[Ryzen 7 2700x gets hot when you run it]
[Ryzen 7 2700x gets hot when you run it]
I have a problem with my new Ryzen 7 2700x. When the computer is just sitting there, sometimes it gets super hot for like ten seconds and then cools down again. It happens all over again when I move something away from it, but stops if nothing moves at all. This started after I bought everything in a brand new box.
My settings are:
* **CPU:** Ryzen 7 2700x
* **Motherboard:** MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
* **RAM:** G.Skill FlareX 2x8GB running at 3200MHz
* **Voltage:** 1.35V for the CPU, 1.1V on the socket, and 1.4V on the RAM (this came from a friend online).
I turned off Precision Boost Overdrive and gaming boosts in both BIOS and Dragon Center. I also turned off XMP and set my RAM manually to match what I normally use (3200MHz with timings like 14-14-14-14-34). AMD Cool n' Quiet is on, set to profile zero.
I tried changing almost everything at different voltages, including going all the way up to 4200MHz, but it still happens on my current settings at both 3700MHz and 4200MHz. I have already turned off Bluetooth and set Windows to power saver mode, though neither helped much. Even MSI Dragon Center's silent mode made the chip run a bit hotter.
My voltages don't go up when things get hot. I'm not sure if there is a connection between temperature spikes and load here. For example, Task Manager shows low usage (2-3%) even when my CPU load looks like it's hitting 8-10%. This started right after I booted the PC on default settings.
I suspect maybe just enabling XMP in the BIOS was the cause because that was my only change before installing Windows. I'm still learning how to overclock, so should I just reset everything back to Auto? The problem is that the voltage keeps averaging around 1.46V when set manually, which isn't great for keeping things running long-term. Temperature spikes happen too, but they occur at higher average temps because of that extra voltage.
I already updated my chipset drivers and am about to download CPU-Z to monitor it (since apps like iCue or Dragon Center aren't the best tools). I'll see what happens after this, and I'd really appreciate any other advice! Thanks a lot.
It is actually a Ryzen, not an Intel. There are big differences in how these two work and what they do when you turn them off or sit quiet. When you use Intel, it lowers the voltage and speed across all the cores while they are just sitting there, so every single core stays active. This makes sure that even though nothing is working hard right now, everything still shows up on a temperature chart with a spread around 30 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, with Ryzen, the processor shuts down some of its cores completely and parks them when they are not being used. It only leaves one or two fully active at idle time. This means that most cores won't show any temperature readings because they aren't doing much work. But those 1-2 active cores will 'idle' a bit faster, usually running around 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. Since most people just look at the hottest core as a single reading, it looks like all of Intel's cores are burning up at roughly the same speed. Ryzen only averages about 1 or 2 cores because those two are still running while the rest are essentially cool at 0 degrees. This can be misleading when you see just one number on a screen. You might think that's how hot everything is, but it's not really true for all of them. Sometimes people get freaked out thinking something is wrong, only to find out that most cores are actually cold while just a few are warm. To...
It is not Intel, it is Ryzen. The two are totally different in how they work and behave. When you use Intel, both cores start working right away even when you aren't using them much, so all of them stay warm at about 30 degrees Celsius. With Ryzen, the unused cores get shut down completely to save power, leaving only a few active ones. So when you check the temperature on your computer, most of the cores show no reading because they are off, but just 1 or 2 will show that they are still running at a higher speed. Usually those two stay around 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. Since temperatures are shown as one number from all cores, it looks like the hottest core is very hot for both brands, but really only one is actually hot while the rest are cool. This can make people think it's crazy because they don't realize that most of them are at zero degrees. To make it worse, Microsoft changed Windows in recent years. Long ago, computers were quiet and slow unless you had a program open, so background tasks didn't run much. Now, however, everything is busy all the time: Cortana searches for things, security checks happen automatically when you log on to update drivers or apps, and so on. It's really hard to find an actual idle moment now because Windows keeps doing its own work in the background even while you are not using it much. Whether you think your computer is active or just sitting around, the CPU still sees a little bit of activity. Heat comes from work, and since that work is always running somewhere inside your PC, your temperature will never be truly zero. On average, Windows bounces idle temps up by 10 to 15 degrees Celsius as it starts doing things, then settles down again in two or three minutes later. That kind of bouncing around is perfectly normal for modern Windows behavior.
My old computer does that same thing, not as bad as it used to be. AMD has tried tweaking their speed boosters for ages, usually making them work too hard when the machine isn't using much power. This causes the heat to get really high with every new chip they release.
Hmm, still feels strange that such a small load jump makes temperatures spike so much. You'd expect the CPU to be around 40-50% loaded when it jumps like that, but it's actually barely over 10%. Since then, those repeated idle spikes have stopped now. It only happens when I actively do something on the desktop or if a background process starts up. Not sure what specifically helped, maybe the chipset driver or something else? I'll run more tests under load to see if this still happens. Originally it was super stable under load, but after tinkering with the OC and driver settings, it started having these repeated spikes while still under load. Oh well, I have a stripped cooler mounting plate, so the heatsink isn't sitting properly (though it cools fine enough). I gotta wait for the replacement part to come before I can safely stress test again. Thanks for the info though! Nice to know I don't have faulty hardware at least. Many thanks 👍
It is easy to figure out when you know that Ryzen checks dozens of spots on your processor for heat, and what it shows is just the hottest spot at that exact moment. When you see a temperature jump up, it usually means only one tiny part of a single core was working really hard all at once. Think about a match being lit in a room: the match itself gets hundreds of degrees hot while burning, then cools back down to normal when it burns out. Even if you had a thermometer on the match and thought the whole room got that same heat, actually only the match is so hot; it's still safe for you to be around. You should check something like HWInfo64 to see a Tdie (average) reading because moving average numbers show a more true picture of how the CPU feels as it heats up over time. Ryzen Master also gives an average temperature, but HWInfo has much more useful info about your computer's state if you care.
You have to figure out what load means versus usage. When something like AV starts searching, many inactive services suddenly turn on. That's a big burst of activity at once, but every individual service uses very little power overall. The CPU does not use much memory or cache, yet it still uses a lot of effort. It feels easy to run, but if you push too hard, your computer breaks quickly. Putting all that work into just one core will cause temperatures to get way higher than the spikes seen on regular computers made by Intel.
The sawtoothing effect happens quite often. It's shown up on every Ryzen CPU I've tried. The only thing that has ever stopped it is switching my Windows power plan to power saving. But so far, there have been no bad effects from the sawtoothing itself.
Ryzens run better on a balanced power plan because they just bump up their minimum speeds for things like idle. It's okay to use Eco mode, but it won't give the same big boosts or the same quiet idle state as Balanced. Balanced acts like performance when you start and slows down like Eco does.