User Creates Custom Noctua Fan “SuperDome” to Reduce CPU Temperatures by 20°C

Enhancing CPU cooling may appear daunting, yet innovative solutions can yield impressive results.

Major Hardware Unveils “Superdome”Cooling Innovation with 15-Fan Setup

In the realm of PC building, enthusiasts often embark on unconventional experiments that can lead to remarkable breakthroughs. As they seek optimal thermal performance, enthusiasts have explored a myriad of cooling solutions—from traditional air coolers to intricate custom liquid cooling systems. Recently, YouTuber Major Hardware ventured beyond typical methods and conceptualized a cooling structure that pushes boundaries.

A dome-shaped case featuring five Noctua fans mounted on its surface is being examined on a wooden table. — Credit: Major Hardware

For his ambitious project, Major Hardware aimed to assemble a unique dome formed by 15 Noctua fans, renowned for their exemplary cooling efficiency and quiet operation. Noctua generously provided the fans, specifically the NF-A12 model, celebrated among cooling aficionados. Coordinating the deployment of all 15 fans on a meticulously designed 3D-printed dome required significant foresight and ingenuity.

A person stands in a workshop behind a dome-shaped structure with multiple Noctua cooling fans, next to a bottle of Snapple peach tea on a table.

When operating in silent or normal mode, the power consumption of the fan assembly was impressively low, remaining below 30W. However, the cooling performance delivered by the Noctua “Superdome”was astonishing. Major Hardware initially assessed the cooling effectiveness with the standard glass panel installed on his chassis. Using Ryzen Master, temperatures for the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X averaged between 86-87°C. Noteworthy is the fact that this rig was already equipped with a custom liquid cooling solution, typically outperforming standard air coolers and conventional all-in-one (AIO) systems.

A screenshot shows CPU temperature at '86.34°C' with a limit of '90°C', and core speeds ranging from 4121 MHz to 4414 MHz, in a performance monitoring software interface.

The screen displays a hardware monitoring application in 'Game Mode, ' showing CPU core speeds ranging from 4302 MHz to 4518 MHz, with the CPU temperature at 66.91°C out of a 90°C limit.

Subsequent testing revealed astounding results after replacing the glass panel with the Superdome. Running demanding games, the Ryzen 9 5950X maintained temperatures around 66-67°C, indicating a dramatic reduction of 20°C. Such a decrease is seldom achieved without advanced DIY cooling innovations. A similar temperature drop was observed previously with the installation of Thermal Grizzly Deltamate on high-end GPUs like the ROG Astral RTX 5080, which is highly regarded in the DIY cooling community.

A person sits in front of a custom computer case featuring multiple fan configurations next to spools of filament, with a gaming monitor displaying a soldier character in a war-themed setting.

In addition to the significant temperature reduction, the noise levels from the setup remained remarkably low. While Major Hardware did not explore the high-performance mode of the fan array, it was clear that doing so would have led to even lower temperatures; however, the already impressive cooling performance made higher speeds unnecessary, especially considering the potential increase in noise.

Watch the full experiment here

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