How to stop PCCooler RT500 Digital from overheating in Returnal?
This is just ridiculous. I tried running a high-intensity action game on an entry-level cooler, and my CPU hit 96℃ almost immediately. It was a total disaster. The RT500 Digital's heatsink just couldn't dissipate heat fast enough, causing my clocks to plummet from 4.4GHz to 3.1GHz. My FPS crashed from 80 down to 35—it was basically unplayable. I tried lowering the graphics settings, but since the game is so CPU-heavy on physics, the load stayed high. It was a pretty depressing realization that the hardware was just outmatched. As a last resort, I ripped out the stock paste and installed a high-conductivity phase-change pad, then cranked my rear exhaust fan to 2100 RPM to force the hot air out. In side-by-side tests, peak temps dropped from 96℃ to about 82-86℃. I actually messed up the mounting pressure at first and saw temps rise by 3℃, but tightening the screws properly fixed it. It's still running hot at 80-85℃, but at least it doesn't crash anymore.
