Stock i5-4690k w/ stock cooler idles 40-45C, goes up to 90-100C

Ryan F · Jan 2, 2016

Idle temp: 40-45C
When running Prime95: Shoots up past 90C and would easily hit 100C if I didn't intervene.
When running RealBench: in the 60s during the GIMP test, on the encoding test, shoots up to 90-100C
Have not tested any games yet. Downloading some as I type this.

This is a "new to me" build. Everything besides the case is used, but they used to belong to a friend of mine and I know they worked for him. The cooler was given to me as well, but it was unused when I got it. I don't know how old it actually is.
I've been troubleshooting this for a little while and I don't really know why my temperatures are like this. Does anyone else have a clue as to why they're that high?

To clear up some common questions:

The stock cooler is firmly attached. The pins on the other side of the motherboard go through each hole properly. AS5 applied using line method.
I have reapplied thermal paste several times using different methods. The idle temps I have now are my best temps.
The case I'm using is the Corsair Carbide 200r. Two intake 120mm fans on the front and side-bottom, and one exhaust 120mm at the back. 2400rpm.
Ambient temperature where I'm at is around 25C.

Specs:

Case: Corsair Carbide 200r
Mobo: Asus z97 Pro
CPU: i5-4690k stock clock, stock cooler
GPU: Asus GTX 780 STRIX
RAM: G-Skill Ripjaws 8gb (2x4) DDR3 1600
PSU: Corsair CM 750 (Bronze)

At this point I think it's the cooler. I'm thinking about springing for a CM Hyper 212 Evo to see if it magically fixes my problem. I heard the stock Intel coolers were pretty bad, but this is borderline unusable. Prime95 is a bad test, but RealBench shouldn't be that high.

Darkbreeze · Jan 2, 2016

Make sure you're using the correct version of Prime95, which is version 26.6. Newer versions use AVX instructions, which creates unrealistic temps. Also, only run small FFT, not Large and not Blend.

V26.6: http://windows-downloads-center.blogspot.com/2011/04/prime95-266.html

Ryan F · Jan 2, 2016

Darkbreeze :

That may explain Prime95, but that doesn't explain RealBench.
I'll give that version a try though.

geofelt · Jan 2, 2016

10--15c. over ambient at idle indicates a proper stock cooler mount.

I like to stress using occt. It uses a more realistic mix of instructions.
The test will shut down at 85c.

Look at vcore. If it is over 1.30, that will explain high temperatures. Have you used some bios setting such as optimized?
Perhaps you have unknowingly overclocked.

CPU-Z will give you the vcore and multiplier range.

Darkbreeze · Jan 2, 2016

Regardless of architecture. P95 v26.6 works equally well across all platforms. Steady-state is the key. How can anyone extrapolate accurate Core temperatures from workloads that fluctuate like a bad day on the Stock Market?

I'm aware of 5 utilities with steady-state workloads. In order of load level they are:

(1) P95 v26.6 - Small FFT's
(2) HeavyLoad - Stress CPU
(3) FurMark - CPU Burner
(4) Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool - CPU Load
(5) AIDA64 - Tools - System Stability Test - Stress CPU

AIDA64's Stress CPU fails to load any overcloked / ovevolted CPU to get anywhere TDP, and is therefore useless, except for giving naive users a sense of false security because their temps are so low.

HeavyLoad is the closest alternative. Temps and watts are within 3% of Small FFT's.

RealBench is not a steady state workload and is not reliable for thermal testing. That doesn't mean you don't still have an issue, but I'd use a reliable test first.

Ryan F · Jan 2, 2016

With Prime95 v26.6 it takes a little bit longer for the cores to get hot, but it still eventually goes into the 100C range. Took maybe 20 seconds.

My clock and voltage appear unmodified in the bios. 100MHz x 35 with 1.008V. Turbo is enabled.
In CPU-Z while I was running Prime95, I noticed the clock was a little jumpy over 3.5GHz. Jumping to 3.6 and, for a split second after P95 was stopped, 3.9. I figure that's because of Turbo?
Also during Prime95, CPU-Z reported the vcore was essentially capped at 1.1V.

Darkbreeze · Jan 2, 2016

Is your CPU fan connected to the CPU_FAN header on the motherboard, or to a fan hub/controller? What is the CPU fan profile set to in the bios? Is the BIOS up to date?

Ryan F · Jan 2, 2016

Darkbreeze :

1) CPU_FAN
2) CPU fan is set to the turbo preset
3) BIOS version is 1024 (several versions out of date)

Darkbreeze · Jan 2, 2016

The first thing I'd do is update the bios. This could easily be a microcode issue. After installing the latest, and only the latest (You do not need to install each bios version, the latest version incorporates all previous revisions) bios version, retest and go from there.

Ryan F · Jan 2, 2016

Darkbreeze :

I have an update. By the way, thanks a lot for the help.

BIOS is updated to the latest version and I can get a lot farther in P95 before reaching critical temps. I can finish the first pass now. At around the start of the second pass, it gets too hot (95-100C) and I have to end it prematurely there. One of the problems I've noticed is the temperature never really stabilizes. It just keeps gradually increasing.
I'm starting to think either my current fans aren't good enough or my airflow is bad, but I don't know for sure. I can post some pictures tomorrow.
I can also post it as a new question if need be. This is starting to look like two separate problems.

Ryan F · Jan 2, 2016

Also would just like to mention offhand, my CHA_4 fan (which in this case happens to be my front intake) won't stick with the turbo fan preset. It'll either immediately go back to Standard, or go back to Silent depending on what I had it set to before. This happens both before and after the BIOS update.

Darkbreeze · Jan 3, 2016

I'd personally set them all to standard. Any system that is not overclocked should run fine on the standard setting. Are you using the advanced bios mode or some form of EZ mode? Have you tried resetting the bios to optimized or setup defaults and then resetting your fan profiles to standard?

You may simply have a weak CPU cooler fan. I've seen it happen before. What is the max CPU fan RPM?

Ryan F · Jan 3, 2016

Not sure how to read my fan's max rpm through the bios. When running P95, speedfan reports my CPU fan caps out at almost 2000rpm.

Darkbreeze · Jan 4, 2016

Speedfan should read the same as CoreTemp, HWinfo, BIOS, Intel extreme tuning utility. They all read the same feedback from the CPU fan. 2000 RPM seems a little low for full speed. I think I'd probably just get an aftermarket cooler like the H7 or H5, or NH-U14S. Anything half decent. NOT the TX3 or EVO or some cheap cooler. The EVO is ok, but for a few bucks more the H7 is much quieter and performs better. Still, aside from the possibility that the motor on the stock CPU cooler fan might be weak, it would be nice to know exactly why it's not cooling properly.

I still think there may be something related to the mounting or paste job that's to blame, but at this point I'd probably just say heck with it, it's not worth risking your 250 dollar CPU over a 35 dollar cooler.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Total: $34.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-04 01:14 EST-0500

Ryan F · Jan 4, 2016

If it helps clear up some things, I can try explaining a little more.

Since yesterday, I've been getting spontaneously better idle temps (in the low to mid 30s). It's been getting colder here, but the room's temperature hasn't gone down more than a couple degrees.
Whenever I run P95, the cpu temperature jumps up to the 70s. After that jump, though, the temperature slowly crawls up. Maybe by 2-3 degrees every 5-10 seconds. It seems like if everything was working properly, it would jump to the 70s and stay there. It makes me believe it just isn't being cooled fast enough.
When I stop P95, the temperature drops back down to the low-mid 30s within a minute or two.

I've been looking at the H7, and I'm probably gonna end up ordering that over the evo. Almost every direct comparison I've seen puts the H7 on top.

Darkbreeze · Jan 4, 2016

Good plan. If you even THINK you might consider some overclocking at some point in the future, I'd really suggest than for about 45.00 the H5 Ultimate or Universal would be a good option now, rather than find you need something with more capability later. If you know you will never overclock at all, then the H7 is probably about the best option currently on the market anywhere near it's price range.

geofelt · Jan 4, 2016

The heat that a 4790K generates is directly related to the vcore that your chip is running at.
Look at cpu-Z while you are testing.
At stock, your multiplier should be at 44 and if you have a decent chip, your vcore should be 1.30 or less.
If your multiplier is higher, perhaps you selected a bios option such as set optimized defaults and you are really overclocking.
If your vcore is higher, that is why your temperatures are high.

Or, it is possible that you were very unlucky and have a dog chip.

Darkbreeze · Jan 4, 2016

Default turbo overclocks should still not be capable of overcoming the stock cooler, even under stress, unlike a full time manually configured overclock.

Ryan F · Jan 4, 2016

My vcore doesn't go higher than 1.1 while under stress. I mentioned that earlier.
I could try turning turbo off just to see, but I was already planning on getting an aftermarket cooler anyway.

H7 is ordered. I'll post updates once I try it out.

Darkbreeze · Jan 5, 2016

Ryan F · Jan 6, 2016

Well this is embarassing. Turns out it was the paste. I guess I installed the stock cooler incorrectly, because it looks like I slapped it down unevenly and the paste spread only to one side. I blame the push pins.

Regardless, the H7 is in now. I ran P95 for 10 mins and my temps never went past 56-58C, so I'm much happier with this.

Thanks for helping me with that bios issue and for the cooler recommendation

Darkbreeze · Jan 7, 2016

I still think there may be something related to the mounting or paste job that's to blame, but at this point I'd probably just say heck with it, it's not worth risking your 250 dollar CPU over a 35 dollar cooler.

Remember that?

No worries, just glad you figured it out and it WASN'T a hardware issue. Good luck.

Stock i5-4690k w/ stock cooler idles 40-45C, goes up to 90-100C

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