Why does my DeepCool AK500 ARGB cause massive core temp differences and crashes in Crysis Remastered?

The game would just crash to desktop without warning every ten minutes, which was incredibly frustrating. Looking at the sensors, the delta between Core 0 and Core 3 was a shocking 18C—a clear sign that the DeepCool AK500 ARGB base wasn't sitting flush, creating a local hotspot. I tried capping the CPU TDP to 65W via software, which stopped the crashes but tanked my FPS from 90 down to 55, which was a dealbreaker. I ended up ripping the cooler off, scrubbing the stock paste, and applying a high-end 12.5 W/mK thermal compound, tightening the brackets in a strict diagonal pattern. In AIDA64, the core delta dropped from 18-22C to a tight 4-7C, with peaks at 76-82C. I actually overtightened the brackets on the second attempt, causing a slight motherboard warp that made my RAM disappear from BIOS, until I backed the right screw off half a turn. Now fans run at 1100-1400 RPM. The system is rock steady, and the input response feels instantly snappy.