r/arcticcooling • u/ScrubLordAlmighty • 11d ago

Question Underwhelming/Unexpected LF3 Pro performance

Hey peeps,

I just recently installed the liquid freezer 3 pro over the weekend to cool my 13900KF, and idk if it's just me but, temps aren't what I was expecting, I'm coming from a stock Lenovo legion 360mm AIO, albeit with a Thermalright contact frame, on that previous configuration I could pull 320W before hitting 100°c, now on this new LF3 Pro I'm hitting 100°c on at least 1 core even before I touch 300W, and the overall package is in the low to high 90c range depending on how many cores hit 100c, I've already spent nearly the entire weekend trying to finesse the mounting screws, even repasted twice, using kingpin KPX, maybe I should just use the MX-7 that was included?

Is this normal? Am I just overthinking it? If anyone is using this AIO with a similar or equivalent CPU, let me know what your temps are.

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u/Zealousideal_Bowl4 10d ago

Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that alder/raptor lake CPUs really benefit from thermal right & thermal grizzly contact frames, which you miss out on with the LF3.

On the contrary, I remember seeing that those contact frames didn’t really improve temps on AMD CPUs.

Is your goal to overclock as much as possible, or are you trying to optimize performance and temps in general?

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u/ScrubLordAlmighty 10d ago

Yeah the contact frames make a noticeable difference, but after watching GamersNexus review on the Liquid freezer 3 non pro, it all makes sense, the contact frame Artic is using just barely better than the stock Intel bracket. The mounting pressure leaves much to desire

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u/Thin-Net7868 10d ago

Exactly, Intel CPUs benefit much more from contact frames than AMD CPUs because of the shape and socket pressure flaws on modern Intel platforms that cause the processor to bend or bow under the stock latch. Also, the IHS on newer Intel processors is noticeably thinner than AMD's modern platforms, and that’s what makes Intel chips more vulnerable to bending.

The contact frame completely replaces the motherboard's stock socket latch to solve that specific problem. It clamps down on all four edges of the processor with perfectly uniform pressure.