Major update:

I forgot that I reset the BIOS, not long before the cooler change. Previously, the system hat a 0.35v undervolt. That had been removed in the BIOS reset.

With the 0.35v undervolt restored, the D15 performance is essentially identical to the iCan dual tower cooler.

I appreciate the thought. Unfortunately, my case won’t allow for raising of the front fan.

If I decide to stay with the D15, I’ll pick up a new case that has room for this massive cooling tower and the windmills that operate it. lol!

Minor update:

I pulled the D15 and discovered it was not interfacing with the CPU in the center in the block. The mounting brackets have two sets of holes so I shifted it to put the heat closer to the center of the cooling block.

It didn’t make much difference. I won’t know until I’ve run my entire test suite. I hate to jump to any conclusions after 15m of testing. So far, it’s hitting 5.14 GHz, where it was not quite hitting 5GHz before.

I’ll let it run some benchmarks overnight and then analyze the speeds and temps.

Thank you for the ideas and advice. I really appreciate it.

This is such a great idea. When I installed the D15, I looked at the pad on the interface block for a while. It is so shiny, I thought it was plastic. After a minute of trying to peel it off with my nail, I figured it was aluminum that is really, really beautifully finished. It must be machine ground with a diamond hone and maybe even lapped or polished.

When I read your comment, I figured it must be plastic. I went at it with a razor knife but it simply isn’t plastic. If I had left the plastic protector on, it wouldn’t be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. Not by a long shot.

Great idea. Just not the problem in this situation.

Air coming out at 26.8C. Ambient at 22.6C.