New User: It it cooling properly? Mounting problem?

Hello, I just bought and installed a iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT.

The install was fairly easy. I bought it because my i7-7700K was roasting hot (100c and thermal throttling continuously) without overclocking and at anything more than minimal load. I was using the original stock Intel heatsink and small fan. Maybe the fan was failing. And it appears that maybe the heatsink was not tightly clamped to the CPU: may have come loose at some point?

Anyway, as I installed the Corsair cooler mounting plate on the back side of the mobo (Gigabyte GA-z270P-D3), I noted that the threaded barrels that penetrate through the mobo holes projected beyond the front surface of the mobo by maybe about 0.020"

Is this OK, or do I need to shim the bracket on the back side somehow?

With the cooler running, and using the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, I see that the CPU temps have improved considerably, but not as much as I expected. Without overclocking at max load, I see temperatures of 55-65 being reported. The iCue software says the cooler is at about 22 degrees.

So, how tightly coupled should the CPU and cooler temps be? Is this expected?

If this is not right, what do I do to improve it?

I have no idea HOW LONG the CPU was running with poor heatsinking. But I never got crashes or errors. Is it likely that something inside the CPU got cooked so it has poor thermal contact with the CPU's IHS?

-Tony

So, how tightly coupled should the CPU and cooler temps be? Is this expected?

It depends on CPU model and voltage, but the typical range is +35-50C differential between coolant and CPU when at 100% load. Also note that not all 100% CPU loads are equal. There are other tests that are substantially more aggressive with their instructions. XTU is a more realistic indicator of actual use temps vs some other synthetic stress testers.

You should not shim the bracket and risk putting too much pressure on the pins.