or water, i don't know, whatever works. I would ideally like it to be pretty quiet (when not under intensive use) as I leave the computer on overnight in the same room i sleep in. For that same reason, something without silly RGB lights would be nice, although these are minor factors.

I might need to get a new case and i'm open to that too. If so, I should go for one that is significantly bigger, this vibox feels pretty cramped. Please post suggestions

Looking forward to replies!

I am partial to full towers and Liquid cooling w/360mm for my cooling my 5950x. 5950x, 3080ti FTW3 ultra generates some real heat. 5950x did not come with a cooler.

 

[tennis2]

We're talking about cooling ~150-200W. That's not terribly difficult. Something like a Noctua NH-U14S or DeepCool AS500 would be more than sufficient.

If you're manually OCing past PBO, then we might need to explore things like big rads.

 

[Nanako]

What country are you shopping in?

Please list all PC components so we can choose a case that houses everything you have.

UK, scotland specifically
I have edited the hardware info into the original post

 

[Nanako]

We're talking about cooling ~150-200W. That's not terribly difficult. Something like a Noctua NH-U14S or DeepCool AS500 would be more than sufficient.

If you're manually OCing past PBO, then we might need to explore things like big rads.

I don't have specific plans for overclocking, though i guess I wouldn't rule it out.

I looked up the coolers you mentioned, they look rather large with significant protrusion from the board, I fear they wouldn't fit inside my current case

But im not attached to this case, i just need a recommendation for a replacement

If we can go really powerful with the cooling, what would you recommend for an enthusiast. Budget isnt an issue

 

[Lafong]

Go to you typical hardware sources in Scotland.

Take a gander at cases from Phanteks, Fractal Design, or Lian-Li.

Those will be above average to excellent.

Pick out something that appeals to you that is wide enough to accommodate your chosen cooler. Spec sheets on any case candidate should state maximum cooler height and any cooler candidate spec sheet should state cooler height.

I'd go with an upper level air cooler. Noctua is one of the better brands, along with Be Quiet. Maybe single tower. Twin tower if you are largely indifferent to expense.

You may have RAM clearance issues with certain coolers, so inspect that possible problem.

You've got a good budget, so you should be able to afford upper level stuff....although prices are considerably higher than 3 years ago.

 

[tennis2]

I looked up the coolers you mentioned, they look rather large with significant protrusion from the board, I fear they wouldn't fit inside my current case

But im not attached to this case, i just need a recommendation for a replacement

If we can go really powerful with the cooling, what would you recommend for an enthusiast. Budget isnt an issue

I'd recommend getting a new case. The current one is not great.

Cases are difficult to recommend since there's a significant factor of aesthetic preference that's unique to every buyer, but:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Deepcool AS500 70.81 CFM CPU Cooler (£39.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Silverstone SETA A1 ATX Mid Tower Case (£91.49 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £131.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-27 20:39 BST+0100

Things I look for in cases:

• Obvious fitment for GPU, CPU cooler, storage drives.
• Number of included fans. Hopefully 140mm or larger front fans. You're usually going to get a single 120mm rear exhaust preinstalled.
• Front panel USB-C. While not super common yet, this is just a step in future - proofing
• Dust filters
• Decent amount of open space in front panel. Whether that's mesh on the front, or mesh venting along the sides of the front. Difficult to satisfy the mathematics, but can be done visually. More open space = better obviously.

 

[Nanako]

I'd recommend getting a new case. The current one is not great.

Cases are difficult to recommend since there's a significant factor of aesthetic preference that's unique to every buyer, but:

I have no aesthetic preference, a plain featureless black box would do fine
I picked this case based on aesthetics and regret that decision

Anyways the one you've picked, looks to be about the same size, the current case is about 20cm wide, i really think my next one ought to be significantly larger, to fit these big coolers. Any recommendations for something with more width that can accomodate big cooler height?

 

[tennis2]

Luckily cooler fitment is not a guesswork task. Every (reputable) case manufacturer provides fitment data for the user.

In the example of the Silverstone A1:
https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=894&area=en#fgo-spec

Limitation of CPU cooler

175mm

And the cooler manufacturers provide their physical data also:
https://us.deepcool.com/products/Cooling/cpuaircoolers/AS500-CPU-Cooler/2021/8616.shtml
(164mm tall)

So you're good with that combo.

Most modern ATX cases with comfortably house a 140mm tower cooler, especially ones that take 140mm font/top fans. But good to check before buying.

 

[Nanako]

But does that account for the extra space needed for an internal case fan? which surely depletes the available height

Aside from that, there are other size constraints, my GPU barely fits in this case, i'm not comfortable buying another one that isnt significantly larger. Would it be better to go make a thread in the cases subforum for this?

 

[Lafong]

But does that account for the extra space needed for an internal case fan? which surely depletes the available height

Aside from that, there are other size constraints, my GPU barely fits in this case, i'm not comfortable buying another one that isnt significantly larger. Would it be better to go make a thread in the cases subforum for this?

Not sure how case fans and CPU coolers would interfere with each other regarding height. Case fans are typically within about a 1.5 inch boundary of the interior perimeter of the case. CPU coolers (air) would rarely intrude into that boundary in a traditional ATX tower case.

There aren't many air coolers above 160 mm height.

Consult case and cooler spec sheets for exact figures.

 

[Nanako]

You guys aren't gonna believe this
I noticed there was a lot of air coming off the wraith prism. As in, out of it where it's supposed to be sucking in

So i removed it, put it through the shower for thorough dust cleaning, left it to dry, put it back in, and boom, problem solved!
In an extended VR session I clocked a peak temperature of 76c, with an average of 61. No throttling, amazing performance.

The problem was just a heatsink clogged with dust!

That said, 76C does still seem a bit hot, i've ordered the Deepcool thing anyways and will be looking to set that up