Intel i7 6700K Temperatures seem to reach unusual highs

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 2, 2016

Temps hit under load:

Temps during casual use:

I've had my build running for over a few months now and all seems to be running fairly smooth. My one gripe since I've built it is that my CPU temperatures seem to reach unusual highs, I'm not sure if it's still within the safe range but given that it currently has no overclock on it iand i'm running a liquid cooling setup I'm curious if my temperatures are safe.

I noticed it again after playing Witcher 3 for a few hours with CPUID HW Monitor running.
I had hit maximum temperatures of around 85c on my CPU and yet my GPU never went above 70c.
This was in 4K resolution and near maxed out graphic settings.
I've been browsing forums with my usual applications running, skype etc. and my current temperatures are hovering around 25c
When watching streams in my browser these temperatures can reach up to 60c but never much higher and I assume that's because most browsers and the sites themselves are fairly badly configured, i tend to pipe streams through VLC most of the time anyway.

Basically are these temperatures okay or should i be re-looking at my cooling setup? I've been thinking this way for a while but given that i can see 20c temperatures during casual use I can't imagine that i didn't install the cooler correctly.

My Build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/R9yBwP

Pramit Kumar Biswas · Feb 3, 2016

Did you overclock it?? I hope you did. Now this temps are quite hot and they are barely within the safe range. Follow the steps:-
Turn OFF your pc and open the cabinet.
Blow out dust.
Remove the liquid cooler and re apply thermal paste. (Size of a pea).
Connect the liquid cooler carefully and properly ( which I seriously having a doubt that you did in the past).
Also make sure that your cooler is working properly.
Thank U.
Hope it will help.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 3, 2016

Pramit Kumar Biswas :

Don't particularly mean to be an ass about this but your response is pretty heavily negative and patronising in wording and then what you suggest as solutions contrastingly are really vague...
- I did overclock it but because of the temperature ranges I opted to reduce it back to stock speeds.
- The PC is clean and has been dusted monthly, however i did double check to ensure there is no dust.
- I can remove the liquid cooler and re-apply paste but that would be my last resort unless there is something else because it's fairly awkward to replace inside the case
- My only worry was that I didn't connect it properly the first time but I fail to see where I could have gone wrong on it as it was a fairly simple mounting process. If you are suggesting I didn't then it would be more helpful to know what I could have done wrong and/or what the correct way would be. I followed guidelines in both applying the paste and the cooler as advised in the manual.
- What would be the easiest way to check the cooler is working properly? Corsair Link software is buggy as hell in general and the user forum is filled with complaints on it so i'm not well incentivised to use it as solid confirmation that the cooling unit is working.

As said, removing the cooling block and remounting it would be my last option because it's awkward to do so (or i found it that way) in my case but if that is what is necessary then that's what i'll do. Any extra opinions are still welcome, I'm just unsure what is wrong or how to diagnose whatever it may be if those temperatures are indeed excessive for 4k resolution gameplay.

Pramit Kumar Biswas · Feb 3, 2016

EPC AntiMatter :

Pramit Kumar Biswas :

Don't particularly mean to be an ass about this but your response is pretty heavily negative and patronising in wording and then what you suggest as solutions contrastingly are really vague...
- I did overclock it but because of the temperature ranges I opted to reduce it back to stock speeds.
- The PC is clean and has been dusted monthly, however i did double check to ensure there is no dust.
- I can remove the liquid cooler and re-apply paste but that would be my last resort unless there is something else because it's fairly awkward to replace inside the case
- My only worry was that I didn't connect it properly the first time but I fail to see where I could have gone wrong on it as it was a fairly simple mounting process. If you are suggesting I didn't then it would be more helpful to know what I could have done wrong and/or what the correct way would be. I followed guidelines in both applying the paste and the cooler as advised in the manual.
- What would be the easiest way to check the cooler is working properly? Corsair Link software is buggy as hell in general and the user forum is filled with complaints on it so i'm not well incentivised to use it as solid confirmation that the cooling unit is working.

As said, removing the cooling block and remounting it would be my last option because it's awkward to do so (or i found it that way) in my case but if that is what is necessary then that's what i'll do. Any extra opinions are still welcome, I'm just unsure what is wrong or how to diagnose whatever it may be if those temperatures are indeed excessive for 4k resolution gameplay.

Remount the cooler by applying thermal paste. I am sure it will work. What are the temps during the stock speed??
And did you check with other softwares like speccy , real temps etc?? And at what voltage did you set your cpu in bios??

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 3, 2016

Remount the cooler by applying thermal paste. I am sure it will work. What are the temps during the stock speed??
And did you check with other softwares like speccy , real temps etc?? And at what voltage did you set your cpu in bios??

I double-checked the temperature readouts from HW Monitor and they match almost perfectly with the outputs from Afterburner and RealTemp
The temps from the screenshots are on stock speed of 4.2GHz max from the turbo feature.
I did a light overclock to 4.4GHz and only modified the voltage to just under 1.3v. I didn't wanna push the clock any further even though i probably could have pushed it closer to 4.6 if i pushed the voltage higher or mesed with the base clock and honestly I'm fine with the performance I'd be acheiving, I pushed it as far as i was comfortable given the temperatures.

If it's a problem where by i am going to have to remount the cooling block because i did it wrong the first time or something then I will do that tomorrow when I can get round to a friends and retrieve my thermal paste that I left with him.

Leaps-from-Shadows · Feb 3, 2016

Your idle temps look fine.

Your "casual use" temps are too high. I would expect a bit higher than those temps while playing Witcher 3 (maybe 60-65°C).

Your "load" temps are way too high. Those temps are reserved for stressing with Prime95 or RealBench or AIDA64.

It could be a cooler mounting issue. But it could also be a bad pump, or a pump not running fast enough. The CPU fan (where I'm assuming you have the pump plugged in) has a minimum of zero -- that's not good. You should set that in the BIOS to whatever the maximum sounds like -- for my board, Turbo is the fastest speed for fans.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 3, 2016

Leaps-from-Shadows :

Honestly... I have no idea what that number is supposed to represent. As I said Corsair Links system is completely god awful (honestly i wouldn't recommend this pump again even if the hardware is great just for that reason). My pump in corsair link shows as a solid 1890 and barely changes even though i have it set to performance. Sometimes it shows 2 fans there even though it isn't referring to either of the fans attatched to the radiator based on just my own hearing i can tell that. |That number is almost always 0 even when the temperatures are at 20c it isn't running and i'd imagine if the cooling block wasn't running then the temperatures should be much higher?

Either way i have double checked twice now that the cables go where they are supposed to and everything I can visually see is working/running when it's supposed to. But I have no real way to control the fan speed in the software, I could change it in the BIOS if you think that might be the issue instead of remounting?

Leaps-from-Shadows · Feb 3, 2016

Yes, adjust it to the maximum in the BIOS. And remove the Corsair Link software to make sure it's not interfering.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 3, 2016

Leaps-from-Shadows :

I adjusted the setting to full speed, which was above turbo and now the CPU (pump?) is running at 1500rpm conitnuously ±50. I can now actually hear the pump whirring, albeit slightly, I did configure this all in corsair link before but apparently that didn't work as now i know what the pump sounds like at full speed. Not loud at all but i can definitely tell that it's working harder than before.

I will toy with this for the rest of the day, I have some video rendering to do and i'll try out witcher again and see what the temperatures are like. It may be that I have to remount the pump, but I'll trial it for tonight anyway. I've never seen the temperatures go critically high and i run HW Monitor permanently so I doubt it will do any damage just to test the difference. Thanks, can't believe i didn't think to just go to the BIOS and check that Corsair Link configuration was at least working.

*insert testing time, to be continued...*

Gamer1985 · Feb 3, 2016

My 6700k never reaches above 58C under full load, gaming and stress testing using Real Bench. I know real bench isnt a very hot test but still under 100% load never goes about 60C. I would definitely try reseating the mount, you could have installed it too tight which I have heard causes problems. I have the same AIO cooler and mine has been great so far. I dont mess with link so much, i only used it to set the RGB color. Otherwise I have the CPU fan/pump on turbo through the bios. Your temps definitely look higher then they should be. As the other post mentioned, your idle temps look great, I sit at the same spot.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 3, 2016

Gamer1985 :

Interestingly the "CPUFANIN" started running at around 2000RPM once my use picked up outside of browsing and I started using the PC for streams etc. even though I set the "fan" at the motherboard to run at the "Full Speed" setting continuously.
I am assuming the "CPUFANIN" is referring to the pump speed or is it referring to the set of 2 fans attatched to the radiator? To be honest the link software has kind of thrown me off on what to expect as it doesn't even see the 2 fans anymore as being installed yet I can see them spinning.
Either way I'm still getting between 40-60 now under an average load, watching a stream through google chrome on fullscreen on the 40" 4K and getting peaks of around 60 mainly with it sitting at around 45-50. Still much higher than what you're temperatures are coming in at. Guess it is time to remount the cooling block, though i never heard overtightening could cause issues, good to know.

Pramit Kumar Biswas · Feb 3, 2016

EPC AntiMatter :

Ok fine...the voltage you have set is also good to go

. Remount the cooler and it will work in safe temps. Because according to my knowledge (as far I know) heating generally occurs majorly for these 3 reasons:
1. Overclocking
2. Faulty COOLER be it water or air cooled.
3. Wrong mounting of cooler.
You can also check your fan RPM in the bios because I see your fan's minimum rpm is 0. So change it.
Try it and I hope your cpu will work within normal range.
Thank You

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 8, 2016

OK so i had to take an unexpected few days away.

But back now and I took the cooler off and remounted the h80i after cleaning the pump and cpu with isopropyl and re-applying thermal paste. I'm still getting roughly the same temperatures. After running for a while i'm watching them flick between 40-55 while running a few light programs, watching a fullscreen stream via chrome and writing this post.

Only thing i have noticed is that the voltage is going higher than i would expect? I thought the 6700k was supposed to use around 1.25 at stock speeds? I checked the settings in the motherboard and they are on the default and set to auto with CPU saying it's voltage is 1.280 or something similar.

I'm running out of ideas for why the temperature on the chip is so high. Is it possible i just got a bad chip?
Either way i'll run it for another gaming session later today and see if i hit the mid 80s again at max. But i'd really appreciate any further ideas because i'm all out, i might just try manually setting the voltage lower but to be honest at this point i don't really want to mess around with anything. These temperatures just seem too high for a stock i7 compared to what other people are getting with similar configurations... :??:

Leaps-from-Shadows · Feb 8, 2016

Stock voltage is 1.2v. You should set the CPU voltage mode to Adaptive, and the voltage to 1.200v. That way it can be lower when not doing anything, but only go up to 1.2v when loaded.

But an extra 0.08v wouldn't cause your CPU to be that much hotter than it should be.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 8, 2016

Leaps-from-Shadows :

Alright i'll do that. I double checked and had 1.285 noted down from when i first booted as the stock votage with the setting on "auto". I'll set it to 1.2 and adaptive mode and see if that changes the temperatures.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 8, 2016

Did what was said and changed the voltage to adaptive mode and set it to run at max (with turbo) at 1.2v
The temperatures do seem lower by about 10c but will probably keep an eye on it and see if it's still hitting very high temperatures when gaming at 4k. That does seem to have been the issue but tbh those temps do still seem high in my opinion based on other people's temperatures given the load. I might just stress test it when i get back later and see what it hits under full load.

floomoo · Feb 26, 2016

Any luck with this running better? I have almost the same setup. I have the H110i GTX cooler with the I7 6700k running stock speeds. Exactly the same issue and temps that I get are about the same as what your experiencing. Don't know if it's normal or if something is wrong. I've read a couple of other posts with a similar build and parts, and they have had the same issue. Let us know if you've done anything different or found anything else out, any further help or solutions would be hugely appreciated ☺ Cheers boss!

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 26, 2016

floomoo :

Yeah there are a few out there, with these guys suggestions and having a poke around myself I noticed a few things. Firstly the Witcher 3 menu screen is pretty damn CPU intensive at a start, unreasonably so in reality but that's one thing. Secondly the i7 is noted around as having a stock voltage of 1.200v but in actuality (from a lot of what i've seen) the turbo mode which it will hit quite regularly doesn't seem to be limited by that. So having gone into the BIOS and changing that i've had more success with the temperatures. I've even overclocked it a little *though cautiously because of these original temperatures) and I rarely see it above 65c and I run 2 monitors as well as a 4k screen and I stream games regularly. I'm comfortable with those temperatures. I did re-seat the cooler but it had minimal effect however it might be worth mentioning that i saw some people complaining about a bad contact with the back-plate to their motherboard with the Corsair coolers. I can't recall the models but it did seem to be causing an issue for some so give it a quick google if you want. And then there is always the issue of getting bad "luck of the draw" and having a sub-par chip, some people claim to get no higher than 60c under stress tests with fairly basic cooling solutions, being unlucky can have an effect.

I hope that information helps you out, I can't think of much else to say! If you got any questions feel free to reply back and i'll try and lend a hand.

turkey3_scratch · Feb 26, 2016

This all boils down to two things: The Corsair H80 only is a single 120mm radiator. It's just the truth that it's really not that good compared to air coolers in the price range.

Secondly, water coolers are tricky. Proper placement is everything. The NZXT Phantom is a case with no side panel exhaust, so guess where all the hot air from the GPU and CPU blow - to the top. If you have the radiator at the top of the case, it is trying to cool the liquid with already hot air, resulting in too high of temperatures. I think this is the case especially since your idle temps are low at around 23C, but there seems to be an awfully exponential growth of temperatures here.

Where is the radiator placed?

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 26, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

As I said since the voltage change i've not seen it go above 65c so the temperatures are nowhere near as bad as they were when posted. And I only posted then because I happened to notice it had a max reading of 85c and i'd never actually seen it that high.
In response to positioning I had the same thoughts as you, I mounted the radiator on the back of the case and have 2x140mm fans blowing air out the top of the case. And I kind of am inclined to agree, I tried the H80i because it had fairly good reviews all around but it's nothing spectacular, the software is fairly buggy but the cooler honestly doesn't seem too bad on the current setup although far from fantastic.

The coolingsetup I'm running is:
Back-Exhaust
Top-Exhaust
Front-Intake
Bottom - Intake

I'msitting now at 15-20c been browsing for 30 mins or so, but it's pretty chilly as i just got back in and it's late. Doesn't go above 50c unless i hit 4k gaming and even then with a 1080p/30fps stream or 720p/60fps stream i haven't seen the maximum go above 65. Normal use temperatures are betwen 20-35c until you hit cpu demanding games/streams etc.

turkey3_scratch · Feb 26, 2016

It's best in my opinion to always put radiators as intake. If it's an intake, it pulls in the nice cool air from outside of the case. If it is exhaust, it pulls in the hot air from inside the case.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 26, 2016

turkey3_scratch :

I agree but that wasn't an option for me with the H80i as the cables aren't long enough to reach the front of the case and with the size of the 980ti I have It would struggle for clearance even with reasonable cables. I'd need to do a bit of case modding or use a custom loop to acheive that. Alternatively I could have used the back as an intake and pushed air out the front but that didn't seem like a great idea either so i settled with the current setup.

floomoo · Feb 26, 2016

EPC AntiMatter :

Cheers for the reply man. I might have to try lowering the voltage but keeping the core speed normal. As long as it is still stable and fast enough then no harm done I guess. What exact core speed and volts are you running? I might try those out. Yeah the Corsair coolers could be the issue too. I'm going to try a different water cooler from a friend and see if it makes a difference. If it does, then I know it's the cooler or mounts. Either way, I'd just get another cooler and deem the Corsair water coolers unfit for the Asus Z170 motherboards. Perhaps they don't contact properly due to the motherboard dimensions. Would only take a mm. The temps seem quite jumpy when stress testing too I noticed. When you track to temps at 100 milliseconds refresh they go from 50-70 jumping like crazy. Not sure of that's part of the issue too. If I could get those speeds/volts from you that would be awesome, and I'll post again after trying another cooler to remove that factor. Our Corsair coolers are different models but have the same mounting bracket and head on them so ya never know until ya try! ☺

Thanks again for the reply Chief.

EPC AntiMatter · Feb 26, 2016

Those kind of temperature fluctuations are kinda normal as the CPU takes on new processes etc. I wouldn't worry too much about that, especially as a stress test is going to produce unrealistic results for most normal use.
My current clock is 4.4GHz and i'm doing that off the voltage set to 1.225 on Adaptive Mode (that's from memory I honestly didn't double check but i'm fairly certain that's correct). No two chips are the same but that's a fairly light overclock from what most tend to be aiming at. I've seen people get 4.6 on stock voltage. Either way no crashes in almost a month so i'd say it's stable and i'm happy with it for my use.

No problem glad I could help. I don't think the Corsair coolers are great, shame because to be honest i've always given the company a good rep. Still i think the hardware is fine, just the software that can be a bit temperamental.

Intel i7 6700K Temperatures seem to reach unusual highs

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