Recommended heatsink for Intel Core i7-4790K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 115

[Bulldog13]

Good morning,

My brother is getting BSOD errors with his PC when playing intensive 3d games (Total Warhammer).

His specs are:

Operating System
	Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
CPU
	Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.00GHz	
	Haswell 22nm Technology
RAM
	16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 932MHz (8-9-9-24)
Motherboard
	ASRock Z97 Extreme6 (CPUSocket)	28 °C
Graphics
	ASUS VW266H (1920x1200@59Hz)
	2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (EVGA)

I ran the "Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool 64Bit" and it failed with:

10 degrees C below maximum
Test Result - PASS
Expected Greater than 1 degrees below max
Received 10 degrees below max
Test PASSED
0 degrees C below maximum
Test Result - FAIL
Expected Greater than 1 degrees below max
Received 0 degrees below max
Test FAILED
Please check your Processor Thermal Solution
Temperature Monitor Stopped

--------------------------------------------------------------------

System Information
------------------
Processor Name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz
Processor Information: Intel64 Family 6 Model 60 Stepping 3
Number of Physical Cores: 4
Number of Logical Cores: 8
Installed System Memory: 16 GB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
Graphics Information: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760
System Product: Z97 EXTREME6
System BIOS: P1.30
System Serial Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--- IPDT64 - End Time: 6/3/2016 11:00:49 AM
--- IPDT64 - Result: Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------
FAIL

It is using the retail HSF, but I remember when I built it, I had a bear of a time getting the HSF on...couldn't quite get the 4 posts to click in, but I did get them stable.

Does anyone have a suggestion for an easy mount HSF for this cpu / mobo? I will try remounting it, but I fear we will just run into the same problem.

We are not trying to overclock beyond whatever the bios does automagically.

 

[LTC8K6]

Intel's TS15A is much better and mounts the same way.

However, it would bother me if the CPU was throttling while playing a game, even with the stock HSF.

Also, throttling generally wouldn't produce errors. It just slows things down.

So, I am suspicious that the stock HSF has anything to do with the errors.

 

[Bulldog13]

Intel's TS15A is much better and mounts the same way.

However, it would bother me if the CPU was throttling while playing a game, even with the stock HSF.

Also, throttling generally wouldn't produce errors. It just slows things down.

So, I am suspicious that the stock HSF has anything to do with the errors.

I will go ahead and update drivers / bios and see if that helps.

Any thoughts on how to further diagnose it ? I enabled logging so the next BSOD should give more information.

 

[mnewsham]

If you have thermal paste, clean off the heat sink and re-seat with the new paste. If you're still overheating make sure it's making contact with the IHS properly.

 

[Kenmitch]

I will go ahead and update drivers / bios and see if that helps.

Any thoughts on how to further diagnose it ? I enabled logging so the next BSOD should give more information.

Checking in Event Viewer may help.

If it was me I'd just replace the stock cooler anyways. Probably not worth the time to reapply TIM on it. If your going to go thru the hassle you might as well swap it out at that time. Not like you got to get a top of the line cooler to have better thermals compared to the stock cooler. The stock cooler sucks....It's only really good for a quick on the box build to test for potentially DOA items you may have gotten. Sure many defend it as being good enough....But in the end it's just a whiney little piece of crap!

 

[ZGR]

Pretty much any $20 cooler will support 4.4. GHz. The 4790k @ 4.4 GHz with the stock HSF usually results in very high temps.

You can lower clocks to ~3.9 GHz to solve the throttling problem or you can replace the cooler.

edit: I bet the HSF isn't mounted correctly.

 

[Bulldog13]

Pretty much any $20 cooler will support 4.4. GHz. The 4790k @ 4.4 GHz with the stock HSF usually results in very high temps.

You can lower clocks to ~3.9 GHz to solve the throttling problem or you can replace the cooler.

edit: I bet the HSF isn't mounted correctly.

I changed the "Operation Mode" in the "A-Tuning" program from "Performance" to "Standard". Now throttling seems to be working correctly. It gets up to 99 degrees and begins throttling back the CPU speed so it doesn't go any higher. It now passes the previously reported failed test. 99 still seems kind of high though.

Any recommendations on an aftermarket cooler for not more than $50, preferably easier to mount (if this is even possible) ?

 

[mnewsham]

The Scythe Katana 4 has push pin installation for the normal Intel sockets. So you just pop the intel one off and pop this one on. The issue is it's still push pin and they are garbage in general.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185178

If you want to make sure it's installed securely you pretty much have to go with something like the 212 EVO or others that have a backplate and come with better mounting hardware. But then installation will be more involved and take a bit longer.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Cooling...1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835203026
Link acting odd. Item# N82E16835203026 at newegg is Intel's best push pin cooler for LGA11XX sockets.
I have one on my 4790K. The TS15A cooler. Or boxed is BXTS15A.

http://hexus.net/tech/news/cooling/85604-intel-ts15a-lga1151-twice-size-retail-lga1150-cooler/

 

[Sable]

If you're not gonna OC just mount your HSF properly. I know it's poo your pants time and feels like you're gonna snap the board but THAT'S how firmly have to press down because that's how firmly the HSF needs to be pressed against the CPU. Otherwise... tada

On a side note my 2500k ran for weeks with the HSF not properly secured after it got "jostled" during a move. Didn't notice till I decided to overclock and noticed the temps were already ultrahigh and it was throttling.

 

[Kenmitch]

Any recommendations on an aftermarket cooler for not more than $50, preferably easier to mount (if this is even possible) ?

Here's a cheaper one with push pins. Probably not the greatest but should make the stock cooler look pathetic still.

Cooler Master Hyper TX3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16835103064

Not sure how much room the case has as it wasn't stated.

The ARCTIC Freezer 13 Limited Edition would be another option.

http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Freeze...UTF8&qid=1464987048&sr=1-22&keywords=Push+pin

 

[ClockHound]

Push pins suck for good temps. Actually they suck period.

The Cryorig M9i has a simple quick mount with a decent backplate. Probably the best $19.99 cooler atm. Performs better than a hyper 212 and way easier to install.

 

[LTC8K6]

Case may not give access to the back of the mobo, so some coolers may require mobo removal.

The push pin coolers don't have that problem.

Might want to check before you buy a cooler that requires access to the back of the mobo.

 

[EliteRetard]

I had the exact same issue with the same CPU...quick overheating and throttling at stock speed with the stock cooler.

Everyone swore that the sh*t 35 watt stock cooler was made to handle the 90+ watt i7.
Insisted that if I just smashed the cooler on even harder it would somehow magically be able to do it's job. Even using bolts through the MOBO proved the cooler could not handle the stock CPU.

I tried "the best SFF cooler" scythe shuriken, but it also failed miserably. A closer inspection revealed poor build quality and a serious design flaw that gave almost no contact between the baseplate and heatpipes. No idea how this thing ever got good reviews.

So I went and grabbed one of the old Intel coolers. Back when they gave a damn and included a usable cooler for their CPUs. This was a ~150 watt cooler with a vapor chamber, only the mounting holes were for an older socket (Core 2 Quad). Still, Intel has stuck with a square mounting pattern so it was an easy task to drill out the holes diagonally just a hair to fit. Again, I used bolts instead of the plastic clips.

Went from massive overheating at stock, to being able to run all 4 cores at 4.4GHz under 80c and with fan speed to spare. This "new" TS15A looks almost exactly like another old Intel CPU cooler, and seems to be slightly weaker than the one I used:

Here's the old 1366 cooler:

Same design and 90mm fan as the "new" TS15A.
Here's that "new" cooler next to the current stock Intel coolers:

Here's the old 775 cooler I used, it's larger and with a bigger fan (120mm?):

You can still buy this old cooler around $20:
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-intel-d99136-001-DP807A50-DTC-AAS10/dp/B007QFRN52

Works great with MOBO fan control, set the heatsink switch to high performance and then setup a fan profile that provides a good balance of cooling and noise. I'm using this cooler in an SG05, and this heatsink is just as quiet as the case fan at low loads.

 

[Bulldog13]

I had the exact same issue with the same CPU...quick overheating and throttling at stock speed with the stock cooler.

Everyone swore that the sh*t 35 watt stock cooler was made to handle the 90+ watt i7.
Insisted that if I just smashed the cooler on even harder it would somehow magically be able to do it's job. Even using bolts through the MOBO proved the cooler could not handle the stock CPU.

I tried "the best SFF cooler" scythe shuriken, but it also failed miserably. A closer inspection revealed poor build quality and a serious design flaw that gave almost no contact between the baseplate and heatpipes. No idea how this thing ever got good reviews.

So I went and grabbed one of the old Intel coolers. Back when they gave a damn and included a usable cooler for their CPUs. This was a ~150 watt cooler with a vapor chamber, only the mounting holes were for an older socket (Core 2 Quad). Still, Intel has stuck with a square mounting pattern so it was an easy task to drill out the holes diagonally just a hair to fit. Again, I used bolts instead of the plastic clips.

Went from massive overheating at stock, to being able to run all 4 cores at 4.4GHz under 80c and with fan speed to spare. This "new" TS15A looks almost exactly like another old Intel CPU cooler, and seems to be slightly weaker than the one I used:

Here's the old 1366 cooler:

Same design and 90mm fan as the "new" TS15A.
Here's that "new" cooler next to the current stock Intel coolers:

Here's the old 775 cooler I used, it's larger and with a bigger fan (120mm?):

You can still buy this old cooler around $20:
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-intel-d99136-001-DP807A50-DTC-AAS10/dp/B007QFRN52

Works great with MOBO fan control, set the heatsink switch to high performance and then setup a fan profile that provides a good balance of cooling and noise. I'm using this cooler in an SG05, and this heatsink is just as quiet as the case fan at low loads.

Does the linked HSF http://www.amazon.com/Intel-intel-d99136-001-DP807A50-DTC-AAS10/dp/B007QFRN52 use 4 push pins? I can't tell from the picture. Will it fit the mentioned LGA 1150 motherboard without drilling or additional modifications? Anyone else agree this would be a better bet than the new retail Intel HSF TS15A ?

 

[EliteRetard]

Does the linked HSF http://www.amazon.com/Intel-intel-d99136-001-DP807A50-DTC-AAS10/dp/B007QFRN52 use 4 push pins? I can't tell from the picture. Will it fit the mentioned LGA 1150 motherboard without drilling or additional modifications? Anyone else agree this would be a better bet than the new retail Intel HSF TS15A ?

That one I linked will require some modification to work.
If you don't wish to mod the cooler, then the newer TS15A is the Intel cooler for you. Or use a pushpin tower cooler as others suggested.

That older Intel cooler (FCLGA4-S) is just a tad bigger/better and seems to cost less then the TS15A. It's socket 775, so the mounting holes are 72mm square. The 115x socket is 75mm square. So you need to drill/file out the holes 1.5mm (1/16") diagonally on each leg to get the old cooler to fit the new socket.

It does come with the push pins and the stock Intel paste (but stock Intel paste aint that great). You'd need to carefully remove the pushpins to widen the holes, then reinstall them. They will still work in the widened holes, since the change is small. It only took me 30 minutes to remove the clips and drill the holes, but some people have a hard time with these kinds of things. Personally, instead of reinstalling the clips I used bolts and rubber washers.

Here's a quick example image of some Intel mounting holes (notice the 115x is just half a hole width away from the old 775):

Edit: Derp, it's 1366, not 1336. Doesn't really matter...I was probably thinking 1337 or something stupid when I scribbled that.

 

[Ranulf]

Just get the new Intel Skylake BXTS15A one linked earlier if you want to avoid installing backplates etc.. If its not that hard to do, ie you have a cutout in the mobo tray for it or don't mind taking out the mobo, a serious tower cooler like the evo 212 or better is the way to go. I'm a noise fanatic these days myself after putting up with AMD and Intel stock cooling solutions for about 4 years.

But yeah, just using the push pins design makes it a 1min fix for $30. Not bad.

 

[Bulldog13]

Just get the new Intel Skylake BXTS15A one linked earlier if you want to avoid installing backplates etc.. If its not that hard to do, ie you have a cutout in the mobo tray for it or don't mind taking out the mobo, a serious tower cooler like the evo 212 or better is the way to go. I'm a noise fanatic these days myself after putting up with AMD and Intel stock cooling solutions for about 4 years.

But yeah, just using the push pins design makes it a 1min fix for $30. Not bad.

The BXTS15A did it friends! Temp is holding steady at like 77 under full load, not spiking to 100 and throttling anymore. No noise complaint on the that HSF. Had a near thing where I accidentally bent a pin in the mobo and it wouldn't start, but moved it back into place.

Sorry to bump old thread, just wanted to post a resolution in case anyone in the future stumbles across this thread.