How do you cool your 3900x?

Running a NH-D15 with the 3900x at 4.0ghz (all core) and 1.16875v. The temps are in mid 60's C full load. Stock clocks would push ~4.05ghz (all cores) at ~1.32v full load with mid 70's C temps so I manually tuned it for lower heat/power draw. I don't care much for single core boost right now.

I also need to play around with a different thermal paste application (currently using noctua paste that came with the cooler applied on the spreader in an X. Will try the 3 dots next time.)

I'd go custom loop if you want to push this cpu because the voltage/heat ramps up quick when you get above 4.1-4.2ghz all core.

fyi, for anyone carrying over a noctua from an older build, it took 2.5 weeks to get the free AM4 mounting hardware kit from Noctua (shipped from Europe to USA).
 
Wow. I run a full loop and never get above 60c for daily tasks, even cinebench, benching, and games. The only time it gets to its max is with prime 95 avx,

I don't get above 60 unless I run something like Cinebench. Then I run about 75 and what Ryzen master would calculate TDC at 108A and EDC at 155A. CPU Voltage at 1.38. That is off the board setup for PBO and set to what the MB can supply power wise.
 
I don't get above 60 unless I run something like Cinebench. Then I run about 75 and what Ryzen master would calculate TDC at 108A and EDC at 155A. CPU Voltage at 1.38. That is off the board setup for PBO and set to what the MB can supply power wise.


You're basically running stock right, that's not bad cooling. I'm running 4.3ghz all core at 1.3v fyi.
 
You're basically running stock right, that's not bad cooling. I'm running 4.3ghz all core at 1.3v fyi.

Yeah when I do all core at 4.3 it does get warmer. Lol! If I was to keep it at that I would need to go custom loop to feel 100% happy. During tests at that speed with the Noctua it will sit at 95 degrees, the whole package that is. I did not look at actual CCD temps. I am happy letting it run stock for what I do. I just bought it because it because I wanted it. I had a 2600 before that was fine for what I use it for and only built the system in February this year, and so far in the last month have upgraded every piece except the case and HDD. All I need now is another case and I have a whole other computer, I have a HDD sitting in a drawer.
 
Mind that on hard works like Prime tests, the 3900X may reach 175W TDP, while 2700X was already reaching 160W. Without overclocking of course.
This means you have to pick up a huge cooler, and not necessarily a water cooling solution.
 
In the spirit of Mark Twain I begin my sentence with...

So I am now using one of those carbon pads instead of thermal compound and in am impressed, really impressed.

You should look into using one instead of goop
 
This!
IMG_20190830_124539024.jpg
And thus:
IMG_20190817_142644087.jpg
 
In the spirit of Mark Twain I begin my sentence with...

So I am now using one of those carbon pads instead of thermal compound and in am impressed, really impressed.

You should look into using one instead of goop

I tried one on my 3900x and it ran quite a bit warmer with it, so I decided to stay with the goop.
 
Noctua NH-U12S with an extra NF-F12 strapped on to the cooler. Running in a Fractal Design Mini C case, I don't OC the CPU and use lots of fans so I am able to run it on an ASRock B450M Pro4 motherboard.. I keep the rest of the insides cool by only using a GT 710 GPU in the PCIe x1 slot and stick with SSDs. I figure as long as I don't push my luck with the CPU and minimize power demands and heat generation in the case, the VRMs on this motherboard will hold up -- or at least that's my hope.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: blkt
like this
I'm using a carbon pad - decided to switch from Noctua and Arctic silver (among others I've tried), since I had a little mishap with my 2700x.

When I was putting my 3900x build together, the CPU came in before I got a mobo,so I swapped it into my x470 rig which meant I had to remove the CPU (2700x) that was in there. That rig ran Noctua (NH1?). It was only a year or so old but it had gotten rock solid and when I removed the CPU cooler, the CPU came out as well, bent pins and all. Despite my best efforts, the thing was toast. After that - I decided I was going full carbon pad and not ever having to worry about TIM drying out (and being wasted or thrown away) or stuck cpus, especially as they get pricier and pricier.
 
I'm using a carbon pad - decided to switch from Noctua and Arctic silver (among others I've tried), since I had a little mishap with my 2700x.

When I was putting my 3900x build together, the CPU came in before I got a mobo,so I swapped it into my x470 rig which meant I had to remove the CPU (2700x) that was in there. That rig ran Noctua (NH1?). It was only a year or so old but it had gotten rock solid and when I removed the CPU cooler, the CPU came out as well, bent pins and all. Despite my best efforts, the thing was toast. After that - I decided I was going full carbon pad and not ever having to worry about TIM drying out (and being wasted or thrown away) or stuck cpus, especially as they get pricier and pricier.
Twist, my friend - THEN pull. That's the trick to PGA CPUs. Sorry you lost your chip - that sucks. You don't need to make sacrifices on thermals to avoid it happening in the future though.

You might also look into straightening the pins yourself. It is possible if none of them are broken off.
 
what he ^^ said. his post only showed up when i hit post reply.
It was only a year or so old but it had gotten rock solid and when I removed the CPU cooler, the CPU came out as well, bent pins and all. Despite my best efforts, the thing was toast. After that - I decided I was going full carbon pad and not ever having to worry about TIM drying out (and being wasted or thrown away) or stuck cpus, especially as they get pricier and pricier.
warm it up and twist. thats always been the method with PGA chips.
 
Thanks man. Yeah that sucked big time. I had it on a flat surface and all too. But like most people, when you do something often, you just get overconfident and of course that's when things go sideways. Since I don't OC (outside of the AMD PBO built in stuff), a few C here or there in temps isn't really a big deal to me. The 360 cooler should be enough for my particular use case.

Luckily I was planning on using that old box as a file server / HTPC (stuffed all my 2.5" SSDs in there), so it didn't really need a 2700x. Luckily, I had a spare 2400g sitting on my work bench that works fine for now. Maybe when the 4xxx series come out, I'll upgrade my main rig and hand me down the 3900x to that box.
 
Twist, my friend - THEN pull. That's the trick to PGA CPUs. Sorry you lost your chip - that sucks. You don't need to make sacrifices on thermals to avoid it happening in the future though.

You might also look into straightening the pins yourself. It is possible if none of them are broken off.

There is no sacrifice in thermals using carbon pad. My temps went up 1c ... 1c

That's it 1c. I idle in the 30s game in the 40s to 50s bench in the 70s and p95 avx at about 90. Same as paste and I am water cooled.

I guess were gonna have a new confounded hearsay rumor mill that carbon pads are devastating to temp.
 
I tried one on my 3900x and it ran quite a bit warmer with it, so I decided to stay with the goop.

You sure about that? I seen a zero difference. The trick to carbon pads is immensely clean CPU and very firm mounting pressure

If you skimp on those your thermals will increase.

I am using PBOverdrive manual with settings maxed out for my motherboard.

Here is a CB R15 run
upload_2019-10-17_17-8-36.png


Here is a p95 with AVX Small FFT (The hottest)
upload_2019-10-17_17-11-9.png



Here is idle just after p95 within seconds
upload_2019-10-17_17-10-57.png
 
Last edited:
There is no sacrifice in thermals using carbon pad. My temps went up 1c ... 1c

That's it 1c. I idle in the 30s game in the 40s to 50s bench in the 70s and p95 avx at about 90. Same as paste and I am water cooled.

I guess were gonna have a new confounded hearsay rumor mill that carbon pads are devastating to temp.
Data point of one. Also, I never said devastating.

If 1c can really be counted on though, I might look into them. I don't really have anything against traditional TIM, but if the carbon pads are that close, they might be worth checking out.
 
Data point of one. Also, I never said devastating.

If 1c can really be counted on though, I might look into them. I don't really have anything against traditional TIM, but if the carbon pads are that close, they might be worth checking out.

Sorry for misrepresenting my idea. I wasnt referring to you. But the fact that many forums alike will run hog wild with confounded rumors. That was all I meant. Not at you. It just came out wrong.

Its possible it went up 2c or maybe 3 depending the most hardcore load. But on avg I see no difference at all so I am placing a safety hedge of 1c margin of error. Might be more or less.
 
You sure about that? I seen a zero difference. The trick to carbon pads is immensely clean CPU and very firm mounting pressure

If you skimp on those your thermals will increase.

I am using PBOverdrive manual with settings maxed out for my motherboard.

Here is a CB R15 run
View attachment 193577

Here is a p95 with AVX Small FFT (The hottest)
View attachment 193579


Here is idle just after p95 within seconds
View attachment 193578

Yeah I am sure saw a rise of about 7 degrees Celsius. Idle temps were nearly identical but load temps were much higher. I even used some washers to increase the mounting pressure and it really made no difference and the processor was as clean as it could be as I do it fairly regularly when I clean the water block. I was hoping it would work better then it did so I would have a easier time when cleaning, possible the horizontal mounting rather then vertical might be hurting temps.
 
Yeah I am sure saw a rise of about 7 degrees Celsius. Idle temps were nearly identical but load temps were much higher. I even used some washers to increase the mounting pressure and it really made no difference and the processor was as clean as it could be as I do it fairly regularly when I clean the water block. I was hoping it would work better then it did so I would have a easier time when cleaning, possible the horizontal mounting rather then vertical might be hurting temps.

Well 7c at peak load is not a bad amount really.

Did you get a thermal pad that was too small? They come in like 3 or 4 sizes. I got the 4cm one because it perfectly fot the entire IHS of my 3900x.
 

Sorry OT for a second OP.

Your missing something in your build,you should have a 5"-8"LCD touch screen built in.With all data available at a glance.More wow factor and only limit is the imagination.Of course there are all kinds of programs to do this. AIDA64 is pretty easy

Youtube guide on install touch screen


AIDA64 LCD Guide
http://download.aida64.com/resources/lcd/aida64_lcd_guide.pdf

AIDA64 External display support
https://www.aida64.com/products/features/external-display-support
 
Well 7c at peak load is not a bad amount really.

Did you get a thermal pad that was too small? They come in like 3 or 4 sizes. I got the 4cm one because it perfectly fot the entire IHS of my 3900x.

Nope got the one that fits the entire heat spreader for the AMD Ryzen chips, 40x40 mm. I tried a few times seeing if I could make it better and nothing really helped. The thermal pads are a neat idea, just not better then thermal paste and for now I would rather have the thermal performance then ease of use.
 
Nope got the one that fits the entire heat spreader for the AMD Ryzen chips, 40x40 mm. I tried a few times seeing if I could make it better and nothing really helped. The thermal pads are a neat idea, just not better then thermal paste and for now I would rather have the thermal performance then ease of use.

Ain't nothing wrong with paste!
I might just dab some liquid metal on my next time I pull my waterblock. I've always wanted to see how good it is between ihs and h2o block for myself.

It made a massive difference when I delidded my old 7820x.
 
Sorry OT for a second OP.

Your missing something in your build,you should have a 5"-8"LCD touch screen built in.With all data available at a glance.More wow factor and only limit is the imagination.Of course there are all kinds of programs to do this. AIDA64 is pretty easy

Youtube guide on install touch screen


AIDA64 LCD Guide
http://download.aida64.com/resources/lcd/aida64_lcd_guide.pdf

AIDA64 External display support
https://www.aida64.com/products/features/external-display-support

I've considered it, but I can't settle on a location for the screen. Besides, Aquasuite has a similar function that allows you to custom configure readouts, charts, or gauges that sit on your desktop like wallpaper. I've got a simple set living on the corner of my second monitor.
 
I’m planning a dual system custom loop in the Luxe 2! 2 480mm rads and a 360 rad. 3900x for the main system, probs a 2700x for the itx system.
 
what he ^^ said. his post only showed up when i hit post reply.

warm it up and twist. thats always been the method with PGA chips.
And use Artic MX4 or MX2 paste. They won't fail with time. They stay sticky oily and stable and don't get dry ever.
 
I'm using a Dark Rock Pro 4, with Grizzly Kryonaut thermal paste - usually hovers around 36c.

Hell of an upgrade from the 4690k, even without swapping the video card (had to run out of money some time... next cycle)
 
Sharing my setup here as well. Love reading these all!


I do run a negative .1 vcore offset on this so that helps my temps a bit at the sacrifice of some performance.

Noctua C14s
3900x negative .1v offset in bios, all temps in C.
MSI Meg Ace x570 mobo ABBA agesa bios. --new bios out 10/30 for 1.0.0.4 but have not updated--
32g 4x8 ram at 14.14.14.38 3200 1.375v


Ambient 19-20

idle CPU temp 32-38

CB R20 7343 score max temp 65.8
Intel burn test 10 pass standard 64.5, high preset 64.5
OCCT v5.4.2 no AVX 10 mins barely breaks 61 and stays above 4100Mhz
OCCT Linpack 10 mins 67.8 occasonal dips to 4.024 clocks
OCCT AVX 10 mins crazy low at 53.8 low cpu wattage but 100 load 4100+ clocks (maybe bios setting for AVX? have not looked for it)
OCCT AVX 2 10 mins same low 52 cpu with low wattage and 100% load 4100+clocks
Prime 95 Blend -- same as OCCT 53.2 and low wattage but 100% load shown
Prime 95 Small FFTs clocks tank to 3800 at 1.113v and plug away topping out at 64.8 and holds there. Clocks hold 3800 as well.


certain games (Warthunder specifically ) I see even 4400 or more on CPU clock in MSI Afterburner overlay and usually at 4.2-4.3.
Hwinfo shows max clocks of 4500, 4575, 4300, 4575, 4575,4300 and 4300 on the cores 6-11. So I still get that nanosecond almost 4600 with the negative voltage. On stock voltage I see 4600 and even 4625 on the good cores but temps are 8-10C higher across the board. Not really worth it to me.

In short for day to day use and even longer cpu intensive work big air is plenty for the 3900x and a 240mm AIO should also be fine. If people are getting really high temps or unexpectedly low clocks obviously something in the setup isn't right.

Captain Obvious signing off..lol


Pic of case setup which is my sig rig:

IMG_2435.JPG IMG_E2440.JPG
 
Sharing my setup here as well. Love reading these all!


I do run a negative .1 vcore offset on this so that helps my temps a bit at the sacrifice of some performance.

Noctua C14s
3900x negative .1v offset in bios, all temps in C.
MSI Meg Ace x570 mobo ABBA agesa bios. --new bios out 10/30 for 1.0.0.4 but have not updated--
32g 4x8 ram at 14.14.14.38 3200 1.375v


Ambient 19-20

idle CPU temp 32-38

CB R20 7343 score max temp 65.8
Intel burn test 10 pass standard 64.5, high preset 64.5
OCCT v5.4.2 no AVX 10 mins barely breaks 61 and stays above 4100Mhz
OCCT Linpack 10 mins 67.8 occasonal dips to 4.024 clocks
OCCT AVX 10 mins crazy low at 53.8 low cpu wattage but 100 load 4100+ clocks (maybe bios setting for AVX? have not looked for it)
OCCT AVX 2 10 minutos mismo bajo 52 cpu con baja potencia y 100% de carga 4100 + relojes
Prime 95 Blend: igual que OCCT 53.2 y baja potencia, pero se muestra una carga del 100%
Prime 95 Small FFTs registra el tanque a 3800 a 1.113v y se enchufa a 64.8 y se mantiene allí. Los relojes tienen 3800 también.


ciertos juegos (Warthunder específicamente) veo incluso 4400 o más en el reloj de la CPU en la superposición MSI Afterburner y generalmente en 4.2-4.3.
Hwinfo muestra relojes máximos de 4500, 4575, 4300, 4575, 4575,4300 y 4300 en los núcleos 6-11. Entonces todavía obtengo ese nanosegundo casi 4600 con el voltaje negativo. En el voltaje de stock, veo 4600 e incluso 4625 en los núcleos buenos, pero las temperaturas son 8-10C más altas en todos los ámbitos. Realmente no me lo vale.

En resumen, para el uso diario e incluso para un trabajo intensivo de CPU más largo, el gran aire es suficiente para el 3900x y un AIO de 240 mm también debería estar bien. Si las personas obtienen temperaturas realmente altas o relojes inesperadamente bajos, obviamente, algo en la configuración no está bien.

Capitán Obvio firmando ... jajaja


Imagen de la configuración del caso, que es mi plataforma de firma:

View attachment 196754 View attachment 196759
[/CITAR]
Excelente caso, ¿qué referencia es?
 
Sharing my setup here as well. Love reading these all!


I do run a negative .1 vcore offset on this so that helps my temps a bit at the sacrifice of some performance.

Noctua C14s
3900x negative .1v offset in bios, all temps in C.
MSI Meg Ace x570 mobo ABBA agesa bios. --new bios out 10/30 for 1.0.0.4 but have not updated--
32g 4x8 ram at 14.14.14.38 3200 1.375v


Ambient 19-20

idle CPU temp 32-38

CB R20 7343 score max temp 65.8
Intel burn test 10 pass standard 64.5, high preset 64.5
OCCT v5.4.2 no AVX 10 mins barely breaks 61 and stays above 4100Mhz
OCCT Linpack 10 mins 67.8 occasonal dips to 4.024 clocks
OCCT AVX 10 mins crazy low at 53.8 low cpu wattage but 100 load 4100+ clocks (maybe bios setting for AVX? have not looked for it)
OCCT AVX 2 10 mins same low 52 cpu with low wattage and 100% load 4100+clocks
Prime 95 Blend -- same as OCCT 53.2 and low wattage but 100% load shown
Prime 95 Small FFTs clocks tank to 3800 at 1.113v and plug away topping out at 64.8 and holds there. Clocks hold 3800 as well.


certain games (Warthunder specifically ) I see even 4400 or more on CPU clock in MSI Afterburner overlay and usually at 4.2-4.3.
Hwinfo shows max clocks of 4500, 4575, 4300, 4575, 4575,4300 and 4300 on the cores 6-11. So I still get that nanosecond almost 4600 with the negative voltage. On stock voltage I see 4600 and even 4625 on the good cores but temps are 8-10C higher across the board. Not really worth it to me.

In short for day to day use and even longer cpu intensive work big air is plenty for the 3900x and a 240mm AIO should also be fine. If people are getting really high temps or unexpectedly low clocks obviously something in the setup isn't right.

Captain Obvious signing off..lol


Pic of case setup which is my sig rig:

View attachment 196754 View attachment 196759
Excellent case, what reference is it?
 
apols for thread bombing - but would the H80i v2 be cooler and quieter than the prism?
i have a Fortress 05, no can't use a 240mm rad...
 
apols for thread bombing - but would the H80i v2 be cooler and quieter than the prism?
i have a Fortress 05, no can't use a 240mm rad...

I would think so. I don't think it would beat high-end air cooling but should be better than the stock prism.
 
I'm using a C14 on my 3900X in an ITX (NCASE) build. I have been running it with the two stock NF-P14 fans, however I just upgraded RAM and no longer have clearance for the lower fan. Since I'm just running the top fan now, I decided to order a NF-A15 HS-PWM chromax.Black.swap to get more airflow over the P14.
 
My H110i just keeps chugging along on my 3900X. It's very quiet with Be quiet! Silent Wings 3 140mm fans.
 
I'm running the stock wraith cooler with AS5 paste with no cooling problems, but my case has four 200mm fans and one 140mm fan :)
 
Back
Top