Checking if 80-90°C is secure during stress tests for an overclocked i7-7700k running at 4.8Ghz.
Checking if 80-90°C is secure during stress tests for an overclocked i7-7700k running at 4.8Ghz.
I recently purchased a PC equipped with a 7700k processor and began overclocking. My motherboard (gigabyte-z270-hd3) includes built-in overclocking profiles for the i7-7700k. I've been running the 4.6ghz profile for a few days, and during stress testing it only reached 84° at its maximum, staying mostly between 70-77°. My motherboard also has a 4.8Ghz profile, which I tested; it peaked at 91° but remained around 80-88° for most of the test. The cooler I'm using is the ThermalTake Contac 12 Silent (without the voltage/rpm limiter).
I'm wondering if these temperatures are acceptable or if I should revert to the 4.6Ghz profile. I plan to go back to 4.6 but would value some advice.
No, it's not. Temperatures above 80°C are not acceptable. Going beyond 85°C moves the issue into areas where problems like thermal failure, electromigration, and VT shift become likely. Read this for practical details on Intel processor temperature management. Forums. Also, clarify what kind of test you're performing to gauge your max temp. Remember, stress tests and thermal tests are different. Stress tests check stability under changing loads, while thermal tests use consistent workloads matching the CPU's power limits. Common tools include Prime95 Small FFT (AVX disabled), OCCT small data set, or similar, with AVX settings adjusted as needed. I favor Prime95 because it gets closer to full TDP and is more flexible.
If the temperatures reached 4.6Ghz, I would lower the voltage slightly and then perform a stability test. If maintaining stable 4.6Ghz becomes difficult with a low enough voltage that keeps below 80°C, then decrease your OC to 4.5Ghz and retest at reduced voltage. Generally, you should use a more powerful cooler, and based on your setup and fan configuration, you may also need further adjustments.