How to fix Noctua NH-D15S thermal throttling in MGS Delta?
Dealing with the high-density vegetation rendering was a complete nightmare; my CPU power draw was hitting these bizarre spikes. I noticed core temps jumping wildly between 82 - 88℃, which sent my frame times swinging from 12 - 24ms. In a stealth game, that kind of instability is basically a death sentence. At first, I tried switching the Windows power plan to Balanced, but that was a mistake—it didn't help the heat and just left my CPU idling at low clocks, making me wonder if my cooler bracket wasn't seated right. I eventually dove into the BIOS, slashed the fan response delay from 3s down to 0.5s, and forced the fans to 1400 RPM once it hit 75℃. Checking HWiNFO, the temps finally settled into a steady 74 - 78℃ range, and the game felt snappy again. I did hit a snag where the fans wouldn't even spin up because the start voltage was too low, but bumping it to 5V fixed it. Idle temps are now sitting at 38 - 42℃, and my frame times have flattened out to a rock steady 5.1 - 6.4ms.
