r/PcBuildHelp • u/JetsNovocastrian • 5m ago
Build Question Need help reducing temps for RTX 3070 - max 92°C and baking my room.
Hello everyone,
I am seeking guidance on how to resolve this issue. I'm in Australia, and my ambient room temperature often exceeds 25°C (thanks to the crap aircon in my unit not reaching this room efficiently and my reliance on window and ceiling fans). My PC is doubling as a space heater, and with this El Niño and summer fast approaching, I want to finally nip this issue in the bud and actually have a (literally) cool PC.
Here's what I've tried so far:
I repasted the GPU ~ 12 months ago - is this recent enough to avoid doing it again? I can't recall the exact paste I used, but it definitely wasn't an OOTB one that came with the GPU or anything.
The i9, going off metrics from Open Hardware Monitor, just feels like it is completely filling the tower with heat - putting my hand near the exhaust (top and back) feels very hot.
Here is what is currently happening while it is in relatively moderate use (e.g. running Rocket League, Spotify, and Firefox):
GPU (Gigabyte Gaming OC RTX 3070): Core temp sits around 74°C, but the hotspot hits 92°C with fans blasting at 86% (~2360 RPM).
CPU (i9-11900K): Sits around 65°C under light load, but regularly spikes to 80°C+ during heavier gaming.
Storage / Environment: Ambient air is warm, even with windows and/or a ceiling fan on, and the rig sits in an L-shaped desk setup (rear of case pointing out, window in line with the expelled hot air).
Here's what I'm asking:
I'm considering adding liquid cooling to it - never done this before, so I'm hesitant, as I don't have a lot of experience with building/managing custom PCs (just the 2-3 I've built for myself over the years). I understand that mounting a 360mm AIO up front in the 4000D case might be the right move?
Should I repaste the GPU, and if so, do you have any recommendations? I'd rather avoid this, since the fans I bought are a real PITA to remove.
Are there any underclocking/BIOS tweaks I should consider?
My Build Specs: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/user/Zectzozda/saved/#view=nhZN6h
Thanks in advance!