Thermal paste and cooler - How much would they mean?

[Noomz]

I'm sitting here overclocking my i7-2700. Everything was working great when I had it set to 4,5, but it QUICKLY rose above 80 degree's on the stresstest and I stopped it right then. I've lowered it since and I'm still experimenting with what might work, but I'm sitting here wondering how much it could help me to slap on a fresh coat of thermal paste and a better water cooler.
I bought this PC perhaps 5-6 years ago, my current watercooler is a Corsair H60 which apparently isn't a superb watercooler. I imagine it could do with a changing after all these years.

What are your thoughts and recommendations?

[Onikaroshi]

If you're hitting 80 that quick at 4.5 I'd check thermal paste first, TJmax on a 2700k appears to be 98c so you're not in danger territory yet. Unless you're measuring Tj case, then that's in the 70s.

If new, well applied, paste doesn't help then yea, you're going to want something with a better rad, apparently H60s are extremely thin for an AiO.

[Noomz]

If you're hitting 80 that quick at 4.5 I'd check thermal paste first, TJmax on a 2700k appears to be 98c so you're not in danger territory yet. Unless you're measuring Tj case, then that's in the 70s.

If new, well applied, paste doesn't help then yea, you're going to want something with a better rad, apparently H60s are extremely thin for an AiO.

It took about 5 minutes under testing to reach 80+. It crashed once before it reached 90.

Sadly, it turns out that this cooler is copper and aluminium based so I can't use the superduper liquid metal cooling paste with it But the second generation H60 apparently is entirely copper based. So hm, I'll see.

[Deleted]

Forget a single fan rad for a proper OC, either buy a decent air cooler or a 280mm all-in-one. Just use normal paste.

What vcore are you running/reaching @ 4.5ghz?

[Noomz]

Forget a single fan rad for a proper OC, either buy a decent air cooler or a 280mm all-in-one. Just use normal paste.

What vcore are you running/reaching @ 4.5ghz?

I sadly don't have enough space for a dual fan radiator. There's only a single fan space on this case where the radiator can go.

1.35. But now I run it at 1.3 and 4,3Ghz so it stays below or at 80C.

What could be a suitable air cooler replacement? Since I reckon I have more space available for that.

[Onikaroshi]

I sadly don't have enough space for a dual fan radiator. There's only a single fan space on this case where the radiator can go.

1.35. But now I run it at 1.3 and 4,3Ghz so it stays below or at 80C.

What could be a suitable air cooler replacement? Since I reckon I have more space available for that.

Noctua is about the best air cooler

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-U12.../dp/B00C9EYVGY

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L7UZMAK..._t1_B00C9EYVGY

[Noomz]

Noctua is about the best air cooler

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-U12.../dp/B00C9EYVGY

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L7UZMAK..._t1_B00C9EYVGY

I just had a look at it and it's huuuuuuuge. Not sure I can squeeze that in and even if I could, it looks like I'd have to lay my PC down so as not to break my motherboard in half... I doubt it's any more effective than my H60.
Is there no liquid cooling (that's not wider than a single fan, but they can be thicker) that could be considered a good upgrade to the H60? I recall seeing one that had a fan on the inside and outside of its radiator. Would something like that be better?

[Onikaroshi]

I just had a look at it and it's huuuuuuuge. Not sure I can squeeze that in and even if I could, it looks like I'd have to lay my PC down so as not to break my motherboard in half... I doubt it's any more effective than my H60.
Is there no liquid cooling (that's not wider than a single fan, but they can be thicker) that could be considered a good upgrade to the H60? I recall seeing one that had a fan on the inside and outside of its radiator. Would something like that be better?

Those air coolers rival even some of the best AiOs. And yes, they are quite large but most cases have clearance. BTW don't install a cooler in the case.... take out the mobo to do it.

[Miyagie]

I'm sitting here overclocking my i7-2700. Everything was working great when I had it set to 4,5, but it QUICKLY rose above 80 degree's on the stresstest and I stopped it right then. I've lowered it since and I'm still experimenting with what might work, but I'm sitting here wondering how much it could help me to slap on a fresh coat of thermal paste and a better water cooler.
I bought this PC perhaps 5-6 years ago, my current watercooler is a Corsair H60 which apparently isn't a superb watercooler. I imagine it could do with a changing after all these years.

What are your thoughts and recommendations?

H60 was always a good cooler, i used it many years not far behind the H100.
Maybe you could change the fan or use 2 fans on the H60.

[Onikaroshi]

H60 was always a good cooler, i used it many years not far behind the H100.
Maybe you could change the fan or use 2 fans on the H60.

They may be, I honestly have no clue :P only the internet says they are thin. Could always try a good static pressure fan, they may not have been using those that long ago.

[xenogear3]

i7-2700?
That is 10 year old.

If you care about speed that much, get i5-9400.
It is cheaper and faster.

[xgm541]

I just had a look at it and it's huuuuuuuge. Not sure I can squeeze that in and even if I could, it looks like I'd have to lay my PC down so as not to break my motherboard in half... I doubt it's any more effective than my H60.
Is there no liquid cooling (that's not wider than a single fan, but they can be thicker) that could be considered a good upgrade to the H60? I recall seeing one that had a fan on the inside and outside of its radiator. Would something like that be better?

The noctua is extremely effective and unless your computer is not properly mounted to your case, you shouldnt worry about the cooler damaging your motherboard.

For reference, my friend gets same temps as I do. I have a corsair AIO, he has a noctua air cooler.

[pansertjald]

i7-2700?
That is 10 year old.

If you care about speed that much, get i5-9400.
It is cheaper and faster.

Yeah and then he has to buy a new mobo and new RAM and i don't think that is waht OP wants.

@OP
Get some new thermal paste and better fans on the rad and you should be able to do a good OC

[Miyagie]

I just had a look at it and it's huuuuuuuge. Not sure I can squeeze that in and even if I could, it looks like I'd have to lay my PC down so as not to break my motherboard in half... I doubt it's any more effective than my H60.
Is there no liquid cooling (that's not wider than a single fan, but they can be thicker) that could be considered a good upgrade to the H60? I recall seeing one that had a fan on the inside and outside of its radiator. Would something like that be better?

You could also use this Air Cooler:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3005-_-Product

The cooler is a bit smaller but offers the same performance (+-1°) also he is better to install.
What kind of Tower do you use atm ?
Maybe 2-3 new Fans for front and back can help.
Oh and what kind of Ram do you use (LP or HP)?

[Noomz]

They may be, I honestly have no clue :P only the internet says they are thin. Could always try a good static pressure fan, they may not have been using those that long ago.

This cooler I have now was bought in uh...2012 I think, so there's a new version of H60 nowadays with a new fan on it. So yes, there are probably better fans I could put on it!

H60 was always a good cooler, i used it many years not far behind the H100.
Maybe you could change the fan or use 2 fans on the H60.

Yeah I'm thinking I could use a second fan on the inside of it.

- - - Updated - - -

Yeah and then he has to buy a new mobo and new RAM and i don't think that is waht OP wants.

@OP
Get some new thermal paste and better fans on the rad and you should be able to do a good OC

Correct, I've already researched that. My mobo can only take a 3770. Anything newer and I'd have to change everything. I just wanna squeeze out the last drops on this 2700k before I get something entirely new.

Yes, I will start with applying new paste. Folks have talked about differences between 10-15 degree's in some cases, so it's definetly worth a shot.

- - - Updated - - -

You could also use this Air Cooler:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3005-_-Product

The cooler is a bit smaller but offers the same performance (+-1°) also he is better to install.
What kind of Tower do you use atm ?
Maybe 2-3 new Fans for front and back can help.
Oh and what kind of Ram do you use (LP or HP)?

NZXT H2 Midi Tower


I have an open case because of how warm my apartment tends to be, no matter the season. It's either too warm or too cold in here...
Corsair TX 850W PSU for it all, so power ain't an issue.

Forgive my ignorance, but what does LP and HP stand for in regards to RAM?
Speaking of, the only issue with the size of either of these aircoolers is wether or not my RAM sticks will fit next to it, since my 16 gigs of RAM uses all 4 slots.

[Cilraaz]

By LP or HP, he probably means low profile or high profile, meaning how high out of the slot does it sit. If you have high sitting RAM, typically due to chunky heat spreaders, they can block some heatsinks.

Personally, I use a Scythe Fuma Rev B with a triple fan setup on my new build, but you don't necessarily need a new cooler. I'd start with simply reapplying thermal compound. I prefer Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, but that can be a bit pricey. Any quality TIM will work, whether Arctic Silver 5, Arctic MX-4, Noctua NT-H1, etc, etc. Frankly, the difference between top end and bottom end TIM is a handful of degrees at most.

Also, the only mention I've seen of temperatures was when you mentioned 80°C during a stress test. It's been a while since I have worked with Sandy Bridge, but I don't think that's horribly hot for a heat-generating stress test (IBT, especially with AVX; Prime Small FFTs, AIDA64 with FPU, etc). I could be wrong, though.

[Edit: Found a thread showing that a 2600k will thermal throttle at 98°C, so a 2700k should be the same. 80°C shouldn't be terrible for a fairly short term stress test.]

[Vouksh89]

I have an open case because of how warm my apartment tends to be, no matter the season. It's either too warm or too cold in here...
Corsair TX 850W PSU for it all, so power ain't an issue.

What do you mean by open case? Because that could be part of your issue. With a good case (and the NZXT cases are good) and good fan orientation, your best bet is to leave your case closed, so you actually pull cooler air in, and blow the hot air out. That's what they're designed for.

Unless your apartment sits at like 40-50C all the time, the air you pull in will be cooler than the air you're blowing out.

[McFuu]

I have an open case because of how warm my apartment tends to be, no matter the season. It's either too warm or too cold in here...
Corsair TX 850W PSU for it all, so power ain't an issue.

What do you mean by open case? Because that could be part of your issue. With a good case (and the NZXT cases are good) and good fan orientation, your best bet is to leave your case closed, so you actually pull cooler air in, and blow the hot air out. That's what they're designed for.

Unless your apartment sits at like 40-50C all the time, the air you pull in will be cooler than the air you're blowing out.

Yes pretty much what Vouksh is saying.

Close your case, ambient air temperature doesn't make much of a difference when it comes to cooling.

Airflow is worse in a case that has an open side. What is going to happen internally is the air is going to trap into pockets because there is no force to move the hot air out. A properly cooled case should have more airflow in, then airflow out. This helps to eliminate air "eddys" because the pressure inside the case will be greater than outside, and air will be forced out wherever possible.

[Mashanerz]

The Corsair H60 isn't very good, but from what you said there shouldn't be any issues.

What did the paste look like when you checked it?

Do you have a pic of your comp? We can do a much better job of giving feedback on the setup if we're able to see it. Pushing 1.3v+ with that small rad might be the problem, to OC that chip as much as you are might want to upgrade the cooler. I'd recommend staying away from an AiO and just get a decent air cooler for like $30-40

If you do upgrade the cooler, I recommend this one in terms of bang for buck: http://a.co/d/bHuIGSy

[Noomz]

By LP or HP, he probably means low profile or high profile, meaning how high out of the slot does it sit. If you have high sitting RAM, typically due to chunky heat spreaders, they can block some heatsinks.

Personally, I use a Scythe Fuma Rev B with a triple fan setup on my new build, but you don't necessarily need a new cooler. I'd start with simply reapplying thermal compound. I prefer Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, but that can be a bit pricey. Any quality TIM will work, whether Arctic Silver 5, Arctic MX-4, Noctua NT-H1, etc, etc. Frankly, the difference between top end and bottom end TIM is a handful of degrees at most.

Also, the only mention I've seen of temperatures was when you mentioned 80°C during a stress test. It's been a while since I have worked with Sandy Bridge, but I don't think that's horribly hot for a heat-generating stress test (IBT, especially with AVX; Prime Small FFTs, AIDA64 with FPU, etc). I could be wrong, though.

[Edit: Found a thread showing that a 2600k will thermal throttle at 98°C, so a 2700k should be the same. 80°C shouldn't be terrible for a fairly short term stress test.]

Ah! Thanks! I would say that they're somewhat high profile so I'd have to really make sure they're not in the way by measuring it all and looking at how it's worked for other people.

I've ordered that exact paste actually, the Kryonaut. And some thermal paste cleaning liquid. The coolers plate is copper and aluminium so I couldn't get that superduper liquid paste. Though the latter also seemed to be unfriendly to beginners with it's conductivity risk.

I've played some Total War:Warhammer and Battlefield 5 for a few hours with my CPU at 4,2Ghz and it moves between 73-80 celcius, some times going to 81-82 on core 1 and 2. 80+ is in the risk zone for Sandy.

- - - Updated - - -

Yes pretty much what Vouksh is saying.

Close your case, ambient air temperature doesn't make much of a difference when it comes to cooling.

Airflow is worse in a case that has an open side. What is going to happen internally is the air is going to trap into pockets because there is no force to move the hot air out. A properly cooled case should have more airflow in, then airflow out. This helps to eliminate air "eddys" because the pressure inside the case will be greater than outside, and air will be forced out wherever possible.

Hm, you're probably right there.