Stock Cooler on i5 4670K

[dholster]

So I recently put a system together for a friend, basically a 4670k on an Asrock z87 Extreme4, 8 gigs of Corsair Vengeance and an SSD to go with his existing GPU and such.

For some reason I was unable to convince him to spend at least 30 bucks on a CM 212. He said he won’t be overclocking in the near future and would rather save that money for now. He plays MMO type games mostly so he and I both know he won’t be stressing his CPU much if at all, but I am concerned about the stock cooler running on a stock 4670k. I had read somewhere before that the stock cooler was barely good enough for the ivy bridge 3570k running stock speeds.

Is this really an issue at all or should I push him to replace that stock cooler?

 

[CTurbo]

Officially, the stock cooler will work @ stock speeds, but barely. Many people make due with stock coolers so he'll be fine.

 

[rolli59]

It is good enough for std clocks, can get loud though under load.

 

[RobCrezz]

It will be fine, assuming his case has half decent cooling (i.e an intake and exhaust fan).

I have seen people try and run cpus like these at stock speeds with a GPU as well in a case with no fans and wonder why temps get so high.


Also, I think MMOs push the CPU more than most? like WoW for example.

 

[CTurbo]

I'm the type of person that wants an aftermarket cooler anyway. Maybe you can convince him to get something cheaper than $30, but still better than stock. I bought the Cooler Master TX3 for $14 with free shipping. There are always deals going on for coolers.

 

[2x4b]

The CPU has circuitry onboard to help protect itself in extremes.
But excess heat can be damaging to the CPU. In the short term it may have reduced performance, and over the long term you risk a shorter lifespan.

For now, if all he can afford is the stock cooler, he will be ok. But tell him that if he can save some money for some future upgrades, that a CPU cooler should be considered a priority.

Also, if he is not interested in overclocking, he should purchase the 4670 (without the 'K'). It is the same as the 4670K except would save him about 20 bucks and it can't be overclocked.

 

[dholster]

as far as not going with K processor, its actually cheaper if you have a microcenter near by, i think he got the board and cpu for around 250. they have combo deals that make it not worth going for less specs, at least in the i5 range, i think the cheapest combo they had that would be a better deal would have been an i3 in the 220 range combined with a decent mobo.

 

[rolli59]

Intel bundles the cooler with the CPU and provide years of warranty, would they do that if the cooler was not enough? Technically their warranty is void if an aftermarket cooler is used since their cooler is the only approved one and anything else in their mind can affect thermals and would be to blame for CPU failing.

 

[dholster]

Intel bundles the cooler with the CPU and provide years of warranty, would they do that if the cooler was not enough? Technically their warranty is void if an aftermarket cooler is used since their cooler is the only approved one and anything else in their mind can affect thermals and would be to blame for CPU failing.

thats what i figured with the warranty, at least he will be under warranty for a while until he can decide if he truly wants to increase his performance.

also i used a decent case and some solid fans, his temps are pretty minimal during gaming at the moment. so i just wanted to get a little "expert" opinions.

Thanks a ton guys, wish i could give choose multiple answers!