Intel Core I9-14900k Thermal Throttling

[DDechew]

Hey guys,

I've just built a new PC and I'm experiencing CPU thermal throttling from the beginning. Here are the specs:

MOBO: MSI Z790-P Pro
CPU: Intel Core i9-14900k
AIO: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420

CASE: be quiet! Shadow Base 800 DX

BIOS is updated to the last version, I also have the AIO Radiator on top of the case, exhausting the hot air and the 3 be quiet! fans on front blowing air in the case. 

Please, let me know if the results are normal and what can I do to improve the thermal throttling.

[n_scott_pearson]

In the past few years, the rate at which temperature changes can occur has grown rapidly. Fact is, even the best Liquid Cooling solutions available today do not have the thermal mass on the processor that is necessary to absorb and dissipate this rapidly-occurring heat. You are always going to see short-duration spikes that reach up to the vicinity of the throttling point. All you can do is work towards a solution that, as quickly as possible, pulls temperatures back down to more tolerable levels (say, the 80's or better 70's).

Now, having that kick-a$$ AIO solution is one thing, but you need to remember that the decisions for when and how the fans (and pumps) have their speed increased/decreased is being made in the fan speed control facility of the motherboard (which should be an important criteria for motherboard selection - but mostly isn't). You need to ensure that the fan speed control algorithms being utilized are right, tuned for your processor and your cooling solution.

Now, looking at your results, it would be good to see what the fan control settings are and what the response being applied at these points in time are (hint: with temperatures this high, pump and fan speeds should be at maximum). When running a stress test, you should be seeing high temperatures (like this) early on in the run, but the temperatures should be pulled down over time as the cooling solution reacts.

...S

[DDechew]

Hey,

Thanks for your reply. I'm aware that when the CPU hits 100C fans and pump can't be at maximum immediately. I've conducted several tests, probably my Cinebench R24 screenshot is wrong, but the CPU remains at 100C after 15 minutes of testing. The CPU Socket temperature stops at around 70-71C. The problem I have is that everything is at maximum and my CPU is hitting 100C with 5200mhz clock speed.

I'm also aware of the fan control, under my mobo it's called Hardware Monitor. I tried tunning the CPU temperature/fan %/DC, but it still stays at 100C and then I returned it to default settings.

EDIT:
Here's another screenshot after the cooling is at 100%. Also, this cooling comes with one pin connector for fans + pump and I read that it must be plugged into CPU socket, because if it's plugged into PUMP it's always at 100%. During the test Cinebench crashed (I tried to OC with Intel Extreme Tuning Utility)

[n_scott_pearson · Accepted solution]

First of all, hitting 100C (Tjmax) is not (and should not be considered) the issue - because it *is* going to hit this temperature from time to time, no matter how good the solution. The issue should be why your cooling solution is not pulling the temperatures down over time. This can be the result of (a) inadequate solution, (b) improper installation (sorry, have to say it) or (c) failure in the solution.

If separate headers are provided for fans and pump, you need to use the CPU and Pump connectors. If the Pump connector is providing a 100% duty cycle at all times, this is either a failure in the configuration or a bad implementation in the motherboard (either not offering this for configuration or not supporting configurability period (i.e., only supporting the Pump header as a power source)).

[Aside: If you combine the two cables and use only the CPU connector, it is going to work (albeit somewhat inelegant from a configuration standpoint), but the fan reading will be garbage (will include pulses from both fans and pump, making it look arbitrarily high).]

...S

[DDechew]

This is my second AIO which I'm trying and the results are the same. About the installation I double checked the installation - the contact seems good, there isn't more than needed thermal paste. About the connector, this AIO comes with only 1 connector. There isn't separate connectors for Pump and Cpu. I've ordered a CPU Contact Frame to see if it will show any results.

[n_scott_pearson]

Sorry, I said that improperly. What I meant was that if the AIO has separate cables for fan and pump, it is best to connect them to separate (typically CPU and Pump) headers on the motherboard - presuming, of course, that these headers are both properly under fan speed control.
As I (perhaps also poorly) tried to say, the issue is that the AIO solutions do not have the thermal mass in their heads to dissipate the instantaneous heat that can be produced. You want one that does a good job of dissipating this heat as quickly as possible after the fact, minimizing the spike durations. Often the problem is not the AIO itself; it is the effectiveness of the motherboard's fan speed control solution in directing the reaction of the AIO.
In this, I am not trying to curtail your purchase of a different AIO solution, just that it's not the only factor. When looking at the selection process, the recommendation is to look for one that gets a larger thermal mass directly in contact with the processor.
...S