Is my Mini-ITX build running too hot? (I'm worried)

asdfguy

asdfguy

asdfguy

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I have a Mini-ITX build and the max temperature while playing games are worrying but I'm not sure if it's safe.

When I play games like GTA 5 or Quantum Break the i7 6700K (not overclocked) reaches 80c and ZOTAC Nividia 1060 6GB Mini (not overclocked) reaches 82c. My case is a Cooler Master Elite 130. Are these safe temps?

Here are my entire PC sepcs:
Motherboard: Gigabyte B150N Phoenix-WIFI
CPU: i7 6700K using stock cooler(not overclocked)
GPU: Zotac Nivida 1060 6GB Mini
RAM: HyperX 16GB
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130
 
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asdfguy said:
Here are my entire PC sepcs:
Click to expand...

Well, then the problem is you have no CPU cooler. :p

Seriously though - 82C for a video card while gaming in such a small box is not out of the ordinary. Hopefully you will already have set a custom profile through Afterburner (or similar), so that the video card fan can spin faster than at default setting. (1:1 temp/RPM % ratio is often best), if you haven't then that's the first thing to do. It's not the coolest GTX 1060 to begin with but maybe you can bring temps down a bit. Another thing you can do is to set an fps limit through Rivatuner (comes with Afterburner), unless you don't mind Vsync. However, I know GTA is pretty demanding so it's not like you'll be churning out 100 fps regularly unless on quite low settings.

As for CPU, which cooler? And any extra case fans?
 
Danny75 said:
Well, then the problem is you have no CPU cooler. :p

Seriously though - 82C for a video card while gaming in such a small box is not out of the ordinary. Hopefully you will already have set a custom profile through Afterburner (or similar), so that the video card fan can spin faster than at default setting. (1:1 temp/RPM % ratio is often best), if you haven't then that's the first thing to do. It's not the coolest GTX 1060 to begin with but maybe you can bring temps down a bit. Another thing you can do is to set an fps limit through Rivatuner (comes with Afterburner), unless you don't mind Vsync. However, I know GTA is pretty demanding so it's not like you'll be churning out 100 fps regularly unless on quite low settings.

As for CPU, which cooler?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. I'm using the stock cooler
 
Danny75 said:
Help me out - did you add a separate Intel stock cooler yourself, because the 6700K doesn't come with a cooler. Or is it a 6700 non-K instead?
Click to expand...

Ahhh! You are correct, sir. I'm using this cooler. I got the image off the internet and it is the same one inside my rig. I can't take a photo because it's too dark.
Tey3VCC.jpg
 
Alright, so i7-6700. You could probably get away with the stock cooler inside a larger case, in fact you're still within safe limits with it really. But you'd want a better cooler really. A 120mm AIO liquid cooler would be ideal, if your case (which can take it) still has the room for it (removing the front 120mm fan).

You could also run a CPU stress test and see what the max Vcore is. To see whether the motherboard BIOS version is making Vcore too high, which can sometimes happen. In which case a BIOS update might easily fix that. Or setting a lower Vcore manually (and lower Load Line Calibration if needed).

But I don't want to give you the wrong idea - nothing seems "wrong" given the circumstances. It's just there's a few things you can try which might bring temps down a few degrees regardless.
 
I would consider getting a low profile aftermarket cooler to help with the CPU temps and possibly adding a more powerful case fan to help with airflow.
 
That case doesn't have any exhaust fan, so if PSU is taking its air from outside the case airflow relies entirely on intake fans trying to create "positive pressure" and push warm air out.
But there just isn't any clear laminar well controlled airflow path through the case.
So no wonder that chronically undersized stock noise maker is having troubles.
https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6106/cooler-master-elite-130-sff-chassis-review/index5.html

Max CPU HSF height is apparently 65mm.
There are plenty of low profile coolers which would be better than that stock HSF.
Though would have to check manufacturer's page for compatibility with bigger fanned ones so that there's no cables which would be blocked by HSF.
Like pics in here shows bigger heatsinks can cover notable part of motherboard:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cryorig-c7-top-flow-cpu-heatsink-hs-009-cy.html
 
The first thing I would do is increase the air flow through the case to get rid of all that hot air. That particular case, the fan really isn't enough, even though the rest of the case is well vented.

Since you only have one fan to replace, I would get a good quality fan. This noiseblocker is absolutely silent, all you can hear is the woosh of the air.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/noiseblocker-nb-eloop-fan-b12-p-120mm-pwm-2000rpm-fg-057-nb.html

It's a PWM fan so it's very controllable, and it's also 500-2000 rpm which means it can do some serious cooling.
 
Those temps are fairly normal for the zotac mini at full load, I've seen 75c on load with better case cooling/fan curve adjustments. So even with better airflow you would see 79-80c maybe, which is still fine.
 
Those temps are fine. I'd personally prefer them lower but those temperatures will NOT cause damage to components.

There are a few things you can do, the first thing I would do which costs nothing is set a fan curve for the GPU. I assume you've left everything on auto? Most manufacturers provide software that allows you to set custom fan curves, go onto the Zotac website and download it.

I'm not familiar with the motherboard you have but that may allow you to set a custom fan curve for the cpu fan.

The things you can do that will cost (small amounts of money) is improve the cooling, either by adding fans to your case, or changing your cooler. For example you could buy a low profile cooler, Noctua do some good ones and temps would be a substantial improvement over the stock cooler.
 
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