I have a 240aio nzxt kraken, and a new-ish installed 13700k(18 months), it's running incredibly hot lately, from what I can see the pump isn't dead and running fine, but I'm getting crazy high temps (75ish at idle, 90+ while gaming)

Is this a thermal paste issue? or a cpu issue? like wtf is going on

nzxt cam says my liquid is 65celsius

also I live in the south US so it's hot here for ambient temp

This post was edited by Grumblee on Jun 2 2024 11:31pm

Remove old thermal compound and reapply new paste, make sure the plastic film wasn't left on the block.

Lmao, it wasn’t, it’s the same block I had before just using a new cpu

Are you overclocking or stock?

I just installed a new aio myself so its fresh on my mind

first thing the 13700k tdp is 125 and so is the nzxt 240aio max rating, I believe you are pushing the limit by using a 240aio it just barely is rated enough to handle a stock 13700k.
that being said, if you mount the aio on the top of your case which is the best location for max performance, and maybe undervolt your cpu a little you should be fine.

most people are using 360aio for that cpu.

Yeah those tend to run HOT to begin with, I would try with a bigger Cooler since your 240 is not meant for that type of CPU, there are other factors to consider:

1. Temperature of your Room (Location)
2. Case and Fans (This can sometimes create a Loop in your system leaving t with poor Airflow)
3. Overclocking can also affect temperatures of your CPU, if you have any of these enable I would reconsider running Stock or lowering your Overclock settings.
4. I'm pretty sure your AIO should have an app to increase the Fan Speed on your Pump, I would recommend using 'Extreme" or highest settings while playing games only.

This is my go to guess.

1: Take off your cover and dust out your fans. Gooch dust is really sticky and tends to hang on fans.
2: Make sure ventilation is good, the fan ports arent blocked by walls, books or whatever.
3: Benchmark your pc and see what part is underpreforming. Can give you hints as to why you are needing so much processing power, ie 45 chrome tabs open.
3: Reapply thermal paste

Lick the pins for extra viscosity.

Drop your PL1/PL2 power
Drop the load line calibration to a less aggressive ramp
Go with a little more aggressive fan curve
Lock your pump rpm to around 2000ish. Thats what I usually set mine at for a 200w cpu (1:10)
Using a LGA 1700 contact frame? Can drop about 10% of your temps

I'd do all of these.
Sad you have to aggressively tune intel processors now a days otherwise they throttle