[SOLVED] i9-9900k Overheat at Minimal Load

[lnsimmons]

Hi all,

I apologize if this question has been asked before, but I have been searching for a few hours now and cannot seem to find anything to help.

My brother gave me his previous processor (i9-9900k) and his motherboard, after purchasing himself a new one of each. The components are roughly 2-3 years old and he has never told me about them having any problems.

After installing my "new" components along with everything from my current PC into a new case, I noticed that my i9 seems to be running extremely hot at a very low load. I also need to mention that I am using an NZXT Kraken M Liquid Cooler that is about 2-3 years old. At first it was running at about 90c while being below 10% load.

What troubleshooting I have done so far:
Reapplied more thermal paste
Rotated my cooler 90 degrees
Rotated the cooler fan

Now I am running at about 60-80c with the initial temp being 90c+ and slowly going down all while being below 10% load, but that still is too high. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I used both NZXTcam as well as the official Intel monitoring software to get my temperatures and I am not overclocking

 

[popatim]

IMO, the M22 is not the cooler for the i9.
https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3304-nzxt-kraken-m22-review-benchmark

 

[lnsimmons]

That makes sense, I didn’t even think about the cooler not being powerful enough… I feel a bit dumb now lol.

Thanks!

 

[geofelt]

More likely, the cooler is failing or not mounted well.
At idle, most any cooler should keep the cpu temperatures to 10-15c. over ambient.
AIO coolers do not last forever.
In time, air gets into the system, or the pump fails.
If the pump is mounted higher than the radiator, you get problems sooner.

It is also true that a cooler with a single 120mm fan is not going to cool a 9900k well.

What is your case and fan arrangement?
If you are not overclocking, a good twin tower air cooler will do the job in a good case.