The i9-14900K experiences a rapid rise to 100°C during Windows startup and while playing games.
The i9-14900K experiences a rapid rise to 100°C during Windows startup and while playing games.
Hello everyone, I just installed a new setup with these details: CPU – Intel Core i9-14900K, Cooler – Noctua NH-U12A (Arctic MX-4 paste), Motherboard – ASUS ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming WiFi II (BIOS 1801), RAM – G.Skill 64GB DDR5 6000MHz CL30, GPU – RTX 4070, PSU – be quiet! Straight Power 12 1000W, Case – Kolink Void RGB (not the best airflow), Thermal performance – CPU briefly reaches 90–100°C when Windows starts, then drops to 40–50°C during idle. During games I’ve noticed spikes up to 100°C, but usually stays between 75–95°C (this happened in Starfield, Dragon Age Veilguard and Stalker 2). No crashes yet, though it feels too hot for my configuration. What have I tried so far? I applied an undervolt of -0.050V, but didn’t notice any temperature improvement. Adjusted PWM fan curves with early ramp-up (100% at 75°C), set Step Up Level 0 for fast fan response at boot, and flashed the BIOS to version 1801. The cooler is securely mounted with even paste distribution. Are these spikes normal for the 14900K? Even with a top air cooler, reaching 100°C briefly at startup and gaming is unusual. Is my current undervolt sufficient, or should I push it further? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks in advance.
The 14900k has experienced many temperature problems. As long as it doesn’t remain at 100°C and just shows a brief spike, everything is okay.
If you've already removed the cooler and reattached it, keep trying to adjust undervolting further. Current data suggests a maximum of 1.55Vcore for newer BIOS versions. You mentioned a value of -0.05—could you clarify what that was based on? Continue tweaking until instability appears, then gradually raise it back by 0.025 to 0.05v and test the results. Starting from 1.55v might let you stabilize down to .1 or more while maintaining stability.
Thanks for your response. I’ll give it a shot. I just adjusted the -offset in the BIOS and don’t know the original setting. Where can I find that information? My test from the cinebench stress test shows it stays around 95°C, rising to 100°C briefly. That might be fine. I’m not very familiar with these details.