[SOLVED] overheating?

jtoya85

Honorable
Feb 27, 2018
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First off I just want to let whoever helps me know that I am getting a new setup once all the parts get delivered, but I still have a slight concern for my current setup.

Currently:
i7-4770k CPU at 3.8 GHz (with stock air cooler from Intel)
MSI geforce gtx 1660 SUPER Gaming X
Case has an intake fan on side and exhaust fan on back (80 mm side 120 mm back)
my room is AC'd right now at around 70 F

Now I'm noticing that the cpu gets to about 100C while running games even though the activity ranges from 40%-60% from all the cores and everything that I have researched says that cpus shouldn't go over 70C, and mine in particular not over 67C. I have recently cleaned the cooler and applied some newer thermal paste. I did read while typing this that it could take some time for the new application of the thermal paste to take effect but even before the cleaning and reapplication my system never shut itself off because of it being too hot. I am using the MSI Afterburner + RTSS overlay in-game to monitor the temps and speeds. And before someone says that the OC of the CPU is the problem I did underclock it as well to 3.2 GHz and there wasn't any difference.

This sin't that big of a concern because I won't have the same CPU nor MOBO in a week or 2 but I thought that it was strange that I could boil water with my CPU alone WHILE it was being cooled.
 
Solution
Your CPU will thermal throttle at 100C. Meaning that it will reduce its clock frequency to prevent temps from damaging the chip. I'm betting you can see this happening if you monitor CPU frequency when you're hitting these 100C temps.

Sounds like you've got too little air moving through your case. Just a single 80mm intake fan? The most common setup is two 120mm intake fans and a single 120mm exhaust fan for a system like this.

The stock Intel air cooler isn't helping the situation either. Was it for sure the stock one that came with the 4770K, or was it a throw-in from a lower wattage non-K CPU (Intel made/makes different heatsinks for their i5 and i7 K-series CPUs).
Your CPU will thermal throttle at 100C. Meaning that it will reduce its clock frequency to prevent temps from damaging the chip. I'm betting you can see this happening if you monitor CPU frequency when you're hitting these 100C temps.

Sounds like you've got too little air moving through your case. Just a single 80mm intake fan? The most common setup is two 120mm intake fans and a single 120mm exhaust fan for a system like this.

The stock Intel air cooler isn't helping the situation either. Was it for sure the stock one that came with the 4770K, or was it a throw-in from a lower wattage non-K CPU (Intel made/makes different heatsinks for their i5 and i7 K-series CPUs).
 
Solution
my case does need to be updated, i know that. yeah it only has the one 80 mm intake on the side and the one 120 mm on the back for exhaust. I have never bought a separate cooler for any CPU I've owned and the one in the case right now is the one that came with the CPU from Newegg. Maybe Newegg did something funny? Hard to know from 2014 when I bought the CPU and harder to try and find out. I will admit that I have left the case open to try and help with airflow, don't know if that helps or not.
 
Ok. That's your decision. But the case is probably more than half your problem.

Not sure when your new parts are being delivered (hopefully with a new case). Also don't know what is intended to happen with this system once the new system is put into operation. If you only need this to last you a bit longer before you dispose of it, run it with the side panel off.
 
Not discounting what you have said tennis2, but the temp monitor I'm using shows that my GPU doesn't get above 70C so I'm thinking that the fan and heat sink just weren't right for this CPU, that or maybe I just got an oddball that is reaching it's life span. I'm only waiting for the new MOBO now to get here then I can build the new system and see how the new CPU behaves.
 
70C while being loaded (constantly) or while idle?

Since the GPU sits right next to the 80mm side panel fan, it's not a stretch to believe it would be the coolest component. Then the 70C waste heat from the GPU gets sucked into the CPU. So the CPU is trying to cool itself with 70C air... cooling is delta above ambient.

Ultimately, running the system with the side panel off can definitively answer this conundrum.
 
I figured out what it was. The thermal paste I was using. I just cleaned the paste off the CPU and heat sink and put on some Arctic Silver 5 that I just got and it dropped the temp 50C!