Question Temps hitting 100c when playing Spiderman with undervolted i9-12900k + Noctua NH-U12a

[Wolfy0507]

Just bought a 3080, MSI Z690, i9-12900k and the Noctua NH-U12a Chromax.black, threw it all together, updated bios and installed all drivers. Everything working fine, only concern I have are my temps in certain games. RDR2 on max settings runs great (as in fps) settling at about 75-80c after playing for 45+ mins. Then I go onto Spiderman Remastered, and temps are noticeably higher, averaging probably 85-95c, max temps I saw were 100c which is pretty concerning to me. I've undervolted the CPU as well. My case is the Cooler Master MB510L, I have one rear 120mm fan. Would 2 140mm or 3 120mm fans on the front help with my temps? Or should I try reapplying thermal paste? The method I used was what the instructions showed and that was 4 small dots kind of near each corner with 1 bigger dot in the middle. I thought the cooler would be working better but it's kind of letting me down I feel. What're we thinking here? New cooler, more fans, better case, reapply paste? LMK!

 

[Ralston18]

PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Go to the following link:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Not with the immediate intent that you need to purchase a new PSU.

First read the review get a sense of the what's and why's about selecting a PSU.

Second, use the calculators provided in the link to assess your build's power requirements and compare to the PSU now in place.

Are you able to provide a photograph of your case and indicate the airflow directions?

You can post the photograph(s) here using imgur (www.imgur.com).

 

[Wolfy0507]

PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Go to the following link:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Not with the immediate intent that you need to purchase a new PSU.

First read the review get a sense of the what's and why's about selecting a PSU.

Second, use the calculators provided in the link to assess your build's power requirements and compare to the PSU now in place.

Are you able to provide a photograph of your case and indicate the airflow directions?

You can post the photograph(s) here using imgur (www.imgur.com).

I bought the ASUS ROG STRIX 1000W Gold PSU the same time I bought everything else, about a week ago. The calculator recommends a 700w PSU. Here is a pic of my case. Lots of room for additional fans. I could put 2 140mm or 3 120mm on the front, but I'm curious how much that would help with the temps.

 

[geofelt]

Any cooler needs a good source of fresh air to let it do it's job.
Yes, I would definitely install front intakes.
My preference would be two 140mm fans vs. 3 120's.
140mm fans move more air quietly than smaller fans.
I predict a much better thermal outcome.
It will show up not only in better thermals, but also in higher boost clocks.

As to paste applications, methods and opinions vary.
Results do not differ importantly unless you are seeking overclocking records.
Where was the 5 dot recommended?
Last I checked, Noctua showed just a single small dot of paste in the center.
It will spread out under heat and pressure without trapping any air.
That is what I use.
But I don't know that I would bother doing it again.

If you run HWmonitor, you may see temps of 100c in red indicating throttling.
So long as there is no failure, I would not worry about it.
Such tempertures are very momentary

 

[AlxR25]

I had the same problem with lower specs. After I got 3 120mm fans on the front and two 120mm exhaust fans on the top of the case my temps where lowered by 20°C. Since the change was from 80°C to 60°C that was really good. I also had to reapply thermal paste on my GPU since I had it running at 80°C non-stop for 4 months. Be sure that repasting your GPU may(in most cases) void your warranty so if you don't know what you're doing I wouldn't recommend it

 

[Wolfy0507]

Any cooler needs a good source of fresh air to let it do it's job.
Yes, I would definitely install front intakes.
My preference would be two 140mm fans vs. 3 120's.
140mm fans move more air quietly than smaller fans.
I predict a much better thermal outcome.
It will show up not only in better thermals, but also in higher boost clocks.

As to paste applications, methods and opinions vary.
Results do not differ importantly unless you are seeking overclocking records.
Where was the 5 dot recommended?
Last I checked, Noctua showed just a single small dot of paste in the center.
It will spread out under heat and pressure without trapping any air.
That is what I use.
But I don't know that I would bother doing it again.

If you run HWmonitor, you may see temps of 100c in red indicating throttling.
So long as there is no failure, I would not worry about it.
Such tempertures are very momentary

I will look into getting 2 140mm fans then. This is how the manual for the cooler was showing how to apply the paste. I did it to the best of my ability and am pretty positive I didn't put too little or too much. I also made sure to keep tightening each screw on the cooler a little bit at a time to ensure an even spread. I was looking at some fans earlier and am thinking of either beQuiet! or Noctuas, which would you recommend? Or if you have another suggestion? Thanks for your insight.

 

[geofelt]

I will look into getting 2 140mm fans then. This is how the manual for the cooler was showing how to apply the paste. I did it to the best of my ability and am pretty positive I didn't put too little or too much. I also made sure to keep tightening each screw on the cooler a little bit at a time to ensure an even spread. I was looking at some fans earlier and am thinking of either beQuiet! or Noctuas, which would you recommend? Or if you have another suggestion? Thanks for your insight.

Interesting on the lga1700 method.
Probably any fan you buy will be fine.
They will differ is speed, I think 1500 rpm is fine. You can make them run slower, but not faster.

 

[Oasis Curator]

That 5-dot layout is how I've just set mine up.
Have yet to test but I rarely look at temperatures.

Remember newer CPUs are designed to work at higher temperatures, although anything over 80°C still scares me a little. But also remember, PCs can protect themselves and shut off when things get too hairy.