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G5 Thermal Upgrade and HDD relocation
These are my experiences on how I improved the thermals on the Dell G5 desktop. The stock thermals on the G5 (and XPS 8490 / whatever else Dell uses this case in) are objectively poor and underwhelming, especially considering some of the hotter configurations. If Dell is reading this, please consider:
- Using a better CPU cooler for the Non-K CPUs
- Installing a 92mm as the default exhaust fan
- Relocating the HDD above the motherboard
- Changing up the stamping on the front plate to allow 2 120mm front fans
Before I begin, I would like to state: modify your computer at your own risk, your mileage may vary, etc., etc.
I chose the G5 gaming desktop because of its value and size. Based on some research, I knew that the thermal management was not good. I was prepared to do some modifications if need be, to get it to the level of performance and quiet that I wanted. I bought two of these desktops, one Core i5 10400f and one Core i5 10600Kf. I built the 10600Kf with a Noctua NU-U9s Chromax Black and Noctua fans, and the 10400f with the OEM Dell K CPU cooler and Arctic fans. Both are equipped with a GTX 1660 Super, a 500w PSU and window case. Here is what it looks like finished:
First things first, using the stock cooling made my PC sounds like an airplane when gaming. The 80mm x 15mm rear fan is loud and spins up to ~4000 rpm. I began my endeavor by replacing the it with a 92mm fan (Noctua A9 PWM or Artic F9 PWM). I then used the 80mm OEM fan under the HDD as an intake fan. But it was too loud, so I wound up replacing it with a quieter fan (Noctua A8 PWM or Arctic F8 PWM). I split the case fan header, you will need PWM fan extenders and splitters in order to add the intake fan. Silicon fan mounts are optional, but I prefer them and have used them in this build. This intake/exhaust configuration improved flow, noise and temperatures quite a bit. But I was not done...
The next thing to tackle was the horrible OEM cooler on the 10400f. The Dell OEM K cooler (Dell p/n VWD01) is an adequate cooler, it is rated for 95W according to Dell. But the Noctua NH-U9s is rated for 140W. So, I bought a Noctua NH-U9s Chromax for the 10600Kf and put the Dell OEM cooler on the 10400f. I also recommend adding the VRM heatsink if you do not have it (Dell p/n 0612F7). Per others, you will need 4 M3 x 16mm screws and washers to mount the Noctua CPU cooler. At this point, I think the thermals were fine and this is how the computers should have performed from the factory. But I was not done...
I am a firm believer that a PC should have a positive pressure, and to achieve that I needed more intake fans. The problem was dell put a 3.5” HDD where one would normally put an intake fan. Since I wasn't willing to give up that 1 TB of space, I decided to move it. I moved the HDD to where it should have been in the first place, in the otherwise empty upper compartment. In order to fit the HDD and use the preexisting flange in the HDD cage, mounted the HD backwards in its cage by bending the two stop tabs. I then used the centering hole for the plastic front cover as a guide to make two holes in the metal faceplate of the case in order to secure the drive cage. To support the back of the drive cage, I broke off two pieces (approx. 8") of hyco bar (5/8 in. x 18 in. about $1 at the hardware store in the plumbing section) and left about 2" hanging past the HDD. I secured the bar to the drive cage with case screws and nuts (6/32").
This allows the HDD to slide into the 2.5" drive bay as seen in the picture. I taped off the ends to minimize any rattling. You will need longer sata data cables, and potentially sata power extenders if you intend to use the original HDD SATA Power adapter. I settled on 18” 90° SATA data cables and a sata power extender. NGL plugging in the SATA Power and installing the HDD is a pain, it is a tight fit. The HDD goes in by sliding the two rear tabs into place first, positioning the HDD and then screwing it in to the two holes in the case’s faceplate.
With the HDD out of the way, the next part was the 120mm front fan. This is where the two builds differ slightly. For the Noctua build I split the 80mm lower intake and 92mm exhaust on the case fan header, and split the NF-A9 PWM and NF-A12 PWM on the CPU fan header. For the Arctic build, I split the case fan header and used a PWM extender to an Arctic P12 PWM PST, this allowed me to connect the 80mm lower intake to the 120mm upper intake very easily. In order to mount the 120mm upper intake fan, used silicon fan mounts to secure it on the bottom (with the case laying down). And then used double sided tape to secure the fan flush. I also used double sided tape as a spacer to cover the HDD cage mounts in order to limit vibrations.
The finished product is much cooler and much quieter than stock:
Thanks for looking, I hope this was useful.
-Luis
JOcean
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March 6th, 2021 18:00
Thanks for the extremely useful information and in detail how to. I am sure that many others are going to benefit from your suggestions!
LueyC
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March 7th, 2021 08:00
You are welcome! Trying to share what worked for me.
LW21
3 Posts
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May 11th, 2021 13:00
Hi,
Thanks for all the information, it's really helpful.
I've recently become the owner of a Dell G5. Specs are 10th Gen Intel® CoreTM i7-10700F processor (8-Core, 16M Cache, 2.9GHz to 4.8GHz), GeForce RTX 2070 Super, 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 2933Mhz, 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive... I did a bit of PC upgrading when I was a kid, but that was a while ago and a lot has changed, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
I'm about ready to do all of the recommended thermal upgrades. I'm having a bit of trouble sourcing the VRM heatsink - Dell spare parts don't seem to know what I'm asking for. Are there any third party alternatives? Does it make a big difference?
Regarding the CPU cooler - I almost ordered the Noctua NH-U9S chromax.black, 92mm Single-Tower CPU Cooler (the black one is the same as the brown one right?) and all of the additional Noctua fans. Then I started reading about the Asetek 645LT AIO CPU liquid cooler. It looks like it would fit, but I'm just not sure. Does anyone have any experience with this cooler? Would it make a huge difference over the Noctua? Price wise they're not too far apart.
Also, my graphics card seems to go all the way across the case. With this in mind, does anyone have any suggestions for how to fit another fan to the lower section of the case to increase cooling of the graphics card?
Thanks very much in advance.
Vagg
1 Message
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June 1st, 2021 03:00
for the N o c t u a air cooler, did u remove the whole MB to insert the backplate bracket underneath the MB? or did it you screw it on the existing holes where the stock was?
LueyC
10 Posts
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June 1st, 2021 07:00
Your welcome,
It has not changed as much as you think. If anything it is much easier now. The part number for the VRM, call Dell spare parts and insist that they sell it to you. You may get some resistance. This part is needed if you ever want to upgrade to a K CPU:
Dell 612F7 - VRM Heatsinks for non K CPU
No experience with the Asetek unit. If it was used on other Dells it would probably fit the CPU cooler mounting holes. It looks like you could mount the radiator on the exhaust fan location. I believe the Noctua would perform better.
There is a way to position the 80mm lower intake fan so that it fits under the RTX 3070. You may not be able to secure it on all 4 corners but should be able to get it secured on 3.
LueyC
10 Posts
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June 1st, 2021 07:00
I used the existing holes. The thread in those holes is an M3 thread, hence the need for screws. Since I first published this, I have tried a variety of coolers, with different mounting systems and i have been able to make some work, but I still prefer the Noctua mounting system.
justair
29 Posts
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June 6th, 2021 07:00
As a side note for others. The upgrade is pretty simple overall for the cooler/exhaust. Takes 10 minutes. After that you got a gem of system that runs quiet, runs fast, runs cool.
LW21
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June 7th, 2021 02:00
That's great, thank you so much for your advice. I think I'm going to order the Noctua kit today and start my cooling journey!
Just a couple more questions.....where you've mounted the 120mm Noctua fan, would it be possible to mount a 120mm fan and radiator for an AIO? Would there be much point in your opinion? Lastly, if the stock fan is too loud for the bottom front intake, I'd probably replace it with the Noctua A8 PWM as well. If there's not stock fan in use, do you get the BIOS boot errors I've been reading about? Is there a way to avoid these?
Thank you very much again for all your help.
LueyC
10 Posts
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June 7th, 2021 09:00
You are welcome,
It may be possible to mount and AIO, but that would require you to hack the metal faceplate. And if you are going that far, I would say put a 240mm AIO. I have been able to fit 2 120mm intake fans so a 240mm AIO would technically fit. I will update my original post with more pictures when I have a chance.
No BIOS errors with Noctua fans, the only issues is that AWCC will not read the actual percentage because the Noctua fans run at a lower RPM than the OEM fans.
LW21
3 Posts
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June 7th, 2021 11:00
Perfect, thanks very much once again.
I think I'm going to order everything and see how I get on with the one 120mm fan for now. Is it reasonably easy to fit? I'll follow the instructions and will post the results.
Just need to decide whether everything should be chromax black or the brown...ha!
Thanks again!
Nick2561
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June 15th, 2021 16:00
I just put an intake120mm P12 Artic fan in my G5 to help it run cooler. How did you manage fan rpm, did you use some type of software or hardware? The original exhaust fan can be controlled, but I cannot find a way to control the new fan. There's nothing in BIOS.
LueyC
10 Posts
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June 22nd, 2021 07:00
Is the Artic P12 a pwm fan? Did you use a PWM splitter? If so, the P12 will scale with the header. There are only 2 fan headers on the machine so you are only able to control those. Any additional fans will piggy back off the header and will follow the fan curve you set for the motherboard header.
Jon-62
319 Posts
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June 23rd, 2021 06:00
There's an extensive thread on the XPS Desktops forum which may be of interest to anyone looking for additional cooling for their G5, as the XPS 8940 and G5 are basically the same. Various CPU coolers have been discussed, along with fan configurations including 3D printed designs to make fitting additional fans much easier. One person has even fitted a water cooler.
speedstep
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47K Posts
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June 23rd, 2021 07:00
The thing not tried yet is flooding with mineral oil.
Conair
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December 10th, 2021 20:00
I found this thread and found a cheap G5. Tore it apart, painted all of the silver part of the case matte black and cleaned everything up. Added a Be Quiet TF air cooler. 10700k, 500gb WD Black NVMe, 32gb TeamGroup 1.2v memory.
Dell G5 5000 cooler