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Intel i7 4770 (non k) Temperature Worries

Tags:
  • Temperature
  • Intel i7
  • DDR3
  • Haswell
  • CPUs
  • Cooling
  • Motherboards
  • MSI
Last response: in CPUs
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a b à CPUs
a b V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 4:40:45 PM

Hi all,

First off, here are my specs.

- i7 4770 (non k) (stock cooler)
- MSI z87 MPOWER Motherboard
- G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
- CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W
- Corsair Carbide 400r Case

I chose to not go with a video card at this moment in time as I work too much to really engage in gaming like I used to. Honestly... the Intel 4600HD integrated graphics are really not that bad. They are able to handle everything that I have thrown at it. I have never been one to "need" the highest graphics. I am fine playing on the lowest levels as I enjoy playing the game and do not need the eye candy. I also do not currently use any programs that would benefit from hardware acceleration. I used to work in development where it was nice but I switched over to the network administration side of Info Tech.

My temperatures at idle are being reported as extremely high 20's to low 30's by RealTemp (this is my first time using RealTemp so I do not know if those temps can be considered accurate). However, when I run Prime95, RealTemp starts to report that my first two cores are hitting the max temp of 100c within less than a minute (other cores report extremely high 90s but do not hit the threshold). Does this sound abnormal? I have always known that the stock Intel coolers are not the best but my i7 Nehalem build was always fine with the stock cooler. My computer has not yet shut down from heat but it is still worrisome. Should I throw some other thermal paste on it and see if that helps? I also believe that my stock cooler is seated properly (things are a beaver to get in with those push pins). When I look on the back side of the motherboard, I can see that the white plungers are fully inserted into the backside and have spread; however, I cannot hear a certain corner click, as the other ones do, when I depress the plunger.

Thanks for any advice that you guys may be able to provide :) . I have been building computers for years but this new Haswell core really has me wondering if I got a lemon CPU or if it just naturally produces heat of this magnitude.

More about : intel 4770 temperature worries

a c 473 à CPUs
a b V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 4:51:09 PM

There are a number of things you can do.
1) Clean out the dust with a can of compressed air. Probably not necessary, sounds like a new build.
2) Clean off the old thermal paste (75-90% isopropyl alcohol and qtips/coffee filters/lint-free material) and apply some new stuff. I personally like Arctic AS5 or MX4.
3) Get more 120mm case fans - often people only have 2, if you have something like 4 the airflow should increase and temps should decrease.
4) Purchase a new CPU cooler - doesn't need to be anything crazy. Something around the pricepoint of a CM Hyper 212 EVO or Xigmatek Gaia should be good. BTW, I know how much the push pins on the stock cooler suck. :lol: 
5) As a complete last resort, you could de-lid the CPU (though I'd recommend returning it rather than doing this). The recent intel CPUs, Ivy Bridge and Haswell, have some crappy TIM resulting in higher temperatures. Many people have had success taking the lid off and replacing the old thermal paste with some better stuff.
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a b à CPUs
a b V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 4:52:20 PM

20s and 30s for idle is good. Room temperature is considered between 20 and 25C. Now Prime95 is going to stress your CPU to the max. It's not surprising that your CPU get's that hot when you're not using an aftermarket cooler. Load temps with a stock cooler will probably be in the 80s. You should be fine.
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a b à CPUs
a b V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 4:53:44 PM

Yes, its normal since stock cooler arent designed for the maximeme load that synthetic benchmark creates(prime 95).
Nothing u would ever do will create a load like that in ur everyday life.
But, U can change the thermal paste. The original one sux anyway.
U can get a 212 evo for like 25$. That should keep ur cpu nice and cool
I would like to laugh at u for getting a 4770 NON K with a z87 board.
But....
I have a i3 on my z87.
So i will keep my mouth shut...
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a c 376 à CPUs
a c 281 V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 5:05:22 PM

That sounds high to me under load.

The stock Intel cooler can be tricky to install.
A poor installation will result in higher cpu temperatures.

To mount the Intel stock cooler properly, place the motherboard on top of the foam or cardboard backing that was packed with the motherboard.
The stock cooler will come with paste pre applied, it looks like three grey strips.
The 4 push pins should come in the proper position for installation, that is with the pins rotated in the direction of the arrow,(counter clockwise) as far as they can go.
If you want, play with the pushpin mechanism until you know how they work.
Place the cooler so that all 4 pins are oriented over the holes in the motherboard.

Push down on the entire cooler so that all 4 pins are through the motherboard.
When you push down on the top black pins, it expands the white plastic pins to fix the cooler in place.

The trick to getting it on is to push down on a DIAGONAL pair of pins at the same time. Then the other pair.
If you do them one at a time, you will not get the cooler on straight.
Lastly, look at the back of the motherboard to verify that all 4 pins are equally through the motherboard, and that the cooler is on firmly.
This last step must be done, which is why the motherboard must be out of the case to do the job.
It is possible to mount the cooler with the motherboard mounted in the case, but you can then never be certain that the push pins are inserted properly.

You will need to clean off the old paste and reapply new if you ever take the cooler off.

Actually, I would invest in a $30 cooler like the cm hyper212.
It will run quieter under load and provide better cooling.
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a b à CPUs
a b V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 5:19:40 PM

@Jook

I think that I will try a couple more fans to start with. I have two 120mm on the front as intake and one 120mm on the back as exhaust. I can add a couple of 140mm to the side panel as intake and two 140mm on the top as exhaust.

@Wang

I know, I would laugh too! I was just too lazy to pick another board and this gives me the choice of upgrading in the future if I ever do not have the need for virtual solutions.

@geofelt

I can take off the other side panel of my case and have access to the backside of the mainboard where the processor is seated. This allows for easy access to mount a backplate for an aftermarket cooling solution. The white plungers are fully expanded through all 4 holes. It was just that I could not hear an audible click on one of them but it appears to be all the way through and the cooler feels properly seated when I try to move it. I will probably throw some new thermal compound on the CPU and add some more fans to begin with. Thanks for the cooler suggestion!

@Everyone

So it sounds like my idle temps seem good? high 20's to low - mid 30's? Thanks for the quick responses guys!
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a c 376 à CPUs
a c 281 V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 5:29:41 PM

Before adding fans and the attendant noise, take your case side covers off and see how you do.
If it makes a major difference then adding airflow will be helpful.
With an adequate sized opening behind the motherboard, there is no need to remove the motherboard.

And, be careful with paste. Too much can act as an insulator.
Usually a small drop will be about right.
It will spread under heat and pressure.

Under load, what is your vcore?
That is what drives up cpu temperatures.
cpu-z will tell you.
Even without overclocking, the vcore may be running higher than it needs to be because of a motherboard bios default. A overclocked cpu will be at 1.25v.
Yours should be much lower.
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a b à CPUs
a b V Motherboard
February 2, 2014 5:40:09 PM

@geofelt

CPU-z was telling me that my core voltage was around 1.11 or below during a stress test. I am going to apply some new thermal compound and see how much that helps.
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