Exhausted Creativity: 8700k Boost Issue
Exhausted Creativity: 8700k Boost Issue
Hey everyone, I’m running out of ideas about why I can’t get a higher overclock on my 8700K. I keep hearing it should be able to reach 5.0GHz, but so far it hasn’t worked well. I’m curious if there are any product recommendations for better cooling or BIOS tweaks that could help boost my overclock. (Sorry for the long message)
Build Details:
■CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K (delidded with conductonaut liquid metal)
■CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Ultimate
■Thermal Compound: Cryorig CP 7
■Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX Z370-E
■Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200
■Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC2 Video Card
■Case: Fractal Design - Define C TG ATX Mid Tower Case
■Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 850W 80+ Gold
■Case Fan: Fractal Design - X2 GP-12 120mm (3 front, 1 rear)
■Second Case Fan: Fractal Design - X2 GP-14 140mm (2 top)
■Additional: Phanteks PH-PWHUB_01 PWM Fan Hub
■Storage: Corsair - Force Series GS 240GB 2.5" SSD
■Storage: Samsung - 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" SSD
■Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 SSD
■Western Digital - Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM HDD
Pics of PC:
https://imgur.com/a/1vOVp
BIOS Settings:
■BIOS Version: (0615)
■XMP: (ON)
■Asus MultiCore: (OFF)
■AVX Offset: (2)
■CPU Core Ratio: (Sync All Cores)
■Core Ratio: (48)
■LLC: (lvl 6)
■SpeedStep: (Enabled)
■Turbo: (Enabled)
■Long Duration PPL: (4095)
■Package Power Time Window: (127)
■Short Duration PPL: (4095)
■CPU Core/Cache Current Limit Max: (255.50)
■Min CPU Cache Ratio: (45)
■Max CPU Cache Ratio: (45)
■BCLK Adaptive Voltage: (Disabled)
■CPU Core/Cache Voltage: (1.340)
■C-states: (Auto)
■Speed Shift: (Enabled)
Temperatures:
Idle: 40°C across all cores
Load: After running Prime95 without AVX for an hour – max 89°C on the hottest core
Average: 79.3°C on the hottest core
Pics of temperatures:
https://imgur.com/UI1XlEL
Other Thoughts:
■My CPU is delidded with thermal grizzly liquid metal and I left the IHS unsealed.
■When trying to hit 5.9GHz, I end up needing around 1.42V per core and temperatures spike fast. Below that, I get a watchdog BSOD.
■Could an aftermarket IHS help? (It should have more surface area and less concavity like the stock?)
■I think after all my efforts I’m hitting a ceiling near 1.35V (even at 1.40V it stays around 1.35V). Could this be a C-state or power BIOS issue?
■I’ve checked basic fixes like new fans or better thermal paste, but they’re either on par or slightly worse than the best options. Spending $60–100 seems unlikely to help.
Maybe I’ve lost the silicon lottery or there’s something I’m missing. Please let me know, everyone – your advice is greatly appreciated.
Your lowest idle temperatures appear quite high. At 4.9GHZ on my 8700K, I’m around 28 to 30 degrees Celsius, and in Prime96 version 26.6 it’s up to 65 degrees Celsius at the worst case. Are you from a very warm climate? I’d suggest starting with your best overclock settings—enabling speedstep/shift and using a static Vcore of about 1.35v—and then adjusting upward or downward accordingly... I’m using a 360mm AIO in the Corsair 150i Pro.
Your lowest idle temperatures appear quite high. At 4.9GHZ on my 8700K, I’m around 28 to 30 degrees Celsius, and in Prime96 version 26.6 it reaches up to 65 degrees Celsius at the worst case. Are you from a very warm climate? I’d suggest starting with your best overclock settings, keeping all speedstep/shift options on, and using a static Vcore of about 1.35v, then adjusting gradually in either direction...I’m using a 360mm AIO with the Corsair 150i Pro.