Is the Thermalright PA120 SE enough for WoW cities?
Every time I stepped into Valdrakken, my frames would tank from 120 down to 40, and the anxiety was real. The PA120 SE ARGB just couldn't keep up with the sudden power bursts, and core temps would spike to 92-95℃, triggering an immediate clock drop. I tried capping the max processor state to 99% in Windows, which brought temps down to 80℃, but the overall smoothness was gone—it felt like I was playing on a laptop. I ended up ripping the cooler off and applying a high-end 12.5 W/mK thermal paste, then tweaked the BIOS fan curve to hit 100% speed as soon as it hit 70℃. HWiNFO showed max temps held at 82-85℃, and the clock speeds stopped falling off a cliff. Early on, the fans sounded like a jet engine taking off, so I set everything below 50℃ to 40% speed to keep my sanity. Temps are now a steady 68-75℃. Stress tests prove it's stable.
