@Kenevitable on top of the great advice Steve already gave about airflow direction, I recommend making sure the heatsink makes proper contact with the CPU. What length screws did you use to mount the Noctua bracket to the motherboard? Did you use the Intel spacers included with the cooler? There are a bunch of different spacer sizes in the box. Make sure you use the right (black) ones.
First, check the airflow (and make sure the fans are actually spinning. If not, disconnect and firmly reconnect the fan cable on the motherboard). Then, remove the cooler and take a look at the thermal paste. The pressure from a proper heatsink mount should have spread it pretty evenly across the CPU die. If it doesn't look very flat, it might be that the heatsink was sitting too high, or that it was tilted. Check that the brackets are mounted in the right direction, that you're using the right spacers, that the screws are well tightened into the backplate on all 4 corners. Then clean the paste on both CPU and heatsink with rubbing alcohol, apply a pea-size ball in the center of the CPU die, place the heatsink back (make sure it's oriented the right way) and hand tighten the two screws a little bit at a time, alternating between them until you get firm resistance from them. Don't overtighten, but also don't stop until they really resist your screwdriver.
Another thing to consider if you're getting 70 at idle is to make sure you are actually idle. Dell installs a ton of bloatware on these machines, including McAffee antivirus (which should really be re-classified as an actual virus, lol). Try turning off as many of those processes and services as possible to get a true idle. You can use the Task Manager to make sure the CPU is actually idling (i.e. at or under 5% total usage)
Thanks guys! Everything you posted I had did. After taking off and reinstalling it looked like the grease was evenly distributed fine, maybe not as tight as it could have been tho.. Used M3x16 screws to mount with the included spacers. Also It's 70 under full load 81 rmax recorded not idle, I didn't specify that before idle floats between 40-55. Are those numbers normal? Idk I feel like I overpaid for it now but I'm sure when I have no problems long term the upgrade will have paid off.
@Kenevitable ah, if that 70-80 is under full load, then you're fine Intels start to thermal throttle around 90-95, so you're good. Idle seems a bit high, but nothing to worry about. You're way under trouble temps.
I saw a post somewhere that said there is a backplate or something behind the motherboard that makes it difficult to swap the Heat sink. I was wondering if you had any issues with this while changing it out? if so, How did you get around them?
My temps haven't been that bad, I have an i7-9700 32gb, RTX 2060. I've been playing pretty demanding games at the highest settings at 1440p. Most of the time the temps are 30s- 50s at idle, and 60-70s under load, (I would consider reasonable, no?) I also take the side panel off which seems to help. There was a brief period where my temps were bad, but all I had to do was replace the thermal paste. What bothers me more is how loud the cooler (or case Fan?) is, it's honestly enough of a reason to replace it.
I don't know much about computers:
how do you tell if a cooler is compatible with the motherboard? I saw on other posts people were using Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo, would this work? how difficult would it be to install
I have read there is a backplate that part of the side panel which makes it difficult to swap the cooler, is this the case? how do you get around this?
I have the older version that came with a 460-watt power supply, is the motherboard the same? can the cooler even be replaced in my case?
@Ablack12 the problem is that there is no backplate. the Dell cooler screws directly into the back wall of the case. Which means that you can't use the backplates that come with after-market coolers. The good news is that you can still install aftermarket coolers into the same studs that the Dell cooler was installed on. You will just need to buy your own screws (either 3mm x 16mm regular machine screws, or 3mm "grub" screws).
I installed the same Noctua cooler on my CPU and my temperatures and noise went down A LOT compared to the tiny cheapo cooler Dell had put into my PC. Highly recommended upgrade and it only takes 10 minutes to install!
one more question, does the Noctua cooler fan need some kind of adapter to hook up to the motherboard or can it be placed in the connector that the dell cooler uses?
@Ablack12 noctua fans fit into the motherboard connectors without any adapter. This goes for the CPU fans as well as any case fans. The motherboard uses standard 4-pin fan ports.
My cooler arrived today, installing it was simple for the most part. I used the m3 16mm screw method as the only m3 scrub screws that I was able to find online were under 25mm. I found the screws on the Walmart Canada site. my pc is still pretty load when playing games but the temps are a lot better, I played horizon zero dawn for about an hour or 2 at 1440p highest setting without any throttling
@Ablack12 - good to hear ! Which cooler did you install - the Noctua NH-U9S ? Glad your temps are better !
I'm guessing the noise is coming from the Dell case fan ... you can try the LNA (low noise adapter) that came with the Noctua cooler (if that's what you have) .. it will reduce the speed and therefore some of the noise.
@SteveK318, it's the Noctua NH-u9s yeah. I saw that in the box, I assumed it was just an extension cable. maybe I will hook it up then, the noise is bearable now with headphones on.
@Ablack12 - it does work pretty well. Although I don't have any of the dell fans in my G5 anymore, I did try the LNA to see how it worked, and it is much quieter while still pushing some air !
I managed to remove the standoff screws from the dell cooler. Not sure if this would work, but any thoughts on whether they could be used to attach the nocha cooler? using them and the white and grey plastic bits? I was thinking something like how I have it in the pic (sorry for the bad quality) but with the metal brackets part b/w the plastic bits. I thought that broke my GPU after installing my cooler the 1st time around. So I'm pretty nervous about working on the inside of my pc. Otherwise, I would try it myself. It took me a while to find screws that would work, so I figured this could maybe save someone some time and money if it's possible.
bertro514
1 Rookie
•
363 Posts
2
April 20th, 2021 05:00
@Kenevitable on top of the great advice Steve already gave about airflow direction, I recommend making sure the heatsink makes proper contact with the CPU. What length screws did you use to mount the Noctua bracket to the motherboard? Did you use the Intel spacers included with the cooler? There are a bunch of different spacer sizes in the box. Make sure you use the right (black) ones.
First, check the airflow (and make sure the fans are actually spinning. If not, disconnect and firmly reconnect the fan cable on the motherboard). Then, remove the cooler and take a look at the thermal paste. The pressure from a proper heatsink mount should have spread it pretty evenly across the CPU die. If it doesn't look very flat, it might be that the heatsink was sitting too high, or that it was tilted. Check that the brackets are mounted in the right direction, that you're using the right spacers, that the screws are well tightened into the backplate on all 4 corners. Then clean the paste on both CPU and heatsink with rubbing alcohol, apply a pea-size ball in the center of the CPU die, place the heatsink back (make sure it's oriented the right way) and hand tighten the two screws a little bit at a time, alternating between them until you get firm resistance from them. Don't overtighten, but also don't stop until they really resist your screwdriver.
Another thing to consider if you're getting 70 at idle is to make sure you are actually idle. Dell installs a ton of bloatware on these machines, including McAffee antivirus (which should really be re-classified as an actual virus, lol). Try turning off as many of those processes and services as possible to get a true idle. You can use the Task Manager to make sure the CPU is actually idling (i.e. at or under 5% total usage)
Kenevitable
1 Rookie
•
22 Posts
1
April 21st, 2021 11:00
Thanks guys! Everything you posted I had did. After taking off and reinstalling it looked like the grease was evenly distributed fine, maybe not as tight as it could have been tho.. Used M3x16 screws to mount with the included spacers. Also It's 70 under full load 81 rmax recorded not idle, I didn't specify that before idle floats between 40-55. Are those numbers normal? Idk I feel like I overpaid for it now but I'm sure when I have no problems long term the upgrade will have paid off.
Kenevitable
1 Rookie
•
22 Posts
2
April 21st, 2021 12:00
I think they're positioned correctly but here's a photo. This is the first time I've ever installed both case and cpu fans.
bertro514
1 Rookie
•
363 Posts
1
April 21st, 2021 12:00
@Kenevitable ah, if that 70-80 is under full load, then you're fine Intels start to thermal throttle around 90-95, so you're good. Idle seems a bit high, but nothing to worry about. You're way under trouble temps.
SteveK318
1 Rookie
•
290 Posts
1
April 21st, 2021 13:00
Ablack12
7 Posts
1
April 28th, 2021 03:00
Hey Mate,
I saw a post somewhere that said there is a backplate or something behind the motherboard that makes it difficult to swap the Heat sink. I was wondering if you had any issues with this while changing it out? if so, How did you get around them?
cheers
Ablack12
7 Posts
0
April 28th, 2021 04:00
My temps haven't been that bad, I have an i7-9700 32gb, RTX 2060. I've been playing pretty demanding games at the highest settings at 1440p. Most of the time the temps are 30s- 50s at idle, and 60-70s under load, (I would consider reasonable, no?) I also take the side panel off which seems to help. There was a brief period where my temps were bad, but all I had to do was replace the thermal paste. What bothers me more is how loud the cooler (or case Fan?) is, it's honestly enough of a reason to replace it.
I don't know much about computers:
Cheers
bertro514
1 Rookie
•
363 Posts
2
April 28th, 2021 07:00
@Ablack12 the problem is that there is no backplate. the Dell cooler screws directly into the back wall of the case. Which means that you can't use the backplates that come with after-market coolers. The good news is that you can still install aftermarket coolers into the same studs that the Dell cooler was installed on. You will just need to buy your own screws (either 3mm x 16mm regular machine screws, or 3mm "grub" screws).
See this great tutorial by @PauRoNL with lots of pictures: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/mhu69c/dell_g5_gaming_i7_10700_rtx3070_thermal_upgrade
I installed the same Noctua cooler on my CPU and my temperatures and noise went down A LOT compared to the tiny cheapo cooler Dell had put into my PC. Highly recommended upgrade and it only takes 10 minutes to install!
Ablack12
7 Posts
1
April 28th, 2021 16:00
@bertro514, that makes sense thanks mate.
one more question, does the Noctua cooler fan need some kind of adapter to hook up to the motherboard or can it be placed in the connector that the dell cooler uses?
Cheers
bertro514
1 Rookie
•
363 Posts
2
April 28th, 2021 16:00
@Ablack12 noctua fans fit into the motherboard connectors without any adapter. This goes for the CPU fans as well as any case fans. The motherboard uses standard 4-pin fan ports.
Ablack12
7 Posts
1
May 13th, 2021 21:00
My cooler arrived today, installing it was simple for the most part. I used the m3 16mm screw method as the only m3 scrub screws that I was able to find online were under 25mm. I found the screws on the Walmart Canada site. my pc is still pretty load when playing games but the temps are a lot better, I played horizon zero dawn for about an hour or 2 at 1440p highest setting without any throttling
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/M3-x-16mm-Stainless-Steel-Hex-Socket-Head-Cap-Screws-Bolts-Combine-10pcs/PRD0VG06KB06LNM
waiting on some fan splitters, when they arrive I'm planning on somehow jury-rigging the dell CPU cooler fan to the front of the case.
SteveK318
1 Rookie
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290 Posts
0
May 13th, 2021 23:00
@Ablack12 - good to hear ! Which cooler did you install - the Noctua NH-U9S ? Glad your temps are better !
I'm guessing the noise is coming from the Dell case fan ... you can try the LNA (low noise adapter) that came with the Noctua cooler (if that's what you have) .. it will reduce the speed and therefore some of the noise.
Good luck.
Ablack12
7 Posts
1
May 14th, 2021 01:00
@SteveK318, it's the Noctua NH-u9s yeah. I saw that in the box, I assumed it was just an extension cable. maybe I will hook it up then, the noise is bearable now with headphones on.
Cheers
SteveK318
1 Rookie
•
290 Posts
0
May 14th, 2021 09:00
@Ablack12 - it does work pretty well. Although I don't have any of the dell fans in my G5 anymore, I did try the LNA to see how it worked, and it is much quieter while still pushing some air !
Ablack12
7 Posts
0
May 24th, 2021 20:00
Hey everyone,
I managed to remove the standoff screws from the dell cooler. Not sure if this would work, but any thoughts on whether they could be used to attach the nocha cooler? using them and the white and grey plastic bits? I was thinking something like how I have it in the pic (sorry for the bad quality) but with the metal brackets part b/w the plastic bits. I thought that broke my GPU after installing my cooler the 1st time around. So I'm pretty nervous about working on the inside of my pc. Otherwise, I would try it myself. It took me a while to find screws that would work, so I figured this could maybe save someone some time and money if it's possible.
Cheers