Does this seem right.. 2600k.. new cooler required?

ov_sjo · 12 Jul 2016 at 18:21

So i've just rebuilt my 2600k based box into a new case.. new fans etc.. cleaned out the Intel stock cooler (was caked in dust before)..

Idle test.. clock speed betwen 3.0-3.7ghz.. cpu temp showing at 52C.. vcore temps shoot up to 80-90C+ as soon as it gets any real load.. and with any stress test (cpu) with a close above say 2.5ghz it quickly becomes speed constrained by thermal limiting.. System temp is under 40C.. ambient room temp 21C.

Case has two 80mm inlet fans, and two 60mm exhaust + 1 80mm.. Not ideal but i'm stuck with that.

It's been years since i've looked at anything like this but this doesn't seem particularly good.. When I moved the cpu/cooler from the old board to new I did a thorough cleaning job and applied new paste.. HSF seems fitted properly..

New addition is a GTX 960 (strix, fans not spinning) and GPU temp is 38C too..

So is this typical or do I simply need a better cpu cooler? It's very tight on the board, dimm slots are right up to the intel cooler spec boundary..

mickyflinn · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:20

I wouldnt be happy with the temps and would be looking at a new cooler, what case do you have ?

ov_sjo · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:24

mickyflinn said:
I wouldnt be happy with the temps and would be looking at a new cooler, what case do you have ?

It's a 4U rackmount case with limited cooling options without making some bespoke stuff. It's used for music production so silence is golden in this instance..

No 120mm fan spots on the case unfortunately.

mickyflinn · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:30

If you have a gtx 960 strix there should be enough room for an aftermarket cpu cooler, what motherboard do you have ?

ov_sjo · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:31

It's in the photo above, Asrock Q77m Pro.

Borealis · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:42

With the limited space, one of these might work:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/noctua-nh-l9x65-low-profile-performance-cpu-cooler-hs-032-nc.html

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/noctua-nh-u9s-pu-cooler-92mm-hs-027-nc.html

The Noctua stuff is pricey, but effective and usually pretty quiet as well.

I would suggest their 3U server heatsink, but it only fits LGA1366 or 2011.

mickyflinn · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:44

The 960 is porbablly acting like a radiator casusing the case ambient temp to rise, i would suggest setting the gpu fans to run slow moving the air around in the case.

See if this makes a diffrence in temps to the cpu.

ov_sjo · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:47

I did look at the NH-U95S before but it's a tad too tall. I've got about 140mm height from top of the processor. The annoying thing is I know I purchased a low profile Noctua cooler ages ago but I can't find it now!! Argh.

Looking back it was a NH-L9i was is really for 1U cases I think.. so probably not a good use of the space available anyway.

Ideally i'd choose a cooler which can be installed purely from the top side of the mobo (e.g. no bracket underneath).. but that's just my lazy side talking.

ov_sjo · 12 Jul 2016 at 19:49

mickyflinn said:
The 960 is porbablly acting like a radiator casusing the case ambient temp to rise, i would suggest setting the gpu fans to run slow moving the air around in the case.

See if this makes a diffrence in temps to the cpu.

Could try it but I doubt it'd make a big difference. I doubt i'd get the temperature inside the case any lower than 30C.

ov_sjo · 13 Jul 2016 at 10:42

A better view of it now it's assembled..

mickyflinn · 13 Jul 2016 at 11:58

If you could measure to the top of the case panel from the cpu then we know what cpu cooler wil fit.

ov_sjo · 14 Jul 2016 at 10:43

mickyflinn said:
If you could measure to the top of the case panel from the cpu then we know what cpu cooler wil fit.

From memory it's about 145mm which discounts quite a few 120-140mm coolers from what I've seen. A common problem are the heat pipes protruding at the top.