Is my cooler good enough?

[CheeseGod]

I'm currently using a dark rock 4, my cpu is an i7 8700k. I was wondering if that was enough for keeping my cpu cooled or if I should swap it out with a liquid cooler. I don't overclock at all either and I kind of wanted to stay away because liquid cooling is higher maintenance & then there are risks of them leaking and killing my pc. 

 

[Entropy.]

3 minutes ago, CheeseGod said:

I'm currently using a dark rock 4, my cpu is an i7 8700k. I was wondering if that was enough for keeping my cpu cooled or if I should swap it out with a liquid cooler. I don't overclock at all either and I kind of wanted to stay away because liquid cooling is higher maintenance & then there are risks of them leaking and killing my pc. 

 

A liquid cooler most generally unless like it's a 420mm+ isn't far better than what you have now. Even on an oc you should be fine, unless your temps are unusually high? What are they like? Under normal circumstances you should be fine.

[Analog]

1 minute ago, CheeseGod said:

I'm currently using a dark rock 4, my cpu is an i7 8700k. I was wondering if that was enough for keeping my cpu cooled or if I should swap it out with a liquid cooler. I don't overclock at all either and I kind of wanted to stay away because liquid cooling is higher maintenance & then there are risks of them leaking and killing my pc. 

 

 

What are your current temperatures? Are you happy the way they are? If the answer is yes, then don't spend more money on it. 

[LIGISTX]

3 minutes ago, CheeseGod said:

I'm currently using a dark rock 4, my cpu is an i7 8700k. I was wondering if that was enough for keeping my cpu cooled or if I should swap it out with a liquid cooler. I don't overclock at all either and I kind of wanted to stay away because liquid cooling is higher maintenance & then there are risks of them leaking and killing my pc. 

 

I ran my 8700k @5ghz on a hyper 212 evo as I was waiting for a part of my loop that I broke while swapping hardware, so without an OC, your more then fine.

 

Can always just monitor the temps and see what they are, asking us if your ok without any temp data is not very meaningful. Use something like coretemp to see what temps it’s running at and we can better help you understand how your system is performing thermally. 

[Dedayog]

5 minutes ago, CheeseGod said:

I'm currently using a dark rock 4, my cpu is an i7 8700k. I was wondering if that was enough for keeping my cpu cooled or if I should swap it out with a liquid cooler. I don't overclock at all either and I kind of wanted to stay away because liquid cooling is higher maintenance & then there are risks of them leaking and killing my pc. 

 

Dark Rock 4 is one of the higher end air coolers, more than adequate for the 8700K stock.  Are you going to overclock that chip?

 

Slight correction for the above poster... very good air coolers are almost as good as 360mm AIO's, not 420's.  

 

My rule of thumb is don't go AIO unless it's 360mm or more.  Go air until then, and the DR4 is a great cooler for you.

[CheeseGod]

28 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

A liquid cooler most generally unless like it's a 420mm+ isn't far better than what you have now. Even on an oc you should be fine, unless your temps are unusually high? What are they like? Under normal circumstances you should be fine.

I'm currently thermal throttling & I think it's the paste because it hasn't been changed in 3 years. 

[CheeseGod]

25 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

I ran my 8700k @5ghz on a hyper 212 evo as I was waiting for a part of my loop that I broke while swapping hardware, so without an OC, your more then fine.

 

Can always just monitor the temps and see what they are, asking us if your ok without any temp data is not very meaningful. Use something like coretemp to see what temps it’s running at and we can better help you understand how your system is performing thermally. 

I don't overclock and I'm thermal throttling, my temps are at 95c+ while gaming. 

[LIGISTX]

2 hours ago, CheeseGod said:

I don't overclock and I'm thermal throttling, my temps are at 95c+ while gaming. 

Is the heatsink on correctly? That should not be happening.... no past should “die” within 3 years. Did the fan die? Is the heatsink not mounted correctly?

 

Id pull the heatsink off and reapply new thermal paste. At stock speeds I’d expect you to be in the 60’s tops while in games. Potentially 50’s. 

[CheeseGod]

7 hours ago, Tillamook233 said:

Measure your TDP and see if your cooler is adequate. Could also be your thermal paste. Feel your heatsink and see if it is hot. Check fan settings as well.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/126684/intel-core-i7-8700k-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-70-ghz.html

https://www.bequiet.com/en/cpucooler/1376#:~:text=Dark Rock 4 provides an impressive rating of,temperatures even during periods of peak CPU performance.

How do I measure my TDP?

[CheeseGod]

4 hours ago, LIGISTX said:

Is the heatsink on correctly? That should not be happening.... no past should “die” within 3 years. Did the fan die? Is the heatsink not mounted correctly?

 

Id pull the heatsink off and reapply new thermal paste. At stock speeds I’d expect you to be in the 60’s tops while in games. Potentially 50’s. 

It might not be because I did bump into my pc a few months ago pretty hard, could that mess something up? I'm going to apply new paste later this week. 

[LIGISTX]

35 minutes ago, CheeseGod said:

It might not be because I did bump into my pc a few months ago pretty hard, could that mess something up? I'm going to apply new paste later this week. 

It’s possible.