cpu cooling Need immediate cooling advice.

[oldman3000]

Hello I am new to this forum. I was hoping to get some quick advice on CPU cooling as I am having trouble managing my temps while gaming. 

A quick overview of my setup-

CPU- i7 7700k

CPU cooler- Cooler Master hyper 212 LED

GPU- Zotac AMP GTX 1060 6gb

MOBO- ASUS Z170-P (not pro)

Case- Antec GX200

Memory- 2X 8gb corsair vengeance Black @ 3000 mhz

Storage- 2tb Seagate Barracuda HDD

Boot Drive- 250 GB Kingston SSD

PSU- 600 W Antec VP600W

 

Okay, so now that I have that out of the way. My main problem is the case airflow and CPU cooling itself. My 7700k is hitting temps of 95 degrees Celsius during gaming sessions and I am worried. I know i need to get better cooling but my case doesn't allow that many options and I am not in a position where I can easily change multiple parts on the go. I was hoping for any advice on which CPU cooler to get for my CPU. I know I need to get better fans for my case as well, which is why I will be replacing both the 2 intakes in the front and the single exhaust in the rear. Hopefully replacing the intakes and exhaust fans will give me better airflow but I still need better cooling for my CPU. Thanks in advance for any advice. Please keep in mind that my PC case only allows for 120mm fans. 

 

[NinJake]

Do you have your i7 overclocked? If so, reset to factory settings. What is the ambient temperature of your room normally? Where is the PC located?

[Dedayog]

The 2 fans will help immensely.  You mention cabinet.  If the case is tucked away in a cabinet, pull it out and stop suffocating it.

[oldman3000]

Just now, NinJake said:

Do you have your i7 overclocked? If so, reset to factory settings. What is the ambient temperature of your room normally? Where is the PC located?

Wow, thanks for the quick response. No, I do not have it overclocked. IT runs at stock speeds between 4.2 -4.5 GHZ. I am not too sure about the ambient temperature of my room but overall the climate where I live is more humid than hot (28 C- 35C). 

My PC is located near my room's window but nevertheless I would like the PC to be able to overclock as well without worrying about temps and I was wondering which cooler would help me do that.

[oldman3000]

1 minute ago, Dedayog said:

The 2 fans will help immensely.  You mention cabinet.  If the case is tucked away in a cabinet, pull it out and stop suffocating it.

Sorry, I meant case. Usually where I live, most people use the terms case and cabinet interchangeably. 

[NinJake]

What case do you have?

[oldman3000]

Just now, NinJake said:

What case do you have?

Antec GX200

[emosun]

Your room is hitting 95f ....... turn on the Air conditioning.......

blasting hot air through your machine isn;t going to cool it down

[oldman3000]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

Your room is hitting 95f ....... turn on the Air conditioning.......

blasting hot air through your machine isn;t going to cool it down

Not my room. My CPU. My room ambient temps shouldn't be above 35 C.

[emosun]

1 minute ago, oldman3000 said:

My room ambient temps shouldn't be above 35 C

yeah and 35c is 95f

if your room was 90f that would be pretty absurd how do you sleep in that?

[NinJake]

I'd look around on pcpartpicker (website) in their CPU Cooling section. If you want to go with a liquid AIO cooler you could try that, otherwise I'd get the largest tower cooler that fits with all your components. I'm not sure off the top of my head but my work computer uses the Cryorig H7 and my personal is the Noctua NH-D14 (beeeefy).

[oldman3000]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

yeah and 35c is 95f

if your room was 90f that would be pretty absurd how do you sleep in that?

IDK that's pretty normal where I live lol

Temps do come down to 25 C at night but during the day, it's around 30-35 C.

[emosun]

2 minutes ago, oldman3000 said:

IDK that's pretty normal where I live lol

Temps do come down to 25 C at night but during the day, it's around 30-35 C.

ok well blasting hot air through the machine isn't exactly going to cool it off very well. Without the room being at the temperature of a normal building which is 70-72 then i wouldnt ever expect it to run cool.

[oldman3000]

1 minute ago, NinJake said:

I'd look around on pcpartpicker (website) in their CPU Cooling section. If you want to go with a liquid AIO cooler you could try that, otherwise I'd get the largest tower cooler that fits with all your components. I'm not sure off the top of my head but my work computer uses the Cryorig H7 and my personal is the Noctua NH-D14 (beeeefy).

Those are some thick boys there. My case isn't that small as it supports a standard ATX MOBO but I would have to check the size before buying I guess. For now I just need a cooler that can handle my CPU temps.

[oldman3000]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

ok well blasting hot air through the machine isn't exactly going to cool it off very well. Without the room being at the temperature of a normal building which is 70-72 then i wouldnt ever expect it to run cool.

LOL that's winter in my area. I guess I gotta get an air conditioner then.

[oldman3000]

5 minutes ago, NinJake said:

I'd look around on pcpartpicker (website) in their CPU Cooling section. If you want to go with a liquid AIO cooler you could try that, otherwise I'd get the largest tower cooler that fits with all your components. I'm not sure off the top of my head but my work computer uses the Cryorig H7 and my personal is the Noctua NH-D14 (beeeefy).

I was considering the NZXT Krakken m22 AIO cooler and was wondering whether I could mount the radiator as an exhaust at the rear of my case. 

[oldman3000]

1 minute ago, Caroline said:

not that much tbh and not everyone has A/C in all rooms, pretty sure that's an US thing, in the third world we just cope with it

 

95C though... that CPU must be throttling, even with the high ambient temp it shouldn't be that hot, the 7700k has temp problems so it needs a delid and TIM replacement, or a big air cooler with lots of airflow, or both.

The GX200 has decent airflow, with the 3 fans working should be enough

So getting an new CPU cooler won't be as effective as getting  new fans for my exhaust and intakes? I feel like I can make some improvements if I replace the CPU cooler as well. My current Air cooler is running at max fan speeds and has idle CPU temps of 55-68 C while gaming it goes almost upto 95C.

[Mn3m3nth]

Or you could actually check that your cooler is working properly first...

 

Remove it, clean of any thermal paste from the CPU and the cold plate, apply some new paste, re-attach your cooler and make sure it's making good contact at a decent pressure.

 

Even an air cooler should keep your CPU below 95C under most work loads if it's fitted properly and isn't just the crappy stock one that came with the CPU and you're running stock.

 

Edit for last reply: Idle temps of 55-68C definitely leads me to think your cooler either isn't making proper contact or your thermal paste has dried up and hardened.

[NinJake]

It would still be an upgrade to get pretty much any other cooler than that 212 and you'll see improvements. Try to get an AIO or a larger cooler though.

[oldman3000]

2 minutes ago, Mn3m3nth said:

Or you could actually check that your cooler is working properly first...

 

Remove it, clean of any thermal paste from the CPU and the cold plate, apply some new paste, re-attach your cooler and make sure it's making good contact at a decent pressure.

 

Even an air cooler should keep your CPU below 95C under most work loads if it's fitted properly and isn't just the crappy stock one that came with the CPU and you're running stock.

I did that a few weeks ago. I cleaned the old paste properly and reapplied new thermal paste. Still getting the same temps. Idle is around 55-68 C and under load it almost reaches 95 C

[Mn3m3nth]

4 minutes ago, oldman3000 said:

I did that a few weeks ago. I cleaned the old paste properly and reapplied new thermal paste. Still getting the same temps. Idle is around 55-68 C and under load it almost reaches 95 C

Idle temps of 20+ degrees over ambient are terrible, the Hyper 212 is a budget cooler but it's one of the better budget ones.

 

Have you checked to make sure your fans are properly installed in a push-pull configuration?

 

You wouldn't be the first person to think they were only to find out they were all exhausting or vice versa... Definitely NOT speaking from experience there... nope definitely not...

 

AIO's are also of course always good options if you have the budget and the space in your case.

Edited September 24, 2020 by Mn3m3nth
additional comment

[emosun]

Just now, Mn3m3nth said:

Idle temps of 20+ degrees over ambient are terrible

gee almost as if running hot air into the machine was a bad idea or something....

in b4 buying a new cooler doesnt fix it

[Mn3m3nth]

4 minutes ago, emosun said:

gee almost as if running hot air into the machine was a bad idea or something....

in b4 buying a new cooler doesnt fix it

I don't know where you get the idea that 35C is particularly hot, it's not. If it was you wouldn't be able to use a PC in any "warmer" country without exotic cooling.

 

Coolers work with a delta above ambient, 20deg+ is bad, it has nothing to do with the starting ambient temperature, that's why it's a delta.

 

However yes a new cooler will almost definitely fix it as it sounds like the current one is faulty or just isn't up to the job.

[oldman3000]

Just now, Caroline said:

No no that's not what I've just said, both will be effective, just FYI getting overly expensive fans won't be any different than getting cheap case fans in terms of cooling, a $10 and a $100 fan will both do the same which is push air through the case. Looks and noise may differ from one to another but that's it.

You will improve temps by replacing your CPU cooler, the 212 isn't really enough for a 7700K, you could get let's say a Dark Rock TF and uh some MX-4 paste and your temps will definitely improve, you'll still have to bear the 95C spikes (not constant temps, just spikes) though as it's a CPU problem

Yeah the CPU itself isn't that great but I didn't have a choice since that's the highest gen my MOBO can accomodate. I'll look into getting a better cooler though. I only bought the 212 because I was in college when I started this build.

[Mark Kaine]

quick google search shows

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.techspot.com/amp/news/69204-intel-responds-i7-7700k-high-temperate-issue-tells.html

 

 

I think your cpu is just pretty terrible and you didn't do proper research before buying... especially when living in an hot environment (yes I know it's to late now just something to think of in the future)

 

that said  maybe a noctua CPU air cooler and a couple of (as many as you can realistically fit) noctua case fans would get your CPU 5-10C cooler. yes I know that doesn't sound much I think it's realistic though. Also high end thermal paste could be an option. but be careful some of those are electrical conductive, so do at your own risk and only if you're actually sure you can handle it.

 

 

tldr I don't think your temps are abnormal, just a bit unfortunate.