Solved My 13700KF is getting murderously hot

Catnip · Aug 3, 2026

I was doing a performance test today and I was surprised that my score wasn't better, but then looking at my CPU temp it's no wonder. It was approaching 100C and throttling. I have one of these nifty coolers:

It's a Noctua NH-D15 and it wasn't cheap. I have been pretty happy with it, but something isn't exactly right. I have replaced the TIM and it is still getting too hot. My case has a total of 7 Noctua fans not including the two on the CPU cooler.

I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that the cooler is loose somehow, though it felt tight when I remounted it after changing the TIM.

Does anyone have a thought on this? I'm out of ideas.

maur0 · Aug 3, 2026

Catnip said:
I was doing a performance test today and I was surprised that my score wasn't better, but then looking at my CPU temp it's no wonder. It was approaching 100C and throttling. I have one of these nifty coolers:

View attachment 178429

It's a Noctua NH-D15 and it wasn't cheap. I have been pretty happy with it, but something isn't exactly right. I have replaced the TIM and it is still getting too hot. My case has a total of 7 Noctua fans not including the two on the CPU cooler.

I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that the cooler is loose somehow, though it felt tight when I remounted it after changing the TIM.

Does anyone have a thought on this? I'm out of ideas.

Have you ever thought about delid the CPU?

jvickers · Aug 3, 2026

Have you considered undervolting?

win11raider · Aug 3, 2026

I have the same CPU with the same Noctua cooling system. So far, my temperatures are fine. Your heatsink may be loose and not making proper contact with the CPU. Without using force, try moving the heatsink with your hand. It should be very securely attached and should not move at all. When I built my computer and did some research, it seems that some cooling systems lose their clamping force when they are disassembled and then reassembled. That might be because a screw was overtightened.

It might sound absurd, but is it possible that something got stuck between the CPU and the heatsink? It happens more often than we realize.

Ghot · Aug 3, 2026

@Catnip

This is from your motherboard's BIOS manual.
For the fan header, you may want to consider "Manual" or "Full Speed"

At Full Speed the Noctua NH-D15 will put out 82-91 CFM, which should be plenty.

KevTech · Aug 3, 2026

Too much paste will also make things worse as you are then insulating the heatsink from the CPU.

Even on current CPU I just use a BB size drop in the middle of the CPU as it will spread when bolting down the heatsink.

Also, on that heatsink you are supposed to have the fan pull in and the other fan pull out.

bobkn · Aug 3, 2026

I haven't checked the Gigabyte Z790 UD AC, but there's a chance that the power settings in the BIOS for the CPU are too aggressive. I don't know about Gigabyte, but on some Asus board the default power settings were originally set above Intel's recommendations.

You can set limits that will keep the CPU from throttling while not limiting the maximum performance significantly.

And/or, switch to an AIO water cooler. The NH-D15 is a great air cooler, but the best water coolers may outperform it a little.

Are you using the original CPU retention frame? Those are known to sometimes cause the CPU heatspreader to bow a little (becoming convex). That reduces the heat transfer to the heatsink/fan, even if you've applied the TIM properly. Aftermarket frames (roughly 10USD) improve things, but may void your warranty. (if you're honest enough to admit that you used one.) Much safer than performing surgery on your CPU (delidding).

itsme1 · Aug 3, 2026

It might be because you switched to more demanding testing software.

Your processor has a maximum turbo power of 253 W. No air cooler can handle 253 W; air coolers are suitable for processors with a max TDP of 180–200 W, but anything beyond that requires liquid cooling.

You should monitor the temperatures during actual use of the computer for a few weeks.

PerpetualCycle · Aug 3, 2026

Hi catnip

More case fans is not necessarily a good thing. The case matters a lot too - whether it allows for good airflow. If you can, measuring the air temperature inside the case may tell you a lot about what is going on.

A 240, or better, 360 AIO water cooler would resolve this. They are not expensive and safe. There are good and bad and better ones.

I used to have a nh-d15 and moved to water for these hotter processors.

EDIT: By the way, what performance test?

HeavyHemi · Aug 3, 2026

Catnip said:
I was doing a performance test today and I was surprised that my score wasn't better, but then looking at my CPU temp it's no wonder. It was approaching 100C and throttling. I have one of these nifty coolers:

View attachment 178429

It's a Noctua NH-D15 and it wasn't cheap. I have been pretty happy with it, but something isn't exactly right. I have replaced the TIM and it is still getting too hot. My case has a total of 7 Noctua fans not including the two on the CPU cooler.

I don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that the cooler is loose somehow, though it felt tight when I remounted it after changing the TIM.

Does anyone have a thought on this? I'm out of ideas.

If I understand you correctly, you had better temps, noticed your temps approaching 100C during a benchmark, repasted and are still seeing elevated temps?
Have you checked fan operation, both case and cooler?

spapakons · Aug 3, 2026

If you have two CPU fan headers make sure you didn't connect them the other way around. The fan on the CPU should draw heat away.

PerpetualCycle · Aug 3, 2026

spapakons said:
If you have two CPU fan headers make sure you didn't connect them the other way around. The fan on the CPU should draw heat away.

In other words the two fans have to be pointing and blowing in the same direction, not opposing each other. The cooler needs airflow across the fins in order to coo, and the direction of the airflow needs to be towards an opening or grid on the case to exhaust the air. But I am guessing catnip knows that.

HeavyHemi · Aug 3, 2026

spapakons said:
If you have two CPU fan headers make sure you didn't connect them the other way around. The fan on the CPU should draw heat away.

The headers are keyed so, that should not happen. The cooler can run with the fans in either direction (as long as both are in the same direction) depending upon the orientation of the cooler and the location and direction of your case fans.

spapakons · Aug 3, 2026

Check the cooler stands. Make sure none is broken. Once I had a broken stand and heat dissipation was too low because of bad contact and of course I had overheating. I remember using tier up to tighten the contact as much as possible. This helped decrease the temperature.

Catnip · Aug 4, 2026

maur0 said:
Have you ever thought about delid the CPU?

Never, ever. The lid is there for a reason.

Catnip · Aug 4, 2026

Ghot said:
@Catnip

This is from your motherboard's BIOS manual.
For the fan header, you may want to consider "Manual" or "Full Speed"

View attachment 178442

At Full Speed the Noctua NH-D15 will put out 82-91 CFM, which should be plenty.

The CPU fans are set at full speed. I am not partial to fiddling with fan curves. I just leave it running full blast. I can't hear it anyway.

bobkn said:
I haven't checked the Gigabyte Z790 UD AC, but there's a chance that the power settings in the BIOS for the CPU are too aggressive. I don't know about Gigabyte, but on some Asus board the default power settings were originally set above Intel's recommendations.

You can set limits that will keep the CPU from throttling while not limiting the maximum performance significantly.

And/or, switch to an AIO water cooler. The NH-D15 is a great air cooler, but the best water coolers may outperform it a little.

Are you using the original CPU retention frame? Those are known to sometimes cause the CPU heatspreader to bow a little (becoming convex). That reduces the heat transfer to the heatsink/fan, even if you've applied the TIM properly. Aftermarket frames (roughly 10USD) improve things, but may void your warranty. (if you're honest enough to admit that you used one.) Much safer than performing surgery on your CPU (delidding).

I am using the original retention frame. I had an AIO, but it really underperformed and I got rid of it. I am going to try adjusting the voltages and see if that helps.

Funny thing is, I rattled the heatsink this morning and now my temps are lower. I checked yesterday and I thought it was solid (and it still is), but my idle temp has dropped 10 degrees. I'm going to tear it apart again.

itsme1 said:
You should monitor the temperatures during actual use of the computer for a few weeks.

That's the plan. If this cooler can't handle it, I guesss I'll have to get another AIO

PerpetualCycle said:
EDIT: By the way, what performance test?

I was using an old version of Passmark. The CPU test was the one that caused the high temps and throttling. The others were fine.

Thank you for all of the advice, everyone. A big hug to all. It's very much appreciated. Here is my plan of attack:

1. Redo the TIM material on the heatsink and reseat the cooler
2. Re-run the Passmark test and verify temps
3. If necessary, start the undervolt tuning
4. Repeat #2
5. If I can't resolve this, an AIO is in my future.

Ghot · Aug 4, 2026

Catnip said:
Here is my plan of attack:

1. Redo the TIM material on the heatsink and reseat the cooler
2. Re-run the Passmark test and verify temps
3. If necessary, start the undervolt tuning
4. Repeat #2
5. If I can't resolve this, an AIO is in my future.

Good plan.
If the heat sink is full of dust, clean that first.

The following is one of, if not the best thermal compound...

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1 g Thermal Paste (TG-K-001-RS) - PCPartPicker

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1 g Thermal Paste (TG-K-001-RS)

pcpartpicker.com

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut has great reviews as well.

MysteriousBox · Aug 4, 2026

Did you use a contact frame like this https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B811J7D9?th=1

If you did not, there is a high probability your chip is "warped" slightly enough that it is no longer making adequate contact. Because the LGA 1700 sockets are rectangular and not square, this was a common problem that people solved by using a custom contact frame.

Catnip · Aug 4, 2026

I just lowered my Vcore to 1.15 Volts. The temps are way better, but my Passmark test fell 30,000 ponts on the CPU. I went from 93rd percentile to 55th percentile. So I guess it's back to auto Voltage.

I am going to try one of the CPU brackets that MysteriousBox recommended and see what happens.

Ghot · Aug 4, 2026

@Catnip

Also, if you used the thermal compound that came on/with the CPU cooler, that could also be an issue.
The stuff CPU cooler companies include is not the greatest.

Using a decent 3rd party thermal compound is much better.

Solved My 13700KF is getting murderously hot

Forum Nitwit

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

The lunatics have taken over the asylum

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Active member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Syzygy

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Syzygy

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Forum Nitwit

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Forum Nitwit

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

What's in the box?

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Forum Nitwit

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Similar threads

My Computer

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computer

My Computers

My Computer

My Computer

My Computers