i7-3770K Temperature Problem

[KPort2]

Hello,

I'm having some trouble with Intel hardware installed in my computer. My processor is reaching critical temperatures while handling simple tasks and nearing overtemp on tasks such as video encoding causing me to halt progress and shut down. Here are my system specs:

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K @ 3.50 GHz (not overclocked)

CPU Cooling: Intel heatsink/fan and Arctic Silver Ceramique thermal compound

Motherboard: Intel Desktop Board DZ77GA-70K

OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro

Specific observations:

- Core temp observed 60-70 C in BIOS from cold boot

- Idle temp in Windows (observed from Intel desktop utilities) 55-71 C

- Low/mod load temp in Windows 75-86 C

- Heavy load 91-97 C

Steps I've taken to fix this problem:

- Accomplished all steps listed in this post:

- Checked operation of processor and case fans

- Checked airflow

- Removed CPU heatsink/fan, removed thermal paste, reapplied thermal paste in accordance with manufacturer's instructions, reinstalled heatsink/fan

- Updated BIOS

- Verified no overclocking in BIOS and dialed powerboost from default 3.90 GHz to 3.50 GHz single core

- Set Windows power management "Maximum Processor State" to 90% (down from 100%)

- Ran Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool - all PASS (temp got up to 97 C during CPU Stress Test)

Also notable - I recently upgraded from Win 7 Pro to Win 10 Pro - no noticeable difference in temp, as expected.

I've been using this CPU/MB combo for several years now and have never had a temperature problem until the last week. One problem that I have had since I installed the board is the BIOS' tendency to drop boot order priorities, forcing me to restart, enter the BIOS, and move my primary drive back to the top of the list. I'm hoping that the BIOS update I flashed today will fix that (yes, I'm lazy as it was released 2 years ago and I just now got around to troubleshooting it!) I'm only mentioning this in case a BIOS issue could play into the temp problem that I'm having. Do temp probes run through the BIOS? Unfortunately, the initial result after flashing the BIOS is the same (no noticeable difference).

I feel like I'm limiting my CPU's performance due to this temperature problem. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Goat

[IUman]

Hello Goat,

Thank you for joining the Intel communities.

I'm sorry to hear the problem you are experiencing with your system.

The Intel® Core i7-3770K Processor has a thermal specification or Tcase (case temperature) of 67.4°C. This is the expected temperature for this chip under normal use. Normal use will be considered anything that and user can run that doesn't stresses out the CPU. When running stress tests or heavy applications you can see the CPU temperature bypassing the Tcase and eventually going up to 80°C/85°C but as soon the processor is released it must go back to whatever normal temperature it is in normal use. The normal temperature of a processor will vary depending on the chassis type and the rest of the hardware used.

91-97 °C is a critical temperature and can generate processor damages. There are a few reasons that can be causing the high temperatures in your system:

1. The motherboard BIOS is missing the proper micro code for the processor being used and it is not reading it properly.
2. The processor heatsink fan is not spinning right
   1. The processor heatsink fan is not properly seated
   2. The thermal grease dried out and needs new one.
   3. The voltage regulator of the motherboard socket is failing and creating excessive heat
   4. The CPU is faulty etc.

It will be very important to isolate the problem and I can see that you have done all the necessary troubleshooting, the only option here is to try the CPU in question in another known working system (this is the best option to confirm whether the processor is bad or not).

If you are able to perform these recommendations and the problem persists, please submit an online service request here:

http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/contactsupport Contact Support

Thanks,