something is wrong
something is wrong
the cpu cooler is properly installed, but temperatures occasionally reach 90-100 during heavy use.
The cooler isn't powerful enough. It only features three heat pipes. It might be better to stick with the original cooler.
14nm Intel processors struggle with heat even when new. The stock 8700K uses the same power for optimal temperatures. Adding liquid cooling helps, but a 5GHz cooler (around 300MHz) still falls short of the chip’s potential. Swapping out the cover and cooling system for the recommended one would be a mistake you won’t want to make right away.
My wife's 8700 performs well without extra cooling, handles heat efficiently, and stays cooler than the son's 9400 and daughters' 8350k models. All of us tend to use budget tower fans. In stock prices, a similar model could reach around 100 at P95, which isn't unusual. I didn't check my specs since I don't have liquid cooling and we're using basic tower fans. At stock levels, the 9600k might be fine, so it's not surprising you didn't compare it. Just to clarify, I only have four Coffeelake chips.
Consider updating to a more reliable measurement tool. Nzxt software performs poorly and adds unnecessary complications. Execute hwinfo 64 and share your results during idle and full synthetic load conditions (p95, cbr20 provides a solid fast-temp assessment). If you're experiencing readings between 90-100 across any channel outside a complete power surge, something may be amiss—particularly at stock frequency/voltage levels. Even the standard Intel cooler should handle a non-overclocked 9600 adequately, and your cooler clearly outperforms it.