The i7 CPU in the iMac hits 100 °C regularly. Please advise.

[DKlad]

I recently bought the new iMac, it has a 4 GHz Intel Core i7, according to the information I got from everymac.com it is a i7-6700K. When the cpu is idle it stays in the low 30s, when under moderate load (HD movies, internet, Photoshop etc) it doesn't really get over 50 °C, but when I use it to render stills/animations in Cinema 4D (or After Effects) and all 8 threads are being utilized the temperature stays almost constantly at 95 °C and regularly peaks at 100 °C! At this point the fan is louder than my vacuum cleaner, the frequency drops but the temperature never does. I did a test render for about an hour and the fan never managed to cool down the cpu under 90 °C, even if the frequency dropped from 4 to about 3.8. I used Macs Fan Control and Intel's Power Gadget to monitor what is going on and got the same readings.

I don't want this to become the mac vs PC debate and there is clearly nothing wrong with the cpu as it cools down to 45 °C in a matter of seconds after I stop rendering. The fault is in the crappy iMac's cooling system, since it uses the same heat sink for both the cpu and gpu (which by the way also gets over 90 °C after a few minutes of doing virtually nothing in Civilization V), and has to cool them both down, and the power supply, and the rest of the components all squeezed in a space smaller than some laptops have with only one fan.

My question is: how worried should I be? I don't think it is either normal or acceptable for the cpu to be at such high temperatures for longer periods of time. I don't do rendering every day, but I will do at least full 48 hours of rendering per month and having the cpu hitting the 100 °C mark every few seconds really doesn't sound right to me. Or am I just over reacting and it is perfectly normal for the i7 to operate in the 90+ range all the time?

[Amy_C_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello, Versage:

Apple has requested that all questions regarding Apple systems and software be addressed directly with Apple support. I recommend checking the link below for troubleshooting assistance on your Apple computer: http://www.apple.com/support/imac/intel/ iMac - Apple Support.

Regards,

[DKlad]

Yes, I have already contacted the store where I bought the computer and I will contact Apple tomorrow. They only offer phone support and they keep very limited hours.

However my question is unrelated to Apple. I am asking, as an owner of an Intel processor, what temperature operating range is still acceptable for the i7-6700K processor? Is it safe or better yet, can I expect the processor to reach its full life expectancy if I will use it in the 90+ °C range for extended periods of time?

[Amy_C_Intel]

Versage, I understand, but since you have an Apple system the best support should be provided by Apple. In the meantime I would recommend heading to Apple Support Communities at https://discussions.apple.com/community/desktop_computers/imac_intel Community: iMac | Apple Support Communities.

Regards,

Amy.

[DKlad]

Well, I still think you could be more helpful with the answer. I am fully aware that either my iMac is defective, or more likely the entire iMac series has insufficient cooling for this i7 processor. All that I expected is for someone to give me a straight: No, it is not normal to operate the processor at 95+ °C for long periods of time or: Yes, your i7 will live a long time, don't worry about it. I don't think it would hurt anyone if you would be more interested in serving customers rather than some corporate agreement. I won't pursue this any further.

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If it helps anyone, this is as close I could get to an official response from Intel, when I posted my concern directly to Customer Support:

"When the BIOS option are set as default and the CPU is properly cooled, the i7-6700K should not overheat past 64C, as per Tcase figure. However, being this an Intel CPU mounted on a third-party board we cannot guarantee this figure. Your computer original equipment manufacturer (OEM) may have altered the features, incorporated customizations, or made other changes to the hardware provided. In order to receive further support we therefore advise you to contact Apple."

[Amy_C_Intel]

I understand.

Thank for your feedback.

Regards,