High cpu temps

[BrianH2017]

Hey everyone. I just built my pc about 5 months ago. i have a 6700k with a kraken x41 cooler, but about a week ago playing PUBG my computer was running around 26 to 30 celsius at idle and about 70 to 75 at full load gaming and streaming at 8mbs upload speed at 1080p 60fps using an hd 60 pro. But this week im concerned... Im wondering cause spring just rolled around but my computer software for my cooler pinged that my cpu was running over 80celsius. So i decided maybe i should replace the cpu thermal paste. Well i did, now im getting temps as high as 85celsius... Ive reseated the cooler 3 times reappling the paste each time to the same avail... What happened? Is the paste im using bad?

Thermaltake Chaser mk-1 case
I7 6700k oc'd to 4.5ghz
Asus Strix Z270E motherboard
Ddr4 Evga SC 2133 oc'd to 3000hz
Kraken x41 cooler
4 200mm fans
2 140mm fans
1 120mm fan
Asus Strix 1070
HD 60 Pro
TX850 psu

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... It takes a few days after the paste install to settle... with thermal paste less is better... metal to metal contact is best... it is just there to remove the AIR from un-even metal contact.

Yes as your Room/Air temperature rises so does the temperature to your components in the case... it's a direct relationship... so sadly it is typical for me to have to Downclock my OC's for spring and summer use.

 

[the nerd 389]

Ironsounds is right, less paste (but properly applied) is better.

What paste are you using, and what application method?

Depending on what you're using, it might be worth changing the method you use to apply it. If it's a very hard/thick paste, it may be worth changing that as well.

 

[BrianH2017]

Im using IC Diamond 7 Carat, its very very thick stuff. And from what i understand of your question nerd389 is im using cleaner and polish from arctic silver then just putting a pea size or smaller of thermal in the middle of the cpu then placing the cooler ontop and tightening 2 opposite corners down then hand tightening all 4 down? Ive watch lots and lots of videos how everyones done it... But this is my first build and im still not 100% sure if i did it wrong or what, like am i getting enough spread or?Guess i should be using less? I tryed a bb size and i dont think it covered enough of the cpu when i pulled it to try again

 

[the nerd 389]

The harder the paste, the more issues it's likely to cause. I suggest getting something thinner, such as Arctic MX-4. That stuff is very easy to apply, even for beginners. The method you're using (the pea method) is decent. It's not the best performer, but it's difficult to screw up. If you're comfortable trying a more complicated, but better performing method, consider the X method shown here:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Thermal-Paste-Application-Techniques-170/

Arctic MX-4 is cheap on a per-application basis, so you'll have enough to practice and check the results several times to make sure you're doing it correctly.

In general, a bb sized dot is not enough for thicker pastes. A small pea size is more appropriate. It will spread into a circle when you put the heatsink on. You normally want the paste to get as close to the edges as possible without going over. With the pea method, that means the circle should almost reach the edge of the CPU heat spreader.

You also need to warm up really thick pastes before applying it. This adds an extra step and another potential problem for that kind of paste.

If, after all of this, you still have problems with the CPU temp, it's probably an issue with the CPU cooler.

 

[BrianH2017]

Ok thank you very much for the information. Ill dive into my computer again tonight when i get home. Its been sitting all night and day as is so ill bench test it and see how its doing. If its still over heating ill go get the arctic mx 4 you said and give that a try and report back here tomorrow with my findings.

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... Thermal Paste is a "Band-Aid" to compensate for the "non-flatness" of the two metal materials in contact with each other... It is not un-common for me to use fine emery cloth or wet sanding on the Cooler it's self, too improve the 'flatness" or polish the groves/roughness from that surface..."pro-Oc'rs will also do this to the CPU lid... I Do Not recommend a novice to experiment with their own CPU in this mater.

But as a "Simple observation" Take a flat edge to your mating devices. B / if you have a good Flat surfaces then just a thin film is needed... applied with your clean finger to both the CPU and heatsink to "remove/replace" the microscopic pits that contain air with another 'better" heat conductive material. B )

 

[BrianH2017]

Ok question before i start ripping my computer apart. I just did a stress test with prime95 and the results are terrible. Pump and fans all maxed out with max temp settings at 4.0ghz 2 cores peaks at 83Celsius... And an oc of 4.3ghz 3 cores peaked around 92Celsius. Is that bad cooler or the paste isnt working?

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... I am not a fan of stress testers... the best cooling design is one that fits your every day 24hr use of the system... as stated before it takes a few days for the thermal paste to 'flow" and allow the metal to metal contact to be re-established if a "pea" "Blob" or ? method was used. ...If you have not re-established metal to metal contact, Chances are your going to find your excess thermal paste was 'cooked" "boiled" during your stress test.

Be patient and take your Time with the install and "curing" of your heatsink to the CPU. B /

 

[BrianH2017]

Ok i was only asking. I only did they test for only like 2 mins to see what it got to because running PUBG and streaming my computer is working very hard, gpu running 100% usage and was at 73c. Cpu was bouncing from 50-85c and there was alot of heat pouring out of my case and i was worried. But ill let this paste settle for a another night and ill try gaming again tomorrow and see what its doing.
One thing is my idle temps are good around 29c

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... it helps to "correlate" or "record" your Cooler Fan/pump speed, ambient temperature, humidity with the CPU temps... they work together a "System" and these types of information are needed to 'fully" understand the thermal dynamic of the system in use... But that is typically for engineering thinking types B D

 

[Karadjgne]

Couple of things I see. I like MX-4,its good, but you could also try Noctua NT-1, it's one of the best pastes made and very easy to apply correctly as it's more liquidy than pasty. The way you are applying the paste is fine, pea-blob, grain of rice, X, all work roughly the same, its of major importance to cover the ic (the cores are a strip down the center, not spread out like amd cpus) and of lesser importance to get all the way to the corners. Even sounds like you are on the right track with tightening, but not quite there. You'll want to start all 4 in an X pattern, then follow the X only tightening a few turns at a time until the cooler is actually seated, then about a ½ turn on each screw in the X until all are finger tight. With aios/clc's, they prefer maximum pressure, and get better results, so you might consider a screwdriver for the last ⅛ of a turn or until the screw actually stops.
Use the Cam software with your kraken, it gives the absolute best pump/fan performance by far, since unlike Corsair's aios, the kraken is designed for a variable speed pump. Unless you absolutely need that last 3-4°C at load, your best bet is set it for silent mode and forget about it.
Lastly, you've mentioned this and that, reseats, tinkering, testing, but not once mentioned if you've actually cleaned the radiator. This means pulling the fan off and dusting the fins. They will aquire the fan 'donut of dust' over a period of time, no matter how good your intake filters are. You've had the rad 5 months, a good dusting of the entire pc is overdue.

 

[BrianH2017]

Ya sorry i didnt mention that and yes i did pull the whole pump out yesterday and cleaned the rad cause it was covered. Sadly thats the only intake fan without a filter because its hooked up to the upper rear fan bolt up hole.

 

[Karadjgne]

Umm you'd be better using the fan as exhaust. The rad bolts to the case from the outside, the fan bolts to the case from inside, so all that hot air goes out of the case through the radiator. Doing it that way means you also don't have to keep unbolting the rad, just the fan, to clean.

Intake fans should be low and in the front, exhaust fans high and rear, or at least high. My fans are both on top, even the radiator, heat rises after all, it doesn't like to go sideways. So cool air comes from below, hot air goes out the top /rear. Having the cpu fan as intake will keep the cpu at a slightly lower and more stable temp under stress, but at the expense of making everything inside the case hotter until it finally does get exhausted.

Also, concerning p95. Look up version 26.6, it's the last version that's actually recommended for cpu stress use. Later versions use very high concentrations of avx instruction sets (among others) which are extremely unreliable and will cause any cpu Haswell or later absolute fits, driving temps way up above realistic temps. Use small fft because it's 100% load, doesn't vary like the other test software does so temps are reliable.

 

[BrianH2017]

Ok well i gave that compound a few days to cure, i ran my game and streamed and an intel benchtest and i was still hitting 85c + only on core 1. So i went to the store and got the mx-4 compound, i pulled the block off the cpu and it had a great spread. So i place a little bit of the mx4 on and replaced the block. I also moved a couple fans and rad around, rad is now blowing up out the top and rear fan is now an exhaust. Turned the pc on and started my oc at its 4.5ghz and did a quick intel benchtest and now it doesnt go over 78c muuuuch better. So not to sure which was the issue but im sure all of it was. Thanks everyone for all thee advice! It was very much appreciated