Fixing Thermalright PA120 V3 cooling issues in Primal Carnage?
The Thermalright PA120 V3 is basically a paperweight with the default curves; my CPU hit 95℃ within ten minutes, and I was honestly ready to throw the PC out the window. In Primal Carnage, the fans were sluggishly switching between 800 RPM and 1500 RPM, causing the core temps to bounce and trigger thermal throttling. I tried setting the fans to full speed in the BIOS, but it sounded like a power drill and only dropped the temp by 4 degrees—just a pathetic attempt. I finally mapped out a manual PWM step curve: 60% speed at 60℃ and 100% at 80℃, then ripped the cooler off and applied some high-grade thermal paste. HWInfo showed full-load temps crashing from 95℃ to 72-78℃, and the clocks finally stopped fluctuating. I actually messed up the remount at first and hit 100℃ instantly because the bracket wasn't tight, but it stabilized after I recalibrated the pressure. Noise is now around 35-42 dB. BIOS profile backed up.
