10C contrast in cores!
10C contrast in cores!
Recently I noticed my laptop's performance slowed during video renders. I ran a benchmark using Throttlestop (-100mv undervolt) and discovered two cores are 10°C hotter than the other two. Because one core hit its maximum temperature threshold, the CPU began throttling. Should I try a thermal paste refill or replace the chip? It hasn’t been more than six months since I had it serviced at an ASUS center for cleaning and paste replacement (I was too busy with exams to handle it then). After that service, the laptop ran cooler, but now this issue is recurring. I’m not sure if it’s a long-term problem since it was manageable before. If it’s a hardware issue, it likely appeared after the service rather than during it.
I faced the same issue with my old i7-4790K, where the temperature gap between core 0 and core 3 reached up to 20 degrees. It was quite an extreme fix, but I removed the lid, applied Conductonaut liquid metal directly onto the die, and noticed the biggest drop in difference fell below 5 degrees. Consider repositioning the die evenly and tightening the heatsink similarly—see if that helps.
Higher deltas were more severe in previous generations. Intel has made progress since the 8th generation. A 10C delta isn't unusual on older chips.
Possible adjustments can be made. Even with full utilization across all cores, a 10C difference remains normal.
10C offers little value. My setup has 12,600K with a corrector frame that reduced core performance by 2-3C, yet the core-to-per-core gap remains around 9C.
All cores operated uniformly in speed. Previously, there was a temperature gap of about 2-3°C between the hottest and coldest cores. This suggests possible CPU wear from heavy use. It seems normal at first, but the recent increase in difference caught attention—only after a Windows reinstallation a month ago.