Solved i5 2500k 100c on default [prime95]

[Deman]

Hi,

I thought I run prime95 to see if my temps are decent enough to overclock. However I noticed that with everything on default, non overclocked. I reach 100celcius in prime95. I'm worried that this might be bad for the CPU.
Any advice? 2 weeks ago I cleaned my pc of dust so this can't be the problem.
CPU: i5 2500k
Default speeds and default fan.

 

[aramil]

I would say a poorly fitted CPU cooler.

Did you remove it when cleaning?

Reseat the heatsink with fresh thermal paste and re test.

 

[Deman]

I would say a poorly fitted CPU cooler.

Did you remove it when cleaning?

Reseat the heatsink with fresh thermal paste and re test.

I might have to search around a bit to find my thermal paste. Shouldn't I clean the cpu if I refresh the thermal paste? Any idea how to clean the thermal paste?

 

[bradscoolio]

Isopropyl alcohol, mentholated spirits or nail polish remover on a microfiber cloth works for removing it & just put a pea size blob of thermal paste on ands the CPU cooler will spread it it out for you

 

[bradscoolio]

If you wanna oc then best upgrade CPU cooler to something decent Eg/ cm hyper 212 evo (comes with thermal paste)

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I used Prime 95 on my i5-2500 with stock fan to see how high temps would go, just as a test. Never got above mid 70s.

There's a slight chance it's just a ventilation issue, but more likely poor CPU mounting or thermal paste issue.

The recommended paste method for an i5-2500K is a single thin vertical line of paste.

Arctic Silver, Inc. - Intel® Application Methods

http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appmeth/int/vl/intel_app_method_vertical_line_v1.1.pdf

100 Celsius is way too hot--near the throttling temp for that CPU.

 

[Deman]

So I just tried to go by the 4 cooler pins one by one and make them lose and screw them tight again. I noticed 1 was slightly wobbly even though it was good in the board. So after re-tightening every pin I now run prime95 again.
After 6 minutes the temps are: 78 83 81 80. These temps are just fine right?

Can't believe a wobbly pin causes 20 Celsius difference.

Thanks for the help guys!

Edit: I also have the arctic thermal paste but my temps are higher than yours. I guess I would have to refresh the thermal just to get that extra bit of Celsius drop?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

The Intel CPU cooler mounting system is cranky. It works well if you get it right, but it's not easy to determine when it isn't right. The best way is to mount the cooler with the motherboard out of the case so you can visually inspect the mounting pins on the bottom side of the motherboard.

I'm not surprised by 20 degrees. Actually kind of surprised your CPU didn't automatically throttle back at that temperature.

If you applied Arctic Silver in a reasonably decent way, I wouldn't expect a re-application to help much if at all. Your temps are likely different from mine due to case design, case fan efficiency, or ambient temperatures.

 

[Deman]

The Intel CPU cooler mounting system is cranky. It works well if you get it right, but it's not easy to determine when it isn't right. The best way is to mount the cooler with the motherboard out of the case so you can visually inspect the mounting pins on the bottom side of the motherboard.

I'm not surprised by 20 degrees. Actually kind of surprised your CPU didn't automatically throttle back at that temperature.

If you applied Arctic Silver in a reasonably decent way, I wouldn't expect a re-application to help much if at all. Your temps are likely different from mine due to case design, case fan efficiency, or ambient temperatures.

Ah okey, yea I remember when I applied it I did a dot in the middle and squashed it out by placing the fan on top of it and locking it in place with the pins.
After 25 mins of prime95 my temps keep around 88, I guess it is fine now? Seeing how nothing will go as heavy as prime95.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Just watch temps in actual usage.

I wouldn't get concerned until 70 degrees. Most people don't see real-world temps above the 50s. As far as I know, Intel chips will run 24/7 for years with temp in the 60s.

Some people obsess over temperatures and spend money trying to drive temps down from 36 to 32 for some reason.

My PC idles in the upper 30s and goes as high as 60 under a good load in a warm room. I've never seen it higher other than in a stress test like Prime 95.

Ambient temps have a lot of impact. A 10 degree cooler room will have a similar impact on PC temps.

 

[Deman]

Just watch temps in actual usage.

I wouldn't get concerned until 70 degrees. Most people don't see real-world temps above the 50s. As far as I know, Intel chips will run 24/7 for years with temp in the 60s.

Some people obsess over temperatures and spend money trying to drive temps down from 36 to 32 for some reason.

My PC idles in the upper 30s and goes as high as 60 under a good load in a warm room. I've never seen it higher other than in a stress test like Prime 95.

Ambient temps have a lot of impact. A 10 degree cooler room will have a similar impact on PC temps.

Ok Than my problem is fixed!
Thx a lot to everyone who contributed in this topic!