Chose a $60 case with bad airflow over a $90 mesh one, and my Ryzen 5 3600 now idles at 58C
I wanted the glass front look for my desk setup, so I grabbed the cheaper NZXT H510 instead of the mesh version, and my CPU temps jumped almost 10 degrees during games. Has anyone here modded a solid front panel by drilling vent holes, or should I just admit defeat and buy a new case?
Drilling holes in that front panel won't get you where you want to be, so don't waste a Saturday on it. Those holes only feed air into a space that's already choked off, and the H510 pulls most of its intake from the tiny side vents anyway, so the gains would be small. Your idle at 58C is the real clue here, since idle temps barely move with case airflow and usually point to a weak cooler or bad paste contact on the 3600. Check your cooler mount first, because a stock cooler or a loose screw can easily show numbers like that. If the mount is fine and gaming loads still spike hard, then sure, grab a mesh case, but I'd bet the front panel isn't your only problem.