Best Cooler for AMD FX 8350, And Ways to Reduce CPU Temps

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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So, I'm sure some of you have read my previous thread - stating my concern for my AMD FX 8350's temps (this thread to be exact - http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3264641/amd-8350-temperatures-questions.html), but if you'd rather get the basic gist of my concerns - with a Cooler Master GeminII S524 Version 2 heatsink (used) and stock CPU settings/clock speed, my temps on idle according to cooler master go from 16-18C doing nothing to around 25 or even 30C randomly or when moving my mouse, around 30 to 40C when surfing the web, spiking up sometimes to the high 40s when making a new tab, between 45 to 50C when watching a video with multiple tabs, using Avast to do a full system scan had a max temp of 63-64C, and when playing an online game such as ESO for about ten minutes - perhaps a few minutes longer though, a steady temp of 56-58C unless using the Crown Store's menu and previews and going to another zone, which would spike the temperature up - having hit a highest of 66C. All according to OpenHardwareMonitor and Core Temp, I should add.

I don't think there's any damage in brief spike periods of anything higher than 62C (although I could be wrong, I'm not ashamed to admit I have more to learn about component temps and their impact on hardware), but I also don't like such temperatures for my CPU. One response to the linked thread from ingtar33 said my cooler is not that good, and I've been thinking a new cooler might be a worthy investment before a SSD...

So, I need to ask three things - first, and this is something I've got mixed feelings about from the previous thread, would an air cooler or an AiO liquid cooler be better for keeping an FX 8350 cool whether it's idle, under a load, or while gaming? Both have their pros and cons - liquid can cool more but, according to some of you, has more of a risk if there happens to be a leak and is more difficult to install yet takes up less space, while air can be easier in terms of installation and have less failure chance but dissipates less heat and can take up more room in your tower (though it depends on which heatsink you're using)

Second, which cooler exactly would be the best to go with for steady, cool temperatures for this processor?

Third, and this is if the heatsink currently in use - the GeminII S524 Version 2 - will be enough to cool it still, are there any ways of reducing the temperature of the CPU with this heatsink and without underclocking? I should mention, see if this would have any impact on my temps, I have two case fans - one located on the bottom-front of my case that sucks in ambient air, and the other at the top-back vent of the case which expels air and is close to the heatsink. *EDIT!* Come to think of it... I need to ask, how much thermal paste/grease would be right for an AMD AM3+ processor? I ask because my brother was the one who added the paste/grease and it seemed more than what many sites say (a 'pea-sized amount', or even half a pea-sized/the size of two grains of wheat to quote a page on techspot.com regarding case pressure).

And yes, before this commonly asked questions are asked and to clear things up quickly, the case has been cleaned out with pressurized air and nothing is blocking off the vents. Specs are in the linked thread as well.

Also, apologies if I seem a little OCD with my threads and posts - I just want to avoid any incidents with a new processor in my computer as well as any sort of hardware damage due to an unpleasant experience - one faulty PSU lead to a small series of damaged components and has me wary.

Thank you for your time.
 
Solution
Replacing the glass is not "bad" if you don't care about (or don't have) dust.
the 2 intakes are more important than extra exhaust. from my experience 2x120 intakes provide about the same airflow as 1x120 exhaust fan due to greater restrictions in form of dust filters/grills/mesh/HDD cages.
Switching to AiO will clean up the case internals. It also helps to reduce the in-case temperature since the heat instead of being dissipated within the case like now, would be pushed out of the case - exhaust of the rads is directly outside.
while there is nothing terribly wrong in putting liquid cooling as intake, in your case it would be very tricky at best to mount the 240 rad in front. The more natural way is to mount the rad on top.
intake fans...
the FX8's are probably the 2nd highest TDP CPUs in reality today, the highest being the FX9's. You need a very beefy cooler. The gemini what from i recall looked cool, but wasn't. (it's way down this list with a constant heat source) http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2793&page=5 AMD also happens to have the lowest thermal headroom, throttling at 65(ish) but regularly being seen sitting at 60-62. Combined these two mean that you need a high end cooler.

With regards to thermal paste, less is more, there should be a transparent smear when you remove the cooler, it's there to fill in minute imperfections, that's all. The guides that you reference are right, if you've used more than that then you need to do it again.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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So you think the thermal paste needs to be redone? Yet would there be much of an improvement in temperatures if the cooler itself isn't strong enough? What would you recommend for a cooler, by the way friend?
 
if you think that too much was applied then yes replace it, it can drop you 3-4C if it is particularly bad.

pick something from the top of the list on the link I sent you, obviously if it costs an extra 50% to gain an extra C then it's not worth it, hyper 212 was always the go to, cryorgs are possibly better.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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I don't know about the EVO hyper 212 - I remember hearing from someone I hear, I think madmatt but I can't recall exactly, that the hyper212 might not be the best option. Again, I could be incorrect. If you or anyone could recommend a brand and/or model of air cooler though, what would you say would keep an 8350 as cool as possible, especially under a heavy load or while gaming?

And I'll redo the thermal paste with my brother tonight - might help with maintaining temps and drop them. I also just set my Windows Modules Installer to manual, seeing as it was using background CPU and had my temps rise up on idle to a range of 45C to around 53-55C. So that, coupled with the possible insulation, might have been doing me no favors. I'll give an update on how temps look when all is said and done, but I think a new cooler is necessary regardless.
 
the 212 was the go-to cooler for a long time, in an era of higher tdps, so it'll work now, are there better coolers out there, yes, are they more expensive, yes. You seem to have an opinion without having an opinion, you need to choose, you either don't know what to do, or you do, asking for help and disagreeing with it whilst claiming ignorance and not having done research isn't a way to get people to help you.
 
It is impossible for CPU to run at sub ambient temperature with air or liquid cooling.
The 18C is possible if your room temperature is 15C at most. Is it the case ?
regarding liquid with air, actually it is easier to install modern AiO than beefy air cooler.
But there are a lot of things to consider. Getting crappy AiO is of course comes with the risk of leak and short lifespan. Somewhat decent AiOs are 100$ and up.
Good AiO is https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-xlc-predator-240
for that money, you'd be better upgrading to i5 :)
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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Yeah... that's not really an option, friend. ;P

Not only that, but I heard that the 8350 is at least on-par with a number of i5's. :p
Nor is my room at a temperature 15C. At most, the house itself stays around 72F/around 22C. Of course, we also have the heat on more with temperatures dropping seemingly each day with it being wintertime.

And I know, air and liquid cooling have their pros and cons. An AiO can take up less space than an air cooler, especially any that's very large (although I think there's at least some that are moderate size/around the GeminII's size that are able to cool an 8350 enough, but I've been wrong before). Forgive me if I seem skeptical of you or 13th - I tend to take a lot of info online with a grain of salt due to conflicting information and opinions. Some people claim air cooling is perfect for the processor, others say liquid is more efficient, some claim to have idle temps of a steady 18C, others say (like mine) it fluctuates - I guess due to temps lower than 40C being more difficult to gauge correctly for AMD processors if I recall correctly.

I do appreciate your input though and seeing someone else respond to this thread of mine - more input and advice is always appreciated. :) I still need to redo the thermal paste - haven't a chance today due to a personal issue... But I noticed something that helped with an issue I seemed to have for about two days after around 6-8 hours of having my computer active. Seemingly random CPU usage which caused random loads on various cores of my FX 8350 processor - which means extra heat causing temperatures to rise to around 45C to low 50s. It was caused by Windows Modules Installer - which is now set to manual - now idle temps are back to jumping from 16 to 18C to around 25 to 33C at the most according to Core Temp.

But if you happen to know of something to help with any temp spikes - aside from underclocking that is - especially when playing games or doing scans - I'm all ears. Er, eyes...
 
1. AMD CPUs do have problem to report the temps correctly. The temperature can not be below ambient with conventional air/liquid coolers. The CPU has to be hotter than air in order to transfer the heat.
2. There are workloads where FX is on par with i5. Gaming is not one of them.
3. Temperature fluctuation is perfectly normal when computer does something. Windows components doing something is also normal :)
4. As long as the CPU temperature is below 80C under load (spikes are not important) you are totally fine.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Even though AMD says the 'safe maximum temperature' is 62 degrees Celsius? I ask because many users of the FX 8350 processor say they prefer their temps being below 55C when gaming or under a heavy load. Not only that, but I'm not sure if there would be any damage to components inside CPU if even a few degrees higher than that 'official' temperature.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Right - I know about the possibility of throttling or a shutdown (usually at far higher temps than what's safe for any CPU).

I just want to keep temps as low as possible though - for efficiency of my machine, as well as to avoid whatever point either may occur.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Okay, so.... I had the thermal paste redone - roughly the size of a pea (a sloppy one and maybe a bit bigger but far less than what was there originally, and my hard drives, where were originally partially blocking off my front-bottom case fan have been relocated upward to avoid blockage of the fan.

Tested out ESO last night, the highest I hit was around 63C, with temps climbing up as I attempted to log in. Otherwise, temps were fairly steady. However, after just testing Overwatch out, I had a temp spike at the highest I've seen of 68C for my processor. This is concerning to me - would this temp have any major impact on my CPU's health?

I'm also thinking when I get the chance I should get a new/better cooler - part of me leaning towards liquid cooling still while my brother believes it would be better in general.
 

lfkfkfkffs

Admirable
If you have the budget and case room for it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4UF1H68938&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= is my favorite cooler atm. I replaced some of my water coolers with these and this works even better.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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*whistles* Beefy looking cooler... I don't know if I'd have room for that thing in my case, honestly - I'd need to check the dimensions of it and compare it to my current heatsink, case, and motherboard.

What exactly are your temps with that cooler?
 
just try.
That test will reveal if you have an insufficient airflow. Even in good case with good airflow the temps will be lower by a couple of degree.
If you have significant difference (over 5C) than you need to optimize the flow by including more case fans/changing the case/adding liquid cooling etc.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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I'll give it a shot... I'll report what I can back later on, but I got my doubts if I'm being honest.
 


It commonly helps and will expose an issue with the HSF being starved of air, in which case there will only be marginal gains from a better cooler.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Okay, so, I tried out Overwatch - a processor demanding game on max settings (fps limited to 60 though since I never even go past 59 fps) - with and without the side panel. Without it first - I had never gone past 62C at most in a full-scale game.

With the side panel, however, in full-scale games I had reached a highest of 68C.

I also have some images to show you guys the case and setup so you know what I'm working with.

243kn88.jpg


a2cfp4.jpg


16k9xxf.jpg
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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Yes, it's one intake at the front, and one exhaust in the back of the case.

The GPU is a Radeon RX 480, 8GB and XFX model.

And it's not a stupid question, friend. :) Typically, we have our house at around... 72F ( 22.2C ), although while I was working it was set to 75F ( 23.8C ) because it's getting pretty cold out. It was just lowered down to around 73F ( 22.7C ) though.
 

OneHaplessGamer

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Mar 15, 2016
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Okay, so, my brother had an idea last night - the side panel I showed earlier - with the poor-looking glass/plastic/whatever material that is that looked cracked - obviously lacks a lot in terms of air-flow. However, his idea is this - if we removed that cracked plastic/glass/what-have-you, and replaced with an aluminum, perforated panel like this:

26640d1439648133-h-box-rattling-perforated-sheet-metal-panel-round-holes-61312-2041825.jpg


We could have more airflow into my computer. It'd have less protection technically, seeing as it wouldn't be fully enclosed, but it could also 'breathe' easier. I'd still consider getting a new cooler - preferably water-cooling but I'm on the fence a bit still, but this unorthodox idea may be useful.

What do you guys think?