high temperatures during overclocking
high temperatures during overclocking
I've owned this gaming computer for about three years now, and I'm just beginning to overclock the CPU again. It's proving quite challenging.
System details
CPU: 4790k
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1333MHz 2400 with XMP profile; added extra heat during stress tests
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97X SLI
PSU: Leadex Superflower 750W 80+ Gold
CPU cooler: Corsair H110i 240mm RGB
Attempts: I tried to push the CPU to 4.4GHz, which should be a modest overclock for the 4790k with turbo disabled, auto CPU voltage, and XMP turned off. Under stress testing, temperatures reached 80°C–85°C, especially when XMP was enabled and using 2400MHz RAM.
Normal idle temps at 4GHz are 29°C–32°C, but under stress they rise to 69–74°C. I’m not satisfied with these readings and am puzzled about the next steps.
For testing purposes, I also tried 4.6, but within five seconds it hit over 90°C—even without enabling XMP, it would have failed.
Idle temperatures are stable, but the heat spikes during testing might be due to age or thermal issues.
Software used: Cinebench, IBT, Prime
Any advice?
Your problem is that the Vcore remains set to auto. It seems you likely changed the multiplier instead. If you don’t modify Vcore, the CPU will consume more power than necessary, causing higher temperatures. There are instructions for overclocking, but in simple terms, you should choose your desired OC setting and then gradually lower Vcore in small steps (0.05V each) until stability is achieved, after which you can increase it by 0.1V.
Your problem is that the Vcore remains set to auto. It seems you likely changed the multiplier instead. If you don’t modify Vcore, the CPU will consume more power than necessary, causing higher temperatures. There are instructions for overclocking, but in simple terms, you should choose your desired OC setting and then gradually lower Vcore in small steps (0.05V each) until stability is achieved, after which you can increase it by 0.1V.
myh3llboy, On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard! Beyond that which diellur has pointed out concerning minimizing Vcore, there are other variables affecting Core temperatures. Here's the operating range for Core temperature: Core temperatures above 85°C aren't recommended. Core temperatures below 80°C are preferred. Core temperatures increase and decrease with Ambient temperature. Q: What is your ambient temperature? Standard or "normal" is 22°C or 72°F. Q: Which version of Prime95? If you're running any version of Prime95 later than 26.6, then you can expect exceedingly high Core temperatures. Later versions can push your processor to nearly 130% TDP due to invoking AVX Instruction Sets, whereas 26.6 is as close as you can get to 100% TDP, which doesn't overload or underload you processor. Intel tests their processors at a steady 100% TDP to validate Thermal Specifications. Prime95 version 26.6 Small FFT's is ideal for CPU thermal testing, because it's a steady 100% workload with steady Core temperatures that typically runs Core i variants with Hyperthreading within +/- a few % of TDP. No other utility so closely replicates Intel's test conditions. This is the utility Real Temp uses for testing Core temperature sensors. Utilities that don’t overload or underload your processor will give you a valid thermal baseline. Here’s a comparison of utilities grouped as thermal and stability tests according to % of TDP, averaged across five Generations of processors at stock settings: TDP%... Thermal Test - Steady Workload 129%... Prime95 v27.7 through v29.4 - Small FFT’s (AVX) 105% … PowerMAX v1.00.1 - CPU - SSE 101 % <-- Prime95 v26.6 - Small FFT’s 89%... HeavyLoad v3.4.0.234 - Stress CPU 87%... FurMark v1.19.1.0 - CPU Burner 78%... CPU-Z v1.83.0 - Bench - Stress CPU 66%... AIDA64 v5.95.4500 - System Stability Test - Stress CPU TDP%... Stability Test - Fluctuating Workload (Peak) 123%... OCCT v4.5.1 - CPU: OCCT (AVX) 118%... LinX v0.6.5 - Default 116%... IntelBurn Test v2.54 - High 113%... OCCT v4.5.1 - CPU: Linpack (AVX) 110%... AIDA64 v5.95.4500 - System Stability Test - Stress FPU 99 % <-- Asus RealBench v2.56 - Stress Test (AVX) 97%... Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool v4.1.0.24 - Default 94%... Sandra 2017.09.24.41 - Burn in - Processor Tests 92%... CineBench v15.0 - CPU - Render Test 79%... Intel Extreme Tuning Utility v6.4.1.15 - CPU Stress Test Note of the differences between Prime95 versions, IntelBurn Test and CineBench. All tests will show 100% CPU Utilization in Windows Task Manager, which seldom coincides with actual workload or % of TDP. Higher TDP tests produce higher Core temperatures. Overclocking increases measured Power (Watts). TDP varies with Microarchitecture, Core count, Core speed, Core voltage, VID, Turbo Boost, Hyperthreading, Instruction Sets, Memory, IGPU, CPU cooler, BIOS settings, versions and Microcode. 2nd through 8th Generation i3, i5 and i7 CPU's have AVX (Advanced Vector Extension) Instruction Sets. Prime95 versions later than 26.6 run AVX code on the CPU's Floating Point Unit (FPU) which causes unrealistic temperatures up to 20°C higher due to excessively high TDP workloads, as shown above. Other high TDP utilities have similar results. AVX can be disabled in Prime95 versions later than 26.6 by inserting "CpuSupportsAVX=0" into the "local.txt" file in Prime95's folder. However, since Core temperatures will be the same as 26.6, it's easier to just use 26.6. AVX doesn't affect Core i 1st Generation, Core 2, Pentium or Celeron processors since they don't have AVX Instruction Sets. • Prime95 v26.6 - http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=15504 If you're overclocked and run games and AVX apps such as for rendering or transcoding, you may need to reduce Vcore and Core speed or upgrade your cooler and case fans. Many 6th, 7th and 8th Generation motherboards address the AVX problem by providing offset adjustments in BIOS. However, 4th Generation motherboards don't have AVX offset adjustments. Although it's a bit cumbersome, the solution is to set up individual rendering and gaming overclock profiles in BIOS. Asus RealBench runs a realistic AVX workload typically within +/- a few % of TDP, does not need AVX offset adjustments, and is an excellent utility for testing overall system stability, whether you're overclocked or not. This is the utility Silicon Lottery uses for testing CPU stability. • Asus RealBench - http://rog.asus.com/rog-pro/realbench-v2-leaderboard/ If you'd like to learn more, then read this: Intel Temperature Guide - Once again, welcome aboard! CT