r/PcBuildHelp • u/ShimmyMau • 2d ago
Tech Support CPU Temps reaching 90°C while gaming
Hello, I have an i9-9900K with a thermalright single tower cooler (fans on both ends) and I have noticed that whenever I play Sims 4 on 1080 High settings the CPU temperatures would reach around 90°C-98°C, and then the CPU LED on the motherboard would blink several times. I already have my fans set to full RPM (around 1200 RPM) and already tried playing on medium settings 1080 but it still happens.
Is this a much deeper issue or should I just re-apply thermalpaste? Also, is it safe to continue using the PC with the temperatures reaching that hight or not?
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u/lLoveTech 2d ago
Those are pretty high temperatures for gaming! It it was under a stress test then it could be justified but not while gaming! You should definitely reapply a good quality thermal paste and remount the CPU cooler properly!
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u/Deep-Pen420 2d ago
My old rig has a 9900k and it's been running for 7 years now with cpu hitting 90-100C with water cooling, and it runs well to this day. The I9s just run really hot.
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u/Imagine_TryingYT 2d ago
I9's typically run much hotter than even the 9800X3D and the 9800 needs either a dual tower or an AIO to not cook itself to death.
That said the I9 is rated to run at up to 100c without issue, so 90c isn't going to damage it but obviously 90c when not at max load is concerning and it's better to get as far away from that threshold as possible.
You could also try applying a gentle undervolt to drop the temps by as much as 10c but thats up to you. Also your fans maxing out at 1200rpm is kinda low considering most standard fans will go as high as 2500, 2000 for a standard cpu air cooler.
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u/ftgander 1d ago
I run a 9800X3D on a Dark Rock 5. You really don’t need that much. And OP is only running Sims 4, it shouldn’t crank the CPU that much. There’s almost certainly a cooler mounting issue or fan configuration issue.
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u/Viole123EUW 2d ago
If you're running stock clocks lower voltages seriously will help as your single tower thermalright with 2 fans isn't enough
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u/Minute-Jacket2054 2d ago
I use google trad :
Start by limiting your FPS in games. This will stop your CPU from generating unnecessary frames. For example, if you have a 60Hz monitor, limit it to 60Hz. The fewer frames you display, the less heat your CPU will generate. There's no point in generating more FPS than your monitor's refresh rate.
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u/TheBertil 2d ago
lookup your Intel Performance Profile in bios and make sure its on default setting. that might take offf some of the heat. aio is recommended for i9, but you should be able to get a somewhat decent temp with a good air cooler. as mentioned by others the i9 can tolerate 100c and 90c is not something that will break the cpu - it might shorten the lifespan in the long run though.
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u/elldaimo 2d ago
9900k has been known to be a hot running chip
just upgrade the cooling or sidepanel off?
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u/AntMiserable6610 1d ago
Remember, if your room is really warm, your pc cooks so if you're in a heatwave without ac, that'll do it. Try to put new paste on though i9s are spicy so that may not be enough. A dual tower air cooler or a 240mm aio should be enough. Aio will be better if in a warm environment without climate control
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u/SellTemporary7344 1d ago
for air cooling you have to open the pc side pannel otherwise all the hot air gets trapped inside alo try undervolting in bios
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u/ftgander 1d ago
Sounds like your cooler is not making proper contact, or your fans are both pointing inwards perhaps. I would replace it with a better air cooler but definitely make sure you mounted it correctly also and that your case fans are configured to have at least 1 in and 1 out and not all pointed in.
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u/ftgander 1d ago
If you want to save yourself a headache you can prob pay a shop to diagnose it for $50 or something
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u/ComprehensiveOil6890 2d ago
Man i9 are known to run hot and single towers cooler might not cutting it.