i7 2600k suddenly started hitting 85 degrees on nearly all games

[WHigg]

Okay so while I was being all happy and excited for Battlefield 4, I put my CPU through a stress test and it handled it pretty well went to a maximum temp of 70-75 degrees and its pretty old 2 years old to be exact and still using a stock cooler.

So when Battlefield 4 was released in the UK at midnight, I went and played a few games after about my 3rd game i noticed the temps going into the red maxing out at about 85 degrees (Asus sensor wouldn't show any higher apparently). I theorized it could be a faulty sensor so I used Core temp to monitor it, same issue appears again so its not a faulty sensor. My loads hit around max 60% on the CPU but hit 85 degrees, something is very wrong.

I cleaned out my case, made sure the CPU is clean to. removed the old thermal paste, added new thermal paste (pea size), re-seated the heat-sink and then started up my system. Unfortunately I seem to get the same results.

I realize that it could be just that my i7 is just old now and wearing out but I honestly hope that is not the case as I simply cant afford processors like the i7 or i5s at the moment which is frustrating.

My hope is that it is just that I need to replace my cooler but quite frankly this is bothering the crap out of me. So can anyone shed some light on this on what it could be?

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hi xeNNNNN,

Based on your description, it seems that you have several steps I was going to advice. At this point, I would recommend you taking the motherboard outside of the chassis in order to discard any overheating problems.

Also, I recommend you running the Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool. This is software that diagnoses the internal components of the processor and will let you know the state of the unit. You can get it at the following link:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19792&keyword=Processor+diagnostic&lang=eng https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19792&keyword=Processor+diagnostic&lang=eng

Testing a different heat sink and testing it in the CPU header helps as part of the troubleshooting steps but if the issue persists after doing these steps, you should contact your Intel® local support for them to help you out with replacement if necessary.

[WHigg]

Okay thank you, however i doubt that they could help me as I believe my warranty has ran out.

But ill try the diagnostic tools thanks for the help, ill post again with the results if there is in fact a problem with it.

[WHigg]

Okay so ive tested the processors using the tool, it fails the test due to overheating. I had to abort the test because i feared it would burn out the CPU as all cores were going into the 80's.

However it seems to only be having this trouble in high end games like battlefield in games likes league of legends its fine but obviously there is a huge different in work load on what BF gives the processor and what LoL give the processor, so could it actually be the fan itself that is the issue here? or do you think it is definitely the processor?

Also if my warranty has run out or no longer available is there any other way I could get my Intel unit replaced (without paying £259) obviously as a really just dont have the money it would take me months to save up that kind of money.

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hello xeNNNNN,

Testing another Heat sink fan is in fact a very good option at this point. So If you have the possibility to test a different fan go ahead.

In regards the warranty, Intel® provides 3 years warranty from the moment of purchase on processors. If the unit was purchase less than 3 years, I recommend you contacting your local support so they can help you with the replacement if necessary.

[WHigg]

Hello Kevin,

indeed, ive gone over it in my head multiple times, the only conclusion I can come to is that the processors overheating issue damaged the cooler due to the heat level getting so high and burning through the heat sink, the stock cooler served me well for 2 years though. I also believe that if it was the processor that was at fault i believe id be seeing higher idle temps than 32 max. it preforms fine in nearly most of my games, except for the higher end games like starcraft 2 and battlefield in which they tend to put a much heavier load on the processor and without the thermal paste the load caused the processor to overheat. I am at least 90% sure this is the issue now, with any luck ill have this solved by next Thursday.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-120mm/dp/B0068OI7T8/ref=sr_1_1/275-4065720-9705042?ie=UTF8&qid=1383772615&sr=8-1&keywords=212+cooler http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-120mm/dp/B0068OI7T8/ref=sr_1_1/275-4065720-9705042?ie=UTF8&qid=1383772615&sr=8-1&keywords=212+cooler

this is the cooler I intend to buy, it comes highly recommended to me by some old colleagues over at dell and is a great bargain (if its as good as ive been told, due to its price). what do you think?

[Kevin_M_Intel]

That cooling seems to be a good one but the one that comes with the processor should be good enough. Unfortunately I cannot guarantee that this cooling solution will work fine in your processor.