Why does God of War Ragnarok throttle on a Noctua NH-D9L cooler?

Kratos's axe swings stuttered badly. I tried more airflow, but HWiNFO showed only a 2C drop. I cleaned the Noctua NH-D9L fins and repasted, then checked via GamePP Hardware Sensor Monitor. Cinebench R23 confirmed temps at 72-76C per AIDA64. The stutter is gone, and combat feels smooth again. No more thermal anxiety during boss fights.