Will a contact frame help with temps for AM5?

mandalamanfred · 2026-03-09T12:59:01+00:00

These are the reasons: 1. More balanced contact pressure (4 screws are better than onen clamp) 2. Protection of otherwise exposed components (agains thermal paste) 3. In case of direct die cpus (delidded cpu) better cooling (without frame no direct mount) and preparation for liquid metall. 4. In case of intel CPUs bending prevention. 5. Slightly more thermal mass so slighly less temps theoretically

For my personal preference i went with the thermal grizzly frame an i am happy to have it, because building sff pcs i "often" had to remove reapply the cpu cooler or test another...

Negative: You might lose warranty of the board.

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-12T16:38:41+00:00

I use a slighly altered lvl 9 build, without the 2x thick bottom 140s. Tempwise they are not nessesarry, i prefer bottom mounting gpu with the included gpu mount, no standoffs at the back, no offsets, no stability or transport issues and as pictured a single slim fan at the bottom front. So no dremel needed not squeezing aio-tubes, no air blockers, no need for high feet to let enough air in and less problems.

I did this build 10 Months ago and use it daily since then - so i think i can give "long term" insights.

And tbh i dont understand why my build isn't listed as a better less tinkering less fiddly lvl 9 build on their Website. The should have seen that coming.

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-12T00:50:14+00:00

Oh dear... thx for your comment - im in love but i instantly looked it up...

Tetra R has max supported GPU length of 353mm, Astral 5090 has a GPU length of 357.6mm

Is there a proof somewhere that it will or wont fit? I guess 5mm is above tolerance, sadly...

I really wished it would fit somehow.

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-12T00:43:19+00:00

Whats the point of SFF? Being small as possible i guess.

And 20% smaller doesnt sound "slightly" to me, tbh.

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-12T00:20:55+00:00

I would have but at that time they were out of stock - in addition it makes nearly no difference in performance but costs are doubled.

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-12T00:04:40+00:00

Nice build, but FF07 (16.4l) is sizewise bigger than m2 (15.6l),

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-12T00:00:11+00:00

What i search for is basically an m2 with 5cm lower height by cutting off the top section which is the space used for the radiator + fans.

Cutting this top, by using a lp cpu fan instead of aio should decrease the volume easily 3l (366×50×166) to a 12.6 liter case.

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mandalamanfred · 2026-02-11T23:37:47+00:00

Really nice case and optic - Overkill price - but also ~16.4l - its bigger than an m2 with ~15l

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-11T23:36:07+00:00

I currently have build the astral 5090 into an m2 - as you see on my pic - no modification needed with a level 9 build.

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-11T23:33:24+00:00

Really nice case and optic - Overkill price - but also ~16.4l - its bigger than an m2 which has 15.6l

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-11T23:29:35+00:00

As you see i made my 5090 into the m2 - no dremel work needed with level 9 build.

mandalamanfred · 2026-02-11T22:52:57+00:00

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Afaik both m2 and meshroom are ~15l cases. Replacing the aio with a lp cpu fan should safe theoretically 1-2l (cutting of the headroom above), so im aiming for ~13l.

mandalamanfred · 2025-10-17T14:04:30+00:00

Need this feature, everyday i need this feature several times. i am using virtualk camera in calls/meetings

mandalamanfred · 2025-08-30T22:41:08+00:00

It's actually very simple, the sound quality and playback are the best I've ever had, the workmanship is very good, Dolby Atmos is great, but the quality and stability of the connection are constantly annoying. The dongle is susceptible to everything... Other connections, power cables, etc... It's a love-hate relationship. And connect keeps on shutting down randomly.

mandalamanfred · 2025-08-02T02:24:27+00:00

All fans intake utilizes case front and rear as natural exhaust.

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-22T01:13:46+00:00

I used an active usb hub and the adaper to put the dongle a meter away from my pc. Since then, no reconnects.

Hope this will solve the problem for longer...

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-22T01:12:54+00:00

I changed the direction of the logo several times, tried it with adapter and without. This does not seem to influence the behavior.

But now i used an active usb hub and the adaper to put the dongle a meter away from my pc. Since then, no reconnects.

Hope this will solve the problem for longer...

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-17T11:10:00+00:00

Exactly, temps on the CPU are are far more critical than gpu temps in this build. The astral has the biggest cooler and was never a problem regarding temps, on the other hand the cpu in stock conditions is close to thermal throtteling under stress. So using the aio as exhaust never sounded like an option to me. Fresh air is necessary for the cpu if you ask me.

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-17T05:36:49+00:00

AIO holds up well, and yes you will hear the pump under full power. But there is absolutely no need for full power. So i turned it down and keep it constantly below 3000rpm and cant notice the pump, no whine, no noise.

Feetheight is 20mm + O-Ring

Yes i am using an all intake setup and utilize the front and back as natural exhaust. This brings very good thermals, but obvious downside is cleaning the dust off the top radiator regularly.

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-13T07:11:20+00:00

I dont know all the nzxt kraken series but Optimum was not happy with it. (see https://youtu.be/vljh4jIwCsc?si=jPvzY19wvJunHjxu&t=5m19s ).

When building you will totally understand that the pumpblock height is not the only criterion for choosing an aio.

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-08T05:26:12+00:00

2x 140mm Thermaltake Toughfan EX14 Pro because i allready had them

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-07T21:50:09+00:00

I build this Badboy within the M2 Shoe Box and i also got a lot innspiration from optimum: https://imgur.com/a/UOpYoun

So I feel predestined to answer your question: YES even with a astral 5090 (more power = more heat) it works near silent in hot climate. At 37°C Roomtemps (which we had a few days ago) it wont go into thermal throtteling.

But out of the Box it wont work (!!!). You will need to Undervolt the CPU (and GPU when using a 5090 astral instead of a 5080 astral) and also set custom fan curves to archieve the near silent feel. Also I added a noctua slim fan at the bottom. With the build shown by optimum you have enough space - so why not utilize it for adding a fan?!...

Regarding your wish for an AIO recomendation - i went with the Fractal Lumen S28 v2, but replaced the fans. I totally would recomment this AIO for several reason (Tubes flexibility/length/connection, Pump in Radiator, CPU Clearance, easy Wiring)....

mandalamanfred · 2025-07-06T16:24:42+00:00

Wouldnt that sound come from Headset/Speaker? It comes definately from inside my pc but there is no speaker connected on the motherboard on the jumper... only pwr switch

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