90c on 10700k
90c on 10700k
Now winter is approaching and I chose to boost my CPU to 5.1GHz at 1.305V. After testing with Cinebench R23, it handled 210 watts, with the hottest core reaching 91°C in 22°C ambient. The front panel stayed around 90°C, but at 23°C ambient with a deepcool assassin 3/nh-15 I was planning to upgrade to thermal Grizzly Kryonaut or Noctua NT-H1 paste and a fractal torrent compact. I noticed a smaller case offered better performance, so I checked the Gamers Nexus review and saw it ran about 9°C cooler overall compared to my cooler Master H500.
The 200mm fans in the H500 perform well with large air CPU coolers. I own three models: H500P Mesh, H500M, and H500 ARGB. They struggle to maintain GPU temperatures except for the H500M, which requires a $230 case. My i9-9900k is installed in a CM H500 ARGB, and it ran cool with the FTW3 Ultra 2080 Ti and Strix 3080 using stock case fans. An additional pair was needed for the EVGA XC3 Ultra 3080 Ti. I also tried a FTW3 Ultra 3080 Ti for a short time, but at 400 watts it was too heavy for the H500. For improved GPU cooling on gaming setups, I switched to Lian Li 11 Dynamics. Big air coolers don’t fit, so they use 360mm AIOs.
I checked the o11 line but each unit had its own issues—everything was too large compared to what I expected. The o11d mini needs an SFX PSU, and I was almost there with the o11 air mini since the CPU temps were still lower. The GPU temps weren’t great even with bottom fans, but the Fractal Torrent Compact offers better overall cooling and fits well in space. I’m still thinking about getting it.
My setup matches the H500s in size but is a bit shorter and wider. I'm using Noctua NF-12 fans at the bottom and directing all other fans to the exhaust. No overheating problems detected. This is the final update.