New gaming PC running too hot

[burmese_dude]

Hi,

I recently got my rig from a reputable custom PC maker. The specs are as below.

I started to play some games, particularly Guild Wars 2 and noticed that my rig is really loud. I added another fan 140mm myself and I installed some utilities to check on my temp and my GTX 1080 would reach 77C most spec being maxed but not all. My CPU hit 89C. My ambient temperature is in low 30Cs or high 20Cs.

I corresponded with assistant manager about this heat issue and he explained that it is normal and Skylake processor can run really hot but this is fine. 1080 Founder Edition has one blower fan, so it runs hot and loud. I was scratching my head because my previous rig GTX 780 played the same game with same resolution and it was super quiet unless I played GTA 5. I read that GTX 1080 runs cool and fast, thus my expectation was that it should run GW2 with a breeze.

I did find some reviews saying exactly what he said but while not even playing game, just surfing web, my CPU temp hit 70C (I think 72C actually).

I don't know what to make of it. Can someone with experience please chime in on this issue?

THERMALTAKE Core Series V21 w/ Window, No PSU, microATX, Black, Mini Cube Case
ASUS H170M-PLUS/CSM, Intel H170 Chipset, LGA 1151, DDR4 64GB, HDMI, M.2, USB 3.1, microATX Retail Motherboard
INTEL Core i7-6700 Quad-Core 3.4 - 4.0GHz TB, HD Graphics 530, LGA 1151, 8MB L3 Cache, DDR3L / DDR4, 14nm, 65W, Retail Processor
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FOUNDERS EDITION, 1607 - 1733MHz, 8GB GDDR5X 256-Bit, PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card
KINGSTON 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) HyperX Fury DDR4 2133MHz, PC4-17000, CL14 (14-14-14) 1.2V, Non-ECC, Black, DIMM Memory
EVGA SuperNOVA Series 750 G2 750W, 80 PLUS Gold ECO Mode, Full Modular, ATX Power Supply
XIGMATEK Apache-II, Socket 1151/AM3+/FM2+, 57mm Height, Aluminum, Retail CPU Cooler
SAMSUNG 512GB 950 PRO 2280, 2500 / 1500 MB/s, V-NAND, PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe, M.2 SSD
Standard Wiring with Precision Cable Routing and Tie-Down
- (Added myself) Cooler Master Sleeve Bearing 140mm
MICROSOFT Windows 10 Home 64-bit Edition, OEM

I plan to change CPU cooler myself to see if it'll make a difference and add 2 more 120mm fans.

Derek

 

[SkyNetRising]

That XIGMATEK Apache-II CPU cooler has really weak performance characteristics.
Change it to something better.
http://www.goldfries.com/hardware-reviews/xigmatek-apache-ii-ep-cd901-cpu-cooler-review/

 

[gaborbarla]

Hi Derek, I think 89C for the CPU is too high. There is probably some issue with the way your cooler is installed on top of the CPU. Perhaps you need to re apply thermal paste. Too much paste or too little is generally the issue. About half a green pea is the right amount. If the issue persists I would recommend you to get a closed loop cooler. Your ambient temps are fine, but your load temps are about 10C too high.

If you just used the paste that the cooler came with, just perhaps take the CPU cooler off and have a look at the paste. Often you can just put the cooler back without any hassles and check your temperatures. If you have paste, you can just scrape the gray paste off the CPU cooler and apply the new paste in the middle.

You can use tools like SpeedFan to check your CPU temperatures and Fans speed.

You can read this thread for more info on your CPU: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html


GPU:
I doubt that your GPU would be the main cause of the noise. I think your CPU fan is probably trying really hard to keep your CPU from burning at 89C.
I have a 1080 Founders edition and I get it pushed to 83C after an hour of gaming and it is still quiet with fan running around 55%. Up to 83C for FE card is OK it is designed to run at 83C. If you forget to put your fan on on the 1080s they auto throttle back at 93C or thereabouts. Im sensitive to noise and honestly my Gigabyte 980ti G1 with 3 fans used to irritate me a lot more than the 1080 FE with its single fan, so probably your CPU is making all the noise.

Another important thing to remember is that the FE cards are the best for pushing hot air out of the case. If you replace the card (because someone talks you into it) to an 2 or 3 fan alternative, all the hot air will be pushed into your box. Then your cooling in your box needs to be improved.
I found that 1080s are similarly overclocked in the FE format to the aftermarket coolers, and thus the FE edition is a very good option. I wont be upgrading for sure.

Gabor

ps: SkyNetRising is probably right and that cooler of yours might not ever work better. I would recommend something better too. Did you not get a stock cooler with your CPU? THe stock cooler is much better than that XIGMATEK according to that review.

 

[burmese_dude]

Hi Derek, I think 89C for the CPU is too high. There is probably some issue with the way your cooler is installed on top of the CPU. Perhaps you need to re apply thermal paste. Too much paste or too little is generally the issue. About half a green pea is the right amount. If the issue persists I would recommend you to get a closed loop cooler. Your ambient temps are fine, but your load temps are about 10C too high.

If you just used the paste that the cooler came with, just perhaps take the CPU cooler off and have a look at the paste. Often you can just put the cooler back without any hassles and check your temperatures. If you have paste, you can just scrape the gray paste off the CPU cooler and apply the new paste in the middle.

You can use tools like SpeedFan to check your CPU temperatures and Fans speed.

You can read this thread for more info on your CPU: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html


GPU:
I doubt that your GPU would be the main cause of the noise. I think your CPU fan is probably trying really hard to keep your CPU from burning at 89C.
I have a 1080 Founders edition and I get it pushed to 83C after an hour of gaming and it is still quiet with fan running around 55%. Up to 83C for FE card is OK it is designed to run at 83C. If you forget to put your fan on on the 1080s they auto throttle back at 93C or thereabouts. Im sensitive to noise and honestly my Gigabyte 980ti G1 with 3 fans used to irritate me a lot more than the 1080 FE with its single fan, so probably your CPU is making all the noise.

Another important thing to remember is that the FE cards are the best for pushing hot air out of the case. If you replace the card (because someone talks you into it) to an 2 or 3 fan alternative, all the hot air will be pushed into your box. Then your cooling in your box needs to be improved.
I found that 1080s are similarly overclocked in the FE format to the aftermarket coolers, and thus the FE edition is a very good option. I wont be upgrading for sure.

Gabor

ps: SkyNetRising is probably right and that cooler of yours might not ever work better. I would recommend something better too. Did you not get a stock cooler with your CPU? THe stock cooler is much better than that XIGMATEK according to that review.

Hi Gabor and all,

Thanks for all the feedbacks. I will change CPU cooler tonight if not tomorrow and see how it goes.

I got the lowest height CPU cooler since I was getting a small cube with mATX board. I had asked for a recommendation and they said that cooler is fine but it turns out not to be.

Hopefully, new CPU cooler will do the trick.

Thanks again,
Derek