What's the considered maximum safe temp of i7 950?

[ithehappy]

Hi,
As the title asks, I'd like to know how far a i7 950 Processor temperature could go up? I was playing Crysis 2 today, and after 90 mins my temps were around 73-71-71-71°C. Yes my ambient temp is high at 34.2°C. I don't like to keep AC on all time. Now is that mentioned temp can be taken as Normal or is it High? If it's High then is it in Danger zone and is there any chance of the CPU damaging? I have Hyper 212+ installed, and I applied TIM just two months back. The cable management inside the cabinet is good too. Have two CM fans on the cooler and there are two top fans too, so I've done everything I could possibly do. I just wanna know if I should get alerted by those temps or not?
Oh, the CPU is at Stock speed.
Thanks in advance.

 

[ubercake]

I had the same question. So I started a chat with an Intel tech.

The 1366 i7s should never go above 74.9 at 100% load (67.9C TDM+7C). Your temps seem high for just gaming.

Just to give you a point of reference, I actually have an i7 960 running on a Sabertooth board with a Hyper 212plus. My CPU does not exceed 62C during the heat test in prime95. This test puts more stress on the processor than any game.

Try removing the 212 and thermal compound. Clean the thermal compound off the the processor and the 212 (completely), reapply and put the 212 back on. Don't use too much thermal compound or it will cause problems. Depending which kind of thermal compound you prefer (I use AS5), you tint the processor cap and the 212, then put a thin line in the middle groove and a shorter thin line only in the grooves directly to the right and to the left of the center groove. This has worked well for me.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

The maximum case temp on the Intel® Core™ i7-950 we list at 67.9c. If you are hitting in the 70s that would be higher then we would like it to be. If the processor is running to hot yes it can damage the processor shortening its lifespan. For more information on the Intel Core i7-950 you can see our page here http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37150&processor=i7-950&spec-codes=SLBEN

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[ithehappy]

@ubercake,
Thanks for the reply.
Well when I applied the new TIM two months back, I checked it, and it was almost same as of now. And I also applied it in the way you said. What's your ambient temp? I am sure it's a lot lesser than mine. Anyway, if, the CPU temp goes above 75°C then what could happen? Will it damage the Processor completely, or what?

 

[ithehappy]

The maximum case temp on the Intel® Core™ i7-950 we list at 67.9c. If you are hitting in the 70s that would be higher then we would like it to be. If the processor is running to hot yes it can damage the processor shortening its lifespan. For more information on the Intel Core i7-950 you can see our page here http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37150&processor=i7-950&spec-codes=SLBEN

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

I'd like to get a Practical answer than a Technical one

 

[bearclaw99]

I'd look into getting some better cooling. Keeping an i7 cool in a sauna makes it more difficult. Those are some hot ambient temps

 

[ubercake]

@ubercake,
Thanks for the reply.
Well when I applied the new TIM two months back, I checked it, and it was almost same as of now. And I also applied it in the way you said. What's your ambient temp? I am sure it's a lot lesser than mine. Anyway, if, the CPU temp goes above 75°C then what could happen? Will it damage the Processor completely, or what?

Prolonged usage at high temps will shorten the lifespan of your components, although there are people out there over-clocking and staying in the 80Cs. Your processor could run in the 70s and last for five years and mine could run in the 50s and last five years. It's the luck of the draw with temps, processors, and longevity.

You're not going to be melting anything, but those temps are high. When I game on the system in my signature, my temps are in the mid 50Cs. This includes playing Crysis 2 with 2 580 GTXs throwing heat around my system.

Are you over-clocking at all? Whenever I've over-clocked the CPU, even adding only 20 to the base clock, my temps go up 10C in the prime95 heat test. This puts me right in the mid 60Cs.

My ambient temp is usually 21-23C. You're fighting an uphill battle with your ambient temp. That could have a lot to do with it, too. Considering that, you're probably not fairing all that badly. You could try a different cooler to try to get the temps even lower? There are other coolers out there that could drop your temps a few more degrees like the Noctua NH-D14 (performance and high availability are reasons why I list this one).

After using the Corsair H50 w/2 better after-market fans (USD $100), I wouldn't recommend it. My 212 plus (USD $25) does a better job.

Anyhow, check out reviews for other heat sinks. If you can drop your operating temps 10C, that would be ideal. Because that would mean a prime 95 heat test would most likely put you in the high 60Cs.

This is a great site for CPU cooler ratings:

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

Check it out. They have reviews for just about everything available.

 

[ithehappy]

My ambient temp is usually 21-23C. You're fighting an uphill battle with your ambient temp. That could have a lot to do with it, too. Considering that, you're probably not fairing all that badly. You could try a different cooler to try to get the temps even lower? There are other coolers out there that could drop your temps a few more degrees like the Noctua NH-D14 (performance and high availability are reasons why I list this one).

Hmm, your ambient is COOL. I knew in this ambient I can't stay with an Air cooler.

Are you over-clocking at all?

I Overclocked when I purchased the system, back in December last year. That time it was Winter here, and my ambient was around 23-24°C . I Overclocked it to 3.7 GHz, stable at 1.22V, ran Prime95, OCCT and IBT maximum stress tests and I remember the max temp was around 65-66°C. The Idle temp was around 34-35°C that time. But now? It's Summer and you may know in India it's damn hot.

This is a great site for CPU cooler ratings:

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

Check it out. They have reviews for just about everything available.

Thanks for the info, will definitely check it out.

I've decided that I will buy a new TIM, confused between Arctic MX2, Tuniq TX4 and CM Thermal Fusion 400 though as I don't wanna invest behind any good Cooler (Water or Air) right now.

 

[ubercake]

Hmm, your ambient is COOL. I knew in this ambient I can't stay with an Air cooler.

I Overclocked when I purchased the system, back in December last year. That time it was Winter here, and my ambient was around 23-24°C . I Overclocked it to 3.7 GHz, stable at 1.22V, ran Prime95, OCCT and IBT maximum stress tests and I remember the max temp was around 65-66°C. The Idle temp was around 34-35°C that time. But now? It's Summer and you may know in India it's damn hot.

Thanks for the info, will definitely check it out.

I've decided that I will buy a new TIM, confused between Arctic MX2, Tuniq TX4 and CM Thermal Fusion 400 though as I don't wanna invest behind any good Cooler (Water or Air) right now.

Good luck!