New install i7-3770, temperatures seem very very hot

[idata]

Hello,

I did a fresh install a couple of days ago into an ASROCK Extreme6 motherboard (loaded with fans in a Corsair Carbide 300R chassis- lots of vents). The case sits in an enclosed desk unit however the front is wide open (2x fans pushing air out) and back is vented, so it is well ventelated (I havnen't felt it any hot air coming out). The room is kept at 22 C, and I have not done any over clocking or use of the turbo mode. At idle I'm running at 38 - 42 C, CPU and case fans are turned all the way up all the time, and has been that way since I got it.

Running RealTemp while doing a stress test with PRIME95 after 60 seconds the average temp settles arounod 105 C (see below for max temp). All over the interwebs I see people saying 70 - 80 C is the ideal threshold for this CPU under load, but I'm obviously not seeing that. The stock fan and heatsink is firmly attached and was clean during install. Is this normal? I'd like to use the turbo mode but with these standard rate temps I'm nervous.

My other thought is the paste (or strips on the stock fan unit) are still settling. If this is the case, roughly how long should I wait to see the paste settle and the temps go down? Or, perhaps this is a defective CPU?

Lastly, everyone always suggest not using the stock fan and getting custom, however the suggestions I see online usually cover at least one DIMM slot, which I can't do since they are all filled.

Any help and insight is greatly appreciated.

Jay M.

[idata · Accepted solution]

Your processor has a TCase value of 67.4°C; anything from the Tcase and below will be the expected temperature of the processor in normal use, anything that doesn't stress out the processor (watching movies, burning CDs, browsing the internet, creating documents, etc.) When the processor is stressed out meaning that you are running heavy processor applications that take control of the CPU or uses it at 100% the temperature will go beyond the Tcase. It can perfectly reach 80 to 85 degrees and the processor will still be OK. The cooling fan is in charge to keep that temperature there.

If the processor temperature reaches 100 degrees or more it will send a signal to the motherboard to shut down to prevent mayor damages and most likely it will not be possible to turn the computer back in until it cools down.

The normal processor temperature will depend on the chassis type, the hardware involved and the location of the computer, and it usually is lower than the Tcase.

For troubleshooting purposes on the processor side what you can do is making sure you have the latest BIOS version of your motherboard in order to have the latest micro code available for the processor.

You can also run the Intel® Processor Identification Utility to see if the processor is being properly recognized by the system, please find this utility download here: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=7838 http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=7838

The other troubleshooting step you can do, is verifying the processor's functionality. The Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool will perform a stress test on the processor and will also monitor the temperatures. The Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool can be found at: http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-031726.htm http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-031726.htm

Your processor specifications are located at: http://ark.intel.com/products/65719/Intel-Core-i7-3770-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz?q=3770 http://ark.intel.com/products/65719/Intel-Core-i7-3770-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz?q=3770

If it is the case that any of the utilities fail or it is found that the processor is having an issue, feel free contacting the customer support center: http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contactsupport?iid=subhdr%20help_feedback http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contactsupport?iid=subhdr%20help_feedback

[idata]

Hmm, the Intel test passes, saying the temps are 7 degrees C below maximum (again, temps top out arounod 105 C in RealTemp. It doesn't shut down at all at the 105 temp, so not sure what you mean by that. Is this worth contacting support on? I can still return this to the store, perhaps I should do that before I have to ship it back to Intel?

The motherboard was updated to the latest verision right away, so not sure what the pre-update fan control was like. I find it strange I've had the settings maxed out for all fans and it still gets this hot.

Does anyone have a suggestion on a cooler that will fit an ASROCK Z77 Extreme6 mothboard (not interfering with RAM slots) that doesn't require a back plate install? I may be interested in trying that as well.

Thanks in advance,

Jay M.

[idata]

Just an update on this. For kicks and grins I tried resetting the cooler on the CPU, even though it was snug. I also added another case fan, which likely didn't impact much. I noticed that the temperatures dropped about 5- 10 C at idle and would top out around 80 C (noted below), so I'm guessing there was something with how the fan and heat sink were initially set (not getting how this worked, but since it appears to for now I'm happy to be in the ranges you mentioned).

Thanks for your help!