Enenene,
On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!
The temperature value of 72°C that you've seen is indeed Tcase. However, Intel desktop processors have not just one, but
two thermal specifications; "Tcase"
and "Tjunction". For your 4th generation
i5-4690, Tjunction is
100°C, but it does
not mean it's OK to run it that hot.
As
Quanticriver suggested, here's the nominal operating range for Core temperature:
Core temperatures above 85°C are not recommended.
Core temperatures below 80°C are ideal.
Intel's
Datasheets (which most users
never read) are detailed technical documents that show
both Tcase and Tjunction specifications (see pages 66 & 73). Intel's
Product Specifications website (which some users
have seen) is instead a quick reference that shows
only "Tcase" for 6th generation and earlier processors,
or "Tjunction" for 7th generation and later, but
not both. The processor's generation determines which of the two thermal specifications is shown on the Product Specifications website.
In the Datasheets "Tjunction" (
Temperature
Junction) is actually "Tj Max" (
Temperature
Junction
Maximum), which is also called "Throttle" temperature, and is shown on monitoring utilities such as "
Core Temp". Likewise, in the Datasheets "Tcase" (
Temperature
Case) is actually "Tcase Max" (
Temperature
Case
Maximum), which is also called "IHS" (
Integrated
Heat
Spreader) temperature.
Since the Tcase specification pertains to CPU coolers, Intel's intended purpose for providing this specification was primarily for developers of aftermarket cooling solutions. Unfortunately, a great deal of widespread misinterpretations among users could've been avoided if Intel had limited Tcase to internal use and those with non-disclosure agreements, and had instead used the Tj Max specification on their Product Specifications website for
all their processors.
Moreover, since the cooler on laptop (mobile) processors is seated directly on the silicon "Die" which contains the Cores, they don't have an IHS, so they don't have a Tcase specification; only Tj Max. Regardless, unlike the Product Specifications website, the Datasheets use proper terminology. Referring to the Datasheets instead of the Product Specifications website eliminates the confusion surrounding Intel's specifications:
As per the Datasheets, and
for the record:
Tcase
Max is a specification for CPU coolers
Tcase is
IHS temperature
Tj
Max is a specification for Throttle protection
Tjunction is
Core temperature
Tcase is a very misleading specification, and has been confusing users since 2006, as evidenced by
Quanticriver's well intentioned misinterpretation of Tcase, which is completely unrelated to your "PC case" or "chassis". For the benefit of other Forum Members and our visiting readers:
Tcase is not Core temperature
Users can't measure Tcase because it's a
factory only thermal measurement performed on
engineering samples using a
thermocouple sensor embedded in the external surface of the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS), which is the CPU's protective metal "case" whereupon the cooler is seated.
Retail processors do not have this sensor, so it's not possible for you to monitor IHS temperature.
Core temperatures are instead measured by individual
Digital
Thermal
Sensors (DTS) located deep within each Core at the transistor "Junctions" which are the heat sources where temperatures are highest. This means IHS temperature (Tcase) is significantly lower than Core temperature (Tjunction).
As such, Tj Max (Throttle temperature) is your thermal limit;
not Tcase. For end users, this means
Tcase is irrelevant.
Also, keep in mind that Core temperatures increase and decrease with ambient (room) temperature, for which "normal" is 22°C or 72°F and is the International Standard.
At the top of our Forums you'll see "STICKY THREADS" which are valuable information resources that are permanently "stuck" in place so they're always available for everyone's benefit.
If you look at the top of the CPUs Forum where you posted your thread, you'll see a Sticky that has all the information you need:
Intel Temperature Guide - you might want to give it a read.
Once again, welcome aboard!
CT