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Reducing Z690 Chipset temp - (Maximus Hero)

Brigman
Level 9
So, I'm not entirely happy to see the PCH on my board ticking between 68-70 celsius in the middle of winter - and that with a slight undervolt applied. And yes, I get that it is still running in spec at this temperature, but if there's anything that can be done to easily reduce it, I'm up for that. So, let's see what's possible.

First let's take the heatsink assembly off and check it out:

92075

The placement of the chipset right in the shadow of the graphics card isn't ideal, but it is what it is and is largely dictated by the signal paths to the PCIe bus and storage anyway. An improved heatsink assembly could be machined if I really felt like it. However, I'd rather give myself an easier time...

92076

The heatsink is nicely finished and has a significant amount of thermal mass, but is very poorly optimised for heat dissipation, having no finning to speak of, as evidenced by the fact that the chipset actually runs very cold over the first few minutes of the system's use - and then slowly warms as the heatsink heats up.

The anodising also looks to be finished with an acetate film-type sealer on the underside, which will have a small thermal insulating effect - especially in the actual interface with the chipset.


92077

Turning the heatsink on its side, we can also see that the textured finishes on its upper surface are appliqués that are (presumably) stuck on with adhesive tape, and have cosmetic value only. This is, on one hand, theoretically undesirable as it will reduce the thermal efficiency of the heatsink itself somewhat. On the other, it may reduce heating caused by waste air blown from the graphics card.

So, there are a few ways in which this situation can be improved. It is not difficult to envisage a way in which a fundamentally superior thermal solution could have been implemented by Asus - a heatpipe with a fin array, for example. It is also not difficult to see how the monolithic aluminium heatsink could have been improved via the addition of some finning to increase its surface area.

In the short term, I'm going to lap/polish off the anodising in the interface area, and replace the stock thermal pad with a TG Minus Pad and see what, if any, difference we see.

92078

Let's see what that does.

And, good, that's made more of a difference than I had figured. Chipset temps are down a good 10-15 celsius with this change. Now idling in the 52-55c range once the system has fully warmed, and peaking 58-60 under heavy load.

So anybody else interested in a quick win in this area, there are a couple of things to try there. Next, I'm going to add some ducting round my (existing) SSD cooler to direct airflow specifically under the PCH heatsink - and then maybe machine some fins in it.
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pointinline
Level 7
The PCH temps on my z690 Extreme are right in the 58-59 range at idle. In my computer case, a Corsair 7000D with 11 fans running in quiet mode.

If I set my fans to run in "balance mode" (ups the fans to about 1/4 their rated RPM) this temp goes down to about 54c at idle. Moving cooling air over the rather inefficient heat sink appears to be a more important aspect of keeping it cool than one might normally see.

I'm going to first try a tiny 30mm fan blowing right on the area of the heatsink above the chip. At full RPM, this fan (the same one used in the Maximus XII Extreme is nearly silent even at full RPM, but should produce a nice spot area of fast airflow for carrying away heat.

I'm reminded of the tests that I've seen on youtube of the NZXT GPU cooler bracket accessory which has the cooler affixed only to the GPU with cooling of the memory chips and VRMs provided by a single fan blowing directly on these components and equaling or besting the temps of the cards with the full heat pipe fin stack coolers on them. It appeared that direct airlow over the parts was a better cooling solution than elaborate heatsinks and thermal paste/pads...

I have the same issue, 68 celsius on idle system
Has anyone asked ASUS if it is ok or not
92115

luntik wrote:
I have the same issue, 68 celsius on idle system
Has anyone asked ASUS if it is ok or not
92115


I was on a phone call with an Asus employee regarding some questions about the z690 formul. I also asked him about the chipset temperature, he told me that it’s normal for the z690 chipset even up to 90 CelsiusÂ*

pointinline wrote:
Moving cooling air over the rather inefficient heat sink appears to be a more important aspect of keeping it cool than one might normally see.


Yes, the limited surface area of the heatsink (on the Hero at any rate) plus the presence of the cosmetic applique on its top surface means that it will struggle to naturally dissipate heat without some assistance from forced air cooling.

As per post above I've already got a 40mm Noctua fan blowing down onto an SSD in the M2_3 position - and the top of the PCH HS gets a fair bit of that, with precious little effect. I'm next going to build a shroud/duct that encapuslates the airflow and forces it down under and around the heatsink - and will probably machine some slots/fins in the edge of the HS nearest the SSD to encourage airflow down there too.

@luntik, as per other posts, we've seen comments here from Asus-affiliated members that this sort of temperature is not problematic, but I'm a perfectionist so if I can improve it, I will. Don't feel as though you have to though.

Got you and thank you guys

One more question is about warranty
Does the PCH thermal pad install affect it?

Brigman wrote:
Yes, the limited surface area of the heatsink (on the Hero at any rate) plus the presence of the cosmetic applique on its top surface means that it will struggle to naturally dissipate heat without some assistance from forced air cooling.

As per post above I've already got a 40mm Noctua fan blowing down onto an SSD in the M2_3 position - and the top of the PCH HS gets a fair bit of that, with precious little effect. I'm next going to build a shroud/duct that encapuslates the airflow and forces it down under and around the heatsink - and will probably machine some slots/fins in the edge of the HS nearest the SSD to encourage airflow down there too.

@luntik, as per other posts, we've seen comments here from Asus-affiliated members that this sort of temperature is not problematic, but I'm a perfectionist so if I can improve it, I will. Don't feel as though you have to though.


Hi What thickness of thermal pad did you use ?

Z690AusBuilder wrote:
Hi What thickness of thermal pad did you use ?


1.5mm - altho 1mm might have been enough.

Nice images Brigman thanks. I also have the Hero 690/12900K with 2x M.2 NVME and my PCH temps were typically 65°C, up to 69°C under load. I simply added a little 80mm fan and placed it below the GPU pointing at the chipset area. The fan was only £5 and has reduced the temp to 55-60°C. Your solution is better I think, although I can do without the hassle of taking the machine apart to that extent. The weather is much warmer right now and temps have increased by approx 5°C, but still, that's acceptable to me. If anybody wants an easy solution, I would say go with the fan option. Cheap, easy and quick. I've read that some other makes of Z690 motherboards have temps up to 90°C under load, so the Hero seems to be one of the better boards for high (ish) but not crazy temps.

As you can see from the image, I purchased a little grill to stop dust getting deposited on the motherboard behind the fan as we have two dust generating dogs! I just give it a quick clean every couple of weeks. It isn't mounted, it's just free standing below the GPU.
Z690 Hero, BIOS 3401, MEI 2345.5.3.0, ME Firmware 16.1.30.2361, 7000X Case, RM1000x PSU, i9 12900K, ASUS TUF OC 3090TI, 2 x 16GB Corsair RAM @ 5200MHz, Windows 11 Pro 23H2, Corsair H150i Elite AIO, 4x Corsair RGB fans, 3x M.2 NVME drives, 2x SATA SSDs, 2x SATA HDs.

hi , i have a z690-F gaming with 12700k , temp' 62°c max 72°c ,I want place thermoelectric cooler (12V 5.8A 65W TEC1-12706 Peltier plate module for thermoelectric cooler 40x40mm) , what do you think?
sorry for my english , i 'm french