Cryorig H7 issues should I switch back to stock cooler?

[SinxarKnights]

So I have been having issues with my H7 with unusually high temps that I only recently noticed. It is quite possible that it has been like this all along and I didn't realize it.

So I installed MSI afterburner for some GPU overclocking. Got a solid OC on my 970. I seen it also has CPU temp monitoring and I was shocked to see my CPU was hitting 85c - 95c during the physics test in Firestrike: http://www.3dmark.com/fs/9096107

Although the temp is not shown there I do have an image of a custom test I made. Since I do a lot of rendering I just used Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13 and rendered a 1080p60 video:

Yeah, a solid 100c, and I render a lot. The graphics card only hits 65c - 70c while benchmarking and generally hangs out at 60c while gaming.

I do not have any additional voltage to the CPU. The boost is set at 4.8 Ghz (note that was done after I discovered it was overheating, it hits 100c at 4.4 stock boost).

Now what I did was remove the H7 and clean it off and reapplied the paste (AS MX-2). The temps has always been around 40c idle and peaked around 65c while gaming. However I did not check temps in very high load situations.

Now there is a thing with the H7 that I kinda brushed off. The contact plate on mine is not smooth. In fact it is extremely rough. You know the sound of a zipper or running your fingernail across a screen door... it makes that sound when I run my fingernail across the contact plate. It is very noticeable and the ridges are tall enough to capture the thermal paste to the point you have to rub 'with the grain' to remove the paste. For some reason I assumed it was supposed to be like that but there is no way that can be true as I just looked up reviews of it and they state it is smooth to the touch, mine is not even close.

So should I go back to the stock cooler until I get this sorted? The cooler is still under warranty so hopefully it will be a simple exchange.

My rig:
i7-4790k
Asus Z97-E
16GB DDR3-1800 (4x 4GB Mushkin Silverline Enhanced using XMP)
Asus Strix GTX 970
EVGA Supernova 650w G2 (bottom intake, rear exaust)
Creative Sound Blaster Z
Windows 10 Home x64
Fractal Design Define R5 with 2x 140mm Fans in front (intake) 1x 140mm rear fan exhaust

What do you guys think about this?

 

[geofelt]

If a cooler is mounted well, I expect to see 10-15c. over ambient at idle.
40c. seems a bit high.

One common mistake is to use too much paste.
It will act as an insulator.
It is hard to use too little.
Do make certain that the cooler is screwed down snug and evenly.
You might contact Cryorig about the uneven surface; it does not seem normal.

I like to stress test with occt.
It uses a more normal set of instructions than prime95 or IBT.
It will shut down the test at 85c.


OTOH, 65c-75c. I would consider fine while running games or apps.

 

[SinxarKnights]

Oh yeah I have reapplied the paste a few times and mounted many coolers before. The paste doesn't spread properly because of how rough it is. I only use a small amount about the size of a rice grain.

I sent Cryorig an email about it but they haven't responded yet. So should I switch to the stock cooler for now? I got things to render!

 

[SinxarKnights]

Alright so check this out

That is with the stock cooler. Appears to be outperforming the H7 by 19c (perhaps more since 100c is the throttle point). Idles warm though at 43c, about the same as the H7 I have.

So I guess I have to stick with the stock cooler for now until I figure out what is up.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

If mounted correctly , the Cryorig easily outperforms stock , I own 2 of them , something isn't quite right then.

 

[SinxarKnights]

Yes, I am well aware the H7 is far better than stock and I know something isn't right hence the question in the OP.

Is yours perfectly smooth? when I run my finger across the bottom it makes a zipping sound and you can feel the ridges.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I own 5 Cryorig Air Coolers all are super smooth polished finish , must be a manufacturing defect , which is super rare.

 

[SinxarKnights]

I own 5 Cryorig Air Coolers all are super smooth polished finish , must be a manufacturing defect , which is super rare.

Alright thanks. Yeah I noticed it when I got it a while back but never really thought much of it. I double checked the installation instructions to make sure it was installed properly, and it was.

recorded the sound. This is me gently rubbing it with my finger flat on the surface.
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ao7tOrSaw"][/video]

So I guess lets see what Cryorig says about an exchange.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I agree , that's not smooth , they need to replace that , let me know how it works out with their customer support.

Hopefully their support is good.

 

[SinxarKnights]

I agree , that's not smooth , they need to replace that , let me know how it works out with their customer support.

Hopefully their support is good.

Alright I got my new H7 today. Temps are significantly better.

I did some before/after measurements with several runs through my test (rendering 1440p60 video).

Ambient temp of 20c (68f) - Define R5 with 3 140mm fans. 2 in front, 1 as exhaust. Fans set to full speed with front door open.

Stock speed and voltage.
Old H7: Was a solid 100c during each run. Idle of 42c.
New H7: Peaked at 69c. Idle of 31c.

Strangely enough the actual rendering time was the same regardless of temp, so not sure what that is about but I would have assumed the hot CPU would be slower, it must throttle in a way I do not understand.

And yeah the Cryorig support was great to work with. I'm so used to support levels of Asus quality so I expected the absolute worst and was considering just buying a different cooler. They really showed the customer matters and even tested the new H7 before sending it (you can see the marks where it was mounted to the CPU, could have been a returned one but either way it works).

Great support overall.