Question Thermalright Peerless Assassin Too Loud on 7600X – Worth Upgrading to AIO?

[Jessuuw]

Hi!

I own a Ryzen 5 7600X paired with a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120, and the CPU temperatures are constantly jumping between 45–80°C.

I’ve been thinking about upgrading to the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro because the current cooler is producing constant loud noise.

Would it be smarter to just replace the thermal paste first, or go ahead and upgrade to an AIO?
Also, are there any other AIO coolers you’d recommend over the Liquid Freezer III Pro?

My case is the Asus AP201.

Thanks in advance to everyone who replies!

 

[Misgar]

I've not used an AIO but I do have a Peerless Assassin on a mid-range Intel CPU (I can't remember which one). It's never reached annoying levels of noise.

I can definitely hear the Noctua NH-D15 on my 7950X when it's dissipating 200W. The computer case won't accept an AIO, but a 360mm or 420mm might help my 7950X to boost harder.

I suspect you'll still hear the fans on an AIO, especially if you buy a 240mm version.

 

[bill001g]

I would repaste it and see what happens.

What your likely issue is you are worrying about the temperature number too much and have the fan curves set too high.

The actual number you see doesn't really matter what matters is if the cpu is actually hitting its thermal limit and reducing the clock speed. It really doesn't matter if the temp is 65, 75,80 or even 90. The cpu will not limit the clocks. I think the limit is 95c for your cpu . Just watch hwinfo64 it will tell you if you ever hit thermal limits. Keep turning your fans down until it gets quite enough or you start to hit the thermal limits.

 

[geofelt]

The noise comes from fans running at high speed.
1850RPM is the top speed for your cooler's 120mm fan.

A 360 aio cooler may or may not run cooler depending on how much cooling you need.
The 120mm fans can run up to 3000 RPM which will be loud.

Paste has nothing to do with it unless you applied none or had other mounting issues.

If you want quiet, look to Noctua. Yes, they are expensive.
They have a cpu suitability chart for your 7600X:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/AMD-Ryzen-5-7600X-1637
I use a NH-D15S with a single 140mm fan that tops out at 1500 RPM on my I9-14900K.

 

[Jessuuw]

I would repaste it and see what happens.

What your likely issue is you are worrying about the temperature number too much and have the fan curves set too high.

The actual number you see doesn't really matter what matters is if the cpu is actually hitting its thermal limit and reducing the clock speed. It really doesn't matter if the temp is 65, 75,80 or even 90. The cpu will not limit the clocks. I think the limit is 95c for your cpu . Just watch hwinfo64 it will tell you if you ever hit thermal limits. Keep turning your fans down until it gets quite enough or you start to hit the thermal limits.

Hi!

I downloaded HWiNFO and checked the CPU temperatures! The first screenshot is just from web browsing and idling, and the second is during gaming. Any quick thoughts on the temperatures? And do you think there's room to lower the fan speeds using the Fan Control software?

Here is tems:

https://imgur.com/a/XbHevs9

View: https://imgur.com/gallery/temps-XbHevs9

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

What are your ambient temps? Typically you expect the CPU at idle temps to be about 10-15c above ambient.


As for load temps, 80c isn't that high for that chip. Gaming often puts a heavy load (game dependant) so you can mostly expect high temps in the 70-80c range.

The PA cooler is excellent. Getting an AIO may or may not improve things. I'd check the cooler mount, and reapply thermal paste afterwards. What paste are you using, and what method did you apply it?

 

[Jessuuw]

What are your ambient temps? Typically you expect the CPU at idle temps to be about 10-15c above ambient.


As for load temps, 80c isn't that high for that chip. Gaming often puts a heavy load (game dependant) so you can mostly expect high temps in the 70-80c range.

The PA cooler is excellent. Getting an AIO may or may not improve things. I'd check the cooler mount, and reapply thermal paste afterwards. What paste are you using, and what method did you apply it?

The indoor temperature is 22–24°C, so with an additional 10–15°C, the CPU should be running at around 40°C on the desktop. I assembled the PC back then with a friend, so I don't exactly remember how we applied the thermal paste — only that we made an 'X' in the center of the processor

Could the thermal paste we used have lost its effectiveness, and would it be a good idea to replace it?

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

The indoor temperature is 22–24°C, so with an additional 10–15°C, the CPU should be running at around 40°C on the desktop. I assembled the PC back then with a friend, so I don't exactly remember how we applied the thermal paste — only that we made an 'X' in the center of the processor

Could the thermal paste we used have lost its effectiveness, and would it be a good idea to replace it?

It depends in the paste used. On the application, it may be worth s try to use the spread method. Then you can rule that out.

Is your bios up to date? Not suggesting that as a fix just yet, but it's worth checking.

 

[Jessuuw]

It depends in the paste used. On the application, it may be worth s try to use the spread method. Then you can rule that out.

Is your bios up to date? Not suggesting that as a fix just yet, but it's worth checking.

I currently have AsRock BIOS version 1.28 from 7/28/2023, and the latest available version is 3.30 from 6/17/2025! There have been quite a few versions in between 😀 Should I start with a BIOS update, since I currently don’t have any thermal paste at home!

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

I currently have AsRock BIOS version 1.28 from 7/28/2023, and the latest available version is 3.30 from 6/17/2025! There have been quite a few versions in between 😀 Should I start with a BIOS update, since I currently don’t have any thermal paste at home!

Yes, this certainly worth doing. Not only doss a bios updates bring enhancements, security updates and big fixes for various componemeents.

Just check in your mobo manual, or ASrocks support pages on how to do it. It's straight forward enough. But, make sure you follow the instructions. Google your mobo and bios updates and there will be videos showing you exactly what you need to do.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Jessuuw]

Hi!

BIOS update has been done to the latest version and the computer is working👍 Below are the new approximate temperatures while just on the desktop and with some light gaming. At least from a quick observation, the fans don't ramp up nearly as much anymore, and the computer is therefore much quieter!!

And I found a 3-year-old Thermalright TF7 thermal paste in the closet. What do you think — would it still be smart to replace the current paste with that, or should I just stick with what's already applied?

https://imgur.com/a/FETNrpu

 

[Misgar]

would it still be smart to replace the current paste with that, or should I just stick with what's already applied?

Stick with what you've got. I have a tube of RS white Aluminium Oxide paste that's still OK after 25 years. Mostly used on power transistors and voltage regulators, plus the occasional AMD Sempron 3000+.