m/b component cooling importance? (GA-Z77-D3H)

[ozyris]

Good day, everyone!

I am currently considering an aftermarket cooler for an i5-3570k + GA-Z77-D3H setup; and the one I'm looking at is of tower type. I like what it has to offer, except for the lack of cooling for motherboard components, that such a cooler will bring with it. The problem is, my current understanding of what that really transfers to is close to none. I realise that higher component temps mean shorter lifespan and lower reliability, but whether those effects in this particular setup are of sufficient magnitude to be considerable - I do not know. I hope that you could help me out to get a better idea of this, so that I could make a better informed decision on the cooling solution...

I believe this information is relevant: I have a mid tower case with 1 front intake (140mm@900rpm) and 1 rear exhaust (120mm@1000rpm) and a PSU with a 140mm fan exhausting from the case. The CPU is going to be clocked at 4.0 - 4.4 GHz, depending on the temperatures and voltages I am going to see for these frequencies. I'm going to keep it below 65 - 67 °C at max stress load, and I don't think I'll set the CPU voltage higher than 1.2 V. All that with 25 °C ambient in mind...

[MarkJohnson]

You sound like you have good airflow, but there are no guarantees on long term affects of overclocking.

I think the question is more of why do you NEED to overclock.  If you are worried about longevity then running stock is the way to go.  Your CPU has way more power than the average user needs at stock.

If your temps exceed 60C then I'd get a better cooler.  More heat means more wear and I personally never go over 60C and prefer under 55C at all times.

Luck
-=Mark=-

[ozyris]

Thank You for Your answer.

I think the question is more of why do you NEED to overclock. If you are worried about longevity then running stock is the way to go.  Your CPU has way more power than the average user needs at stock.

It just so happens that I'm not quite an average user... I know there are "safer" ways to get more performance, but those are beyond my budget atm. As far as longevity goes, I am concerned that hardware lasts and remains reliable for 5-7 years at most. It is very likely to be replaced before the 5 year mark.

there are no guarantees on long term affects of overclocking.

I realize that, and seek no guarantees
There are ways to roughly estimate the effects though.. If one knows how the installed components react to more heat. And how much more heat is expected. Lack of electrolytic capacitors, and a radiator on the left of the socket suggest to me that this board might have enough tolerance to less direct cooling. Anyway, I thought someone might enlighten me on approximate possible effect of tower cooling, not overclocking, for the specific motherboard. I may provide additional info if necessary.

In any case, I thank you for your time and consideration.

[MarkJohnson]

Other than what I stated, I see no reason it won't last 5-years.  Your mosfets have heatsinks on them already and your case should have good enough airflow.

Just check your components temps yourself and see how how they run.  Don't reply on software.  A good infra-red thermometer heat gun are fairly cheap or even a candy thermometer will give general temp readings.  60C is approx 140F which can cause a blister if touched for a few seconds.  70C is 160F and can blister almost immediately.

your components can handle the heat better than your finger, but for longevity I like to keep things cool. Under 60C.

If I may ask, what do you use your computer for.  It will help in setting things up properly to know.

You can usually set all of your cores to there normal turbo mode safely without raising any volts and temps staying near what they currently are running.  Which would be 3.8k for your system.  Going past that may require some BIOS adjustments and I'm not sure if your BIOS has that many settings as it is a budget board and is usually limited on overclock settings.