Is it okay for a cpu to run at Tcase temperature?

[Guest]

So i have an i7 3770k @4.2ghz and I game a lot on it and when I do during the Summer I sometimes reach 62c, which is this CPUs Tcase so I'm wondering if its okay for it to run at it's Tcase like that while gaming. During the winter, the load temp is much lower but this is pretty much what I have to deal with during the summer.

 

[JQB45]

No its not really ok, you will run into thermal throttling and shorten the life of both the CPU and Motherboard. I suggest you remove some of the overclock or update your CPU cooler to deal with the hot ambient temperatures better.

BTW: I have the same problem with my old AMD A3-3300M laptop APU. It runs a lot cooler in the winter.

 

[Guest]

The thing is, it's been running with that temperature for a while and people have told me that 62c on load is fine previously so im getting mixed messages. I'm currently using Corsair H70 for cooling. Doesn't the throttling start when it reaches TJmax?

 

[azaran]

The tcase and the core temp are two vastly different numbers. If you're running a core temp of 62c, you're fine. Hitting around 80c or higher is when you need to worry. What utility are you using to measure your temps?

 

[azaran]

The thing is, it's been running with that temperature for a while and people have told me that 62c on load is fine previously so im getting mixed messages. I'm currently using Corsair H70 for cooling. Doesn't the throttling start when it reaches TJmax?

Your TJmax is somewhere around 100c.
To directly steal a quote from other topics like this
"Tcase is not Tjmax, don't confuse them. Tcase is a measurement of the cpu's case temperature taken from the center of chip's package on the topside under the heatspreader. Tcase is significantly less than Tjmax."

 

[Guest]

I'm using Real Temp and HWmonitor. Real Temp doesn't show me the the package temp, but HWmonitor does and it shows that the package temp is the same as the highest temp for one of the cores, which is 62. But which exactly am I suppose to pay attention to more, the Tcase or the TJmax of my cpu?

 

[azaran]

Don't worry about the Tcase, you're never going to be able to measure via that. In general sustained core temp load higher than 80c, worry about it. 60's in to 70's with a stock cooler is normal. You should be getting better temps with you water cooler but you're still safe.

You can read up more on it here.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

 

[Guest]

Don't worry about the Tcase, you're never going to be able to measure via that. In general sustained core temp load higher than 80c, worry about it. 60's in to 70's with a stock cooler is normal. You should be getting better temps with you water cooler but you're still safe.

You can read up more on it here.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

Thanks for the info man. When it comes to the H70 though i reinstalled that damn thing like 100 times in the past and still end up with about the same temperatures in the summer. In addition, the radiator is now also pretty dirty and trying to clean it completely to look like it's new again seems impossible, but it's not like the holes between the fins are clogged up or anything. I'm using OCgeneie for my overclock and im assuming its giving the CPU more power than it needs for the overclock and that's why i end up with these temps, but other than that idk why i'm not getting the temps that i'm suppose to get with this cooler. Maybe the fans aren't good enough or something...idk. The Ambient temp here is about 27c and my idle is at about 35c. With the AC on during the summer I can easily get load temp to be around 52c or less.

 

[azaran]

Don't worry about the Tcase, you're never going to be able to measure via that. In general sustained core temp load higher than 80c, worry about it. 60's in to 70's with a stock cooler is normal. You should be getting better temps with you water cooler but you're still safe.

You can read up more on it here.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

Thanks for the info man. When it comes to the H70 though i reinstalled that damn thing like 100 times in the past and still end up with about the same temperatures in the summer. In addition, the radiator is now also pretty dirty and trying to clean it completely to look like it's new again seems impossible, but it's not like the holes between the fins are clogged up or anything. I'm using OCgeneie for my overclock and im assuming its giving the CPU more power than it needs for the overclock and that's why i end up with these temps, but other than that idk why i'm not getting the temps that i'm suppose to get with this cooler. Maybe the fans aren't good enough or something...idk. The Ambient temp here is about 27c and my idle is at about 35c. With the AC on during the summer I can easily get load temp to be around 52c or less.

For the overclock, I'd look in to how to do it manually. A lot of times auto overclocks will over do the voltage, so that may not be helping with the temps. This is a guide for Haswell, but it should give you a good idea of how to do a simple overclock without having to rely on a program for it.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1722630/intel-god-quick-dirty-guide-4ghz-haswell.html

If you're getting a full load temp of around 52c, that's actually pretty decent from what I've seen of H70 overclocks. If you're doing a single fan on it, you could try sticking in a second fan and do a push/pull configuration. Or if noise isnt a huge factor for you, go for a higher CFM fan(s) and increase how much air is being pushed through the rad. Or both really, I'd imagine in the summer it may be worth it. Also if your case allows for it, maybe look at a 240mm/280mm setup and increase the cooling surface area. You're only going to be able to clean it so well, so don't sweat that too much, just make sure you get it good with some compressed air.