i7 7700k w/ H60 Temps

Good morning/afternoon/evening/night wherever you are.

 

So my problem is this: It seems my CPU temps are running rather high. Now according to most threads I've read the avg temps the 7700k runs at is between 100-120 F under load. My temps are averaging 120-130 while just sitting at the desktop. Then they jump to 140-160 (even touching 180 at times) while running most games.

 

I recently did a case switch from the Thermaltake Core v21 to the Cooler Master Masterbox 3.1 Lite TG. I never really paid a lot of attention to the temps before the switch. So I don't know if it's been like this the whole time, or if this is new. I noticed it today, after having some FPS drops and checking the temps.

 

Here is what I've done so far: I've tried leaving a side panel off (no change). Pulling the cooler off the CPU and reapplying thermal paste (no change). The PC was tucked in the corner on a little nightstand. I moved it out to the center of the wall, hoping for cooler air in the middle (no change). I had the h60 plugged into the CPU_Fan header. Switched it CHA_Fan header, and plugged the fan attached to the h60 into the CPU_fan (no change). So I've got 2 Corsair LED AF120s attached to the front of the case, and the stock Cooler Master case fan at the back. H60 is attached to top AF120 at the front of the case.

 

I've considered the possibilty of having to get a new case, since it may be too tight of a case for good air flow? I've got the 2 front fans pulling air in, the back fan pushing air out, and the PSU fan is facing the bottom of the case.

My system specs are updated, so feel free to look there to see it.

 

So are these temps normal? Is it an airflow issue? Is the cooler not strong enough for the CPU?

 

Also a side note: I used an h100i v2 until December '17. The pumps died, and am currently RMAing it with Corsair. Threw an h60 in to get the job done, until the new h100i v2 comes in. Again never really paid much attention to the temps when I had the h100i (shame on me, I know :[pouts:)

 

Thank you for any advice in advance!

The next time you shutdown or wake the PC from sleep, boot up and watch the CPU temp (ignore cores). If there is some type of cooler issue, the main CPU or CPU package temp will start off more or less normal, but then progressively and continuously climb. In the first 5-10 minutes everyone will warm up 4-7C from that first second. A cooler with an issue will let the CPU keep going. 35-40-45-50C... etc. No loads during this time, just normal desktop applications, browsers, etc.

 

If the H60 has a problem it will also take a really long time to cool down after a load. So if you see 60-80C temps while gaming, a normal cooler will drop down to the 30-40's instantly after quitting. A cooler with a flow issues will stay in the 50-60s and take a very long time to work its way back down.

 

Does the unit feel overly hot or cold one side and warm on the other?

 

You didn't specify your clock rates and voltages, but I'll assume you are not trying to run 5.0 on the H60. Also, since you just put it on, the TIM is not likely an issue. However, if the CPU and cold plate are not making good contact, your CPU temps will be very erratic and spiky in nature. Sadly, it can be hard to tell that condition from normal Kaby Lake VID behavior.

The next time you shutdown or wake the PC from sleep, boot up and watch the CPU temp (ignore cores).

So initial bootup was 32C. Within the first 10 mins of being alive it peaked at 40C and stayed between 33-38C for the most part.

 

If the H60 has a problem it will also take a really long time to cool down after a load. So if you see 60-80C temps while gaming, a normal cooler will drop down to the 30-40's instantly after quitting.

Started up a game, its stayed between 55-65C for the 10 mins I had it running, as soon as I quit it dropped to 40-50C and stayed there.

 

Does the unit feel overly hot or cold one side and warm on the other?

It feels warm on either side, no side has a siginificant heat difference.

 

You didn't specify your clock rates and voltages, but I'll assume you are not trying to run 5.0 on the H60.

She's clocked at 4.2Ghz and pulling 1.152V

 

Given all of this, I think the cooler is working properly. I suppose I'm not sure if this is just normal? Or maybe it's the airflow thing as mentioned before. I just don't want to fry the CPU haha.

It all sounds normal so far. The idea with the warm-up evaluation is to try and monitor the coolant temperature, something you can see in Link with the H100i, but not with the non-Link H60. Your coolant temperature is always going to be the minimum baseline CPU temp. So, it is not really peaks or spikes we are looking for, but a continually rising baseline. That is something you might notice in the with base or average CPU temps. It was in the 30's, but 10 minutes later it stays in the 40s, then 20 minutes it is now in the 50s, etc.

 

Since there does not appear to be a clear issue yet, that brings me to the other thing that can cause a rise in coolant temperature -- your local case ambient temperature. The GPU is usually the prime heat source in the case and you went from a 240mm radiator that must have been top or front mounted to a H60, which often gets placed in the rear slot right above the GPU. This is a workable placement, but does subject it to the negative consequences of steady GPU loads. Where did you put the H60?

All of this so far has been w/o the Tempered Glass side panel, I should've mentioned before. Idling at about 40C w/o the TG. I put the TG back on, and had a slow climb to 50C idling. Pulled back off and slowly dropped back to 40C.

 

Been Gaming for about an hour, and had a extremely gradual rise to 70-80C and it's been hovering there.

 

I attached a photo of the internals so you can see how it's set up.

OK, I see. The H60 is in the front, but this is not a huge case and thus everything is more or less in the same zone. Probably best to leave the H60 where it is. It would only be worse on the back.

 

It looks like standard case heat build up, which then in turn raises the coolant temperature and the baseline for the CPU temperatures. Not a lot you can do in the current state and you likely aren't looking to given the circumstances. Are there exhaust fans on the top of the case? Anything up there might help the air exchange rate. With the door off, you might even use top fans an intake to push it out the open side.

 

Aside from that, I don't see a cooler issue. You can probably see some similar rises in hardware temps from HDD/SSDs or anything else inside the case.

Unfortunately, it's a solid top. I think I'm going to return this case to get one with roof ventilation, and slightly bigger. I'm on the move quite a bit, so I like to keep it small and portable. I believe we've narrowed down the problem haha.