Cooling Solutions¶

The BC-250 requires active cooling for gaming and desktop use. This guide covers tested cooling solutions and best practices.

Stock Heatsink Limitations¶

Stock Configuration¶

Type: Passive aluminum fin stack heatsink
Fin Orientation: Vertical, front-to-back
Design Purpose: Rack-mounted passive or low-airflow cooling
Desktop Use: Inadequate without active airflow

Stock Cooling Is Insufficient

The stock heatsink alone will cause thermal throttling and system instability during gaming. Active cooling is required.

Temperature Targets¶

Safe Operating Temperatures¶

Component	Idle	Light Load	Gaming	Maximum
GPU/APU Edge	40-50°C	50-60°C	65-80°C	90°C
CPU (Tctl)	45-55°C	55-65°C	70-85°C	95°C
Memory (underside)	40-55°C	50-65°C	55-70°C	80°C

Ideal Gaming Temps

Aim for GPU temperatures of 70-80°C during gaming for optimal performance and longevity.

Thermal Throttling

Above 85°C GPU temperature, the system may throttle performance. Above 90°C, instability and crashes can occur.

Heatsink Modifications¶

Fin Straightening¶

The stock heatsink often has bent fins that impede airflow. Carefully straightening bent fins can improve airflow.

Process: - Work systematically through fin stack - Be gentle - aluminum is very soft and bends easily - Avoid forcing fins apart with tools

Benefit: 5-10°C temperature improvement if many fins are bent

Fin Removal (Optional)¶

Some users remove center fins to improve fan contact with the heatsink.

High Risk Modification

Fin removal is IRREVERSIBLE and can damage your board if done incorrectly. Only attempt if absolutely necessary.

Recommended Method: - Manual removal by pulling/tearing: Fins can be cleanly pulled apart by hand - MUST remove heatsink from board first - never modify while attached! - Work slowly and carefully to avoid bending adjacent fins

NOT Recommended: - Dremel cutting (creates dangerous metal shavings) - Hacksaw cutting (imprecise, messy) - Any method that creates metal debris near the board

Alternative: Use a 3D printed fan shroud instead - no heatsink modification needed.

Temperature Impact: 10-15°C improvement, but similar gains possible with proper fan shroud

Thermal Paste Replacement¶

The thermal paste on used BC-250 boards is often dried out.

Recommended Thermal Paste: - Arctic MX-4 (good value) - Arctic MX-6 (newer formula) - Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut (premium) - Noctua NT-H1 (reliable) - Thermalright TFX (budget option)

Application Method: 1. Remove heatsink (4 screws) 2. Clean old paste with isopropyl alcohol 3. Apply small dot (pea-sized) of new paste to APU die 4. Remount heatsink with even pressure 5. Tighten screws in X pattern

Temperature Impact: 5-10°C improvement if old paste was dried

Use Quality Paste

Avoid cheap thermal paste. Quality paste lasts years. PTM7950 phase-change material is also popular.

Memory Thermal Pad Replacement¶

GDDR6 memory chips on the underside can get very hot.

Symptoms of Hot Memory: - System crashes during extended gaming - Instability after 30-60 minutes - Memory errors

Solution: 1. Remove board from case 2. Remove old thermal pads (if present) 3. Apply new thermal pads (1.5mm-2mm thick) 4. Attach aluminum plate or heatsink to underside 5. Optional: Add fan for active cooling

Thermal Pad Recommendations: - Thermalright Odyssey (high performance) - Arctic Thermal Pad (good value) - Gelid GP-Ultimate (premium)

Fan Mounting Options¶

Option 1: 3D Printed Shroud¶

Many community-designed fan shrouds are available on Printables:

Popular Designs: - BC-250 Fan Shroud by User1 - Compact Console Case - Dual Fan Mount

Advantages: - Custom fit for board - Integrated mounting for fans - Can include case design - No modification to heatsink needed

Printing Requirements: - PLA or PETG filament - 0.2mm layer height - 20-30% infill

Option 2: Direct Fan Mount¶

Mount fan directly using zip ties.

Zip Tie Method: 1. Position fan over heatsink center 2. Thread zip ties through fan mounting holes 3. Loop around heatsink fins or board mounting points 4. Tighten evenly 5. Trim excess zip tie length

Do Not Screw Into Heatsink

Do not drill holes in the heatsink fins to screw fans directly. The aluminum is soft and the fins are thin - this can damage the heatsink and reduce cooling efficiency. Use zip ties or a 3D printed shroud instead.

Option 3: Cardboard/Foam Shroud¶

Quick DIY solution using cardboard or foam board.

Materials: - Cardboard or foam core board - Hot glue or duct tape - Box cutter

Process: 1. Cut cardboard to create air duct from fan to heatsink 2. Glue/tape to create shroud around fan and heatsink 3. Ensure no air gaps 4. Mount fan to shroud

Pros: Free, fast, adjustable Cons: Not durable, not aesthetically pleasing

Fan Control¶

PWM Control with nct6687¶

The BC-250 uses the NCT6686/6687 Super I/O chip for fan control.

Driver Installation:

# Load kernel module
echo 'nct6687' | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/nct6687.conf

# Rebuild initramfs
sudo dracut --regenerate-all --force  # Fedora
sudo mkinitcpio -P  # Arch
sudo update-initramfs -u  # Debian/Ubuntu

# Reboot
sudo reboot

Verify:

sensors
# Should show nct6687-isa-0a20 with fan speeds

CoolerControl (GUI Fan Curves)¶

CoolerControl provides a GUI for creating custom fan curves.

Installation:

# Bazzite
ujust install-coolercontrol

# Fedora
sudo dnf copr enable terra/terra
sudo dnf install liquidctl coolercontrol

# Arch
yay -S coolercontrol

Configuration: 1. Launch CoolerControl 2. Select BC-250 fan header 3. Create custom curve (e.g., 30% at 50°C, 100% at 80°C) 4. Apply and test

BIOS Fan Settings¶

The BIOS offers three fan modes:

1. Default Mode: - Targets high temperatures - Fans run at 40% minimum - Not recommended (inadequate cooling)

2. Full Speed Mode: - Fans at 100% constantly - Simplest and safest option - Noisy but effective

3. Customize Mode: - Set custom temperature thresholds - Define fan speeds at each threshold - More granular than Default - Can conflict with OS-level control

BIOS vs OS Control

Do not use both BIOS Customize mode and CoolerControl simultaneously. They will fight for control.

Manual Fan Control¶

Set fan speed manually (for testing):

# Set fan 1 to 80% speed
echo 80 | sudo tee /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon*/pwm1

# Set to 100% (255 = full speed)
echo 255 | sudo tee /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon*/pwm1

Cooling Solutions by Budget¶

Budget	Solution	Expected Temps
Minimal	Single Arctic P12, zip tie mount, cardboard shroud	75-85°C
Budget	Arctic P12 Max, 3D printed shroud, new thermal paste	70-80°C
Standard	Dual Arctic P12, custom shroud, thermal paste + pads	65-75°C
Premium	Noctua fans, aluminum case, PTM7950, RAM cooling	60-70°C
Enthusiast	Tower cooler conversion, custom water cooling	55-65°C

Cooling for Different Use Cases¶

Gaming Build¶

Requirement: 70-80°C sustained
Solution: Arctic P12 Max or P14, BIOS full speed or custom curve

Silent Build¶

Requirement: <30 dB(A) noise
Solution: Noctua NF-A12x25, custom fan curve (max 60%)
Trade-off: Higher temps (75-85°C)

Compact Build¶

Requirement: Small form factor
Solution: Single 120mm fan, integrated case design
Challenge: Less cooling headroom

LLM/Compute Build¶

Requirement: 24/7 operation, reliability
Solution: Dual 120mm fans, full speed, focus on dust filtering
Note: Longevity over noise

Troubleshooting Cooling Issues¶

High Temps (>85°C) During Gaming¶

Causes: - Insufficient fan speed - Poor fan placement - Dried thermal paste - Blocked airflow - High ambient temperature

Solutions: 1. Increase fan speed to 80-100% 2. Check fan is positioned over heatsink center 3. Replace thermal paste 4. Remove case panels for testing 5. Ensure room temperature <25°C

System Crashes After 30 Minutes¶

Symptoms: - Stable initially, crashes later - Crashes during demanding games

Likely Cause: Memory overheating

Solutions: 1. Add thermal pads to memory chips (underside) 2. Add secondary fan for RAM cooling 3. Reduce VRAM allocation (4GB -> 512MB) 4. Improve case airflow

Fan Not Spinning¶

Causes: - Fan not connected - Wrong header (use J1 or J4003) - Fan header disabled in BIOS - Faulty fan

Solutions: 1. Check fan connector is firmly seated 2. Verify fan works on another system 3. Check BIOS fan settings 4. Test with another fan

Fan Speed Fluctuations¶

Causes: - Aggressive fan curve - Temperature sensor fluctuations - Insufficient power

Solutions: 1. Use smoother fan curve (longer intervals) 2. Enable hysteresis in fan curve 3. Check PSU can deliver power