Intel Core i7 4790k temps too hot?

xauth220 · Oct 30, 2016

I've just recently got a brand new Intel Core i7 4790k and I've noticed the temperatures are unusually hotter than my previous processor (i5 2500k.)

I'm using a Noctua NH-D15 6 heatpipe for cooling and I've disabled Turbo mode entirely in the UEFI/BIOS.
My case is the Vengeance C70 Mid-Tower Gaming Case by Corsair and I feel it has adequate airflow.
The temperatures in my case are roughly around 2-3 degrees above my ambient room temperature which is around 22-24℃ on average.
My goal here is to get the temperatures down to as close as I can to ambient (anywhere from 4-6 degrees above it.)

Temperatures -
I am using CPUID's HWMonitor to look at the core temperatures.
My Idle temperatures are around 34-44℃.
When playing intensive games my CPU is anywhere between 40-50℃, when running in turbo mode my temperatures are around 55-70℃ (I also use vsync on all of my games so the frames aren't going above 60.)
With Prime95's torture tests I'm running around 65-70℃ without turbo and 98℃ (with shutdowns to prevent damage,) with turbo on.

Thermal compound methods -
Thus far I've been using Arctic Silver 5 and Noctua's NT-H1 applying a small grain of rice size, the standard pea size, and the line method, all of which seem to have minor differences, pea size getting me the lowest temperatures out of them all (yet still not where I'm satisfied.) The Arctic Silver 5 seems to have better temperature results than the NT-H1 in terms of load temperatures.

System Specifications/Setup
Motherboard - MSI Z97 Gaming 5 (MS-7917)
CPU - Intel Core i7 4790K
CPU Heatsink - Noctua NH-D15
GPU - EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 FTW+ ACX 2.0
Drives/Storage - Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120GB (OS) / Seagate 4TB SSHD (ST400DX001-1CE168)
Operating System(s) - Windows 10 Professional x64 / Linux Mint (Dual Boot)
Case - Corsair Vengeance C70 Mid-Tower Gaming Case
Fans - Mix of Corsair stock case fans and Noctua NF-F12 fans in a standard configuration for the case.

At this point I'm kind of scratching my head as to how others with the same configuration as me are getting much better temperatures.
Any ideas on what my next step here to try would be much appreciated, thank you.

***EDIT***
I had RMA'd the processor with Intel and it appeared that the issue was the die under the lid, replacing it with a new one had solved this issue from the looks of it.

GhislainG · Oct 30, 2016

Other than Prime95 that gets the CPU hotter than any other application, you don't have a problem; if P95 runs for a few minutes and the system doesn't throttle, then your cooling solution does a good job. The system shouldn't shut down at 98°C; it should start throttling when the CPU reaches 100°C and shut down only if throttling isn't enough to bring the temperature below 100°C.

CompuTronix · Oct 30, 2016

xauth220,

Which VERSION of Prime95 did you run?

Do NOT run any versions of Prime95 later than 26.6. Here's why:

Core i 2nd through 6th Generation CPU's have AVX (Advanced Vector Extension) instruction sets. Recent versions of Prime95, such as 28.9, run AVX code on the Floating Point Unit (FPU) math coprocessor, which produces unrealistically high temperatures. The FPU test in the utility AIDA64 shows similar results.

Prime95 v26.6 produces temperatures on 3rd through 6th 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 significantly larger Die.

Please download Prime95 version 26.6 - http://windows-downloads-center.blogspot.com/2011/04/prime95-266.html

Run only Small FFT’s for 10 minutes.

Use Core Temp to measure your temperatures - http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp

Your Core temperatures will test 20C lower with v26.6 than with v28.9.

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

CT :sol:

xauth220 · Nov 1, 2016

CompuTronix :

Idle Temperatures

\
Load Temperatures

Temperatures above were done with Turbo Boost enabled, without Turbo Boost on it's around 10 degrees cooler.

I'm noticing here that Core's #1 & #2 are generally hotter than Core #0 with Core #2 being generally the hottest, while not by much on load temperatures, it's still concerning to me as, if I'm not mistaken, Core #0 should be the hottest.

Could this be an issue with the die under the lid of the CPU? Should I send it back into Intel for warranty RMA?

I just generally don't want to have to keep monitoring my temperatures/worry about them here over time with the possibility of it degrading as this is my main Gaming PC/Workstation

Any help/advice here is much appreciated, thank you.

synphul · Nov 1, 2016

Have you checked in your bios to see if there's a fan curve and what it's set at? The nh-d15 should be keeping a 4790k cooler than that, those max temps would be more normal if it were overclocked rather than stock. Is it possible the fans aren't spinning up all the way for some reason? Have you tried with the side panel off the case to see if temps improve any? Have you checked with a program like hwinfo64 or similar to see what the core voltage is? Maybe it's running higher vcore than normal for some reason.

xauth220 · Nov 1, 2016

synphul :

This is my voltage settings (default/stock)

I've tried everything else there with the fan curve settings and side panel off, case on it's side (horizontal), etc. So I know that it shouldn't be any of those.

Only thing I'm theorizing here is that it's the actual die/lid, I've contacted Intel about this, my warranty is good until 2019 so hopefully it will be approved and I can get this resolved.
Thanks for the help here, any other ideas are much appreciated still.

CompuTronix · Nov 1, 2016

xauth220 :

I asked which Version of Prime95 you ran, because it can make a big difference in Core temperatures.

I also asked that you read the Intel Temperature Guide, and provided you with the link.

From Section 13 in the Guide - Thermal Testing @ 100% Workload:

"Results:

If reported Core temperatures exceed 80C, you should reduce Vcore and clock speed and / or improve cooling. Core temperatures in the mid 70's are safe.

Intel’s specification for Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) accuracy is +/- 5C. This means deviations between the highest and lowest Cores may be 10C, so "Average" Core temperature is often more realistic.

On processors with more than 2 Cores, the inner Cores run warmer because they’re insulated by the outer Cores. Here’s the physical layout in 2nd, 3rd and 4th Generation Quad Core processors, and an example of how it typically affects Core temperatures:

IGPU = Not in use (PCIE graphics card in use)
Core #0 = 75C (insulated by IGPU and Core #1)
Core #1 = 78C (insulated by Core #0 and #2)
Core #2 = 76C (insulated by Core #1 and #3)
Core #3 = 71C (insulated by Core #2 only)

Core Average = 75C."

We take the time to provide links because they are for your benefit, so please read them. As you can see, the answer to your question was already provided in Section 13 in the Temp Guide.

Also, your screenshot above shows Core voltage at idle. We need to instead see Core voltage during Prime95 VERSION 26.6 Small FFT's. Later version run AVX code on your processor's Instruction Sets, which demands higher Core voltage, and will in turn cause higher Core temperatures. If your Core voltage is set to "Auto", then BIOS will apply significantly more voltage than is necessary to maintain stability, which again will cause higher Core temperatures.

Questions:

(1) Which VERSION of Prime95 did you run?

(2) Is your Core voltage in "Auto"?

(3) What is your ambient temperature?

CT :sol:

xauth220 · Nov 1, 2016

CompuTronix :

xauth220 :

I asked which Version of Prime95 you ran, because it can make a big difference in Core temperatures.

I also asked that you read the Intel Temperature Guide, and provided you with the link.

From Section 13 in the Guide - Thermal Testing @ 100% Workload:

"Results:

If reported Core temperatures exceed 80C, you should reduce Vcore and clock speed and / or improve cooling. Core temperatures in the mid 70's are safe.

Intel’s specification for Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) accuracy is +/- 5C. This means deviations between the highest and lowest Cores may be 10C, so "Average" Core temperature is often more realistic.

On processors with more than 2 Cores, the inner Cores run warmer because they’re insulated by the outer Cores. Here’s the physical layout in 2nd, 3rd and 4th Generation Quad Core processors, and an example of how it typically affects Core temperatures:

IGPU = Not in use (PCIE graphics card in use)
Core #0 = 75C (insulated by IGPU and Core #1)
Core #1 = 78C (insulated by Core #0 and #2)
Core #2 = 76C (insulated by Core #1 and #3)
Core #3 = 71C (insulated by Core #2 only)

Core Average = 75C."

We take the time to provide links because they are for your benefit, so please read them. As you can see, the answer to your question was already provided in Section 13 in the Temp Guide.

Also, your screenshot above shows Core voltage at idle. We need to instead see Core voltage during Prime95 VERSION 26.6 Small FFT's. Later version run AVX code on your processor's Instruction Sets, which demands higher Core voltage, and will in turn cause higher Core temperatures. If your Core voltage is set to "Auto", then BIOS will apply significantly more voltage than is necessary to maintain stability, which again will cause higher Core temperatures.

Questions:

(1) Which VERSION of Prime95 did you run?

(2) Is your Core voltage in "Auto"?

(3) What is your ambient temperature?

CT :sol:

My apologies for not reading the links provided I must have not paid much attention to the post you had made. To answer you questions though
1.) I have been using the latest version of prime 95, have yet to test it on the version you recommended
2.) Core voltage is set to auto in UEFI settings
3.) My ambient room temperature is anywhere from 20-24 degrees Celsius (68-76 Fahrenheit) depending on seasons, lately around 22 degrees Celsius as it's colder here and using our heater.

I appreciate the support here and once again apologize for not reading your post and links fully, thank you.

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