Core i7 950 Stock runs very hot

Hello All, I recently completed a new build:

Antec 1200
Core i7 950, stock cooler
ASUS Rampage III Formula
Corsair Dominator 1600
Corsair HX850w
XFX 6870

I was running some tests to see its performance and to my horror, my CPU's temperatures are through the roof. Running Prime95 for 10 min takes one of my cores to 90C. Also I noticed that my coolest core is about 10C lower than the hottest core. Would such a big temperature difference be expected?

In trying to solve this, I reduced my VCore voltage to 1.05V, QPI/DRAM Core to 1.3V, DRAM Bus Volt to 1.60325V voltage. My CPU PLL volt is sitting at 1.81525V. I reduced the multiplier to 23 instead of 24. My ICH and IOH temps are around 40C.

My CPU tends to idle at around 38C- 40C. My ambient temperature is around 22C. I even tried manually setting my CPU fan speed to the highest but it does not help. I also removed the stock thermal paste, cleaned using rubbing alcohol (91%) and reapplied thermal paste with Arctic 5 using the recommended methods in the Arctic website and re-seated the cooler. My Case has a lot of air flow and my GPU idles around 36C and I have seen it only go up to 42C. But my CPU runs very hot!! I understand that stock cooler leave a lot to be desired, but I think that my temperatures are very hot even for stock configuration.

What can I do at this point? Any other suggestions other than getting an after market cooler? Please help!

Have you tried disabling any OC software and reset the BIOS to default settings?

After dropping all that money on a mildly expensive build, I wouldn't skimp on an aftermarket heatsink. Spend the $30 on the True Spirit or the Hyper 212 PLUS and call it a day.

cogage true spirit is a nice cheap x58 cooler.. if you really want to keep it cool though you need to actually put some money down for the meghalem/true/noctua coolers.. or even the h70 from corsair (dont ge the h50)

and @ SMOKEU, the system isn't overclocked. the oc software is just showing the stats.. if you look at the top of the coretemp screen its 135x12..which if im not mistaken is downclocked (idle stats).

OP, what are your oc settings, did you overclock it before running the benchmarks or did you run it off defaults?

Please remember that the stock cooler is made to keep a stock chip at acceptable temps (mid 80s is still acceptable, 90+ is warning point)

If its stock settings you could try reseating the heatsink with new thermal compound to make sure its making good contact. If its overclocked, the stock heatsink will not cut it at all past like 3.4ish area.

Any real oc will require a new heatsink for the cpu.

Also, if you're going to overclock be sure to turn off Turbo mode (only useful to single threaded apps which dont need that boost usually), turn off virtualization (not needed at all), C1E and speedstep (turns the voltage/multiplier down during idle times so save power) All of these will interfere with your oc being stable at some point or another.

@op, are you sure your tim spread is good and that all the pins caught?

Developer Guy said:

but I think that my temperatures are very hot even for stock configuration.

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No, they're not - there's really nothing out of the ordinary here. 22C is a warm room, and Core i7 CPUs run hot...especially with the stock cooler. My i7 920 was exactly the same with the stock cooler.

Why the aversion to replacing the cooler?

Also, OP , can you post load temps, idles don't mean a whole lot.

Most point to better coolers because most people that join these forums are in one way or another interested in overclocking their pc as the end result. The i7 platform runs hot and any overclock increases the heat exponentially. Replacing the heatsink is essential to running a stable oc on these chips past a 10% increase (give or take)

We aren't saying that the OP MUST replace it, but if the end result will eventually be a stable oc on the chip, it is highly recommended.

Thanks for the replies. I am not opposed to changing the cooler and will probably switch to Noctua or Corsair H70 sometime soon. But, I was wondering if something was wrong with my components.

However in desperation, I opened up my case and pushed all the cooler pins one more time, but did not find any pins out. I also gently pressed the cooler down and turned it slightly side to side. I then ran some prime95 tests and to my amazement, I found that my max temps were 20C lower. Attached is my load temps after running prime95 for 1 hour. Any ideas on how this could have happened? Anyhow I am glad that I am atleast in the normal range now.

I am right now shopping for a new cooler. I like Corsair H70, but how difficult is it to install in a Antec 1200 case? I also like Noctua NH-D14, but my ram's fins might get in the way and I dont want to remove them.

The only fins you would have to remove with the NH-D14 is probably just the stick closest to the fan. If you don't want to do so, look at the Venomous X or the good old TRUE Rev. C, as both of those run very close to the NH-D14 in cooling, especially with a push-pull fan setup on them. For fan choices, the Scythe S-Flex SFF21F or the 1850 rpm Scythe Gentle Typhoon in push pull will be very close to the NH-D14 and might even beat it with the Noctua using it's stock fans.

if your going with the h70 in your 1200 case, mount the rad upside down to the bottom 120mm fan slot, and stick the stock case fan in the tri-slot cooler (the fan that mounts on the hdd bay.

if you mount it right side up, the fan clips on the side fan intake area (on the door) will hit the bottom pipes of the radiator. you could also mount the h70 on the top 120, but you wouldn't be able to make use of the tri-slot cooler effectively then.

Thanks, I am looking to install Noctua NH-D14. Do I need to remove my motherboard from the case to mount the back plate or can I install it without removing the motherboard? Also I am looking to increase my Corsair Dominator memory to 12 GB. Do I need to remove the fins for 2 sticks or 1 stick?

DeveloperGuy said:

Thanks, I am looking to install Noctua NH-D14. Do I need to remove my motherboard from the case to mount the back plate or can I install it without removing the motherboard? Also I am looking to increase my Corsair Dominator memory to 12 GB. Do I need to remove the fins for 2 sticks or 1 stick?

Click to expand...

If your case has a cutout in the mobo backplate where the socket is located at then you could mount the backplate without removing the mobo. Otherwise you will need to remove the mobo from the case to mount the backplate and mounting bracket. And most probably you will need to remove the fins from the first 2 sticks of ram as I found the NH-D14 to overhang the first 2 ram slots on my P6T board. You can check for this before mounting the front (intake) fan on the heatsink after mounting it on the processor.

I installed mine with the mobo outside the case, despite the cutout. I really just don't mind rewiring everything for the ease of mounting outside the case, though I will say, if I had to mount a cooler with the mobo still in the case, i'd pick the d14, it was one of the easiest mounts I've ever done.

You could probably squeeze up to a 10 C difference if you're good on thermal paste; what kind of paste are you using? You may have applied it incorrectly (too much is as bad as too little).