i7 12700K Overheating

[mob]

Hi, 

I just purchased a new i7 12700K and built my PC, it has the following configuration

CPU : Intel i7 12700K

MotherBoard : MSI MAG B760M Mortar WiFi II Gaming Motherboard

Memory : Crucial Pro RAM 64GB Kit (2x32GB) DDR5 5600MHz

Cooler : Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Air Cooler

PSU : EVGA 650 N1, 650W

3 x SSD NVMe 4TB PCIe Gen 4, 2 x SATA 12TB HDD

NO DISCRETE GPU 

I have configured the PC as Dual boot with Windows 11 and Linux. But I am using it mainly with linux, with Ubuntu 24.04.  All the motherboard UEFI/BIOS settings are default ie I am not overclocking anything (unless that is the default).

In Linux it passes various benchmarks and temperatures can hit up to 90oC from an idle normally of 35-40oC. However once I start using any decent multi-threaded/multi-process application code the temps hit 100oC and the system shutsdown. For example when running python tensorflow code - (compiled for CPU not GPU). The CPU load hits 100%, drops to 40%, then back up to 100% every 10 seconds or so, until the whole system shtsdown abrubtly with no warning - nothing.

I took off the CPU cooler, and re-fitted it with new thermal paste to make sure there was no bad connection between the heatspreader and the heatsink. The temps fall quickly once the load drops, this tells me the cooling is working, albeit maybe not enough. For the fans, I have one at the top of the case expelling heat above the CPU cooler, the CPU cooler is perpendicular to this, and has 2 fans with airflow directing from the front of the PC to the back of the PC case, and there are 2 more fans, one on the front sucking cool air in, and the last on the back of the case, expelling hot air. So the air flows cold in front, hot out top and back. I have visually checked all fans, and they are all spinning as expected (i.e. right direction of flow). I have also switched all fans to full fan mode in the BIOS so they are on 100% and this still doesnt prevent eventual shutdown. 

Can anyone provide some advice please

1. Is my CPU/Motherboard not behaving as it should be ? 

2. Is my cooler good enough for the CPU without any overclocking etc for running CPU intensive loads ? 

3. How can I stop the temps hitting 100% - can I under volt and if so how do I do that ? 

4. If I undervolt will the CPU throttle and reduce its clock, so I will only get N% throughput ?

5. If I want to run this thing permanently in high load whats the best way - is it to buy a better coller like an AIO etc ? 

Thanks a lot.

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi mob,

Thank you for posting in the Community!

Just to add, Intel® Processors have built-in thermal protection. If the processor gets too hot, the built-in protection shuts down the processor. If your computer isn't overclocked, and is running under the design specifications, the built-in protection can help prevent damage to your system. Tjunction max is the maximum thermal junction temperature that a processor will allow prior to using internal thermal control mechanisms to reduce power and limit temperature. Activation of the processor's thermal control system may cause performance loss as the processor typically reduces frequency and power to prevent overheating. For your processor (Intel® Core™ i7-12700K Processor), the TJUNCTION is 100°C. Here's the link for reference: Intel® Core™ i7-12700K Processor

The goal for a system builder or a do-it-yourself (DIY) end user is to design a platform configuration that keeps the processor under the Tjunction max threshold during heavy workloads to maximize performance of the system. See this link for more information: Information about Temperature for Intel® Processors

You may try this troubleshooting steps to fix the issue and let me know if it still persists.

Overheating Symptoms and Troubleshooting for Intel® Boxed...

Best regards,

Dean R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi mob,

I wanted to follow up on the previous message regarding your inquiry. Have you had a chance to review it? If you have any questions or need further information, please let me know.

Best regards,

Dean R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[mob]

Hi

Thanks for the follow up. I actualy ended up swapping the 12700K for a 14900K which I'm very happy with.

I also purchased a 240 AIO and this coupled with some case modifications results in the CPU staying at 74oC. This is when running all 32 cores at between 30 and 90% load permanently.

So I can process 32 cores of stuff at 60% load on average, keep the CPU at 74oC well below throttling, and CPU are running at between 4GHz and 5GHz. I can't get any of the clocks to go up to 6000 MHz which cpuinfo tells me is the max frequency. The memory is 96GB of 4800 MHz.

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi mob,

This is well acknowledged. Let me know if you have other questions.

Best regards,

Dean R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi mob,

I wanted to follow up on the previous message regarding your inquiry. Have you had a chance to review it? If you have any questions or need further information, please let me know.

Best regards,

Dean R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[DeancR_Intel]

Hi mob,

Since I haven't received a response from you, I will be closing this inquiry. If you need further assistance, please submit a new question, as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards,

Dean R.

Intel Customer Support Technician