Is the processor running too low in temperature?
Is the processor running too low in temperature?
I bought a dark rock cooler from be quiet because my old one failed after just two years. It seems it's working better than expected. An i7-8700 at 4.2 GHz usually stays between 26°C and 31°C when idle, rarely going over 65-70°C even during heavy CPU tasks. I've only noticed it reaching above 60°C when rendering unoptimized Blender meshes. Some people say keeping the CPU under 35°C is important, and most gaming benchmarks show the CPU stays above 60°C for those games. Is this temperature too low?
CPUs may experience overheating problems even when using LN2 cooling. Older models often face difficulties near -80°C, with common failures in memory controllers or PCIe lanes. Modern chips with soldered IHS can handle temperatures down to -196°C before reaching their limits. However, very low boot temperatures can still cause issues, and it's generally advised to maintain boot temps above about -140°C. While the cold itself doesn't typically harm the processors, the high voltage required for overclocking remains a concern.