CPU temperatures under XMP settings remain consistent.
CPU temperatures under XMP settings remain consistent.
I'm trying to find someone familiar with typical CPU temperature rises when XMP is active.
My motherboard is Z390-A PRO, I have two 3200Mhz 8GB Corsair RAM sticks and a Noctua NH-D15 CPU cooler.
The max temperature I observed before enabling XMP was 63 degrees, and the highest I've seen now is 67 degrees.
When should I start worrying? It feels like my heatsink should be keeping it cooler, but I'm still new to tech.
Thanks for any advice!
At 1.368v your memory voltage is slightly higher than necessary. Did you activate profile 1 or profile 2 for XMP? It’s likely acceptable either way, and your temperatures remain within the expected range. If you want to test lowering the voltage, you can manually adjust it in the BIOS to 1.35v, save the changes, and observe if this reduces your maximum temperature. Generally, values up to 1.38v should suffice for this memory configuration unless you’re pushing the memory beyond 3200mhz, in which case you might need between 1.38 and 1.4v. I’d probably just leave it as is and move on.
ASUS offers a setting that adjusts CPU configurations when XMP is enabled. If your goal was merely to modify memory speed and timings to match the XMP profile, you likely need to revert the CPU settings to their original configuration rather than letting ASUS automatically apply the optimized setup. I don’t recall exactly what ASUS refers to at this point, but it probably appeared during the XMP adjustment process or was visible near the XMP configuration options. You should revert the CPU to its per-core default and the stock base clock and turbo settings. It might be helpful to reset the BIOS to the default configuration and then enable XMP again. There should be minimal impact on CPU behavior or temperature, except for a slight increase in frequency and voltage compared to the standard JEDEC SPD setting, without a noticeable rise of around four degrees.
Darkbreeze :
ASUS offers a setting that alters CPU configurations when XMP is enabled. If you didn't mean to activate XMP, but only wanted to adjust memory speed and timing to the profiles supported by the XMP profile, you likely need to revert the CPU settings to their original configuration rather than letting ASUS automatically apply the optimized setup. I don't recall exactly what ASUS refers to at this moment, but it probably means you were asked to allow it during the XMP change or noticed the CPU settings shifting under the XMP menu. I suggest returning the CPU to its base clock and turbo behavior, and setting it back to the default BIOS configuration. This time when enabling XMP, you can opt to use the ASUS-optimized profile.
There should be minimal impact on CPU performance or temperature, except for running the memory controller at higher frequencies and voltages than the standard JEDEC SPD settings—though a noticeable rise in CPU temperature isn't expected.
Thank you for your feedback!
I don't believe any of my parts are ASUS, but my motherboard is MSI. In the BIOS there was just a button labeled "XMP" that I turned on or off. There was no warning about CPU-related changes, and I've seen discussions suggesting the memory controller could affect CPU temperatures, which led me to ask this question. I'm quite cautious about my setup since it's my first build, so I want to confirm everything is functioning correctly.
You're right, I was thinking you had the Z390-A, which is an ASUS board, not the Z390-A Pro. I dislike the fact that MSI has taken it upon themselves to use a similar naming scheme as what ASUS has been using for years and years. Anyhow, yes, it's not an ASUS board BUT it might be a similar feature. Most boards have something similar. Perhaps not, but I'd verify the settings anyhow.
The difference is not actually all that significant anyhow. You are perfectly fine so long as you remain under 80°C under a full load while running a stress test like Prime95 version 26.6.
67°C is well below the ceiling of the thermal envelope for that platform. It's very possible that it's normal, however, please check to see what the system has the memory voltage set to in the bios for DRAM voltage. It might be called DRAM voltage, memory voltage, DIMM voltage etc.
The default configuration likely uses about 1.2v for 2133mhz. Most XMP profiles for DDR4 are around 1.35v. Just that alone could easily account for the increase of temperature because as you say, it directly affects the memory controller and the package.
What is the model number of your memory kit?
Darkbreeze :
You're correct, I was assuming the Z390-A was an ASUS model, but it seems MSI has adopted a naming pattern similar to what ASUS has used for a long time. Still, it's not an official ASUS board, though it could share some features. Most devices have comparable specs. I'd still check the settings just in case.
The variation isn't huge at all. You should be okay as long as you stay under 80°C during a full load stress test with Prime95 version 26.6. A temperature of 67°C is well within the safe thermal limits for that setup.
It's likely normal, but it's good to confirm the memory voltage setting in the BIOS—terms like DRAM voltage, memory voltage, or DIMM voltage might be used.
The default settings usually apply around 1.2v for a 2133mhz clock. Most DDR4 XMP profiles sit near 1.35v. That difference alone could explain the slight temperature rise, since it impacts the memory controller and package.
What model is your memory kit? I don't understand what "memory kit" means, but here are some possibilities:
- Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 16GB (2x8GB) / 3200MHz / DDR4 / CL16 / CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 (runs at 1,368V with XMP enabled)
- Mobo model: Z390-A PRO (MS-7B98)
- CPU: i5 9600k 3.7GHz (4.7 Turbo, 6 cores, 6 threads, 9MB)
At 1.368v your memory voltage is slightly higher than necessary. Did you turn on profile 1 or profile 2 for XMP? It’s likely okay either way, and your temperatures are still within acceptable limits. If you want to test lowering the voltage, manually adjust it in the BIOS, save the changes, and observe if it reduces temperatures further. Generally, a voltage up to 1.38v should suffice for this memory setup unless you’re pushing the memory beyond 3200mhz, then you might need between 1.38 and 1.4v. I’d probably just leave it as is unless you’d like to check for BIOS updates on your motherboard. Often early BIOS versions can be too aggressive with memory settings, so updating could help and possibly lower the voltage automatically.
XMP raises the temperatures by around 4 to 5 degrees. Without XMP on my DDR4 3000 RAM, I keep things cooler, while with DDR4 3000 and XMP the temps are consistently a bit higher. This is likely because of the built-in controller in the CPU. You can adjust the RAM voltage manually, but I stick to the default XMP settings.