i7 2600k overheating (Load at ~70 deg C.)

[FlowersForMegatron]

It's an older model I know, but I figured I'd ask anyway.

cpu: i7 2600k
gpu: gtx 960
16 gigs of RAM
500 watt PSU, previously 350w
win 8.1

I am not overclocking, the airflow in the case (Thermaltake CORE V21) is more than sufficient (one 140mm fan in the front and a noctua 120mm in the back). I use an aftermarket cooler (an "ARCTIC Freezer" cooler, it's pretty big), and the thermalpaste is applied correctly. I recently switched the 350Watt PSU for a 500Watt model and got some improvements (I used an online PSU calculator for my build, and erroneously went for the exact wattage recommended and not above). Yet I still get 70 degrees on load (when testing with AIDA64 and playing badly optimized games like Dark Souls 3), while other people with almost identical builds get temperatures in the mid forties. On Intel's page it says the Tcase for the cpu is 72.6°C.


Is my CPU just damaged? I never overclocked it despite being a "k" model, but I did run it for a few months with an almost insufficient PSU (and even then, the computer only got used a few days a month).

Another reason I am asking: can I sell the CPU/the whole build with a clear conscience as a functional used product?

 

[weberdarren97]

To start with, that Tcase number is not the temperature at which it overheats. It overheats in the 90-100C range. That 72.6C number is the highest temperature allowed on the heat spreader, which is always cooler than the cores because it's the part that contacts the heatsink.

I don't think your CPU is damaged in any way. However, that 92mm CPU cooler may be the problem. A larger, more capable cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212X would take care of your concern, although I don't really think you need to take any action unless you plan to overclock.

Can it be sold with a clear conscience? Certainly. It's nowhere near overheating.

 

[FlowersForMegatron]

Thanks a lot for your answer, weberdarren, now I'm far less nervous about selling it. I just found the name of my cooler, it's a bit bigger than the one I posted, sorry, this is it: https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Freezer-Xtreme-Rev-Cooler/dp/B001X017G2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478662216&sr=8-1&keywords=ARCTIC+Freezer+XTREME+Rev.+2

 

[weberdarren97]

You're using that behemoth of a cooler and you're still above 70C? Did you maybe accidentally mount the cooler so that it's blowing forwards and against the case airflow?

 

[FlowersForMegatron]

Nope, it's blowing out of the case, in accordance with the rest of the airflow (checked again today when I applied new thermal paste)

 

[weberdarren97]

In that case I'd just ignore it. Sure, it's a bit of an annoyance, but it's not really a problem.

 

[FlowersForMegatron]

Alrighty, thanks!

 

[weberdarren97]

No problem