3D-Printed Chimney Drops Ryzen 7 9800X3D Temperature by 19°C

A custom 3D-printed chimney lowered the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D temperature by 19°C during an unusual cooling experiment, although the oversized setup would never fit inside a normal computer case.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers some of the best gaming performance available, but its 3D V-Cache design also traps more heat around the processor. Even with a capable water cooler, the chip can run hotter than many standard desktop CPUs under heavy workloads.

YouTuber der8auer tested a passive cooling design by attaching stacked 3D-printed enclosures to a 240mm water-cooling radiator. He removed the radiator fans and used the tall chimney structure to move hot air naturally through the cooling system.

How the chimney cooling system worked

The design relied on the stack effect, which happens when warm air rises because it has a lower density than cooler surrounding air. This movement creates a pressure difference that pulls cooler air into the bottom of the chimney while pushing hot air through the top.

A single 20cm chimney produced a small temperature reduction while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D consumed around 100W. However, the results improved sharply as der8auer added more printed sections and increased the total height.

At 110cm, the chimney nearly reached the ceiling and created enough airflow to reduce the processor temperature from about 90°C to 71°C. A fog gun also showed air entering the chamber, confirming that the stack effect was pulling air through the radiator.

The experiment delivered impressive passive cooling results, but the structure requires too much vertical space for a consumer PC. Anyone attempting a similar setup would need an open test bench, several printed sections, and plenty of room above the radiator.