Question Temps too high? need help upgrading or fixing.

[aimbotevan]

My current system:
GPU: 1660 Super 6g VRAM (single fan)
CPU: i5-9400f
Motherboard: h310
RAM: 16g 2666mhz
Case: some random small case i got with it
PSU: Thermaltake smart 500w
Cpu Cooler: default Intel

for the past couple years all of my temps have been high; and i thought nothing of it. but recently with new titles (generally new call of duty's), theyve reached temps that ive grown to get uncomfortable with. My GPU will stay at around 80-88C, and my cpu around 70-81C. I've thought about upgrading my case and getting some fans and better coolers, but i just need some guidance. should i get a new gpu with 2 fans? should i buy a new case for better airflow? are these temps ok to play with? if you have any suggestions for parts i should upgrade, it would be much appreciated. i just cant enjoy any games when im constantly staring at my temps and worrying if theyre too high. thanks!

 

[Why_Me]

Case and cooler.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1543118-REG/cougar_mx330_g_air_gaming_mid_tower.html
COUGAR MX330-G Air Mid-Tower Case $62.99

COUGAR MX330-G Air - Mid Tower Gaming Case - COUGAR

MX330-G Air Glass Window Mid-Tower Excellent cooling, plenty of space for upgrading, a sleek design and a tempered glass window to see all your components in action. If you’re looking for this, MX330-G Air is what you need. One Window to View Them All MX330-G Air features a tempered glass...

cougargaming.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098D84SLF
Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE CPU Cooler $19.90

 

[Phaaze88]

There are various factors at play, and... well, this could turn into a very expensive endeavor, so let's get some simpler stuff out of the way.
1) Case: some random small case i got with it
We need more info than this. If you can't provide the make and model of the case like you did with the psu, then post some pictures and make sure the side panel is removed when taking interior shots.
How to: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/image-posting-via-imgur.3773266/

2)my cpu around 70-81C.
Totally fine to the point I'd say you're overreacting. Next.

3)Most of the single fan gpu coolers are garbage; not having enough 'bulk' to handle the energy being used by the entire card.
Not a lot you can do about those, as it's a thermal capacity limitation with the coolers themselves.
I'm getting ahead of myself a little - what's the exact 1660 Super model? Partpicker has 10 of them listed: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#N=1&c=450

4)Before you do a gpu upgrade, the psu should be changed FIRST(whenever that time comes). Thermaltake Smarts are low tier and not suited for much more than office work.
Weaker gpus can be paired with them... but as you'll no doubt be getting something stronger than the 1660 Super later, the new card may not get along with the current psu.

 

[aimbotevan]

There are various factors at play, and... well, this could turn into a very expensive endeavor, so let's get some simpler stuff out of the way.
1) Case: some random small case i got with it
We need more info than this. If you can't provide the make and model of the case like you did with the psu, then post some pictures and make sure the side panel is removed when taking interior shots.
How to: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/image-posting-via-imgur.3773266/

2)my cpu around 70-81C.
Totally fine to the point I'd say you're overreacting. Next.

3)Most of the single fan gpu coolers are garbage; not having enough 'bulk' to handle the energy being used by the entire card.
Not a lot you can do about those, as it's a thermal capacity limitation with the coolers themselves.
I'm getting ahead of myself a little - what's the exact 1660 Super model? Partpicker has 10 of them listed: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#N=1&c=450

4)Before you do a gpu upgrade, the psu should be changed FIRST(whenever that time comes). Thermaltake Smarts are low tier and not suited for much more than office work.
Weaker gpus can be paired with them... but as you'll no doubt be getting something stronger than the 1660 Super later, the new card may not get along with the current psu.

The 1660 super is the Asus Phoenix OC
The case is: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NFTrxr/raidmax-case-atx404wu

i just dont know if these temps are ok to play with at this point or if its urgent enough that i should halt until necessary upgrades/changes are completed.
note: i only have one fan on the case; on the back of the pc.

 

[Phaaze88]

The 1660 super is the Asus Phoenix OC

Yeah, that cooler sucks. The Phoenix naming was accurate in a sense - a hot and loud(?) bird.
The weakest link is that flower shaped heatsink beneath the shroud. That part isn't any better than the Intel and Wraith Stealth boxed coolers... left to support an entire board with a power limit higher than what it's capable of handling.
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/214985/asus-gtx1660super-6144-190911
A 125-150w Board Power Limit is too much for what is not much more than a 65w cooler. The fan can only do so much to help that.

The solution then, is to cut the gpu's power use to something more reasonable - almost in half. There are 2 means to do this without throwing performance in a dumpster:
1)Reduce power usage of the voltage-frequency curve via Afterburner(or alternative) Curve Editor.
2)Reduce power usage by lowering the power limit slider and offsetting that by raising the core clock slider.
Both have their pros and cons, but I haven't figured out how to do #2 without doing #1 first. I'm still experimenting with it.
A start to #1:
Open the chosen gpu monitoring software and make sure gpu voltage monitoring is enabled in settings. Detach the monitoring window and do not close it.
Play a game for a few minutes, close it, then back out and take note of the highest core clock and gpu voltage.
Open the Curve Editor. Take the max gpu voltage and subtract 0.050v from it.
Find that new value on the V-F curve, or the one closest to it, click on that point, and raise the clock up to the max core clock recorded - but add 10mhz more on top of it.
On the main HUD, click on the apply button and save the profile for quick and easy access.
Then play away. It should help some. 80C is still ok, we just want to keep the card from sitting around 89C.

Note: You probably can use higher voltage offsets(-0.060, -0.070v, etc), but the built in boost algorithm makes it very difficult to check for instability; it doesn't show obvious telltale symptoms that raising core and memory clocks too high do.