Crystal 280X cooling setup questions

[Rooo1o]

Hi,

 

I am building a new pc with a 5950X on an MSI B550M motherboard in the Crystal 280X case. The case will have the following airflow setup:

 

2x LL120 intakes in the front

2x LL120 intakes on the bottom (pointed at the video card)

2x LL140 exhaust fans on the top.

 

Because the 280X has no exhaust fan in the back to point a standard tower cooler at, and the case is kind of too thin for the really high end stuff anyway, i opted for a Noctua C14S top-flow heatsink with the included fan underneath the metal fins and a black version of the same fan on top of it, so it's the dual fan configuration. I just have a few questions about this cooling setup:

 

- How viably will this cool down my 5950X at the boost clocks it wants to jump to at stock?

- Won't the use of a top flow cooler overheat the video card in such a small case, seeing how the heat from the CPU is spat out in all directions around it? Or do the laws of thermodynamics, which i am unfamiliar with, dictate that the heat will just immediately rise to the top into the exhaust fans?

- Should i orient the fans on the heatsink to blow onto the motherboard, or toward the glass panel on the side?

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited June 25, 2021 by Rooo1o

[Corsair HP]

The 5950X gets HOT. I have one, under custom water with a massive radiator setup and it just uses all the headroom it can with PBO.

 

I am pretty sure that the C14S will struggle to keep your CPU temperatures in check, so I would strongly suggest getting a 280mm AIO and put that in the top of your case. Our Elite Capellix 280mm AIO would be a great choice here

[LeDoyen]

and it's not just Corsair trying to make a sale :p

https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/AMD-Ryzen-9-5950X-1044

 

They list the C14S as "low turbo/overclocking headroom"

Would probably work at base clock with lots of airflow. With PBO, in a 280X.. uh, maybe not a good idea.

[magarity]

Go to the hardware store and get some rubber grommets to raise up the top glass about half an inch. Bonus points if you have your own 3d printer to make some. There are several printable accessories for 280x cases on Thingverse that help out with cooling.

[DevBiker]

Also, I would suggest that you use the top for intake rather than exhaust. The glass at the top will act as a barrier and keep heat in. Alternatively, you can get a 3rd party top that is more open and will allow the warm air to get out.

[Infin1tum]

An 80mm fan fits in the back with not much effort.

[Rooo1o]

Update, for anyone wondering:

 

I have had this system up and running for a little while now, and cooling is indeed not the greatest. It suffices. I get up to 90C pretty quickly during stress testing, and PBO keeps the cpu at 4.3GHz. I did indeed raise the top glass panel with some clear plastic spacers and I also replaced the stock case feet by 680X feet, just so the bottom intakes can breathe better.

 

I also set the CPU to -100 mV in the BIOS, and I use a negative voltage offset value of 18. 19 and up causes random restarts, 22 and up causes Windows to blue screen on bootup. With these undervolting results I'd say I got a pretty good 5950X chip.

 

Half considering replacing the top exhaust fans by a Corsair H100i, but Corsair HP would allege a 280mm radiator would fit? If so, do you have one in white? :P

[DevBiker]

You need to have a top radiator set as intake. Especially with a GPU in there. Raising the glass doesn't help much, tbh.