Good day!

I have a question about CPU temps and fan speed. My 14900KF seems to be running a bit hot to my uneducated eye while flying MS2020 using the Core Temp app. Fresh install of the sim, empty community folder and flying the default 172 with no traffic, etc... Fans and case are spotless. All 12 cores will generally run around 50-65C but all will spike at 100C at one point or another. My concern is that the sim has lately been not just been crashing but causing a system shutdown/restart. I do run the sim at very high settings but my system should be able to handle that. My 4080 Super runs cool as a cucumber. So my question is this: Are these 100C spikes worrisome in your opinion and would it be a good idea to set my fans to run full speed to help keep those temp spikes in check? Thanks for any and all advice!

Brian 

Is your BIOS up to date? The 14900 KF is known for its high temperatures and spikes. Check out YouTube videos for tweaks or mild undervolting. I previously owned the i9 14900 KS, and it required significant tweaking to achieve stability. Unfortunately, it isn't the most desirable CPU in this regard. However, you can certainly get it under control; I hope it's not damaged. 

These newer intel CPU's will start throttle cutting if it exceed the temperature threshold, so highly doupt you have damaged it. Kind of a self protection mode.

Check your BIOS settings. Some motherboards like ASUS will default to their aggressive CPU power settings. You can try setting it to "Limit to Intel's recommended Settings".   I noticed a big difference in heat and power consumption when I changed my settings with very little change in CPU performance.  But these 13900 and 14900 do run hotter then previous CPU's and their throttle temperature is also higher. 

What kind of CPU cooling are you running?

You referred to "all 12 cores"...the 14900K has 24 cores.  Have you disabled some of them?

The 13th and 14th gen Intel CPUs and the chipsets that support them have had a rash of problems with overvolting caused by bad microcode, causing a lot of the CPUs to be permanently damaged.  Some early generations of the CPUs also had a manufacturing defect in the application of an anti-corrosion coating between the silicon layers that can lead to long-term degradation or failure of the CPU.   

If you're not running a fairly current BIOS, the faulty firmware may be spiking the voltage to unsafe levels.  Also, you have to be careful with BIOS settings as well--the motherboard manufacturers have been using overly aggressive default BIOS settings that can exacerbate the problems with overstressing those CPUs with excessive voltage.

Intel has a CPU test utility available for download on their website--not a bad idea to run that to determine whether your CPU is already damaged.  If it is degraded, Intel has extended the warranty on those CPUs.  And given all of the issues, it's not a bad idea to dial back any overclock to make sure the CPU remains well within design power and temp limits even if the CPU is still OK.

 

Check your CPU cooler seating is it in even contact, re-seating your cooler with new paste to check it`s not breaking down.

On 3/7/2025 at 3:23 PM, Bob Scott said:

What kind of CPU cooling are you running?

You referred to "all 12 cores"...the 14900K has 24 cores.  Have you disabled some of them?

The 13th and 14th gen Intel CPUs and the chipsets that support them have had a rash of problems with overvolting caused by bad microcode, causing a lot of the CPUs to be permanently damaged.  Some early generations of the CPUs also had a manufacturing defect in the application of an anti-corrosion coating between the silicon layers that can lead to long-term degradation or failure of the CPU.   

If you're not running a fairly current BIOS, the faulty firmware may be spiking the voltage to unsafe levels.  Also, you have to be careful with BIOS settings as well--the motherboard manufacturers have been using overly aggressive default BIOS settings that can exacerbate the problems with overstressing those CPUs with excessive voltage.

Intel has a CPU test utility available for download on their website--not a bad idea to run that to determine whether your CPU is already damaged.  If it is degraded, Intel has extended the warranty on those CPUs.  And given all of the issues, it's not a bad idea to dial back any overclock to make sure the CPU remains well within design power and temp limits even if the CPU is still OK.

 

I have a CLX Quench 360 cooler. The BIOS is original v1 so it's definitely due for an upgrade. 

The mystery is now the number of cores. Everything on my system says 12 cores but since reading your reply I learn that cores are routinely "hidden".  I've not done anything in the BIOS or4 other settings.  Time to hit the Googleverse... Thaks for pointing that out to me.