** Building : Intel i9-9900k Thermals Question - Need Help **

[ttechf]

Hi, I have a thermals question/concern and hoping that someone could reassure me or give some thoughts. I want to buy an Intel i9-9900k when they become more available and build. I nearly have all the parts ready to go besides the motherboard and the CPU of course. I've read all over the thermals and temps are pretty high for this Intel i9-9900k. Months ago on a sale I bought a 240mm AIO water cooler. It says and claims it can cool down 300TDP. I DO NOT plan to go crazy overclocking this chip. I just want 5Ghz across all 8 cores. Should I be able to do this? I could easily just get the i7-9700k [if thermals are an issue with the i9-9900k] but there's little to no value there and I might as well go AMD 2700X Ryzen at that point.

I read the review from Anandtech here and saw this image -

At 5Ghz, the temps were around 87. Not ideal but that won't cause your processor to kill itself either I don't think. I'm just not sure what cooler was used to get those temps.


Again, any advice, thoughts or whatnot would be much appreciated. I have time, I don't plan on buying anything until the first week of December.


Thank you!!

 

[chrisjames61]

For the price of 9900K and the cooler which will set you back about $630 you could get a $300 2700X with a nice bundled cooler. A really nice $150 to $200 and X470 board and still have $130 to $180 left over for to put towards a CAS14 DDR4 kit or gpu of your choice. Seems like a no brainer to me.

 

[ttechf]

For the price of 9900K and the cooler which will set you back about $630 you could get a $300 2700X with a nice bundled cooler. A really nice $150 to $200 and X470 board and still have $130 to $180 left over for to put towards a CAS14 DDR4 kit or gpu of your choice. Seems like a no brainer to me.

I do agree with this but as I said, I already have all the components. Lol. I have memory, I have a graphics card, case, power supply, etc. Only two components I don't have are the motherboard and CPU. So at this very point, I can still go either way. AMD or Intel. I also do have a 240mm AIO water cooling unit.

Unlike most I suppose, gaming isn't priority or what I use my PC most for. It's business, work and everything else.

But I was also thinking that I could go the AMD route, just pick up a cheap 2000 series Ryzen, like the NON X version of the 2700x [2700] to last me until the 3000 Zen 2 series comes out because I hear they will be fantastic.

I could also most likely live with a 6 core from Intel. The 8700k.

So, I don't know, that's why I am here. To get advice and thoughts.


Thank you!!

 

[PotatoWithEarsOnSide]

8700k or 2700x.
Though Game of Thrones has been telling us that winter is coming for years. If you believe that then get the exorbitantly expensive 9900k, which also serves as a room heater.
The 9900k is a step too far for the 14nm node.
The 8700k leaves you with little upgrade room, whilst the 2700x probably has a 3700x and 4700x before DDR5 and PCIe5 come. At that point the whole update cycle begins again.
Don't expect a 10th or 11th gen Intel CPU to offer you much more than a 8700k can. A 3700x would likely be a decent improvement over a 2700x, though clearly no-one can say that with any degree of certainty.
PS, what RAM did you buy? With a 2700x you'll likely need to tinker with timings in order to get the best out of it. An 8700k will work well with XMP.

 

[ttechf]

8700k or 2700x.
Though Game of Thrones has been telling us that winter is coming for years. If you believe that then get the exorbitantly expensive 9900k, which also serves as a room heater.
The 9900k is a step too far for the 14nm node.
The 8700k leaves you with little upgrade room, whilst the 2700x probably has a 3700x and 4700x before DDR5 and PCIe5 come. At that point the whole update cycle begins again.
Don't expect a 10th or 11th gen Intel CPU to offer you much more than a 8700k can. A 3700x would likely be a decent improvement over a 2700x, though clearly no-one can say that with any degree of certainty.
PS, what RAM did you buy? With a 2700x you'll likely need to tinker with timings in order to get the best out of it. An 8700k will work well with XMP.

Hey,

This is the memory I purchased - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...sair_vengeance_rgb_pro-_-20-236-426-_-Product

On another note, I really want to just build this computer, and have it last 5 years or so and not mess with it. Only exception is as I kind of stated before. I pick up a cheap Ryzen now and just upgrade the processor to the 3000 series next year.


Thank you!!

 

[ttechf]

One other thing I read when it comes to thermals on the 9900k is that they raised the TJ-Max from 105c on the 8700k to 115c. My cooler I bought is a 240mm but then again, I wouldn't plan to overclock crazy as I said because I care more about stability than going extreme. 5Ghz on all cores would be just fine for me. Anyway, thanks again!

 

[dlerious]

One other thing I read when it comes to thermals on the 9900k is that they raised the TJ-Max from 105c on the 8700k to 115c. My cooler I bought is a 240mm but then again, I wouldn't plan to overclock crazy as I said because I care more about stability than going extreme. 5Ghz on all cores would be just fine for me. Anyway, thanks again!

Which 240mm AIO did you get? I'm very skeptical about the 300W claim.

 

[ttechf]

Which 240mm AIO did you get? I'm very skeptical about the 300W claim.

Hey, this is the one I got - http://www.enermax.com/home.php?fn=eng/product_a1_1_1&lv0=109&lv1=122&no=389

You can just scroll down on the page.


Thanks!

 

[DrMrLordX]

Nobody really knows what it takes to cool a 9900k yet since there have only been a handful of early reviews. All the reviewers are going to have to redo their power numbers. Also, you are going to have to wait and see whether z390 and z370 boards do a better job with this chip.

Based on the numbers you've posted, though, you can see that even a 5 GHz 9900k with hand-tuned voltage "only" chews up an average of 192W running Blender. It's gonna get toastier with heavier workloads like Prime95 or Linpack. I can tell you from personal experience that my Noctua NH-d15 with two loud, very fast fans (Noctua industrialPPC 3000rpm) and the one default fan it came with can cool my r7 1800x even when it starts pulling more than 200W from the socket. The chip does not cook itself.

So, if you do get the 9900k and you do NOT leave it at default settings, I think your cooler will do okay.

 

[ttechf]

Nobody really knows what it takes to cool a 9900k yet since there have only been a handful of early reviews. All the reviewers are going to have to redo their power numbers. Also, you are going to have to wait and see whether z390 and z370 boards do a better job with this chip.

Based on the numbers you've posted, though, you can see that even a 5 GHz 9900k with hand-tuned voltage "only" chews up an average of 192W running Blender. It's gonna get toastier with heavier workloads like Prime95 or Linpack. I can tell you from personal experience that my Noctua NH-d15 with two loud, very fast fans (Noctua industrialPPC 3000rpm) and the one default fan it came with can cool my r7 1800x even when it starts pulling more than 200W from the socket. The chip does not cook itself.

So, if you do get the 9900k and you do NOT leave it at default settings, I think your cooler will do okay.

Thanks for the reply, appreciate it!!

 

[dlerious]

Hey, this is the one I got - http://www.enermax.com/home.php?fn=eng/product_a1_1_1&lv0=109&lv1=122&no=389

You can just scroll down on the page.

Thanks!

Found a review at HardOCP. Doesn't look too bad. Their 1st gen Threadripper AIOs had some problems.
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/03/19/enermax_liqfusion_240_allinone_cpu_cooler_review

 

[ttechf]

Found a review at HardOCP. Doesn't look too bad. Their 1st gen Threadripper AIOs had some problems.
https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/03/19/enermax_liqfusion_240_allinone_cpu_cooler_review

Thanks for that, the only issue is that the Intel i9-9900k runs a lot hotter than that AMD processor they tested with.

 

[chrisjames61]

I do agree with this but as I said, I already have all the components. Lol. I have memory, I have a graphics card, case, power supply, etc. Only two components I don't have are the motherboard and CPU. So at this very point, I can still go either way. AMD or Intel. I also do have a 240mm AIO water cooling unit.

Unlike most I suppose, gaming isn't priority or what I use my PC most for. It's business, work and everything else.

But I was also thinking that I could go the AMD route, just pick up a cheap 2000 series Ryzen, like the NON X version of the 2700x [2700] to last me until the 3000 Zen 2 series comes out because I hear they will be fantastic.

I could also most likely live with a 6 core from Intel. The 8700k.

So, I don't know, that's why I am here. To get advice and thoughts.


Thank you!!

TBH I don't think a 240mm AIO would be sufficient. Maybe a 280mm or 360mm even.

 

[coercitiv]

Again, any advice, thoughts or whatnot would be much appreciated. I have time, I don't plan on buying anything until the first week of December.

As you can see from the table posted by Anandtech, it will depend on silicon quality: if you get a chip that behaves like the one in the Anandtech review or better, you'll be fine, otherwise you'll need to compensate. The worst case scenario for you will be to enable an AVX offset of 100-300Mhz so that heavy AVX loads will be running at comfortable temps.

Do you intend to run specific heavy AVX loads on your system or are you building it for more general usage?

 

[ttechf]

As you can see from the table posted by Anandtech, it will depend on silicon quality: if you get a chip that behaves like the one in the Anandtech review or better, you'll be fine, otherwise you'll need to compensate. The worst case scenario for you will be to enable an AVX offset of 100-300Mhz so that heavy AVX loads will be running at comfortable temps.

Do you intend to run specific heavy AVX loads on your system or are you building it for more general usage?

Well, I use my computer for everything but I am not some kind of video editor or whatnot. I just want the best and this is my first actual computer build and I currently have an i7 Haswell 2014 laptop. SO with that said, I use my computer for media, business [stock trading with charts open], some media conversion in handbrake or converting a FLAC to a MP3 or different quality, usually have 20-30 Google chrome tabs up, and I may step into some gaming and buy a 2080 early next year. I know full well that I'll never use the full capability of this processor [i9-9900k], I just want the best and "the best" is different for everyone. I could probably "settle" for a i7-9700k or i7-8700k but I'd rather not IF I can help it. And I want this to last me 5 years or so as well.

And yes, I am aware of the silicon lottery and such, but I still don't know what type of cooling Anandtech used for their review. That would be helpful.

Any further advice is much appreciated and I hope I answered this question. If not, let me know. Thanks!

 

[ttechf]

TBH I don't think a 240mm AIO would be sufficient. Maybe a 280mm or 360mm even.

Well, I won't be buying a 280 or 360 as I already purchased my 240 months ago and I'm not going to run right out and buy another, lol. So if it comes down to thermals gets me, I'll have to choose a different processor.

 

[coercitiv]

Well, I use my computer for everything but I am not some kind of video editor or whatnot. I just want the best and this is my first actual computer build and I currently have an i7 Haswell 2014 laptop. SO with that said, I use my computer for media, business [stock trading with charts open], some media conversion in handbrake or converting a FLAC to a MP3 or different quality, usually have 20-30 Google chrome tabs up, and I may step into some gaming and buy a 2080 early next year.

You'll be fine then, no need to worry. Worst case scenario for you will be to go over an overclocking guide and press a few buttons in BIOS. All your loads will be running at 5Ghz.

And yes, I am aware of the silicon lottery and such, but I still don't know what type of cooling Anandtech uses for their review. That would be helpful.

They used a 2KG pure copper heatsink.

 

[ttechf]

You'll be fine then, no need to worry. Worst case scenario for you will be to go over an overclocking guide and press a few buttons in BIOS. All your loads will be running at 5Ghz.


They used a 2KG pure copper heatsink.

1. Nice to know what they used and 2. Yeah, I didn't think it was hard to actually ACHIEVE the 5Ghz, I was/am just concerned about thermals. That's all.

 

[coercitiv]

Yeah, I didn't think it was hard to actually ACHIEVE the 5Ghz, I was/am just concerned about thermals. That's all.

Yes, and I was talking about thermals as well.

 

[ttechf]

Yes, and I was talking about thermals as well.

Awesome, thank you for the advice!

 

[The Stilt]

I'd say 5GHz in normal workloads and =< 4.8GHz in heavy 256-bit workloads is pretty close to the maximum, thermally wise.
Makes basically no difference if you're using a higher-end air cooler or 240 - 360mm AIO.

At those clocks you'll need a motherboard with a proper VRM as well.

 

[ttechf]

I'd say 5GHz in normal workloads and =< 4.8GHz in heavy 256-bit workloads is pretty close to the maximum, thermally wise.
Makes basically no difference if you're using a higher-end air cooler or 240 - 360mm AIO.

At those clocks you'll need a motherboard with a proper VRM as well.

I am getting a pretty nice Gigabyte Z390 motherboard.

 

[StinkyPinky]

I would just get a 2700x. Yes the 9900k is faster at multi-core work but at least with the 2700x you can put aside the money you save for zen 2 in 6 months time. Unless AMD totally crap the bed I am sure their 3700x will more than match the 9900k.

 

[DominionSeraph]

I would just get a 2700x. Yes the 9900k is faster at multi-core work but at least with the 2700x you can put aside the money you save for zen 2 in 6 months time. Unless AMD totally crap the bed I am sure their 3700x will more than match the 9900k.

So spend $300 so you can pay another ~$400 in 6 months which will hopefully equal a single $500 purchase now...

 

[epsilon84]

I think as long as you have an AVX offset in place, you'll be fine with a 240mm AIO IMO. Well it depends on where your 9900K falls in the silicon lottery as well. If it only needs a slight voltage bump for 5.0 then by all means, but if you are less lucky then it might be better to temper your expectations slightly.

I have my 8700K @ 5.0GHz with a -2 AVX offset for effective 4.8GHz when using AVX apps, this is because CFL chips do run hot with AVX code, there is no denying that.

It doesnt help that they require more voltage to be 'AVX stable' - for example my 8700K needs 1.36V for 5GHz non AVX but 1.42V for AVX workloads. This is enough to overwhelm my modest CM 212+ HSF to the point that I wouldnt call it stable even though it can compete benchmarks.

The 9900K exacerbates this due to an extra 33% in cores.

The efficiency curve of CFL nosedives beyond 4.6 - 4.7GHz which means the 9900K is already pushing that boundary at stock. You have to weigh up whether that additional 300MHz is really worth the additional heat and power.