3770k over heating Prime95

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iSpecialTime

iSpecialTime

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Dec 10, 2012
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I have recently built a computer with an i7 3770k and a Hyper 212 evo cooler.

I was attempting to overclock it (hopefully to about 4.5ghz when i'm done) when i was encountering some issues.

When i overclock it to a meager 3.8ghz, and run prime95, it almost instantly jumps up to 80 degrees Celsius. When I stop the test, it almost instantly drops back to about 40.

Is this an issue with my cooler or is it normal? I have read that over 75 degrees is dangerous, so i'm worried that i could damage my computer.

I have an Asrock z77 extreme4 motherboard and i'm using Asrock tuner to monitor the temperature.

If you need any more information to help me out, please ask.
If you have a better program to monitor my temps, I wouldn't mind a recommendation!
 
Solution
photonboy
Some points:

1) The MAXIMUM cutoff for the i7-3770K is 105degC I believe.

2) It's almost impossible to damage a modern CPU. When it reaches a certain temperature it DOWNCLOCKS to protect itself and if it gets to the danger zone it will just crash your PC to protect itself.

3) 80degC under max load at 3.8GHz seems normal with that cooler, depending on the ambient temperature. *HOWEVER, that cooler's fan will still be much noisier than a better cooler with a better fan (like Noctua).

4) Yes, you can take the CPU apart (there are videos) and use good thermal paste to improve cooling but I don't recommend that for most.

5) If your CPU doesn't crash under maximum load it will be perfectly fine and much cooler under any other load.

6)...
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Did you mess with the mobo fan speed settings (and ensure the Evo fan is connected to the CPU_FAN 1 or 2 headers? I went with target speed 1, target temp 60C.

Definitely think you have an issue - too much/too little thermal paste or Evo not attached firmly. With a similar setup (but using OCCT to test) I idle at ~30C and don't break 60C under the OCCT CPU load test. Prime95 will probably run hotter, but shouldn't run that much hotter.

Edit: Are you playing with voltages or leaving it at auto?
 
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I haven't touched the voltages at all yet.
I opened up my case and manually tightened the screws on the 212 evo a little bit
I lowered the multiplier to 35 (3.5ghz) and now i'm hitting 65 degrees while doing prime 95,
At a 3.8ghz, it is now hitting about 75. This minor change from earlier could just be because my room is cooler, i dont know. Should i take off the evo and apply more thermal paste?

i'm going to keep it at 3.5 until the problem is fixed so i don't damage anything.
 
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Maybe you need a heavier/better heatsink? Your idle temps seem normal(not asking much from your cooling). I did look your HSF up and compared it to higher performing HSF's and weight is about the only thing I could see that stood out. Your 212 evo being about half the weight of the higher end heat sink fans.

Also, be aware that you have very little chance of ever taxing your hardware the way Prime95 does. Prime95 will give you an idea of what your hardware is capable or not capable of but reflects very little in what you would actually ask of your rig in day to day operation.
A 4.5 GHz stable OC has baggage that is not so easily satisfied with budget parts. You probably payed around $35.00 for your HSF when a premium HSF at around 70-90 would have you much closer to your goal, I bleieve.
 
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Some points:

1) The MAXIMUM cutoff for the i7-3770K is 105degC I believe.

2) It's almost impossible to damage a modern CPU. When it reaches a certain temperature it DOWNCLOCKS to protect itself and if it gets to the danger zone it will just crash your PC to protect itself.

3) 80degC under max load at 3.8GHz seems normal with that cooler, depending on the ambient temperature. *HOWEVER, that cooler's fan will still be much noisier than a better cooler with a better fan (like Noctua).

4) Yes, you can take the CPU apart (there are videos) and use good thermal paste to improve cooling but I don't recommend that for most.

5) If your CPU doesn't crash under maximum load it will be perfectly fine and much cooler under any other load.

6) It's possible to get the i7-3770K to about 4.1GHz while still maintaining its power management features (in idle it will drop frequency and voltage to use less power and reduce fan noise).

7) Even with an HD7970 or GTX680 overclocking beyond 3.9GHz for most games will provide little benefit.

8) Some CPU temperature monitoring programs:
a) are incorrect, or
b) use motherboard, not CPU sensors.

Your temperatures appear correct so it's likely the monitoring program works properly.

9) One indicator that the thermal paste/cement that's inside your CPU is spread incorrectly is more than a 5degC difference between cores when all 4C/8T are under max load.

10) Fans/coolers. On a side note, many people don't have enough fans or don't have proper fan control to reduce noise.
a) fans are either VOLTAGE (3-pin) or PWM (4-pin) and for proper fan control you need the proper fan for your motherboard AND for the BIOS and motherboard to be properly setup (I recommend setting a manual ramp of LOWEST fan speed until about 40degC and then a slower ramp to 60degC then a sharper ramp from 60 to 80degC. It depends on the software what you can apply.)

b) In a gaming system you should always have at least one front fan, and at least one top/rear fan in-line with the CPU fan to exhaust the heat. If possible use the proper Voltage/PWM fans so you can also control their fan speed via the motherboard and motherboard software.

c) The Corsair H100i is a great CPU cooler, however you require a compatible case, it's over $100 and you still need to setup the fans to ensure optimal noise control.

d) Noctua makes awesome fans. It's surprising how significant the difference in noise can be. I replaced my FOUR case fans with TWO Noctua (12cm PWM) and also had to replace my Noctua NH-D14 fan with one PWM Noctua fan. So my CPU fan, front case, and top/rear case each have a 12cm Noctua PWM fan that's speed-controlled. My graphics card is an Asus GTX680 TOP (3-slot) so it runs cool and quiet.

Summary:
- your results are normal
- replace the CPU cooler only if it's too noisy under normal gaming load
- verify proper air movement in case (many people forget the front case fan)
- CPU can have thermal paste redone (videos on line) but do so ONLY if necessary. I don't recommend for most.
 
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Solution
Hi again,
If you ever decide to replace your CPU cooler fan it's important to understand the cooling effectiveness (CFM).

Your cooler's fan at max rotation (2000RPM) provides 76.8CFM:
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=41337&vpn=RR-B10-212P-G1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

This Noctua fan is much quieter when providing equivalent cooling but it can only spin up to 1300RPM and provide a maximum of 54.3CFM.
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64541&vpn=NF-P12%20PWM&manufacture=Noctua

A larger and better heatsink doesn't require a fan to move as much air for it to be an efficient cooler (I played a game on my i7-3770K with my Noctua NH-D14 fan unplugged).

The Noctua fan I linked is a great case fan and suitable for larger heatsinks (assuming PWM control).

*Also, some coolers have TWO fans. That can work quiet well, however if you go this route ensure either:
a) Your motherboard has CPU_1 and CPU_2 and control the speed on BOTH (and your fan profiles are set identically), or
b) You can attach BOTH fans together and use the same slot, but read the motherboard manual and fan information to ensure you don't exceed the maximum Amperage provided by that slot.
 
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What are the temps in your computer room?

Still say your numbers seem high. Unless your room is very hot you should be idling in the low 30s, given that your entire setup sounds quite a bit like mine.

You should not need more than the Evo to get reasonable temps *especially* as low as 3.8.

Will run Prime95 when I get home and let you know.
 
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69F room temp, stock case fans low, Evo min speed thru 60c, 4.1GHz oc

Idling 24-30C

Prime95 large fft for 20 min temps 60-65C depending on the core, max 1.18V

Small fft for 10 min similar

Hyperthreading may run hotter under load but shouldn't be by that much - but, idle should still be lower than what u have
 
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Overclock to 3.8GHz?

I read this again, and find this a little confusing because TURBO MODE for this CPU is actually 3.9GHz. All you need to do is apply the default BIOS' XMP profile and the optimal settings are applied.

There's no point in overclocking BELOW what the CPU can already Turbo to by default.

If you run CPU-Z you should see your frequency changing in idle mode (power saving) and stick to 3.9GHz if you run Prime95 or another CPU stress application.

On some motherboards you can also overclock slightly while also maintaining power management and XMP profiles (on the Z77 Sabertooth I used the BIOS' tuner to autotune. Between that and XMP:
- my CPU will TURBO to 4.1GHz
- power management is still working (can see it in CPU-Z)
- XMP is enabled and my DDR3 is properly set to 2133MHz with the correct timings
 
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Temperatures are going to vary a lot:
- ambient room temperature
- case cooling
- CPU cooler
 
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