I've been experiencing some serious heat issues with my CPU since upgrading my GPU and updating the BIOS. My CPU temperature spikes to 80-85°C while gaming on titles like Marvel Rivals, and during a heavy Cinebench test, it can reach up to 97°C! I even replaced my old AIO cooler with a Corsair H150i Elite LCD XT, but that didn't help much; now it sits around 70-75°C when gaming and can go as high as 90°C during stress tests. I've tried remounting the cooler multiple times and reapplying thermal paste but still see no improvement. I also checked the power usage, which peaks at about 181 W. I'm thinking my CPU could be faulty since my uncle's build with the same CPU stays under 65°C while gaming. I've ordered an Arctic Freezer III Pro 360 to see if it's just a bad cooler. If that doesn't work, I'm considering replacing the CPU itself or possibly even the motherboard. What else could I try to resolve this overheating problem?
2 Answers
Sounds like you've covered a lot of bases already! It's definitely possible that your CPU is just running a bit hotter since it's a 13th-gen chip, which tend to get warm under load. If the BIOS wasn't updated during initial use, that could definitely lead to issues down the line. Have you considered running some stability tests to see if it’s performing as expected? Also, if you haven’t already, try undervolting! That might help lower temperatures without sacrificing much performance.
Since you've already ordered a new cooler, that should give you some insights into whether the original cooler was at fault. Just keep in mind that after upgrading a GPU, sometimes the CPU can experience increased temperatures since it's not bottlenecking anymore. If the new cooler doesn't help, then I'd really look into CPU stability and possibly the CPU’s contact with your cooler. An uneven contact frame could make a big difference in those temps.
Thanks for the advice! I appreciate knowing that the CPU might just be getting more juice now that it's not bottlenecked. I'll keep an eye on the contact with the cooler too!
Undervolting sounds like a good idea, but be cautious about stability. You might find some good undervolt settings online for your i5-13600K. Just be ready to tweak if you run into crashes!