I just built a new PC featuring a 9800x3D CPU and a Phantom Spirit 120 SE cooler. While monitoring temperatures with HWinfo, I noticed that the maximum CPU temperature spiked as high as 95-97°C, even though the current temperature was around 70°C while gaming. Is this normal, or should I be concerned about a possible installation issue with the CPU cooler? Additionally, I observed similar temperature spikes when I simply opened Cinebench without running any tests.
3 Answers
I went down the same path you're on. Many people say those temps are too high, and they often mention things like not removing the protective plastic from the cold plate—so double-check that if you want. I did, but it was a dead end. For me, the only game that really pushed the temps was DCS, hitting the marks you mentioned. In other games, it rarely exceeded 65-70°C. If your games are running fine, I wouldn’t worry too much. Reseating the cooler might help, but it might not change much either.
A quick spike to 95°C or so when loading a game can be pretty normal, but seeing that kind of temp just by opening Cinebench seems strange. I’d suggest reapplying your thermal paste; it sounds like the cooler might not be mounted perfectly.
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