i9 9900k randomly overheating and giving "critical" alerts.

[VNYLA]

Hi there! 

 

I am posting on behalf of my husband. We are both music producers who use FL studio for our work and within the past two days he's been having some cooling issues with his CPU for no apparent reason. 

 

His CPU is an i9 9900k. When he's idle, temps are fine and they will be fine for a bit when he's working, but occasionally temps will spike into critical. (Over 100c°)

 

My thought is that maybe his thermal paste needs replaced but I'm not entirely sure. I know a little bit about pcs but not all too much. He's had his pc for a little over 2 years and does work on it on an almost daily basis. 

 

He did recently instal an M.2 SSD but I wouldn't think that would have anything to do with the cooling. Any advice or suggestions is more than welcome. Thank you!!!

 

 

[Dedayog]

4 minutes ago, VNYLA said:

Hi there! 

 

I am posting on behalf of my husband. We are both music producers who use FL studio for our work and within thr past two days he's been having some cooling issues with his CPU for no apparent reason. 

 

His CPU is an i9 9900k. When he's idle, temps are fine and they will be fine for a bit when he's working, but occasionally temps will spike into critical. (Over 100c°)

 

My thought is that maybe his thermal paste needs replaced but I'm not entirely sure. I know a little bit about pcs but not all too much. He's had his pc for a little over 2 years and does work on it on an almost daily basis. 

 

He did recently instal an M.2 SSD but I wouldn't think that would have anything to do with the cooling. Any advice or suggestions is more than welcome. Thank you!!!

9900K CPU came out almost 5 years ago, so if it was built then... paste should be reapplied.   My 9900K is going great, with the paste 3 years old but I will do it soon.

 

Is he using an air cooler or AIO?

 

[podkall]

1 minute ago, Dedayog said:

9900K CPU came out almost 5 years ago, so if it was built then... paste should be reapplied.   My 9900K is going great, with the paste 3 years old but I will do it soon.

 

paste longevity is 5 years approx?

[tkitch]

firsT:  WHat cooler is on it?

[VNYLA]

2 minutes ago, tkitch said:

firsT:  WHat cooler is on it?

Not sure exactly but it's the Be Quiet brand. He needs cooling yeah but he also needs it to well...be quiet cause of music/sound production lol

[Dedayog]

6 minutes ago, podkall said:

paste longevity is 5 years approx?

I wouldn't go that far with it.  Maybe some that is specifically designated.

 

Obviously we watch temps often but for those that do not... I'd physically look at the paste every couple years.  But since looking at the paste means rmoving the cooler... may as well reapply

 

Or you can be notified when the machine doesn't perform, like the OP is

 

 

[VNYLA]

7 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

9900K CPU came out almost 5 years ago, so if it was built then... paste should be reapplied.   My 9900K is going great, with the paste 3 years old but I will do it soon.

 

Thank you for this! 

[Sawa Takahashi]

1 hour ago, VNYLA said:

He did recently instal an M.2 SSD but I wouldn't think that would have anything to do with the cooling. Any advice or suggestions is more than welcome. Thank you!!!

It may be hard to believe, but that can be the case. The m.2 SSD itself won't have any significant impact on the cooling but the fact that the computer has been moved can be enough to move the cooler from the CPU just a tiny bit. If you add an aging thermal paste on top of that, I think you got the culprit for your current issue.

Have a nice day !

[VNYLA]

38 minutes ago, Sawa Takahashi said:

It may be hard to believe, but that can be the case. The m.2 SSD itself won't have any significant impact on the cooling but the fact that the computer has been moved can be enough to move the cooler from the CPU just a tiny bit. If you add an aging thermal paste on top of that, I think you got the culprit for your current issue.

Have a nice day !

Thank you so much for this! I'm gonna swing by an electronics store tomorrow and pick up some new thermal paste and changing it

[VNYLA]

Ok so update: 

 

Cleaned cpu and cooler and applied fresh thermal paste (Artic MX-6) and that seemed to do the job until it came time to export a song in FL studio. Most cores go up to 112°c or even higher. 

 

My next train of thought is it could be just needing a new/better cooler? I'm not sure. He's had the computer for a while and it's never given temp issues like this in the past. 

 

Thoughts?

[VNYLA]

On 8/29/2023 at 5:43 PM, Dedayog said:

9900K CPU came out almost 5 years ago, so if it was built then... paste should be reapplied.   My 9900K is going great, with the paste 3 years old but I will do it soon.

 

Is he using an air cooler or AIO?

 

Sorry I forgot to reply. Still learning how to use this forum though I've been watching LTT for a few years lol. He has a Be Quiet air cooler. Idk what model. 

[Dedayog]

2 minutes ago, VNYLA said:

Ok so update: 

 

Cleaned cpu and cooler and applied fresh thermal paste (Artic MX-6) and that seemed to do the job until it came time to export a song in FL studio. Most cores go up to 112°c or even higher. 

 

My next train of thought is it could be just needing a new/better cooler? I'm not sure. He's had the computer for a while and it's never given temp issues like this in the past. 

 

Thoughts?

For it to just be happening now, is odd.  I mean the CPU really doesn't fail like that in modern tech.

 

Paste change is a good idea, but I don't think we ever knew the exact CPU Cooler?  Is it water cooled or just an air cooler?

 

How are the fans in the case?  How many?  What case, etc?  

 

Need to figure out the airflow and how the heat from the CPU is ultimately leaving.

[Middcore]

On 8/29/2023 at 11:50 AM, VNYLA said:

Not sure exactly but it's the Be Quiet brand. 

 

Sorry if I missed it, but I don't see any info in the thread about the cooler besides this. Can you at least tell us if it's an air cooler or an all in one liquid cooler? This sounds to me like a liquid cooler where the pump died. 

[VNYLA]

12 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

For it to just be happening now, is odd.  I mean the CPU really doesn't fail like that in modern tech.

 

Paste change is a good idea, but I don't think we ever knew the exact CPU Cooler?  Is it water cooled or just an air cooler?

 

How are the fans in the case?  How many?  What case, etc?  

 

Need to figure out the airflow and how the heat from the CPU is ultimately leaving.

It's just an air cooler. The Be Quiet brand idk what model. As for the case, I also have no clue. He bought it as a pre-built. 

 

As for fans, I personally hate the way whoever he bought it from has it set up. One fan on the cooler and one more as exhaust and that's all. No intake which I immediately thought was a problem. 

 

But other than that, he's only getting the overheating issues during exporting, not during anything else. Everything else stays chilly and nice lol.

[Dedayog]

26 minutes ago, VNYLA said:

It's just an air cooler. The Be Quiet brand idk what model. As for the case, I also have no clue. He bought it as a pre-built. 

 

As for fans, I personally hate the way whoever he bought it from has it set up. One fan on the cooler and one more as exhaust and that's all. No intake which I immediately thought was a problem. 

 

But other than that, he's only getting the overheating issues during exporting, not during anything else. Everything else stays chilly and nice lol.

Honestly, if you're going to still keep that case, get a couple fans for the front intake.   Get that cooler air flowing thru there.

 

Otherwise, I could check the cleanliness of the fans, heatsink etc.  Dust can really impede the cooling rate of the radiators/fins.  

 

What kind of load does the exporting produce?  Can you look into Task Manager to see how all the cores are working when doing that?  

 

Is it a new project?  Are these exports something new and massive above and beyond what you've done before?  

 

Did ANYTHING change recently?  Drives?  Internet?  PC placement?  Anything at all?

 

Cuz a CPU hitting thermal limits doesn't happen out of the blue, unless said CPU is actually dying. Something causes something.

[VNYLA]

UPDATE 

 

May have gotten closer to the issue now. Noticed in FLStudio an option for Multithreaded processing of the mixer and generators. Switching these off keeps the temperature down on export, but puts more load on playback (due to it now using a single core I'm assuming). 

 

Is there some Windows process that tries to optimize multicore use which may be interfering with FL's own process?

[unclewebb]

@VNYLA

At default settings, many motherboards will set the turbo power limits to unlimited. This allows maximum performance but it also creates more heat than a quiet air cooler can dissipate. 

 

If you want to continue using a quiet cooler then go into the BIOS and lower the PL1 and PL2 turbo power limits. Less power equals less heat but it will also reduce maximum performance. You can set the turbo power limits to whatever values you like to get the right balance between performance and heat.

 

I like using ThrottleStop. This program allows me to adjust the PL1 and PL2 turbo power limits while in Windows. No need to reboot. Most decent motherboards also allow you to set the power limits in the BIOS.

 

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/

 

 

The 9900K has a 95W TDP rating. Setting the power limits conservatively will help manage the maximum CPU temperature. Intel used to recommend setting PL1 = TDP and setting PL2 approximately 25% higher than PL1.

 

PL1 = 95W

PL2 = 120W

[TatamiMatt]

@VNYLA Would we be able to get a picture of the PC in question from you? That could help with identifying both the parts and/or the problem?

[Robchil]

2 hours ago, VNYLA said:

UPDATE 

 

May have gotten closer to the issue now. Noticed in FLStudio an option for Multithreaded processing of the mixer and generators. Switching these off keeps the temperature down on export, but puts more load on playback (due to it now using a single core I'm assuming). 

 

Is there some Windows process that tries to optimize multicore use which may be interfering with FL's own process?

how much or little thermal paste did you use?.. 

if you take the cooler off again.. is it evenly distrobuted or missing in areas? 

 

usually a pea size blob in the middle is enough, but some use a small spatula or similar to distribute it evenly all over. 

 

then mount the cooler with equal preasure on all fasteners

 

my 9900k are still running around 75 when using all cores..  then again i have a huge watercooling loop.. but have had issues if the pressure on the cpu isn't straight.. 

[VNYLA]

On 9/15/2023 at 3:52 PM, TatamiMatt said:

@VNYLA Would we be able to get a picture of the PC in question from you? That could help with identifying both the parts and/or the problem?

Here are the pics of the PC. Sorry it took so long. Been decently busy these past few weeks

[Tan3l6]

3 heat pipe cooler is not that great, even if it's from a good brand.

[Robchil]

just a thought.. since you just recently added an m.2 SSD.. is it NVME or SATA controlled? , can it be that it's using more pcie lanes for the first time and the current cooling solution doesn't cut it anymore? 

 

[TatamiMatt]

Id also get an intake or 2, preferably 2, to have positive pressure, its quite clean as is but itll help with future dust problems and the cooling of everything also, even a few very cheap ones, if you dont want to splash out, will make a big difference.

Is there anything limiting the fans from spinning at their max when temps get really hot? if theyre not operating at full capacity when temps are soaring, could also be a reason its not cooling great.

Also, a can of compressed air if you have one, or theyre only a few quid to buy, a little clean could help, not by much but better than not at all!

[Middcore]

That is a really puny cooler for a 9900k.

[TatamiMatt]

@VNYLAIf you wanted to swap out to Thermalrights peerless assassin or new phantom spirit, theyre super cheap and honestly, pretty cream of the crop right now in terms of performance to price, hell, even just looking at performance regardless of price and theyre still killing it. Id take a look at one of those if youre looking at getting a new cooler, should solve the problems pretty outright if the heatsink is the issue.

 

But imo, start with the cheaper fixes and add some case fans.