Running a CPU without a cooling solution typically ends in shutdown (or something considerably worse), but one enthusiast (via Guru3D) has discovered that AMD’s new Ryzen 3 4300U APU is sophisticated enough to chug along without fan or water block support. Fritzchens Fritz, of CPU/GPU die-shot fame, managed to get the naked processor through Cinebench R15, 3DMark TimeSpy, and Crysis benchmarks without casualty.
Technically, Fritz cheated a bit by limiting the 4300U’s thermal limit to 90-degrees Celsius with kbsk1’s new tuning tool, which allows users to alter the power limits of the Ryzen 4000 mobile series. He also set a 120 mm fan nearby to minimize warm air around the processor.
Still, this experiment is testament to the excellent overheating protection that AMD has built into its Renoir APUs. The thermals, which you can check out in the video, are quite interesting – during the Crysis run, the processor never got much hotter than 70 degrees.