Two 5600X's, one running hotter than the other. Worth RMA-ing it?

[NavarroNavarrete]

Back in January I helped a friend build a PC with a 5600X. These days the weather has been warming up and he has been experiencing sporadic shutdowns from overheating, even with the side panel off. While playing Rainbow Six Seige it easily gets over 90 C with no side panel. I reapplied new thermal paste and it made no difference.

 

Yesterday I brought my PC (which also has a 5600X) to his house and we did a bit of experimenting.
Both PCs with the same CPU, stock cooler, case (no side panel) and both in the same room, we did a stress test with an Ubuntu live USB and default BIOS settings.

 

We got:
My PC: 77 C   His PC: 85 C

 

Then we swapped the 5600X’s and we got:
My PC: 82 C   His PC: 80C

 

Then we played Rainbow Six on Windows and we got:
My PC: 86 C   His PC: 84 C

 

Then we swapped the CPUs and played RS:S again:
My PC: 78 C   His PC: 91 C

 

In short, swapping his 5600X with mine decreased his temps around 5~7°C and solved the high temp shutdowns. When I installed his CPU in my PC my temps increased 5~8°C, but they weren't as dramatic (I think my motherboard handles power better, maybe).

 

I know that due to the silicon lottery each CPU is unique, but it seems like there’s a huge temp difference between the two units.

I’m willing to bet that his CPU is defective, but I’m not sure if the seller will think the same. I will try to RMA the unit but I don’t know if I’m just wasting my time. Is it common to have an overheating CPU? What do you think?

 

Also, I am aware that using a stock cooler is not the best option, but IMO it shouldn’t provoke shutdowns with no overclocking.

 

And another thing, since we built his PC he has suffered recurring stability problems (BSODs) even with default BIOS settings and no XMP, and the cause has remained unknown. In a way, I’m hoping the stability issues gets resolved with a new CPU, but no one knows.

 

His specs:

Spoiler

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz CL16 2x8GB
GPU: MSI RTX 3070 Ventus 3X
Motherboard: MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI 
PSU: Seasonic Core GM-650 (650W)
Storage: WD Blue SN550 1TB NVMe
Cooler: AMD Wraith Stealth stock cooler
Case: NZXT H510

 

My specs:

Spoiler

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Neo 3600MHz CL16 2x16GB
GPU: Saphire AMD R9 280
Motherboard: ASUS Strix X570-E Gaming
PSU: Corsair RM650x (650W)
Storage: Kingston A2000 1TB NVMe
Cooler: AMD Wraith Stealth stock cooler (for this experiment)
Case: NZXT H510

 

[Energycore]

I'd say it's within variation. You just got one very low power chip and one higher power one.

 

Make sure you use a more aggressive fan curve or a better cooler for the hotter 5600X

[Energycore]

5 minutes ago, NavarroNavarrete said:

Also, I am aware that using a stock cooler is not the best option, but IMO it shouldn’t provoke shutdowns with no overclocking.

Hmm. If he's experiencing shutdowns, using a more aggressive fan curve will help with those. (Keep temps under 90C).

 

He could RMA it for that reason, but he's rolling from the Silicon Lottery again

[emosun]

Do both cpus bench test the exact same regardless of heat? Use a single machine for the test. If one runs hotter or slower (beyond a resonable amount) then one could be faulty.

 

Cpus themselves usually never have problems this significant so it would be an uncommon but possibile issue.

[IkeaGnome]

Have you looked at fan orientation in his case? If you look at the numbers it seems to be more based on his pc case than his cpu.

[Jurrunio]

His board is much worse in comparison, maybe the stock voltages is higher (combined with worse silicon quality)?

[Energycore]

16 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

His board is much worse in comparison, maybe the stock voltages is higher (combined with worse silicon quality)?

This might be the case yeah. A hefty undervolt could fix the issues, though does it count as overclocking for the sake of the warranty?

[NavarroNavarrete]

22 minutes ago, emosun said:

Do both cpus bench test the exact same regardless of heat? Use a single machine for the test. If one runs hotter or slower (beyond a resonable amount) then one could be faulty.

Unfortunately, we only did a stress test on ubuntu, not a benchmark test. It could have been interesting to see a Cinebench score or similar.

 

23 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

Have you looked at fan orientation in his case? If you look at the numbers it seems to be more based on his pc case than his cpu.

We have both the same case with the same fans, and did the test with no side panel. I don't think this is the cause.

 

23 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

His board is much worse in comparison, maybe the stock voltages is higher (combined with worse silicon quality)?

This. I also think there's something going on with the cheap motherboard. As you can see, the hot CPU is handled waay better on my motherboard than on his, so it is defintely a factor. However, there is no justification for an RMA and it's too late for returning it. We'll have to deal with this motherboard for the time being.

 

38 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Hmm. If he's experiencing shutdowns, using a more aggressive fan curve will help with those. (Keep temps under 90C).

 

He could RMA it for that reason, but he's rolling from the Silicon Lottery again

I already contacted the seller and they said that this issue falls withing the warranty. They asked me to send it to them and they will check the CPU. My friend is willing to live without a PC for several weeks, so we will send it. We'll see what happens.

And whether they end up refusing or not, he is defintely buying a new cooler next month.

[Energycore]

3 minutes ago, NavarroNavarrete said:

We'll have to deal with this motherboard for the time being.

Should be pretty simple

[NavarroNavarrete]

 

5 minutes ago, NavarroNavarrete said:

And whether they end up refusing or not, he is defintely buying a new cooler next month.

Actually, yeah I think the only real solution is to ditch the Wraith stealth and get an actual cooler.

 

3 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Should be pretty simple

Yup

 

BTW thank you all for the help and the quick responses!

[Energycore]

2 minutes ago, NavarroNavarrete said:

Actually, yeah I think the only real solution is to ditch the Wraith stealth and get an actual cooler.

Since you live in Europe, you have access to possibly THE BEST bang for buck CPU cooler in the market, made by a little Polish company named SilentiumPC. Here's the link.

 

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B014HISMIW