The P03-620 upgrades I've made, This fan change made huge difference for my temperatures and noise

MassiveMonkey66 · July 2021

Hello ladies and gents,

I'm going to show my fan upgrades made to my 620 with pictures, I've tried making it as simple as possible with everything I used. Scroll down if you want to get straight to the CPU cooler change

PART 1: Exhaust Fan

(Ignore the dust please lol, I cleaned it after I was finished) First thing was swapping the exhaust fan, this fan made a lot of noise and to the point of it driving me crazy. I bought a Noctua NF-A9. Noctua NF-A9 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (92mm, Brown) : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories. This was a fairly easy swap and it's the one thing I didn't have many photos for unfortunately but it isn't too tricky. Unplug the plug you see going from the fan to the motherboard then from what I recall there's another wire to unplug on the opposite end. Just follow the wire from the fan and you'll see the second plug the needs to be removed. The only trick part about this was the plastic keeping the wires managed. I personally just cut the cable management wraps and replaced them with new ones.

Here's the Noctua. It looks a little slanted but that's just the way I was holding the camera. I used the screws that came with the Noctua, if you somehow don't have the screws, the screws from the original fan will work.

Part 2: CPU Cooler

So the CPU Cooler I bought was the Noctua NH-U9S. Noctua NH-U9S, Premium CPU Cooler with NF-A9 92mm Fan (Brown) : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

So this was my first time ever removing a CPU cooler since this is my first ever gaming PC. I was a little nervous but now that I've did it I realised I was worrying for no reason. It's really easy, though I got help by reading a lot of forums on here. So, first I unscrewed the silver screws completely removing the cooler from the motherboard.

I then cleaned off the thermal paste using Akasa TIM wipes Akasa TIM Wipes | Thermal Paste Remover | Citrus-based Solvent | 10pcs | Tech for Techs Recommended | AK-TCW-02 | Ideal for CPU, GPU, Heatsink and Chipset : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories. These wipes worked really well, one was enough for me to remove pretty much all of the paste, then I just used a paper towel just to remove an extra grease.

I then placed these over each of the 4 pins surrounding the CPU. These come with the CPU cooler.

I then attached the bracket that also came with the Noctua cooler using M3x12MM Screws. sourcing map M3x12mm Flat Head Machine Screws, Phillips Cross Screw, 304 Stainless Steel, Fasteners Bolts 50Pcs : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools. After attaching the two brackets I applied the thermal paste that came with the cooler. Noctua NT-H1 3.5g, Pro-Grade Thermal Compound Paste (3.5g) : HEINO: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories. I used the dot method, I used about a pea sized amount of thermal paste.

I then screwed the radiator onto the brackets, you will see in the middle of the bracket where to screw the radiator onto. Screw firmly but obviously don't screw in too hard.

Then clip the fan onto the radiator. I attached the fan so the wire coming out of the fan was facing the motherboard first, but I felt as though it was causing stress on the wire so I switched it to the way it looks here. Also, I was surprised that the fan could fit without my RAM blocking it. Though it doesn't matter for me since I'll be switching to two 16gb sticks next instead of 4 sticks of 8GB.

So, here it is. It all worked! This fan change made a hugeeeeeeee difference for my temperatures and noise. I wish I has screenshots of my temps before and after but I forgot (sorry) but my CPU temperatures went down by a huge 20-25% during most games I play. My next task will be replacing the front fan but that's another task for another day! If anybody sees this, I hope this helped.
[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

StevenGen · July 2021

MassiveMonkey66 that is a very well explained and documented guide, well done and hope we’ve been of some help to you.

MassiveMonkey66 · July 2021

@StevenGen Thank you, much appreciated. Without these forums I would have been lost. @GotBanned Helped a lot too. Thanks guys

GotBanned · July 2021

You made a very good and simple guide for people to follow. Hopefully other people having temp issues will find your post. If only there was a way to pin/sticky this... Good job!

DukeNukem1 · July 2021

Are the case fans really that bad? If I just change my cpu cooler then case fans should be much quieter because they are controlled by cpu-temps if I'm not mistaken.

I should get my P03-620 soon and was thinking just changing my cpu cooler first

DukeNukem1 · July 2021

Have you tried undervolting your 3070? It should be much cooler after that and is probably good idea when the cooling is what it is in these cases.

MassiveMonkey66 · July 2021

@DukeNukem1 I have the 2060 version. My temps weren't that bad honestly, before the fan change my max CPU temp was hitting around 65-70c playing games at 2K and even some at 4K (Which is perfectly safe) But since the fan change my temps are staying in the 50c range for most games. And that is also with auto fan turned on, I imagine if I set a curved fan speed they would go even lower. My GPU temp stays fairly low too, hitting about 60c on most games at 2k and 4k. As for the 3070 version, I have heard it gets pretty hot but I can't imagine even with the stock cooler that the temps get dangerously high. But most things I've read of people that made the swap have shown that the CPU cooler change for the 3070 version makes a very good difference in temps. So if you get the 3070 version, I believe the CPU cooler change will be enough for temps

MassiveMonkey66 · July 2021

@DukeNukem1 In terms of noise, changing the exhaust fan did help a lot. But I am finding that the front fan could be a little quieter with set fan speeds. My temps are staying low with the front fan being set on auto, which is pretty silent. But they can get loud if you want to set a fan speed at 60% or higher from PredatorSense. At the moment with my current fan changes, I'm happy with the results for temps and noise

Pittman · July 2021

I changed the CPU fan mostly due to high temperatures (80-90 degrees whilst playing racing sims!). So, noise was not my greatest concern. I like to think case noise has reduced, but it is still quieter than my Fanatec wheelbase so was never really an issue for me - unlike the Alienware Aurora.

PayGOnline

brandonhorn · August 2021

Hey man I have the po3-630 model and I am wondering if we have the same motherboard? It looks exactly the same. I am not sure if I am reading your post right, but did you have to buy those screws separately? Because the ones that came with the cpu cooler do not seem to fin into the MOBO

GotBanned · August 2021

The screws are M3x12. Any hardware store sells them. No need to order online.

EDIT: HERE is a post about replacing original HSF on PO3-630.

brandonhorn · August 2021

So I went to buy this cpu cooler and followed your tips, everything has dropped my temps drastically! I went from hitting 100c when a game starts up to 60-75c depending on which game I play. So thank you for this!

My question is, are you able to adjust the fan speed to this CPU cooler? I tried installing third party software and it does not detect the case fans or even the Noctura fan that we have installed. I read somewhere that acer has some proprietary thing going on in where your fans are not going to be detected in software besides PS. But I do not even have an option to control the cpu fan in PS and I also redownloaded it as well. Is there any way I can adjust this fan curve so I can speed it up a bit or am I going to need to in the near future buy a new MOBO and just move all the parts to that so I am not locked with having to use PS?

GotBanned · August 2021

Good to hear that the temps went down. As for me, I don't have PO3-620 anymore.

I take you have this same cooler as in the pictures above? I'm not sure, but maybe you can slap an additional fan on it. The one in the picture is 25mm in thickness. Noctua has also 15mm ones. If there is enough space on the left... I can't really tell. To get both fans running you would have to use Y-splitter cable that usually comes with the fan.

Thankfully MSI Afterburner can control the GPU fans on 3070.

KMann46 · October 2021

Sorry for the silly question, but when you installed the bracket did you have the change the backplate for the NH-U9S?

I have the PO3-630 and was looking to change the CPU cooler but wanted to check first. I’m basically a complete novice and wanted to know if I would need to remove the motherboard for this?

GotBanned · October 2021

Hi there and welcome to the forum!

If you go for a Noctua HSF, you do not need to replace that backplate at all. The bracket that comes with the HSF can be attached to the the original backplate. Just remember to use those "plastic washers" shown in the picture and M3x12 screws.

KMann46 · October 2021

GotBanned said:

Hi there and welcome to the forum!

If you go for a Noctua HSF, you do not need to replace that backplate at all. The bracket that comes with the HSF can be attached to the the original backplate. Just remember to use those "plastic washers" shown in the picture and M3x12 screws.

Thank you so much! Was worried about taking out the motherboard for this, eased my mind!

Heartpox · December 2021

would this work on the PO3 600 ? anyone?

Pippino · January 2022

Thanks for sharing!MassiveMonkey66 said:

PART 1: Exhaust Fan
...

Part 2: CPU Cooler

Are these replacement all I need to get the temp out of the 85-91 range?
What were your thermals before and after the fix?

I have 91°C (195,8 F) on Cyberpunk main menu and 91 while playing Borderlands (from 2009!!!!). This is unacceptable froma gaming pre-buit desktop made specifor gaming.
https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/657469/predator-orion-3000-po3-630-cpu-temp-up-to-91-c-what-to-do#latest

Also, would this liquid cooler be okay too?
https://www.amazon.it/dp/B06WRRDS73/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apan_glt_i_ATDRV6XEMP8DWR5189DF?psc=1
Thanks

Pippino · January 2022

Thanks for sharing!MassiveMonkey66 said:

PART 1: Exhaust Fan
...

Part 2: CPU Cooler

Are these replacement all I need to get the temp out of the 85-91 range?
What were your thermals before and after the fix?

I have 91°C (195,8 F) on Cyberpunk main menu and 91 while playing Borderlands (from 2009!!!!). This is unacceptable from a desktop made specifically for gaming!
https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/657469/predator-orion-3000-po3-630-cpu-temp-up-to-91-c-what-to-do#latest

Thank you!

SkwibblyScrewer · January 2022

GotBanned said:

Hi there and welcome to the forum!

If you go for a Noctua HSF, you do not need to replace that backplate at all. The bracket that comes with the HSF can be attached to the the original backplate. Just remember to use those "plastic washers" shown in the picture and M3x12 screws.

Hi there! I did the upgrade as many of us did and I'm really happy with the temps. But since I did the upgrade, the WiFi is not working properly (was getting 400 mb/s before the upgrade and now I'm getting 5 mb/s) and the only way to get access to the Internet is via a cable. Did anybody get the same issue as me, or am I the only one?

Thanks in advance!

GotBanned · January 2022

Hi and good to hear about the temps!

Did you need to remove those tiny WiFi cables (black and white) from the WiFi card? Sounds like at least one cable might be loose. When the tiny cable is properly connected, you will hear and feel a "click".

Those connectors are so tiny and fragile, in other words pain in the derriere, so be extra careful.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/yi/lvx0tc3ovq8i.jpg

EDIT: Found this while googling "Acer bad wifi". May not help you, but...

"Ok.....I found out what the problem was. It was the Predator Sense smartphone app. When I un-paired Predator Sense from the iPhone app (and deleted said app) my WIFI speeds went back up to what it should be.

This is a shame because it was very useful to control Predator Sense from my phone - not at the expense of WiFi speed though."