h100i and 9900k... Are these temps right?

Hey all,

 

So I just did a new build this past weekend. I have a 9900k, and originally I had a Noctua d14 cooling it. I felt I wasn't getting the best temps.

 

My idle was 30s (which wasn't bad), but my load during gaming could get into the low 70s.

 

Well, I decided to change it out and install the h100i Pro. It seems that the temps are pretty much the same. Idle is 35-40c, and Load during gaming is around 65-70c.

 

If I run extreme on both the pump and the fans, I can keep it around 65c on all cores. In this mode, intel burn test gets up to about 85c max.

 

Do these temps seem right? I'm at a loss right now, and don't know what to do. I know this CPU runs hot, but I've seen other people who have much lower temps it seems.

 

I'm using a Fractal R6 for the case, and I've taken off the top panel to where just the dust filter is intact, increasing airflow.

 

I would appreciate any input guys, thanks.

Edited October 3, 2019 by Protokol88

You can pull up various reviews, but at the 240mm size you may not see a lot of gain from your prior model. It should have slightly better capacity over longer durations, but you won’t see that in peak values. Before doing anything else, take a look at the H100i Temp. This is the coolant temperature and the measure of cooler efficiency. The difference between your starting and peak value will allow you to compare it other coolers.

So the coolant temp seemed to vary from 29c - 37c, depending on when I was at full load vs idle. So you're saying that these temps are about normal?

 

If I upgraded to a better AIO, would temps be better?

If your coolant delta is only 8C, then probably not by much. A 360mm H150 might keep you at +4-6C when gaming, but a 2-4C CPU temp reduction is probably not quite what you are hoping for. That also paints your coolant to CPU differential at +30C for gaming and +50C for IBT. I am afraid that is about right as well for standard CPU.

 

The area you can probably make the most gains in is dialing in the BIOS settings. Tightening the voltage and getting off AUTO settings will probably do more than anything else. Take note of the peak Vcore voltage you see when playing. Most of these boards are going to run on the heavy voltage side to make sure weak CPUs still boot up every time.

If your coolant delta is only 8C, then probably not by much. A 360mm H150 might keep you at +4-6C when gaming, but a 2-4C CPU temp reduction is probably not quite what you are hoping for. That also paints your coolant to CPU differential at +30C for gaming and +50C for IBT. I am afraid that is about right as well for standard CPU.

 

The area you can probably make the most gains in is dialing in the BIOS settings. Tightening the voltage and getting off AUTO settings will probably do more than anything else. Take note of the peak Vcore voltage you see when playing. Most of these boards are going to run on the heavy voltage side to make sure weak CPUs still boot up every time.

 

Thank you for your replies, I really do appreciate your input and information. So, you're saying that these temps are about normal? I know the 9900k runs fairly hot, I was just hoping I could get them down a bit. I guess 35C idle is pretty solid, as well as 60-70C under load. It's already boosting to 4.8Ghz, so that's a decent turbo anyways.

 

I already did set my Vcore manually, because it was doing that exactly as you are saying. So the h100i is doing a solid job then? Hitting low 70's in some games is not going to hurt my i9?

No it's not going to hurt the CPU. We are kind of at the point now where Intel has to hot rod things a bit to eek out more performance from the 14nm die. Clocks run aggressively, core counts up, but the rate at which you can transfer heat out of the CPU has not changed. This is always the limiting factor. Voltage will always trump cooling capacity.

 

Idle CPU temp is pretty much room temp and Windows/BIOS power settings. Not much reason to fiddle with that unless you are looking for idle power savings.

I ended up taking the h100i back and swapped it for a h150i.

 

Mounted to the front of my case instead of top (Fractal Design R6).

 

I also swapped out my 9900k for a different chip. This may have made the biggest difference, I’m not sure.

 

HUGE difference.

 

I’m idling around 29-32C. Gaming temps on CPU intensive games don’t go above 62-63C

 

Intel Burn test reached a max of 79C

 

This is all on the balanced settings for fan and pump. Before I had to set to extreme and it was still hotter.

 

Very pleased with the h150i and how cool it’s keeping my 9900k! (OC’ed to 4.8 on all cores)

Edited October 7, 2019 by Protokol88

Oh? New 9900K? The biggest advantage of the 360 vs 240 is effective use fan speed. You can get a 240mm to hang with the H150, you just have to keep the fans at 2400 rpm all day long. Obviously that is loud. On the other hand, the H150i can float along at 1000-1300 rpm and reach maximum effectiveness. Big difference is use comfort. You also likely picked up a couple of degrees on the position change. The top of your case above the VRM and RAM is always going to be a couple of degrees warmer than your front intake. You would likely see this a a coolant temp (H150i Temp) drop of around 2-3C. That savings continues through load. It's not much, but then cooler positioning and fan changes are a small sum game.

Oh? New 9900K? The biggest advantage of the 360 vs 240 is effective use fan speed. You can get a 240mm to hang with the H150, you just have to keep the fans at 2400 rpm all day long. Obviously that is loud. On the other hand, the H150i can float along at 1000-1300 rpm and reach maximum effectiveness. Big difference is use comfort. You also likely picked up a couple of degrees on the position change. The top of your case above the VRM and RAM is always going to be a couple of degrees warmer than your front intake. You would likely see this a a coolant temp (H150i Temp) drop of around 2-3C. That savings continues through load. It's not much, but then cooler positioning and fan changes are a small sum game.

 

Yeah, so I swapped out the specific 9900k chip I hate (bought it a week ago) just in case that specific chip just ran hot. This new one, along with the h150i, has made a great difference. You're right, seems the front mounting also has given me some benefits.

 

I moved the two front 140mm fans up top, making one exhaust and one intake for a little extra cold air. Really seems to be working.

 

And the noise levels are so much better with the h150i because of the third fan. I'm finally happy and can enjoy my games! You are also correct in saying the coolant temp seems to have gotten lower as well. Thanks for your help!

Yeah, so I swapped out the specific 9900k chip I hate (bought it a week ago) just in case that specific chip just ran hot. This new one, along with the h150i, has made a great difference. You're right, seems the front mounting also has given me some benefits.

 

I moved the two front 140mm fans up top, making one exhaust and one intake for a little extra cold air. Really seems to be working.

 

And the noise levels are so much better with the h150i because of the third fan. I'm finally happy and can enjoy my games! You are also correct in saying the coolant temp seems to have gotten lower as well. Thanks for your help!

 

I recommend having both top fans as exhaust (heat rises) as well as the rear as exhaust. I have that current configuration in my 350D with my h100i mounted to the front with 4 SP120 fans in push pull configuration. I may have a older CPU but good airflow makes a world of difference. Have you tried adding two extra fans to your radiator? I'm about to replace my current build here next year with an i9-9900k or new iteration if available. Its worth noting that all my hardware is overclocked.

 

I would like to hear how your build is doing with cooling. As I am trying to decided on a Noctua D15 or a 120mm AIO for my next build to include node 304 and a 2080 TI FE.