[SOLVED] i5 4690K High temperatures

[Caedite]

I have an i5 4690k (with a gtx 1070 ti) for 3.5 years. Having tested the temperatures in the past, they have been mostly normal. It's been some time though, that the computer's performance has dropped considerably, and upon testing, the cpu reached 97C on burner. I changed the thermal paste (to Arctic MX-4), and now it's 84-85C with a few spikes to 88C. As I've read, that's too high still. I hadn't moved the stock cooler before, so it wasn't misplaced. The idle core temperatures vary from 38C to 52C. Not overclocked, as far as I know. The fan RPM was around 1900RPM idle on BIOS, which seems a lot. Motherboard : Asrock Z87 Pro4. Moreover, in some benchmarks I've tried, the cpu seems to be underperforming, in the 27th percentile for the same setup. I would like to find a solution, both to the overheating, and to the performance drop.

 

[rgd1101]

in the 27th percentile for the same setup

post the link to the result

clean case/cpu fan?

 

[LORDPrometheus]

Intel stock coolers are functional but inadequate in most scenarios. first order of business is to clean all your dust collecting locations and heat sinks. Then consider a new air cooler or AIO liquid cooler. lastly make sure your fans are all spinning properly a computer that old (mine is similar age) is definitely at risk of having a fan fail so check on them

 

[Caedite]

post the link to the result

clean case/cpu fan?

Apparently it varies, sometimes it was around the 27th, now it's on 61st. Here's the link : https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/21327500 .
My case is clean, and I cleaned cpu fan too, but didn't have compressed air, or something strong to clean the insides. In this benchmark it seems my gpu isn't working fine, but I have the suspision that the fps in the image are capped to my display (240hz), firstly as this started happening after I changed it (got display after gpu), and secondly, the "Sphere" test, which appears to be the hardest one, and which is the only one that the median is under 240, appears to be fine. if not better. Adding a MSI one :
https://gpuscore.top/msi/kombustor/show.php?id=82910 . Thanks.
As a testament to my hypothesis, I tried having HWinfo open at the same time as the benchmark, and it's true, when the benchmark is not on the foreground, and I focus on HW, the 240fps limitation doesn't apply. You can check the results here, which actually indicate that everything is fine, when my fps in games are suboptimal. Link : https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/21327796

 

[Caedite]

Thank you for the answer, I have cleaned my case/fans, and they are all working fine. I was thinking about an air cooler, but there's a good chance I will lose some of my RAM, as I'm using all 4 slots.

EDIT : There has been a mistake from my behalf when it comes to performance. It turns out there's no performance issue, just the temperature. My main games checking FPS were LoL and Overwatch. LoL for some reason doesn't use my hardware at 100%, CPU usage is around 60-65% and GPU 1-20%, and I read somewhere that they have "temporarily" changed the game from being able to utilizing 6 cpu cores to 1 due to some bugs. Overwatch had secretly changed settings, graphics were set to low, but in the advanced tab below, everything was on ultra and 150% rendering scale, giving me 120fps instead of the usual 200-260. After fixing that, I actually have more, between 260-300. Apex Legends also works fine, uses cpu 100%, gpu 98% and gives off 120-220 fps. Sorry for the unnecessary hassle.

 

[CompuTronix]

... i5 4690k ... performance has dropped considerably ... 97C ... changed the thermal paste ... now it's 84-85C with a few spikes to 88C ... idle core temperatures vary from 38C to 52C. Not overclocked ... fan RPM was around 1900RPM idle on BIOS ... cpu seems to be underperforming, in the 27th percentile ...

Caedite,

On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

It's highly likely that your stock cooler has a push-pin problem. The push-pins can be deceivingly tricky to get them fully inserted through the motherboard, completely seated and properly latched. Even the most experienced of us have made the same mistake, so you're in good company. A loose push-pin causes poor contact pressure between the cooler and the CPU, resulting in high temperatures in BIOS, as well as in Windows at idle, and especially at 100% workload.

You can troubleshoot this problem by pushing firmly on each corner of the cooler for about 30 seconds while watching your load temperatures. When you see a significant drop, you've found the loose push-pin.

When working with push-pins, take your time and closely examine each individual push-pin. Use a strong light and compare it to its neighbors. If you can access the back of the socket, inspect both sides of the motherboard so you can scrutinize the tips of each push pin.

(1) To re-seat a single loose push-pin, rotate the latch mechanism in the direction of the arrow counterclockwise 90° then retract the pin by pulling upward. Rotate the latch clockwise 90° to reset the pin, but do NOT push on the latch yet.

(2) To get the pin fully inserted through the motherboard, push only on the leg, NOT on the top of the latch.

(3) While holding the leg firmly against the motherboard with one hand, you can now push on the top of the latch with your other hand until the latch clicks.

(4) If you're re-seating the entire cooler, then be sure to latch the pins across from one another, rather than next to one another. Use an "X" pattern, so as to apply even pressure during installation.

Intel Stock Cooler Installation -

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qczGR4KMnY


If you're considering replacing your stock cooler, then keep in mind that coolers with push-pins should be avoided in favor of coolers which use proper fastening hardware with a back-plate.

Once again, welcome aboard!

CT

 

[Caedite]

Nice to meet you!
This seems pretty likely, I will take the time to make sure and get back to you. Thank you for the input !

 

[rgd1101]

look like gpu is the issue.
malware scan?

 

[Caedite]

look like gpu is the issue.
malware scan?

Please take a look at the last link I sent, the first results of the GPU were false. I have scanned, no malware.