Cooling a 10700K on Air

C

Celcius

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
241
I currently have a 10700k and I've been running it since they came out back in 2020. My system specs are:

10700k
Noctua NH-D14 (11 years old)
Asus Maximus XII Hero
32GB G.Skill ddr4 3200mhz CL14
evga RTX 3090 FTW3
Corsair HX1000i
CaseLabs Merlin SM8 with 3x 120mm fans in front, 1x 120mm fan in rear, and semi open panel at rear top for additional airflow as well.

This whole time I've been running my cpu at 4.9ghz all core (no avx offsets) and 1.243v-1.252v according to CPU-Z. My system has been super stable over the years but it's always run extremely hot under all-core loads. For example, if I run cinebench it gets to 96C. I ran asus real bench for like 8 hours and it was also at 96C. As long as it doesn't hit 100C and throttle then this never bothered me and gaming temps have always been fine.

However, today I got to thinking that maybe I can just run it at stock settings to reduce temps a bit so first I run cinebench at 4.9ghz all core and get 12.8k score and max temp is 96C. Then I reboot, go into bios, and set everything to the stock/auto settings. I go to cinebench and score 12.2k and temps are exactly the same at 96C max. Though it's running like 4.8ghz on avg I think it's using a touch more voltage on auto and thus the same temps.

Still though is this just a really hot CPU when you load up all the cores, or has my nh-d14 maybe lost it's ability to cool as well over the years, or maybe an AIO would be what is really needed to tame this CPU?

I may just upgrade to something more modern next month like the 7800X3D so I'm not going to spend any more money on this platform for now (especially since it works perfectly fine for what I do, even if I don't upgrade) but I just wanted to take one more look at why it runs so hot. Thanks!
 
first bing result says "its easy to cool...280mm aio maxing out at 85c". so maybe your voltage is too high and/or the heatsink could be worn out. you should have the room to do a 360 or 420 aio if you wanted.
 
pendragon1 said:
first bing result says "its easy to cool...280mm aio maxing out at 85c". so maybe your voltage is too high and/or the heatsink could be worn out. you should have the room to do a 360 or 420 aio if you wanted.
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Never heard a heatsink wearing out. I can see the wicking material inside could of degraded after 11 years of use. Plop a Thermaltake Peerless Assassin on it and see if you get any improvement. They can be had for under $40 and compete with Noctua's current best.
 
What thermal paste did you use? Maybe your thermal paste is dried out an it's time to apply a fresh coat. I would also clean all your fans and intakes to help improve air intake. Just regular maintenance to see if it helps with air flow.
 
Kerby1280 said:
What thermal paste did you use? Maybe your thermal paste is dried out an it's time to apply a fresh coat. I would also clean all your fans and intakes to help improve air intake. Just regular maintenance to see if it helps with air flow.
Click to expand...
I'm using Noctua thermal paste that was applied in summer 2020 when I first installed the cpu (bought brand new, not the original 2011 paste). I looked up how long thermal paste lasts but it seems to be a lot longer than 3 years...
 
Celcius said:
I'm using Noctua thermal paste that was applied in summer 2020 when I first installed the cpu (bought brand new, not the original 2011 paste). I looked up how long thermal paste lasts but it seems to be a lot longer than 3 years.
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should/would be fine still.
it varies and i dont think anyone has taken the time to thoroughly test it as it will take 2, 3, 5+ years.
 
I tried air cooling my 10700k with a Hyper 212 and would usually hit the low 90's in CB R23 (10min pass).
Got a Fractal Celsius S36 360mm AIO and my max temp in CB is 72C. I also have my power limits uncapped.

Run OCCT PSU test, I bet you will throttle in that. Mine was hitting 99C instantly in that test, now I hit around the mid 80s with one core topping out at 87C with the AIO.
 
I just did an hour of COD MW2 at 4K max settings while monitoring my temps and the highest temp was 73C on the hottest core, so maybe all cores loaded is just nearly too much heat for this old heatsink. Gaming is totally fine though. Oh well.
Same story with an air cooled 13900k I guess.
 
Celcius said:
I just did an hour of COD MW2 at 4K max settings while monitoring my temps and the highest temp was 73C on the hottest core, so maybe all cores loaded is just nearly too much heat for this old heatsink. Gaming is totally fine though. Oh well.
Same story with an air cooled 13900k I guess.
Click to expand...
If all you're worried about is gaming temps, then you are golden. I never see more than 65C gaming, it might be overkill, but there is no such thing in this line of work. :p
 
Celcius said:
I currently have a 10700k and I've been running it since they came out back in 2020. My system specs are:

10700k
Noctua NH-D14 (11 years old)
Asus Maximus XII Hero
32GB G.Skill ddr4 3200mhz CL14
evga RTX 3090 FTW3
Corsair HX1000i
CaseLabs Merlin SM8 with 3x 120mm fans in front, 1x 120mm fan in rear, and semi open panel at rear top for additional airflow as well.

This whole time I've been running my cpu at 4.9ghz all core (no avx offsets) and 1.243v-1.252v according to CPU-Z. My system has been super stable over the years but it's always run extremely hot under all-core loads. For example, if I run cinebench it gets to 96C. I ran asus real bench for like 8 hours and it was also at 96C. As long as it doesn't hit 100C and throttle then this never bothered me and gaming temps have always been fine.

However, today I got to thinking that maybe I can just run it at stock settings to reduce temps a bit so first I run cinebench at 4.9ghz all core and get 12.8k score and max temp is 96C. Then I reboot, go into bios, and set everything to the stock/auto settings. I go to cinebench and score 12.2k and temps are exactly the same at 96C max. Though it's running like 4.8ghz on avg I think it's using a touch more voltage on auto and thus the same temps.

Still though is this just a really hot CPU when you load up all the cores, or has my nh-d14 maybe lost it's ability to cool as well over the years, or maybe an AIO would be what is really needed to tame this CPU?

I may just upgrade to something more modern next month like the 7800X3D so I'm not going to spend any more money on this platform for now (especially since it works perfectly fine for what I do, even if I don't upgrade) but I just wanted to take one more look at why it runs so hot. Thanks!
Click to expand...
NH-D14 is a good cooler. It was released 13 Dec 2009 so has been around for long time, but with free mount updates and new fans as originals are likely wearing / worn out and it's still one of the best coolers out there.

What are our front intake fans? Some 120mm are good, some are junk. ;) I assume you have vented grilles in front of front intake fans. ;)

vegeta535 said:
Never heard a heatsink wearing out. I can see the wicking material inside could of degraded after 11 years of use. Plop a Thermaltake Peerless Assassin on it and see if you get any improvement. They can be had for under $40 and compete with Noctua's current best.
Click to expand...
Heatpipe coolers don't wear out, at least in the years we've had them for CPU coolers. CLCs do wear out (pumps wear out) / loose coolant (pumps rattle and eventually die).

But "Thermaltake" does not have a "Peerless Assassin" cooler. nor is it a good company. I think you mean "Thermalright" because Thermalright makes and markets Peerless Assassin 120 / PA120. ;)
 
doyll said:
NH-D14 is a good cooler. It was released 13 Dec 2009 so has been around for long time, but with free mount updates and new fans as originals are likely wearing / worn out and it's still one of the best coolers out there.

What are our front intake fans? Some 120mm are good, some are junk. ;) I assume you have vented grilles in front of front intake fans. ;)


Heatpipe coolers don't wear out, at least in the years we've had them for CPU coolers. CLCs do wear out (pumps wear out) / loose coolant (pumps rattle and eventually die).

But "Thermaltake" does not have a "Peerless Assassin" cooler. nor is it a good company. I think you mean "Thermalright" because Thermalright makes and markets Peerless Assassin 120 / PA120. ;)
Click to expand...
3x Corsair SP120 Quiet Edition fans: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...ERIES-LED-CONFIG/p/CO-9050005-WW#tab-overview
Airflow seems great in my system and my temps are fine on my other components like 3090, ssds, etc...
And yep the front of my case is vented grills:

Do7lZl.jpg

The case in the middle is what mine looks like.
 
SP120 are not great but with case's good front venting should be fine
.
 
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