Cooling 7700K hitting 100C in DAN case :/

[pakalolo]

Aloha everyone,

My DAN case A4-SFX v2 finally arrived! But.... I'm having a serious cooling problem, and I need some advice.

My main problem is my CPU is idling at ~34C (edit)... playing games such as Rainbow Six Siege, I'm seeing temps around ~95C and occasionally hitting 100C and crashing the game.

Here's what I'm rocking currently:
i7-7700K (not overclocked)
Cryorig C-7 CPU cooler
ASUS ROG Maximus VIII
Trident-Z RGB DDR4 3000MHz
Gigabyte GTX 1080Ti
1TB Crucial SSD
512GB Samsung EVO SSD
Corsair SF600

The combination of the Maximus VIII, the C-7 cooler, and the Trident RAM is the source of the problem IMO.
The Motherboard's chipset protrudes from the top side of the board, essentially boxing in the C-7 heat pipes in combination with the tall Trident RAM. This seems to choke the amount of air the C-7 can push through the fins on the heat sink, thus I am seeing unacceptable temps.

My first thought was to upgrade to the Asetek 545LC Liquid cooler, but this seems to be a hassle, and it's currently sold out on asetek's site...
Now I'm exploring options on changing motherboards, RAM, and CPU coolers.

Anyone have any advice or guidance???

Mahalo!

 

[1461748123]

Delid and undervolt will do the job!

 

[pakalolo]

Thanks for the response! I'll be honest, I have yet to delid any of my CPUs, so I'm a bit scared of the risks involved and voiding warranty.
I'm much more inclined to go with a "simple" solution such as getting a different mobo and/or cooler.
This decision is also based on the fact I absolutely love the trident RGB RAM, and my current mobo does not support AURA lightning control :/

Any suggestions on mobo/cooler that might be compatible with the Trident RAM in the A4-SFX v2?

 

[1461748123]

Honestly deliding is the only way to get an acceptable temp in such a small case. I don't think swapping RAM or even changing motherboard will help much. Maybe try undervolting? That might yield some good result!
Blame Intel for putting toothpaste on their CPU

 

[pakalolo]

lol ok you've convinced me, I'm looking into delid kits.

Im seeing people are getting drastic results with the 7700K... do you think undervolting would still be necessary even after a delid operation?

 

[K888D]

You shouldn't be seeing anywhere near 82C idle temps even if you were using a really bad cooler. Is the fan on top of the C7 blocked from drawing air into the cooler? Is your case located inside a small cupboard, or is the case sat against a wall where the CPU intake vent is?

If not then your cooler may not be mounted properly, or your computer is running some kind of background process that is using the CPU while idle.

 

[1461748123]

lol ok you've convinced me, I'm looking into delid kits.

Im seeing people are getting drastic results with the 7700K... do you think undervolting would still be necessary even after a delid operation?

I won't be necessary, but it will definitely help. Plus there's no downside for undervolting

 

[1461748123]

You shouldn't be seeing anywhere near 82C idle temps even if you were using a really bad cooler. Is the fan on top of the C7 blocked from drawing air into the cooler? Is your case located inside a small cupboard, or is the case sat against a wall where the CPU intake vent is?

If not then your cooler may not be mounted properly, or your computer is running some kind of background process that is using the CPU while idle.

I just realize that 82C is idle temp.. Something is definitely wrong

 

[Choidebu]

Those temps are not normal at all. Before delidding, try reapplying your thermal paste. Check carefully the contact of the cpu lid and your heatsink. See if any components are nudging the heatsink position off.

 

[tinyitx]

As mentioned above, check the installation of the Cryorig C7. Make sure the transparent sticker is peeled off. This is so basic but yet I have seen many stumbled to this mistake. Also, remove the cooler and inspect the spread pattern of the thermal paste.
Then, is the fan spinning properly? Check its speed and see if it is spinning at good rpm.

A German website has the same Dan Case A4 + Maximus VIII Impact + i7 6700K + same cooler Cryorig C7. It uses different RAM but I think this combination is close enough to yours. It has no thermal problem. Synthetic stress tests give a max CPU temp of 87C.
https://www.golem.de/news/dan-cases...ware-nicht-verpackt-werden-1511-117604-2.html

 

[pakalolo]

You shouldn't be seeing anywhere near 82C idle temps even if you were using a really bad cooler. Is the fan on top of the C7 blocked from drawing air into the cooler? Is your case located inside a small cupboard, or is the case sat against a wall where the CPU intake vent is?

If not then your cooler may not be mounted properly, or your computer is running some kind of background process that is using the CPU while idle.

This is what I thought. But I get these temps even with the side panel removed. I believe the problem is the combination of hardware, as the mobo chipset protrudes from the top (about a full inch), and the Trident RAM being tall (creating a wall on the right side). So essentially the C-7 cooler fins are completely obstructed on the top side and right side. This is why I initially thought to replace the mobo with one that doesnt have such an invasive chipset, or find alternative cooler options.

 

[pakalolo]

As mentioned above, check the installation of the Cryorig C7. Make sure the transparent sticker is peeled off. This is so basic but yet I have seen many stumbled to this mistake. Also, remove the cooler and inspect the spread pattern of the thermal paste.
Then, is the fan spinning properly? Check its speed and see if it is spinning at good rpm.

A German website has the same Dan Case A4 + Maximus VIII Impact + i7 6700K + same cooler Cryorig C7. It uses different RAM but I think this combination is close enough to yours. It has no thermal problem. Synthetic stress tests give a max CPU temp of 87C.
https://www.golem.de/news/dan-cases...ware-nicht-verpackt-werden-1511-117604-2.html

this is very interesting... I initially applied Artic Silver 5, and then tried Thermal Grizzly, both yielding similar results.
I have ensured the cooler is mounting correctly, and I definitely removed the sticker
The fan has no obstructions, but the fins on the heatsink are completely blocked on the top (by mobo chipset) and right side (by the tall trident RAM).

 

[pakalolo]

Those temps are not normal at all. Before delidding, try reapplying your thermal paste. Check carefully the contact of the cpu lid and your heatsink. See if any components are nudging the heatsink position off.

I reapplied thermal compound twice already :/
and the trident RAM is just barely touching the heat sink fins at the base of the RAM modules (the RAM heatsinks are quite large)

 

[pakalolo]

UPDATE: ok I'm an idiot... I'm actually seeing about 32C while idling idk where I got 82C....

but still, I'm hitting 100C under load... is deliding the answer?

 

[Choidebu]

How does your fan sound when the system's on load? Can you hear air moving like whoosh or just fans spinning like whirrrr?

 

[Sandez]

A pic would probably help everyone out to picture what you mean by being completely blocked off at the top and the ram side. Going off a pic of your mobo, it looks like all directions are blocked in some way. I think your motherboard is the main culprit. Changing RAM is still likely to block the airflow anyways.

I would try removing the rear IO shield and your audio card to see if that makes any difference. If removing both of those things helps, then you know it's an air circulation issue.

To solve that issue you have a few options, some cheaper than others but it's a guessing game if it'll work. Going from least likely to work to most likely:
1. Change the fan on the C7 to something like the Noctua A9x14 (not sure if this is actually any better performance wise, but is quieter from what I've read)
2. Change the CPU cooler to something like the LP53 with a Noctua A9x14 (this will likely not be so effective either given the lack of air circulation.)
3. Delid the CPU (this should help in some way, but if the CPU cooler can't function properly it won't have much effect either).
4. Change motherboards

Of if removing IO shield and audio card worked, leave them off, for a free solution.

 

[Choidebu]

I'm betting it's a bad fan

 

[tinyitx]

In addition to the above German website, the guy below also uses the same CPU cooler + same motherboard. His RAM is 42mm tall G.Skill Ripjaws (vs your 44mm tall Trident-Z, so essentially no height difference). Granted that he uses Node 202 and i7 6700K (vs your Dan Case V2+ i7 7700K) but this should not make a big difference.

So, this strongly suggests that your motherboard with the C7 and tall RAM should not suffocate the C7 to the extent that the CPU temp reaches 100C. Something else is not right. Once again, double check the fan speed curve.

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/pMBPxr
(he has load temp of 65C for stock i7 6700K and 80C for overclocked one)

 

[Phuncz]

I'd make sure the CPU cooler is not hitting something on the motherboard or other components, not allowing full contact.

 

[shreebles]

2. Change the CPU cooler to something like the LP53 with a Noctua A9x14 (this will likely not be so effective either given the lack of air circulation.)

Having owned both the C7 and the LP53 Noctua combo, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this method.
Heck, I think even Dan himself (creator of the case) said it's the best you can do in this case until he completed his custom SFF cooler.
The cooler being all copper can be quite effective with a good fan, and the Noctua is most likely the best you can do with what limited space you have. And it's quieter, so you can crank it up more without really being disturbed by noise.

Do make sure that you are using the backplate for the C7, not the screws. The backplate gave me much better temps.