Looking for fastest/best air cooled CPU

[TahoeFred]

working on new build design.
I want it to be as fast as possible without a AIO or custom loop. Will probably run a NH-D15. No water this time.
Something that idealy idles under 40c and goes over 5GHz. AMD or Intel. More of a powerful workstation than anything else.

 

[GerKNG]

the 7950x runs fine on a NH D15.
a 13900k too... they both just boost to their max temp and then throttle to keep the temp. my 13700k runs now with a 5.7Ghz boost (5.6 up to 4 Cores and 5.5 All Core)
i've set a temp limit of 90°C and the CPU stays well above 5 Ghz all core in render workloads on a Deepcool AK620.

 

[Nihillim]

Something that idealy idles under 40c and goes over 5GHz. AMD or Intel.

I guess anything recent from AMD got disqualified right away... their boost behavior naturally yields higher low load thermals than what some are used to.
13700K for Intel - maybe 13900K, not 100% on that one.
Why set a target(temperature) that no cpu would even take notice of?

 

[TahoeFred]

13900 would be pushing it on air , unless you never work its max. It is what i originally was planning on water. I think if you go 13900 you should go water or it is kinda a waste. imo 7050x seems like a push too, especially in summer

 

[freeagent]

FC140 has more mass without fans and has 8mm heatpipes vs the 6mm ones on the tuna

I would try that out

 

[Fouquin]

I guess anything recent from AMD got disqualified right away... their boost behavior naturally yields higher low load thermals than what some are used to.

I suppose you missed the non-X Zen 4 CPUs running sub-70C under average single-core loads, and under 90C in all-core (5.1-5.3GHz for the 7700 and 7600) with the basic cooler they ship with. Eco Mode is also a thing. The 13700K was recorded at 102C in TPU's review for all-core load temps. The Intel chips can also be power limited to drop temps too, which is all AMD did really on the non-X parts.

 

[TahoeFred]

FC140 has more mass without fans and has 8mm heatpipes vs the 6mm ones on the tuna

I would try that out

that look good. seems like a perfect match for your 5800

 

[Nihillim]

I suppose you missed the non-X Zen 4 CPUs running sub-70C under average single-core loads, and under 90C in all-core (5.1-5.3GHz for the 7700 and 7600) with the basic cooler they ship with. Eco Mode is also a thing. The 13700K was recorded at 102C in TPU's review for all-core load temps. The Intel chips can also be power limited to drop temps too, which is all AMD did really on the non-X parts.

OP said 'idle', which I interpreted as the state the PC is in when you're doing much of nothing on the desktop.
Idle isn't really idle, when at least the OS is always doing something, so I call it low load - Ryzen easily low load 'idles' over 40C. Intel hasn't been as spiky in that regard.

 

[freeagent]

that look good. seems like a perfect match for your 5800

Works good on my 5900X too.

 

[TahoeFred]

OP said 'idle', which I interpreted as the state the PC is in when you're doing much of nothing on the desktop.
Idle isn't really idle, when at least the OS is always doing something, so I call it low load - Ryzen easily low load 'idles' over 40C. Intel hasn't been as spiky in that regard.

This is my old 3930K @4200 34c (hottest core) 9% ram 0% CPU. I call this idle

 

[Fouquin]

Ryzen easily low load 'idles' over 40C. Intel hasn't been as spiky in that regard.

Okay.



7700 on 240mm AIO, 13700K on 360mm AIO. Results from Guru3D. Obviously the 13700K is going to be faster with the assumption it can remain under throttle point on air cooling, as it barely manages to with even the better AIO. The 7900 would be the more obvious choice here but that only sustains about 4.5GHz all-core and stays under 40C idle.

 

[TahoeFred]

Okay.

View attachment 279321View attachment 279322

7700 on 240mm AIO, 13700K on 360mm AIO. Results from Guru3D. Obviously the 13700K is going to be faster with the assumption it can remain under throttle point on air cooling, as it barely manages to with even the better AIO. The 7900 would be the more obvious choice here but that only sustains about 4.5GHz all-core and stays under 40C idle.

that 7700 is killing it !

 

[Fouquin]

that 7700 is killing it !

Just make sure to check performance numbers in reviews. I would compare across a few different sites, the general consensus is that the 13700K is about 20-25% faster fully untapped in productivity, and 5-10% faster in games. Not sure what you'll be seeing on your config but I have generally seen well done air cooling setups perform within margin for error of a 240mm AIO. TPU's 102C number for the 13700K came from running it at stock settings on a Noctua NH-U14S.

 

[A Computer Guy]

working on new build design.
I want it to be as fast as possible without a AIO or custom loop. Will probably run a NH-D15. No water this time.
Something that idealy idles under 40c and goes over 5GHz. AMD or Intel. More of a powerful workstation than anything else.

Just to clarify by fast do you mean raw speed (GHz) or computing power (threads)? - because you said "powerful workstation"

I don't know if this helps but perhaps for comparison sake with other recommendations my air cooled 5950x (w/ NH-C14S at 580rpm) idles around 45c at a CPU package power of 48w. (Running in a cool room about 23c at the moment.) In contrast my looped 5950x (fan 1000rpm, pump 2800rpm, 360 rad) idles around 36c at a CPU package power of 30w. I'm not sure why I have such a gap in idle wattage between pc's but my air cooled is my gaming PC with a bunch of junk on it and water cooled my work pc which is a very clean installation of Windows so not much junk on it.

I mention wattage in case what your really after is low wattage during idle (power saving when not using pc) as opposed to a particular temperature (where you might be interesting in controlling fan speed).

 

[GerKNG]

Why set a target(temperature) that no cpu would even take notice of?

13700K: 2 core 5.7, 4 core 5.6 and 8 core 5.5 GHz (Auto VCore, same as stock)
The100°C Temp Limit in Cinebench R23 shoots up to 100°C within one second (1.37V, 310W) and imediately throttles to 5.1 at around 1.28V.
setting a 90°C Temp Limit has the CPU imediately settle at around 1.26V while running at 5.3 Ghz all core (and the E Cores are 200MHz faster as well), the CPU pulls 250W, is around 12°C cooler and doesn't just imediately end in a thermal runaway.

 

[Nihillim]

13700K: 2 core 5.7, 4 core 5.6 and 8 core 5.5 GHz (Auto VCore, same as stock)
5.5 Ghz with 100°C Temp Limit in Cinebench R23 shoots up to 100°C within one second (1.37V, 310W) and imediately throttles to 5.1 at around 1.28V.
setting a 90°C Temp Limit has the CPU imediately settle at around 1.26V while running at 5.3 Ghz all core (and the E Cores are 200MHz faster as well), the CPU pulls 250W, is around 12°C cooler and doesn't just imediately end in a thermal runaway.

This is not what I was getting at, at all. Load thermals wasn't even being considered, because of what was stated in the OP.
I know those chips can get up there if you let them.

TahoeFred's target: "Something that idealy idles under 40c(on air)..."
What I was thinking: What does that without the occasional spike taking it above 40C?

AsRock and INSTG8R laugh at me and don't say what's wrong.
Fouquin posts snapshots of cpu thermals under AIOs, even though this was about air coolers.
TahoeFred posts an image of a single moment in time, of whole cpu utility. It may look like 0 on the whole, but for each core, it's a little different.

I gave up and chose to just watch the discussion.

 

[ThrashZone]

working on new build design.
I want it to be as fast as possible without a AIO or custom loop. Will probably run a NH-D15. No water this time.
Something that idealy idles under 40c and goes over 5GHz. AMD or Intel. More of a powerful workstation than anything else.

Hi,
Idle at 40c ? easy just mount a potato and you can eat it in a couple hours

 

[JustBenching]

Any cpu will do, set a temperature or a power limit and you are good to go. I have a u12a on a 13900k, its doing amazing

 

[TahoeFred]

I ended up going with custom loop.. 13900KS

 

[physicsjunky]

That's cool to see watercooled ram.

 

[Marcus L]

Nice looking rig but I had to lol op title and thread about best/fastest CPU on air then goes custom water loop

 

[TahoeFred]

Nice looking rig but I had to lol op title and thread about best/fastest CPU on air then goes custom water loop

things have changed so much from my last build , everything runs hotter

another of modded basement

 

[dgianstefani]

Any current Intel/AMD works fine on air.

If you really care, do a per core OC on an Intel Raptor Lake part and you can keep it below 200 W at all times, while still boosting to 6 GHz.