Seeking guidance on VRMs and my new AIO.
Seeking guidance on VRMs and my new AIO.
I still have some components from my earlier build, including budget parts like my z97 PC Mate motherboard. For a few months I was running my 4690k OC'd to 4.2 at 1.26v (lost the lottery) stably, but only had one bsod for about three months while using it under heavy load. Around two weeks ago I replaced the case with a Phanteks P300 and installed an h100i Pro to swap my Evo 212. Temperatures on the CPU remain good during stress tests, such as a 62°C peak over 15 minutes with realbench. Still, I frequently experienced bsod issues or heavy lagging, even though core temps were solid. My belief is that the problem lies with the VRM temperatures. I think my z97 PC Mate might have insufficient VRMs—possibly only three true power phases—and the heatsink could be inadequate because it’s more of a block with thick fins for poor heat dissipation. Back then, with the Evo 212 I likely had much better airflow over the VRM heatsink, which helped maintain stability despite high VRM temperatures. Now, with the AIO in the P300 case, the only airflow comes from the single exhaust fan at the back.
My main concern is whether the instability stems more from my motherboard’s build or from the upgrade path I’m considering. If it is the latter, I should be fine when upgrading to a new CPU in the future, provided the new board offers good VRMs and enough power phases to balance voltage and keep temperatures down. Or should I think about swapping the h100i for an air cooler and assume that regardless of the motherboard’s quality, I’ll still face similar instability or throttling on my VRM as long as I use an AIO in the P300 case?
I think you are spot on and it is not the AIO causing the issues as the H100i is more than good enough. You can easily check if it was no air to the VRM's by reversing the rear fan to blow in, instead of out the back...Worry not as the AIO fans will axtract the air out the top anyway...
The real issue here is probably the PC MAte motherboard...did not know they still made motherboards. I have used AIO's from the beginning and with top end CPU's and never had an issue, though I tend to pair the CPU's with mid to top end motherboards....
I think you are spot on and it is not the AIO causing the issues as the H100i is more than good enough. You can easily check if it was no air to the VRM's by reversing the rear fan to blow in, instead of out the back...Worry not as the AIO fans will axtract the air out the top anyway...
The real issue here is probably the PC MAte motherboard...did not know they still made motherboards. I have used AIO's from the beginning and with top end CPU's and never had an issue, though I tend to pair the CPU's with mid to top end motherboards....