Temperatures exceed 90°C during spikes under load, which is harmful for your i5-11400.
Temperatures exceed 90°C during spikes under load, which is harmful for your i5-11400.
My setup: CPU is Intel Core i5-11400 with the stock cooler (the new one featuring copper slug).
Motherboard: MSI B560M-A PRO; RAM: 32GB DDR4-2666MHz.
During Cinebench R23 I didn’t see much improvement beyond 7300–8100. I chose to push the CPU to its limits... PL1 reached 100W, PL2 hit 125W for up to 128 seconds... Re-running CineBench brought the score up to 9755.
CoreTemp showed the CPU briefly reaching around 130W or slightly higher, with temps occasionally hitting 93°C. That’s just 7 degrees below the 100°C max of Tjunction. Are these levels safe? Also, it seems the CPU didn’t trigger thermal throttling during the test.
It's normal for modern CPUs to reduce performance if they detect stress, and yours doesn't seem to be doing that. However, I might think about upgrading to a better cooler if your tasks are intense (like rendering). A temperature between 70-80 degrees should feel comfortable.
Thermal throttling begins only when a core hits 100°C. Temperatures below this mark are considered safe according to Intel. The company has consistently applied a 100°C threshold for throttling across nearly all Core i CPUs since their launch in 2008. If Intel anticipated lasting harm at that temperature, they would have adjusted the limit to 95°C or lower much earlier. Believe it—your CPU is protected. It will manage its heat if things get too hot. For cooler performance, consider upgrading with a higher-quality aftermarket cooler; most options outperform the standard Intel model.
Spikes aren't that severe depending on your actions, but it doesn't really help. It's usually better to keep it around the high 80s instead. Some tasks will always strain any system. I don't understand why some YouTubers maintain such good temperatures with these standard coolers, while most others hit those low points. But yes, the CPU and similar parts will start managing themselves. Some high temps can shorten a chip's life, so if you don't adjust certain settings or locks, it might get worse. Still, reaching that point isn't ideal—stay within limits and avoid any throttling effects.