Quiet Shadow Rock Slim faces off against the i7 4790k OC in this matchup.
Quiet Shadow Rock Slim faces off against the i7 4790k OC in this matchup.
I'm unsure if my temperatures are normal. My i7 4790k is at [email protected]. In Prime95 V26.6, three of four cores average 80-85°C. However, core 4 stays around 70-75°C. Voltage and temperatures are tracked by HWMonitor.
Which Prime95 test are you executing? The Small FFTs test will strain the CPU threads to maximum capacity, simulating a worst-case situation, which means elevated temperatures should be anticipated. The CPU's temperature will also depend on the surrounding environment and air circulation inside the case.
The prime95 test results are consistent, with temperatures around 68-70°F. The Ambient temperature is approximately 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit. The Phanteks Enthoo Pro features a 200mm fan intake and a 140mm exhaust behind the CPU cooler at the back of the case, along with a 135mm fan on the Shadow Rock. It appears the cooler is installed correctly and thermal paste was applied properly. Temperatures remain in the 60s during stock settings in Prime95 on June 26th. I ensured to use the non-AVX version of Prime95. All fans operate at full speed once temperatures surpass 70°C. The system remains free from dust.
I don’t have any games that can heavily stress the system. I just did a new Windows installation yesterday. It still runs at around 40s to 50s with about a 30% load during gaming. The main issue is the temperature difference between the package and cores 1 through 3, and the near 10c gap on core 4.
A temperature around 10'C between the hottest and coolest core is fairly typical. There are ways to help manage it, such as adjusting the CPU or cooler, but
1. You can't completely eliminate the differences—usually one or two cores will always run slightly warmer.
2. Unless your system is getting excessively hot, the extra benefit is minimal.
You should also consider the size of the cooler and its price; a decent cooler for a Shadow Rock Slim would be around $40, which is still a reasonable investment.
It seems the 160w TDP cooler should handle the extra heat since the CPU isn't operating at close to its full capacity.