[SOLVED] i5-11400F Heating Problems

Anonemus7

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Aug 2, 2016
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Hi there, I recently built a computer and I've been having some serious heating problems with my CPU. My CPU idles at 50-60C and when playing games goes up to 89-92C. When doing benchmarking on the Intel Extreme Tuning utility, my temps hit 100C with a score of 2544 Marks. This is with attempts to undervolt, with the attached image showing my specific settings in the Extreme Tuning utility. To pre-empt some possible solutions, as far as I know, the thermal paste application was fine and the CPU fan is on tight, though I exhaust other potential solutions, I will check again. My full specs list are as follows:

CPU - i5-11400F
Motherboard - ASUS Prime B560-PLUS LGA1200
GPU - Radeon RX 6600 XT
CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-L9i chromax.Black
Case -
Zalman S2 ATX Mid Tower
PSU - EVGA Supernova 750 GT

Don't hesitate to ask for more information. I really want to solve this issue because until it's solved, I don't really feel safe using the computer to play games.
 
Last edited:
Solution
Assuming the cooler wasn't over-tightened - Noctua's mounting system is pretty good with avoiding things like that - and you turned each screw a little at a time:
Nowadays, downdraft air coolers(the type the NH-L9i is) often end up - unintentionally by the user - starved for fresh air and left with sloppy seconds.
In older cases, side panel ventilation was more common, giving downdrafts a direct source of cool air. Tempered glass took that away.
Gpus that pumped their waste heat out the back were also more common in PC builds. The gpu is now the closest 'cool air intake' for the downdraft... at least when it's idling.


Solution is a tower air cooler, which doesn't have the same weaknesses. The Zalman S2 product page lists a height...

Phaaze88

Titan
Ambassador
Assuming the cooler wasn't over-tightened - Noctua's mounting system is pretty good with avoiding things like that - and you turned each screw a little at a time:
Nowadays, downdraft air coolers(the type the NH-L9i is) often end up - unintentionally by the user - starved for fresh air and left with sloppy seconds.
In older cases, side panel ventilation was more common, giving downdrafts a direct source of cool air. Tempered glass took that away.
Gpus that pumped their waste heat out the back were also more common in PC builds. The gpu is now the closest 'cool air intake' for the downdraft... at least when it's idling.


Solution is a tower air cooler, which doesn't have the same weaknesses. The Zalman S2 product page lists a height limit of 156mm, but I prefer to err 1mm short to be on the safe side.
See if the following models are available to you:
Scythe FUMA 2(there's a Rev. B now)
Deepcool AK400, Gammaxx 400
Thermalright Assassin King/Plus
 
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Solution

Anonemus7

Honorable
Aug 2, 2016
20
0
10,510
Assuming the cooler wasn't over-tightened - Noctua's mounting system is pretty good with avoiding things like that - and you turned each screw a little at a time:
Nowadays, downdraft air coolers(the type the NH-L9i is) often end up - unintentionally by the user - starved for fresh air and left with sloppy seconds.
In older cases, side panel ventilation was more common, giving downdrafts a direct source of cool air. Tempered glass took that away.
Gpus that pumped their waste heat out the back were also more common in PC builds. The gpu is now the closest 'cool air intake' for the downdraft... at least when it's idling.


Solution is a tower air cooler, which doesn't have the same weaknesses. The Zalman S2 product page lists a height limit of 156mm, but I prefer to err 1mm short to be on the safe side.
See if the following models are available to you:
Scythe FUMA 2(there's a Rev. B now)
Deepcool AK400, Gammaxx 400
Thermalright Assassin King/Plus
Thank you - will definitely check it out.
 

Anonemus7

Honorable
Aug 2, 2016
20
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10,510
I'll probably go ahead and buy the Scythe FUMA 2 Rev. B. The only thing I still find strange is I have a friend with the exact same build with one exception being the motherboard (I'll list his below.) He has way cooler CPU temperatures than I do, with his idle temps being around 40-45C and intensive gaming temps being around 75C. I just don't know what could be causing such a difference.

His Motherboard - GIGABYTE B560M AORUS PRO
 

Phaaze88

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Ambassador
I have a friend with the exact same build with one exception being the motherboard
There's a bit more to it than that, unfortunately. Exact same, or almost the same builds, can have wide variances. Every little thing can add up.
-room ambient.
-temperature of the air going into the cooler when the gpu isn't doing anything, vs when it is.
-'stock bios', LOL. You can take your 11400F, install it in 10 different compatible motherboards, and get noticeably different results.
-OS power plan.
-silicon lottery.
-XMP profile, and 2 or 4 dimms. Higher speeds + tighter timings, and the more dimms in use = hotter cpu memory controller.
-background applications, excluding the OS(can't do anything about that one).
-fans: their specs, how they're set up in both of your PCs, and personal fan curves.
-gpu factory OCs: use more power.
-gpu cooler finstack: That's the direction the air is supposed to go after being pushed through by the fans. Most aftermarkets are aimed at the sides(the ones that dump their heat in the PC), but there are a few that run the entire length of the card.
... there's likely more, but you should get it at this point.
 

Anonemus7

Honorable
Aug 2, 2016
20
0
10,510
There's a bit more to it than that, unfortunately. Exact same, or almost the same builds, can have wide variances. Every little thing can add up.
-room ambient.
-temperature of the air going into the cooler when the gpu isn't doing anything, vs when it is.
-'stock bios', LOL. You can take your 11400F, install it in 10 different compatible motherboards, and get noticeably different results.
-OS power plan.
-silicon lottery.
-XMP profile, and 2 or 4 dimms. Higher speeds + tighter timings, and the more dimms in use = hotter cpu memory controller.
-background applications, excluding the OS(can't do anything about that one).
-fans: their specs, how they're set up in both of your PCs, and personal fan curves.
-gpu factory OCs: use more power.
-gpu cooler finstack: That's the direction the air is supposed to go after being pushed through by the fans. Most aftermarkets are aimed at the sides(the ones that dump their heat in the PC), but there are a few that run the entire length of the card.
... there's likely more, but you should get it at this point.
Alright, so it's pretty much I need to get that tower air cooler? I wanted to check out the BIOS settings as well, but being pretty new to this whole thing, I don't even know where to begin.
 

Phaaze88

Titan
Ambassador
Pretty much. If you upgrade to a bigger gpu later on, it's just going to get worse for the downdraft.
A negative offset undervolt of -0.05v or so would help a little, but I suspect it won't really turn the tables against the issue of airflow as previously mentioned.

You might even change cases down the road to one that plays nicely with the L9i- I've no idea. I'd need a crystal ball.
 

Anonemus7

Honorable
Aug 2, 2016
20
0
10,510
Pretty much. If you upgrade to a bigger gpu later on, it's just going to get worse for the downdraft.
A negative offset undervolt of -0.05v or so would help a little, but I suspect it won't really turn the tables against the issue of airflow as previously mentioned.

You might even change cases down the road to one that plays nicely with the L9i- I've no idea. I'd need a crystal ball.
Okay, thank you for the help. I’m glad I figured this out early on.