Is there a problem with my processor? (Intel i7-4790k)

OrchidDOc · Jul 30, 2014

Just finished building my first custom pc with the following specs:

EVGA GTX 760 2gb graphics card
Intel i7-4790k processor (4.0 ghz)
CX600 600w corsair power supply
G.skill ram (8gb)
Gigabyte Z97MX gaming 5 motherboard
Seagate barracuda 7200 rpm hard drive
Corsair graphite series 230T case
Windows 7 64-bit home premium

I have been using the stock cooler that came with the processor and the thermal paste that was applied during assembly, and monitoring the CPU temperature while doing various tasks. The temp. stays around 30-40C when idling or completing small tasks, but when I go to play a game it varies in temp. from 60C (TF2) to 80-90C (Crysis 3, Borderlands 2).
This seemed higher than it should be even for a process-intensive game like Crysis, so I decided to run a stress-test using Prime95. I chose the Small FFT option, but upon pressing RUN my computer immediately shut down and reboot itself (no BSOD or anything). The same happened when using the Large FFT option as well. I downloaded OCCT hoping a different software would yield different results, but the test failed after merely a second telling me that the CPU temperature was greater than the max temp. allowed (85C). I turned off the max temp. and ran the program again, which caused my computer to once again shut down instantly.

I'm afraid that there might be something wrong with my processor (I've seen reports of people receiving faulty processors that overheated easily) or possibly my power supply. I haven't overclocked the processor at all, and have been running at the Automatic BIOS-determined settings. One thing I have noticed is that the BIOS chooses to run the CPU at 1.35V, which, upon reading other posts, seems a bit high.

So, my question(s): is there something wrong with my processor/set-up, and if so, how can I fix it? Should I be running my processor at a lower voltage in order to decrease the temperature, and if so, what is the general range that the voltage should be? Do I need to buy an aftermarket cooler and/or replace the thermal paste that was applied during assembly?

Thanks in advance for the help!

EDIT: the motherboard is a Z97, not a Z95

drumminandstuff93 · Jul 30, 2014

Double check that your heatsink is installed correctly, and hasn't come loose.

OrchidDOc · Jul 30, 2014

drumminandstuff93 :

I checked the heat sink this morning, and it did seem a bit loose, but upon replacing it and rebooting the computer it didn't seem to change the processor's temperature.

DubbleClick · Jul 30, 2014

I'm afraid to tell you, your motherboard isn't compatible with your cpu. But as it seems to boot, it should be okay.
As for the temperatures, 1.35v isn't just 'a bit high'. It's the limit of what high performance 100$ air coolers can keep below 90's. Set it down to 1.2v as starting point and then decrease in 0.01v steps as long as you stay stable.

oxiide · Jul 30, 2014

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-4790k-devils-canyon-overclock-performance,3845-2.html
^ For some perspective, Tom's Hardware upped their i7-4790K's voltage to 1.31 V to get it stable at 4.6 GHz. 1.35 V is what you'd use to basically push the i7-4790K to its limits while using a $80-100 cooler. Its not just a "a bit" high!

I have no idea what your 4790K's stock voltage should be (each chip is a little different), but make sure Vcore is set to Auto in BIOS. If it is already set to auto, resulting in 1.35 V, set it manually to something lower. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd probably start with about 1.2 V and test stability from there. You could also try resetting your BIOS as well; there should be an option for "Load Failsafe Defaults" or some similar wording.

Edit: Wait. Are you sure you don't mean Gigabyte Z97MX Gaming 5? If its Z97, its perfectly compatible. If its Z75, the processor shouldn't even fit.

OrchidDOc · Jul 30, 2014

DubbleClick :

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I turned the voltage down to 1.2V and tried out Borderlands 2 and Crysis 3 and the temperatures didn't go above 80C. This is a huge improvement over the temps. that I was previously experiencing.

Since I don't have a lot of experience with custom PCs, how will I know when the voltage is stable for the processor?

OrchidDOc · Jul 30, 2014

oxiide :

Sorry, it is a Z97 (must have mistyped this last night). The Vcore was set to Auto, but as you and DubbleClick have mentioned, it seems to set the voltage to be a LOT higher than it needs to be. I just tried setting it to 1.2V and the temperature has dropped drastically (playing Borderlands 2 and Crysis 3 and the temp. stayed belowe 80C the whole time). As for testing stability, how will I know when the voltage is stable? Is it pretty obvious (as in the computer just won't start), or do I need to run any tests?

oxiide · Jul 30, 2014

OrchidDOc :

Normally your motherboard should default to the proper settings for your processor. If you don't have a way to know the proper default, you may have to do what overclockers do: stress test with something like Prime95 and check for instabilities (which will either result in Prime95 giving you an error, or your system crashing/BSOD'ing). If its not stable, raise the voltage by about 10 mV (0.01 V) at a time and try again.

I would recommend investing in a cheap third-party air cooler. If you aren't planning to overclock, you can get a cheap one in the $20-30 range and still see a big difference from your stock cooler.

OrchidDOc · Jul 30, 2014

oxiide :

OrchidDOc :

Normally your motherboard should default to the proper settings for your processor. If you don't have a way to know the proper default, you may have to do what overclockers do: stress test with something like Prime95 and check for instabilities (which will either result in Prime95 giving you an error, or your system crashing/BSOD'ing). If its not stable, raise the voltage by about 10 mV (0.01 V) at a time and try again.

I would recommend investing in a cheap third-party air cooler. If you aren't planning to overclock, you can get a cheap one in the $20-30 range and still see a big difference from your stock cooler.

Alright, so I am running Prime95 at 1.2V and it seems to be running at around 90C (not sure if it should be lower considering that it's a stress test). This is an improvement over last night since it instantly crashed when I tried to test it.

I am planning on buying a better cooler sometime over the next week or so, probably the Hyper 212 EVO since I've seen it recommended a lot.

drumminandstuff93 · Jul 30, 2014

Wait, you had it at 1.35 volts on a stock cooler? That's your problem!

oxiide · Jul 30, 2014

OrchidDOc :

There's degrees of stability. If its REALLY unstable, the system won't boot. If its only "a little" unstable, you could possibly use it for weeks or months without a crash. In most cases, though, you'll see a crash or a BSoD at some point while running Prime95. Sometimes instead of a crash, Prime95 will stop and give a somewhat cryptic message about a rounding error (can't remember the exact wording).

Don't worry about Prime95 for now, you really don't need such an exhaustive test in this case and 90*C is way too high to let your processor run for any length of time. Your games won't run as hot, so that's probably fine. If there's a stability issue, you will eventually crash in a game instead. That's a bummer, but its still useful info.

In the meantime, check inside your case to see if you can organize your cables or rearrange things to improve airflow to the CPU cooler. Make sure you have intake AND exhaust case fans situated in ways that make sense (think of a wind tunnel). A $20-30 aftermarket cooler would be a fantastic addition.

DubbleClick · Jul 30, 2014

Yeah, what oxiide said. In general you shouldn't worry if your voltage is a bit higher than what it essentially needs to run prime fine.
It might still yield a little stability increase as prime doesn't include up and down's of load, rather than staying on 100% all time.
For another great testing tool, you might try out IntelBurnTest, specifically made to stress Intel CPU's and test/ensure stability.
In general you can go to 80°C on stress tests, I would not recommend it for everyday use like gaming, though.
You might just want to get a cheap aftermarket cooler, something like a 212 plus (19$) would be sufficient for sure.

CompuTronix · Jul 30, 2014

OrchidDOc,

You might want to give this a read: Intel Temperature Guide - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1808604/intel-temperature-guide.html

Pay close attention to Sections 8, 9 and 11. Run Small FFT's using Prime95 v26.6 - http://windows-downloads-center.blogspot.com/2011/04/pr...

Here's why:

" ... Core i 2nd, 3rd and 4th Generation CPU's have AVX (Advanced Vector Extension) instruction sets. Recent versions of Prime95 run AVX code on the Floating Point Unit (FPU) math coprocessor, which produces unrealistically extreme temperatures. The FPU test in the software utility AIDA64 shows the same results.

It's not necessary to run AVX code for thermal testing. Prime95 v26.6 produces temperatures on 3rd and 4th Generation processors more consistent with 2nd Generation, which also have AVX instructions, but do not suffer from thermal extremes due to having a soldered Integrated Heat Spreader and a 35% larger Die. ... "

Give it a try. I guarantee that you'll be much happier with your temperatures.

CT :sol:

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