14700kf constantly at 100 degrees on load

[Zak-ch]

Hi,
My 14700kf is running at 99 or 100 degrees constantly when in load (gta v, Alan wake 2 , cyberpunk) and when navigating or downloading I see spikes to 100 sometimes . These temps seems too much even if I know that this cpu runs hot and these are under specification limit. Is this behavior expected? Is this going to reduce the lifetime of the cpu? I updated the bios of my motherboard tried to limit pl1 125w and pl2 175w slightly undervolting -0.1v but nothing brings this temps down. The technician that assembled the pc told me that I should not be concerned and this is normal behavior.

My setup: msi aio 240 watercooler, msi B70m gaming WiFi ddr5, rtx 5070ti, hyte y40 (aio on top as exhaust, 120mm’fan on rear as exhaust, 2x120mm fans as intake in the side and 1x120mm’fan as intake in the bottom)

Thanks

[VonM_Intel]

Hi, Zak-ch.

Thank you for posting in our Community. It’s understandable to be concerned about these temperatures, especially with a high-performance CPU like the 14700KF. I can see that your temperatures are fine and within specifications.

Also, temperature spikes, especially under heavy workloads like gaming, are expected and not necessarily a cause for concern. When your system is idle, the CPU runs cooler, but as soon as it takes on demanding tasks, temperatures will naturally rise. Intel processors are designed with built-in thermal management, constantly monitoring temperatures and dynamically adjusting frequency and power consumption to prevent overheating or damage. You can verify this information here: Seeing Temperature Spikes when Playing Games on Systems with Intel® Core™ Processors 

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Von M.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Zak-ch]

Than you VonM for answering,
The temperature spikes and stays there during the entire load . I Va tested with Alan wake 2, cyberpunk and GTA v to rule out any optimisation problem. The temperature quickly drop to 50’s after closing the game. This result is inconsistent with what I am seing in the tests with temps around 81c. Even if withing specification, is this abnormal? Will it affect the cpu life? What can I do to mitigate this situation?

Thank you

[Zak-ch]

Problem solved. The problem was not the cpu, but a bad pression or thermal paste application. Now the cpu shows 70 75 degrees in cyberpunk and max 91 degrees in occt. The bios kept the undervolting to -0.1 but the system is stable so far

[VonM_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello, Zak-ch.

You're very welcome. I'm glad to hear that you identified the issue and resolved it by adjusting the thermal paste application. Those new temperature readings look much more in line with expected behavior. If your system remains stable with the -0.1V undervolt, then you’re in a good spot. However, kindly observe temperatures over time, especially under heavy workloads, to ensure consistent performance. For more detailed information, you can check out these articles:

• Information about Temperature for Intel® Processors
• Do I Need to Use Thermal Solution and Thermal Paste for Intel® Core™ Processors?
• How to Apply Thermal Paste and How It Works

I appreciate you for taking the time to share this fix, and hopefully, it may help other community members experiencing similar behavior. Since the thread is now solved, I will proceed to close it. Please keep in mind that this thread will no longer be monitored by Intel.

Best regards,

Von M.

Intel Customer Support Technician