UNSOLVED

peter1_979

updated

2 years ago

P

peter1_979

1 Rookie

12 Posts

0

11673

March 11th, 2021 01:00

Dell G5 Cooling issues

I just bought the following G5, I used my work discount so got a good deal on it.

https://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/gaming-and-games/new-g5-gaming-desktop/spd/g-series-5000-desktop/cd500013?view=configurations

 

However afterwards I found a couple of threads stating the cooling in was inadequate and it sufferers from serious overheating.

The threads also suggested replacing the exhaust fan (and mounting replaced exhaust fan on the front of the case) and replacing the stock CPU cooler.

Suggested upgrades were

Case Fan
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00RUZ059O/

CPU Cooler
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00TBHYYFK/

These upgrades don't look particularly hard and considering I got a discount on it I dont mind the extra cost to much.  Just wondering have people experienced cooling issues on this machine? 

 

 

  • bertro514

    1 Rookie

    363 Posts

    7249

    1

    Posted March 11th, 2021 19:00

    Yes, the stock coolers that come with it are garbage and false advertising. You won't get this big CPU heatsink pictured on the product page. That's what I was misled to believe I was getting when I ordered, but no. Only K processors get that. Non-K CPUs like yours (and my 10900F) get a tiny heatsink with a loud and inefficient 80mm fan. The case exhaust fan is also 80mm and very loud. Who puts something like that on a machine with a 10900 and RTX3070??? My idle temps were close to 70 degrees with the stock cooler. As soon as I started a game, it would instantly jump to 90+. And the noise those stock coolers made was horrible (think hair dryer).

    I had to spend about $130 more to buy proper coolers for a machine that already cost over $2000+. I got the same Noctuas you linked in your post. Plus another Noctua that I installed at the front of the case to bring cold air in. (pic of my setup here). Idle is now around 35-39, full load in CPU stress tests never goes above 80 degrees (and it very rarely even hits 80) and in games it's about 60-65 after a long time playing. The computer runs great now and is very quiet.

    I wish Dell would care about their customers and their own reputation enough to just add proper coolers out of the box rather than forcing customers to spend more so that they can fully enjoy the already expensive product they've paid for. I would have gladly paid $50 more for the machine to get proper coolers.

  • peter1_979

    1 Rookie

    12 Posts

    7181

    0

    Posted March 18th, 2021 03:00

    Thanks for the reply.  As stated I was looking at getting the following cpu cooler.  Is it good enough, how hard is it to replace the stock cooler with this?

    https://www.amazon.de/-/en/dp/B00TBHYYFK/?coliid=IMKK87T3Y6942&colid=2QHM57X2UA07M&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

  • bertro514

    1 Rookie

    363 Posts

    7146

    1

    Posted March 18th, 2021 06:00

    @peter1_979 that's the same cooler I have and I love it (pic of my final setup here. I went a bit crazy on the Noctuas, lol). With a total of 5 fans, my idle temps are now under 25 degrees, browsing and light use is around 27-28 degrees, gaming is around 60-65 and full stress-test on all cores rarely goes above 75. I can finally use all the CPU power that I paid for! (too bad Dell is forcing us to pay more money to buy what they should have included in the first place!)

    The cooler is really easy to install:

    1. Buy four 3mm x 16mm machine screws from the hardware store (like these), as well as 3mm washers.
    2. Remove the default Dell cooler. It has 4 screws. Make sure to unplug the wire first.
    3. Clean up the thermal paste on the CPU with a tissue (use a bit of isopropyl alcohol if needed).
    4. Use the 4 screws and washers you bought to install the Intel LGA bracket and spacers that come with the Noctua to the holes in the motherboard (same place as the old cooler). The Noctua guide will tell you which bracket to use. No need to remove the motherboard, and no need to use the backplate included with the Noctua. Tighten it well, but don't force it.
    5. Put a small bit of thermal paste (~5mm ball) right in the center of the CPU. No need to spread it.
    6. Remove the plastic from the bottom of the Noctua heatsink and install it on the bracket. Tighten the two included screws. Again, don't force them.
    7. Attach the fan (or fans if you got two) to the heatsink as described in the Noctua instructions and plug it in.
    8. Start your computer and enjoy low noise and lower temps.

     

  • peter1_979

    1 Rookie

    12 Posts

    7123

    0

    Posted March 18th, 2021 07:00

    Thanks for the detailed response.

    I don't have my hands on the actual desktop yet (should be arriving tomorrow).

    I all ready have the Noctua fan and my plan is to replace the exhaust fan (move the exhaust fan to the front of the machine to improve front to back airflow).  I was going to leave at that just to see how it was running.

    If this kept the CPU temp from going above 85 under heavy load I was going to leave it at that, my understanding is that anything under 85 is acceptable in terms of performance as CPU';s don't start throttling until after this point (please correct me if I'm wrong).

    If I did go with the cpu cooler are the 2 additional fans attached to it necessary?

    What type of thermal paste should I use or are they all pretty much the same.

    Again thanks for your quick and detailed response.

       

  • bertro514

    1 Rookie

    363 Posts

    7086

    0

    Posted March 18th, 2021 07:00

    I think you'll be totally fine with just one fan on the CPU cooler, plus an exhaust Noctua and the Dell set as intake. I went crazy with 5 fans because I'm obsessed with numbers and seeing those temps as low as possible and the CPU GHz boosting as high as possible, lol. When my case goes out of warranty, I totally intend to drill into it to install watercooling. I just love tinkering and modding, and this Dell machine definitely offers a good challenge for that!

    I think the Intel thermal throttle temp limit is 90 or 95, not 85, so you should be good. The Noctua CPU cooler you got will easily keep it under that limit most (or all) the time. I recommend installing an app called ThrottleStop, which has a "Limits" window that shows you the various throttling reasons as they happen: thermal, power, current, TVB, etc. The ideal goal is for that window to stay blank as long as possible (no throttling). The app is also able to tweak/remove the limits on power and turbo boost so that you can boost forever if the CPU is cool enough. 

    Here is my 10900 keeping a constant 5.0GHz boost with occasional 5.2GHz, while staying at a comfortable 55 degrees in a single-thread stress test, with no throttling at all.

    2021-03-18 10_29_19-Window.png

  • peter1_979

    1 Rookie

    12 Posts

    7071

    0

    Posted March 18th, 2021 11:00

    One last question regarding the installation instructions.  

    I assume you put the washers between the board and and the spacers?

     

     

  • bertro514

    1 Rookie

    363 Posts

    7062

    0

    Posted March 18th, 2021 12:00

    No, the washers would go at the top of the screws, to prevent the screw heads from passing through the holes in the cooler brackets. To be honest, the possibility of that is pretty small, as the bracket holes are not that big, but good to have washers there just in case. 

    One more tip for when you replace the rear cooler with a Noctua and use the Dell cooler as intake: the Noctua splitter cable has one end with 3 pins and the other end with 4 pins. Make sure to plug the Noctua into the 4-pin end and the Dell cooler into the 3-pin. Otherwise, the Noctua might spin much slower than it should, and not be very efficient. 

  • peter1_979

    1 Rookie

    12 Posts

    6943

    1

    Posted March 22nd, 2021 02:00

    So I my G5 arrived during the week.  

    I replaced the exhaust fan with the Noctura, and moved the stock fan to the front so now I have good airflow from front to back.

    Under moderate gaming (Outriders demo) with fan profile set to performance I'm getting between 55 to 65 degrees.  I then used the Heaven benchmark tool to try and simulate a larger gaming load.  I ran it for about 30 mins and CPU temp stayed around mid to high 70s (never went above 80).  I also had that toll open the whole time and didn't see ay evidence of any throttling.

    At the moment I'm pretty happy with these temps, the stock fan I moved to the front is fairly loud though when set to max speed however I'm okay with this considering how much I got the system (€1444 excluding Noctura fan).  So far now I think I will hold off replacing the CPU cooler, I will do it further down the road.

    Just some few final question regarding the Noctura CPU cooler.

    -Can the Dell CPU fan be attached to the side of the cooler?

    -Should I just buy another Noctura fan to attach to the CPU cooler instead of using the dell fan, if so which one should I get?

    -How easy is it to attach to the CPU cooler, does it matter what side it goes on, (I'm thinking it should be facing the front case fan?

    Again thanks for all your advice on this topic.   

  • bertro514

    1 Rookie

    363 Posts

    6909

    0

    Posted March 22nd, 2021 03:00

    @peter1_979 , I'm glad to hear you are getting good temps already! 

    The Noctua CPU cooler will already include one fan (same type of 92mm fan as the one you put on the back of the case). Since your temps are already good, you probably won't need a second fan on the CPU cooler.

    But in case you do want a second fan on the CPU, you'll have to buy a 92mm. The Dell 80mm is too small, so the elastic steel clips used to attach it to the radiator will be too loose and won't hold it tight enough. The clips are made to stretch on the 92mm fan and provide tension to hold it in place.

    Regarding which side the CPU cooler fan should go on: if you only use one fan, it's recommended to add it to the front of the cooler, so it pushes air into the cooler fins, towards the case exhaust fan. However, some folks have had better results with adding the fan to the fins at the back to pull air through the cooler and push it to the exhaust. I added mine to the front and was happy. But then I added a second one to create a push-pull configuration.

  • peter1_979

    1 Rookie

    12 Posts

    2386

    1

    Posted March 23rd, 2021 17:00

    Hey last update on this.  So temps are still looking good with the current fan config (cpu temp staying in 60's occasionally mid to low 70's while moderate gaming, Outriders, Jedi Fallen Order).

    Throttlestop is looking good in terms of limits (mostly blank).  However occasionally EDP other (in orange) will appear under ring.  If I clear it goes away and only comes back the odd time.  As my temps seem okay, I'm not experiencing any noticeable performance issues and no other messages appear in the limits window I don't think this is of any concern.  However as your more familiar with this tool than me I thought I'd get your opinion.

    From what I've read online I think its not a reason for concern but I'm open to correction.

    Thanks again.