How to fix local hotspots on Noctua NH-D15S in Horizon?
While trekking through dense foliage, I kept an eye on my monitors and noticed something weird: the average temp was 70°C, but one single core would spike to 90°C, causing micro-stutters in physics calculations. Even a beast like the NH-D15S can suffer from local heat soak during extreme instruction bursts. I tried popping the side panel off the case, but that only dropped temps by 2°C and let dust in like crazy—a total amateur move. Instead, I tweaked the angle of my front intake fans and added a 120mm top exhaust to force a direct air tunnel over the cooler. HWInfo showed the core delta drop from 18°C to just 7°C, and the hitching vanished. I actually installed one of the fans backward at first, which trapped heat inside and made it worse until I flipped it. Now, full load temps are a chilly 65°C - 72°C with fans at 1100 RPM. The airflow verification confirms the system is finally breathing properly, though the fan curve is a bit aggressive.
