Question Help with new CPU install

[jdidds]

Hi, recently bought an i9 12900k and I have a few questions/concerns.

Using the cooler that came with the package (Coolermaster ML240L V2 ARGB) and the stock paste that came with it, I'm idling at high 40s. Under load I'm getting pretty close to 90°'s, at least high 80s.

1. Is this normal for this CPU? I've heard that a lot of people say it's a very hot CPU. The max temp is 100 but I don't ideally want to be pushing anywhere near that. Especially when I've read that some people get highs of mid 70's and idling at 30.
2. Case fan set up. Currently have 3x Corsair 120 fans on the front as intake. Radiator and 2x120 fans at the top set to exhaust and 1x120 on the back set to exhaust. Is there any benefit to having the radiator fans set to intake? Or moving the radiator and fans to the front panel of the case?
3. CPU fan curve. I can only set this in bios as the CPU cooler does not have software. Can someone point me in the right direction for what the curve should look like? At the moment the fans switch to fast speed at the drop of a hat and it's quite distracting to say the least. I don't want to splash out on a new cooler if I can avoid it.

Case is a Corsaid Carbide Spec Omega Midi.

 

[CountMike]

Hi, recently bought an i9 12900k and I have a few questions/concerns.

Using the cooler that came with the package (Coolermaster ML240L V2 ARGB) and the stock paste that came with it, I'm idling at high 40s. Under load I'm getting pretty close to 90°'s, at least high 80s.

1. Is this normal for this CPU? I've heard that a lot of people say it's a very hot CPU. The max temp is 100 but I don't ideally want to be pushing anywhere near that. Especially when I've read that some people get highs of mid 70's and idling at 30.
2. Case fan set up. Currently have 3x Corsair 120 fans on the front as intake. Radiator and 2x120 fans at the top set to exhaust and 1x120 on the back set to exhaust. Is there any benefit to having the radiator fans set to intake? Or moving the radiator and fans to the front panel of the case?
3. CPU fan curve. I can only set this in bios as the CPU cooler does not have software. Can someone point me in the right direction for what the curve should look like? At the moment the fans switch to fast speed at the drop of a hat and it's quite distracting to say the least. I don't want to splash out on a new cooler if I can avoid it.

Case is a Corsaid Carbide Spec Omega Midi.

1.&2. Yes, that CPU can use a lot of power and run at high temps. A 240 AIO is barely a match for it. You may loose few degrees if radiator is mounted as intake but that makes sense only if mounted in the front but paste that comes with it is one of better ones. What "some people" get is not much relevant as they may be in Alaska and you in some hot place.
3. Pump should be connected so it runs at full speed all the time, that why some MBs fave AIO_Pump header that is not speed adjustable. Radiator fans, connected to CPU_Fan header you can control thru BIOS setting a curve to about 50% at idle state to 100% when CPU temps reach 10-15 of degrees c before your highest load SW push temps to. Straight line from minimum to maximum RPM seems to work best. Some further reductions of temps could be reached by voltage control, Most BIOS versions set a bit high voltages in order to enhance stability but that's for a worst case of CPU as they are not all same, you would have to experiment with your specimen. Negative voltage offset seems to get best but flexible voltages.
PS, Don't be afraid of somewhat higher temps at idle if that means quieter operation.

 

[Phaaze88]

1)Yes. Here's one sample:

Spoiler

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt7yWzu9EQY

360mm AIO! Open test bench! In BLENDER!

You have to tune this cpu to your own comfort zone - plug-n-play(ers) will be in for a wake up call in certain applications. Intel designed the i9 to run at 300rpm out the gate and slow down for almost no reason.
The i7s and below don't behave like this.
You'll have to make use of bios, or Intel XTU(easier), and play around with things like:
-Maximum Turbo Power, Processor Base Power, Turbo duration.
-Lower temperature limit.
-Negative Vcore offsets.
-Disable/uninstall any overclocking software, if present. Not like this cpu needs it anyway.

2)Airflow lacking.
I don't see the 3 front fans doing much, save for the fan closest to the triangle-shaped grille near the bottom, but it's so far from the AIO... gonna take time to get up there, if it can.
Half the top panel is blocked... some of the air getting out the top does not get out right away, and possibly 'bounces' back in until it can get out the mesh half.
Rear exhaust? That could've been a rear intake, but that alone probably isn't enough to make up the Omega's shortcomings.

3)Just like #1, you'll have to configure to your personal comfort zone, but set the pump to a flat curve - 85% or higher. The fans can stay on a PWM curve.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yeah, I don't see how you'll bring the temperatures down a lot without doing at least two of settings/AIO/case. Unfortunately, the extremely robust cooling needs that a 12900K have do not appear to have been taken into enough consideration.

That's not a 12900K -- it's still a very new chip so you won't find it used in cooling benchmarks too often, if at all -- but a robustly overclocked 9900K will have similar cooling needs to a stock 12900K.

It'll always tend to be on the hot side, but an entry-level 240mm AIO cooler and a case with a lot of fan obstruction are two things that are not helping your temperatures.

 

[geofelt]

Perhaps a different opinion.
Under YOUR load, temperatures are probably ok.
Run HWmonitor.
If you see a few cores reach 100c which will be in red, it means that you have throttled a bit. But so long as the workload progresses, you are ok.

1. Probably normal.
Idling at 30c. , that was reported is likely misleading. Temperatures start at room temperature. Many tests are done in an unrealistic open test bench.
Cooling air temperatures are increased inside the case where motherboard and graphics card heats gets added to what the cooler radiator sees. At idle, the temperature should be 10-15c. over what the radiator sees.
With a 20c.(72f) room temperature, I might expect to see 40c. or more for idle.

2. AIO mounting is catch 22.
Yes, there would be a benefit for cpu cooling to mounting the radiator in front where the radiator gets cooler air to work with.
But the catch is that your graphics card and motherboard will be using cpu heated air for cooling.
Hence the catch 22.

3. You can set the fan curve as you wish. The pump should be at 100% always.
The other fans can start out low and ramp up to 100% at full load.
The shape of the curve is up to you. Not likely to be a straight line.

If you want better cpu cooling, look at a 360 sized aio to be mounted in the front.

I would not change out what you have unless you experience performance issues from throttling.

 

[jdidds]

Just did a deep clean of my case and installed new thermal paste on the CPU die. Seems to have helped so far. Also, I have changed the fan curve a little and set it to ramp level 1, it was on 0 before. Also did some cable management as it was a bit of a mess. This seems to help with the sudden fan acceleration issue. Idle temps are now 27 - 30 degrees. Now to do a stress test and order some Grizzlt Kryonaut.

@Phaaze88 Yes, the case isn't great, but I have made some modifications myself. I took away all the glass panels on the front side and made my own filter with tights. So it's more open now. I was also considring perhaps cutting a hole in the side and trying to mount a fan on there to blow air in from the side, but it's tempered glass and so that won't work. It'll be a while until I can change my case, so it will have to do for now. I could try and get hold of some proper filters, tights I'm sure have their own short commings, but it was the only thing I could get hold of for the time being, which could act as any kind of fan.

Thank you everyone for the help.

 

[Phaaze88]

Yes, the case isn't great, but I have made some modifications myself. I took away all the glass panels on the front side and made my own filter with tights. So it's more open now. I was also considring perhaps cutting a hole in the side and trying to mount a fan on there to blow air in from the side, but it's tempered glass and so that won't work. It'll be a while until I can change my case, so it will have to do for now. I could try and get hold of some proper filters, tights I'm sure have their own short commings, but it was the only thing I could get hold of for the time being, which could act as any kind of fan.

Well, that should be an improvement over what was in the front.
Tights are a fine DIY solution for a filter - nothing against that.

The biggest flag left is that the 12900K is a Tweaker's cpu. If left to its own devices, AKA auto, users run into the high temperatures under high and heavy core use.
The cpu's cores can run 90C+ even with a 360mm AIO on it.
Don't want to see thermals that high? You're going to have to set limits on a cpu that has none - mostly.

 

[jdidds]

Well, that should be an improvement over what was in the front.
Tights are a fine DIY solution for a filter - nothing against that.

The biggest flag left is that the 12900K is a Tweaker's cpu. If left to its own devices, AKA auto, users run into the high temperatures under high and heavy core use.
The cpu's cores can run 90C+ even with a 360mm AIO on it.
Don't want to see thermals that high? You're going to have to set limits on a cpu that has none - mostly.

I have heard this also, could you point me in the right direction of a good post or some help with tweaking? I've never actually done that before. Thanks for your help!

 

[Phaaze88]

Spoiler

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jjopjkJzxA

Instead of starting with undervolting in the video, lowering the Maximum Turbo Power and Processor Base Power* would be way easier - or even a lower temperature limit.
[241w is supposed to be this cpu's default MTP and 125w is the default PBP, but if I remember correctly, PBP is the same as whatever MTP is out of the box.]
You can start at 241w in Intel XTU and go down in increments of 10w until you find a happy balance of temperature and performance.

 

[geofelt]

What would be your objective by "tweaking" the cpu?
Yes, you can alter the speed/heat/power balance.
But, will it do anything meaningful for you?
These things are so fast that it matters little.
You are usually better off to let the system use the default turbo mechanism to boost a couple of cores past what an all core OC could do.
If you like to fiddle with things, then go to it.