There seems to be an issue with my CPU cooler or it might not be seated properly.
There seems to be an issue with my CPU cooler or it might not be seated properly.
Hey everyone,
I'm using an i7-6700k at stock speed with a scythe mugen max air cooler. However, the temperatures look a bit too high overall.
My idle temps are between 27-30°C, and when running prime95 for 20 minutes under load, the max temps reach 80-81°C...
I was thinking about a minor overclock, but I doubt it's feasible with these readings.
Thanks in advance.
Your situation seems suitable for airflow. However, 31C (about 88°F in my area) is quite hot. Without an A/C system, it feels even warmer than usual. The cooler's fan is drawing in hot air to attempt cooling a much hotter heat sink. Consider trying some OC adjustments. Observe if temperatures shift noticeably. Check if the CPU cooler's fan responds properly by setting it to maximum speed. During stress tests, I prefer keeping the fan at full capacity in BIOS. The same applies to case fans. In regular use, the CPU seldom stays at 100% continuously, so you can revert the cooler and case fans to auto settings afterward.
The simple answer is yes. It appears the cooler is either not functioning correctly or the mounting is incorrect. Possibly too much thermal paste? How were the temps with the stock cooler? That would be good to know for a comparison.
69C is the accepted max core temp for that CPU. Although it can take more than that safely. If those are stock clock runs of P95, that is quite high. What version of P95 are you using?
The straightforward response is yes. It seems the cooler isn’t working properly or the installation isn’t correct. Maybe there’s too much thermal paste applied. How were the temperatures with the original cooler? That would be helpful for comparison.
69°C is the recommended maximum temperature for that CPU. While it can exceed that safely, if those are stock P95 clocks, it’s quite high. Which version of P95 are you running?
I haven’t received a stock cooler for my i7-6700k, as I believe they no longer include them with this processor and the P95 is the latest version 2.89.
I’m nearly certain there isn’t too much thermal paste left. The likely reason is insufficient pressure on the processor, especially if you have large hands during installation...
Yeah, I forgot about the Skylake i7's cooling issue. My mistake.
When the Haswell was released, we were told not to use any P95 model beyond 26.6. I'm not sure if that warning still applies to Skylake. But try downloading and running P95 version 26.6 and check the temperatures. I remember my Haswell got really hot with the newest P95 release. With the older one, things were fine again.
Yeah, I forgot about the Skylake i7's lack of cooler. My bad.
When the Haswell came out, we were told not to use any P95 version beyond 26.6. I’m not sure if that warning still applies to Skylake. But try downloading and running P95 v26.6 and check the temperatures. I remember my Haswell got really hot with the latest P95 release. With the older version, things were fine again.
I ran a one-hour test with P95 v26.6 and it reached 10°C lower than with v28.9. Still, 71°C for a stock i7-6700k seems high without a really low profile cooler... I also noticed my first two cores got higher temps than the other two.
Here are the temperature results:
It seems Skylake experiences the same allergy issues with the newest P95 versions as Haswells. Continue using 26.6. The temperatures shown in the screenshot appear excellent, particularly around the timestamp of 1:20:25. For that CPU, the maximum core temperature reaches 69°C, with a throttle setting at 100°C.
Some cores consistently run higher than others. This has happened with every multi-core I've owned. If your cooler isn't performing adequately, consider trying another installation.
Are you in a hot environment? Could it be a small case with limited airflow? How is the cable management?
It seems Skylake experiences the same issues with the newest P95 versions as Haswells. Continue using 26.6. The temperatures shown in the screenshot appear excellent, particularly around the timestamp of 1:20:25. The maximum core temperature is 69°C at that throttle setting, while the highest recorded is 100°C.
If your cooler isn’t performing well, consider trying a different installation.
Are you experiencing a hot environment? Could it be a small case with limited airflow? What about cable management?
I ran the blend test as indicated in the timestamp and believe a core temperature range of 69-71°C is suitable for normal operation. I previously considered 70°C the safe upper limit, but if that’s accurate, overclocking would leave no margin.
Currently it’s quite warm here, and tomorrow it’ll drop to around 31°C. My setup includes a Phanteks Pro with a fan configuration: 140mm behind, 140mm in front, 200mm at the top, and another 140mm at the rear. The cable routing is decent, only essential wires are visible.
Your situation seems suitable for airflow. However, 31C (about ~88°F in my area) is quite hot. Without an A/C system, it feels even warmer than usual. The cooler's fan is drawing in hot air to attempt cooling a much hotter heat sink. Consider trying some OC adjustments. Observe if temperatures shift noticeably. Check if the CPU cooler's fan responds properly by setting it to maximum speed. During intensive stress tests, I prefer keeping the fan at full capacity in BIOS. The same applies to case fans. In regular use, the CPU seldom stays at 100% continuously, so you can revert the cooler and case fans to auto settings afterward.
Your issue seems manageable with good airflow. However, at 31C (about 88°F in my area), it’s quite hot. Without an A/C system, it feels even warmer than usual. The cooler’s fan is drawing in hot air to attempt cooling a very hot heat sink. Consider adjusting the overclock settings. Check if the CPU cooler fan responds properly. If you run a stress test, keep the fan at full speed in BIOS. For regular use, you can revert the fans to auto mode. My current CPU fan cooler is set manually with specific percentages, but I plan to OC it to 4.4 GHz next week.