What temperature measurement tool should I trust?

[Thigoron]

This might be a stupid question though I might have an potential issue here with my Intel Core i7-4790k. During idle the CPU temperature apparently is 50C-64C (according to RealTemp and MSI Afterburner and one more which name I do not remember) and 45C-48C (according to my BIOS and Open Hardware Monitor). I have tried swapping out the processor itself so there should be no hardware problem. What measure tool should I trust?

 

[plaintuts]

The bios

 

[CompuTronix]

Core Temp 1.4.1 - http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/

 

[plaintuts]

Mod, OP made a comparison with realtemp, msi afterburner and bios idle temps

Why the vote down?

 

[CompuTronix]

BIOS is not a suitable answer.

CPU temperature in BIOS is higher than in Windows at idle, because BIOS boots the processor without power saving features to ensure that it will initialize under any conditions.

As such, BIOS does not provide an accurate indication of Core temperatures at idle. The most critical Core temperatures are at 100% workload.

Please read this Sticky: Intel Temperature Guide - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

CT

 

[plaintuts]

Impressive answer mod.
But your answer to OP's post was not helpful either, since the bios reads temps with almost no cpu load, having higher than normal idle temps poses a problem.

 

[maxwellmelon]

section 14 idle temp in the mod linked guide

 

[CompuTronix]

Thigoron,

Please provide full system specs and settings, including CPU cooler and ambient temperature.

Is your "idle" really dead idle?

CT

 

[Thigoron]

Thigoron,

Please provide full system specs and settings, including CPU cooler and ambient temperature.

Is your "idle" really dead idle?

CT

[Spec]
GPU: 2x crossfire DirectCUii R9 290.
Processor: Intel Core i7-4790k.
Ram: 32 GB.
OS: Windows 10 64-bit.

According to "Intel Extreme Tuning Utility" the package temperature is 50ish now while I am writing this post.

I also did a Stress Test which gave me this results:

Why I originally made this post was that I was worried that I had too high temps during gaming. I reach around 90C while gaming (which I suppose is bad) though it doens't start to lag or anything. :S

 

[CompuTronix]

CPU cooler and ambient temperature please?

 

[Thigoron]

The (i7-4790k) stock cooler that came with the processor and the ambient (if you mean room temperature) is about 23ishC.

 

[CompuTronix]

Thigoron,

The i7 4790K inherently runs hot for four reasons:

(1) Unlike other Generations, 4th Generation processors have a Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator (FIVR) on the substrate, which increases package temperature.

(2) 3rd through 6th Generation processors do not have a soldered Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS); they instead use a Dow Corning Thermal Interface Material (TIM), which is less thermally efficient.

(3) The 4790K is a factory overclocked 4770K running 500 MHz faster at higher stock core voltage, which increases core temperatures.

(4) The 88 Watt 4790K uses the same stock cooler as the 84 Watt 4770K and the 77 Watt 3770K.

The stock cooler is the majority of the problem. Although your ambient temperature (23C) is close to normal (22C), you have a CrossFire configuration with axially cooled R9 290's exhausting and recirculating heat into your case. Even at idle, this combination will cause all the temperatures inside your computer case to run higher.

Here's the recommended operating range for Core temperature:

80C Hot (100% Load)
75C Warm
70C Warm (Heavy Load)
60C Norm
50C Norm (Medium Load)
40C Norm
30C Cool (Idle)
25C Cool

Your screenshot of Intel Extreme Tuning Utility shows CPU Utilization is not at dead idle, which should be less than 3% CPU Utilization. It also shows that your core voltage and core frequency are not at idle.

Does your CPU idle down to less than 3% utilization under the Performance Tab in Windows Task Manager ... and 800 MHz at about 0.800 Volts in CPU-Z? If not, you won't get the lowest possible idle temperatures for your hardware configuration.

Although Windows has dozens of Processes and Services running in the background, excessive CPU utilization at idle is typically the result of "tray-trash", which are unnecessary startup add-on's from software installers. Windows 10 Live Tiles can also contribute to CPU Utilization.

Try CPU-Z - http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Without knowing the details such as your CPU Fan Curve in BIOS, which case or how many fans you have, or how carefully you've managed the cables, I would suggest that you upgrade from the stock cooler to a more capable cooler.

If your budget is tight, the highly popular Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is an inexpensive go-to, however, here's some other choices: Alternatives to the Hyper 212+/Evo for budget cooling - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2705157/alternatives-hyper-212-evo-budget-cooling.html

You can also try manually lowering core voltage settings in BIOS, which will in turn lower core temperatures.

Stickies are located at the top of each Forum; you might want to read this one: Intel Temperature Guide - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

Also, on behalf of Tom's ... welcome aboard!

CT

 

[Thigoron]

Thank you a 100 times! It was the stock cooler that couldn't handle my system. The first thing I did this morning was to buy a "Hyper 212" CPU fan and my temp under load now is 70C and idle 35C! 😀