Question Is it safe for a Intel i9-9900K (not OC'd) to be 70c while gaming

SMund93

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Dec 12, 2015
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18,510
System specs:
Intel i9-9900K (not overclocked)
EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 SSC 6GB
Asus Prime Z370-A II
Corsair H100i CPU cooler (re-pasted within the last week)
Corsair 750D Carbide Full tower case.

I have been doing some of my own research but thought I would open this up for discussion so I can get a second opinion. My CPU will idle at 30c but when under load (AAA title games) it will reach and stay at about 75c. I run games on ball park medium settings, making sure to turn down things such as anti-aliasing ETC.

The games I am running are performing without any issues, I just have never seen temps this high before in my CPU, hence my worry.

I should also mention that I have seen it mentioned a few times that the temperature I'm describing is considered "safe but a little warm" whilst under load. I'm using a programme called Specy to view temperatures and everything else (other than GPU which reaches 70c) is being recorded in the high 20's - low 40's under load.

Apologies in advance if this is nothing to worry about, just looking for another opinion.
 
Anything below 85°C is safe for ANY Intel Core-i processor. We'd prefer to see normal peak temps, whether overclocking or not, stay below 80°C. Your temps of 70°C while gaming, on the 9900k, are probably about in line with most results using a 240mm cooler. Moving up to a 280 or 320mm might drop you by about five degrees if you wanted to upgrade the cooling at some point, but you are fine where you are now.
 

SMund93

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Dec 12, 2015
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Anything below 85°C is safe for ANY Intel Core-i processor. We'd prefer to see normal peak temps, whether overclocking or not, stay below 80°C. Your temps of 70°C while gaming, on the 9900k, are probably about in line with most results using a 240mm cooler. Moving up to a 280 or 320mm might drop you by about five degrees if you wanted to upgrade the cooling at some point, but you are fine where you are now.
Appreciate your quick response and reassurance. If any body else could offer up anything of note it would also be appreciated.
 
Nothing else of note is required, other than this. This has ALL you need to know about the Core-i architecture and considerations regarding it.

 
I think that could be confusing. While T-junction temp is 100°C, the very extensive testing and research done by Computronix clearly outlines 85°C as the maximum "safe" temperature you would ever want to consistently see any Core-I processor reach or sustain, and ALL of these, 7700k, 8700k, 9700k, 9900k, ALL have the same 100°C spec for T-junction.

...the thermal specification is referred to as the junction temperature (Tj). The maximum junction temperature is defined by an activation of the processor Intel® Thermal Monitor. The Intel Thermal Monitor's automatic mode is used to indicate that the maximum TJ has been reached."

(1) Junction Temperature is obviously a temperature because it scales, so we have the term TJ, or Tjunction.

(2) Maximum Junction Temperature is a specification because it does not scale, so we have the term TJ Max, or Tjunction Max.

Since Tjunction Max is not a term familiar to most users who haven't read Intel's hundreds of pages of documentation, Tjunction and Tjunction Max continue to be a source of confusion in the C2D / Q2D community, somewhat due to the popular software utility "Core Temp".

In Core Temp 0.94 and 0.95, the author, Arthur Liberman, incorrectly shows Tjunction 85c (or 100c), instead of showing it as Tjunction Max 85c (or 100c) which is a non-scaling specification, and is technically the correct terminology.

Tjunction = Core Temp
Tjunction Max = Shutdown (THERMTRIP) Spec

So to answer your question, ~ 5c below Tjunction Max throttling begins (PROCTHERM), and when Tjunction Max is reached, shutdown occurs (THERMTRIP).

-Computronix


Therefore, you have two scenarios. One, you reach the point where throttling occurs, which is NOT desirable. Two, you reach the point where thermal trip (Shut down) occurs, which is even LESS desirable. Neither of those scenarios involves compliance with a range known to be conducive to the long life of your processor and are best avoided. If you want your CPU to have any longevity at all, it would be best, especially since we are not even talking about an overclocked system, to be sure you are not regularly exceeding 80°C and while the 9900k IS a hot running CPU, it is STILL capable of normal, heavy usage, while remaining below those specifications because plenty of people with adequate cooling are able to do so. Just my opinion.
 
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How do you currently have your cooling configuration set up?

Where is the radiator mounted?

What direction, intake or exhaust, are the fans on the radiator configured for, ie, are they blowing towards out of the case or are they bringing air INTO the case. And also, which side of the radiator are the fans mounted on. Are they in front of the radiator blowing through it into the case, or are they on the backside of the radiator pulling outside air IN through the radiator, or are the blowing through the radiator and out through the top of the case?

For other fan locations, WHAT exactly do you have installed? How many OTHER fans for case cooling are installed BESIDES the ones on the radiator, and what orientation, intake or exhaust, are EACH of those oriented as?
 

CompuTronix

Intel Master
Moderator
SMund93,

There are a few points to be brought forward:

Your posting history tells us that you apparently upgraded from an AMD FX 6300 to your Intel i9-9900K, probably quite recently, so it's likely that you're not familiar with the thermal behavior of Intel processors.

On December 12th, 2015 you became a Member and on that day posted a question about running Watchdogs. For the past nearly 4 years you haven't posted anything until last week on October 7th, just 9 days ago when the following thread appeared; Is it safe for a EVGA GTX 1060 SSC 6GB to be 70c while gaming. Interestingly, the information within that thread (except for a small portion of one sentence) is worded exactly as your current (this) thread of October 12th.

My esteemed colleague, logainofhades, stated that "Max t-junction, of the 9900k, is 100c" which is "Throttle" temperature. Darkbreeze then offered further clarifications and explanations. Both Moderators provided links to back up their statements. One of our very knowledgeable Members, mdd1963, then mentioned "MCE" (Multi Core Enhancement) which leads in to discussing methods for reducing Core temperatures.

Now that we've summarized, first thing's first.

Members write into our Forums who live anywhere from the Arctic Circle to the Equator, so ambient (room) temperatures might be anywhere from 10°C (50°F) to 40°C (104°F). Since ambient temperature can be a HUGE variable that directly affects Core temperatures, it's always necessary to include ambient with your system's specs. If you don't say and no one asks, then Members often proceed on the false assumption that your ambient is "normal", for which the international "standard" is 22°C or 72°F. No one can compare apples-to-apples without knowing ambient.

Q: What is your ambient temperature?

As you've been absent from our Forums for quite some time, you might not recall that at the top of our Forums are "Stickies" which are permanent, informative reference materials provided for everyone's benefit. Near the top of the CPUs (this) Forum you'll see a Sticky named Intel Temperature Guide, which Darkbreeze was thoughtful enough to provide for you with good reason:

Nothing else of note is required, other than this. This has ALL you need to know about the Core-i architecture and considerations regarding it.

We strongly urge you to read it so you can educate yourself and get yourself up to speed on this topic.

Darkbreeze also suggested that instead of a 240mm AIO, you'd be better off with a 280 or 360, which is very true. Even at stock settings, the 9900K can dissipate a huge amount of power and heat, so a high-end AIO or custom loop is highly recommended. If you can still RMA your H100i, then do so. Here's a recent review of an excellent 280mm AIO: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 AIO Cooler Review: Unique, Affordable Performance

Moreover, reducing Core voltage can have a huge effect on reducing Core temperatures. Even if you have no intentions of overclocking, the vast majority of overclocking Guides explain how to reduce Core voltage. Here's a Guide written by Darkbreeze: CPU Overclocking Guide and Tutorial for Beginners

Finally, Intel thermally tests their processors using a steady-state 100% TDP workload. Since gaming titles are fluctuating workloads (generally between 30% and 70%) which vary due to differences in how each game allocates CPU and GPU workloads, this makes gaming a poor metric to measure thermal performance. The Intel Temperature Guide explains how to properly test your system to establish a valid thermal baseline.

CT :sol: