Are you making a mistake here? (13700k Gaming Prices)
Are you making a mistake here? (13700k Gaming Prices)
After a long session of playing MW2 on my new system, the HWMonitor recorded my CPU's peak temperature at 89°C. I understand this processor generates a lot of heat, but it feels a bit too high for my setup. My specifications include: CPU 13700k, motherboard MSI Z690 EDGE with WiFi and DDR5 cooling, H150i Elite LCD 360mm AIO cooler, 32 GB 6400MHz RAM, MSI Gaming Z Trio 3080 GPU, HX1200i PSU, 980 Pro 2TB storage, Lian-li O11 case with Dynamic Windows 10. I don’t have the thermal rights for the CPU frame yet, but I plan to get it soon. The case layout is: top exhaust with radiator and ML120 RGB fans, side intake with three 120mm RGB fans, bottom intake with two Air Series SP120 fans. I haven’t adjusted the BIOS and all drivers are up to date. All fans run around 1000 RPM, and the radiator fans are also active because I’m sensitive to noise. The GPU fans spin at about 1600 RPM. Any advice on lowering these temps? I’m sure I shouldn’t be this hot even with moderate usage.
That's quite a bit warmer than expected, especially when everything is running at normal speeds. I wouldn't anticipate such heat during overclocking. Consider taking out the AIO block and inspecting how the thermal paste is applied on the CPU IHS to verify proper contact. Reapply paste and re-seat it. 89C at Stock should be ideal. C
I set up the AIO with intake on the side, keeping CPU temps below 75 during gaming. The exhaust uses ambient air from the case for cooling. When gaming, especially with a high-end GPU, it generates a lot of waste heat that the radiator tries to dissipate. This setup acts like using your oven to cool your AC—double the effort. For cooling purposes, intake is ideal for the component being cooled, while exhaust handles the rest. In a gaming rig, always use intake. The CPU rarely stays under heavy load, so it doesn’t significantly raise internal temps. If you’re heavily GPU-bound, running it as exhaust isn’t necessary unless you have no other options.
You're welcome on the technical side. It seems even with adjustments, the air quality remains limited. Switching the fans to exhaust and intake positions could help somewhat. For the radiator fans, placing them on the side as intake and top as exhaust might improve airflow.
I will say that when I was trying to align the block so that the screen wasn't crooked, I did have to unscrew the 4 mounting screws a few times and kind of "shift" the block. You think that there is a possibility I really messed up the thermal paste application doing that?