Recently I bought an used i5 13600k from a market place in my country for around 150 euro. Excited to get home and test, I paired with my Asus Prime B760M-A DDR4 motherboard and a 4 heatpipes 120mm DeepCool air cooler + using Artic MX-4 paste. In the first benchmarks and games the CPU hits around 85-90c in games and throttle in stress test. So I order a brand new Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 120 + contact frame from same brand for 40 euro. Installed and start the test the temps hit now 70-77c in games and around 85c in stress test.

Beeing socked about how bad is performing with one of the best air coolers in the markets (seeing the benchmarks on heavyer Ryzen or Intel cpus) and completly not satisfed, I searched for how to lower temps and I resumed to:

- Updated to last bios version as most of internet said Intel completly solved 13/14th gen thermal and power cosumption problem with this (even my last bios version was 1825 from couple of moths before) -> no improve

- Put the Intel Adaptive Boost to Intel Default not Asus Default, Asus multicore to disabled -> no improve

- VRM Core Voltage to Offset mode from -0.08000 to -0.13500 (as to not crash in apps) -> Slighly improve here but not satisfyed; temps between 68-75c. Didn't count the fps or benchmarks scores.
- CPU Power Manage - PL1 Long Term Pack to 125w and PL2 Short term Pack to 150w - no visible improve

- Performance and Efficent Core ration to sync by all cores and set to 1 value low (like 50 and 38) - slightly stable temps in game but not a much improve and higher idle temps.

- IA TDC power from mother board capability to Intel Default settings - no improve

- Auto Profile Lines from Auto (4th profile for OC) to Profile 3 and Profile 2 - not slightly improve and lower fps/scores

- Hyper threading Off - no improve

- Turbo Boost disable - huge improve temps no high >60c but runs at 3.5ghz but much lower scores/fps.

Tired already after trying a lot of unsuccessful visible methods, I kept reading on the net that the 13th generation has factory problems that can not be remedied with temperatures and consumption. That many users returned it or that others were burned after a few months of use.

Through other parts I saw that with weaker coolers they kept this processor in much lower temperatures than me with default settings.

Others said that generation 13/14 can be cooled only with at least one cooler per liquid of 240mm.

I also read that my B760M-A motherboard from Asus is one of the worst made and that VRMs do not cope for this processor (i saw several reviews with it) and to take another mobo or buy a Z690/Z790.

So I thought maybe the processor being bought second hand was broken over time or maybe it ran at high temperatures and had problems.

Finally I sold it for 200 euros (i even made a profit) and I ordered an i5 14400f tray at 150e that runs great so far (with this cooler Phantom Spirit 120 EVO) does not jump me 55c in games.

But still dissatisfied with the performance it brings out (compared to what I had before an i5 12400f) that offers only to say 10% extra, I would like to return it with 14 days right of return and buy a 14600k which is about 200euro (new without warranty) but I'm afraid to not get the same story as with 13600k.

I don't know what to do, this 14400f I don't see it last more than two years, it already makes me bottleneck with RTX 4070 in games (it stays at over 50% in some games and pulls the video card down) and I'll have to change again, and my best choice was 13 or 14600k.