High temperatures on i7 7700k at standard speeds using x52 aio.
High temperatures on i7 7700k at standard speeds using x52 aio.
I recently assembled my first gaming setup and noticed the CPU reaching 81°C during a 3D Mark Direct X 12 test. Idle temperatures vary between 35°C and 50°C. The Intel processor handles it well, staying at 80°C almost instantly but passing stability tests up to 86°C. Prime95 reached 88°C quickly, though I’m not concerned about overheating anymore.
I’m not satisfied with these temperatures, especially since my system still has high stock settings and an AIO cooler. I’d like to aim for a 5.1GHz clock speed once the system feels capable. The Vcore is set to 2.59V Max; what BIOS configurations should I use?
System details:
- ASUS Strix Z270e motherboard
- i7-7700K 4.6GHz turbo
- NVIDIA 1070 Strix GPU at 1.8GHz
- Corsair Vengeance 16GB RAM
- Kraken X52 AIO cooler with PRPM 2500+
- EVGA 750W semi-modular display
Please advise.
Don't anticipate overpowering your system until it runs smoothly; then test gradually to understand its capabilities. If you're fixated on a specific number, be prepared for disappointment—just keep this in mind.
Begin by reviewing all steps during CPU and cooler installation:
* Verify the pump is functioning correctly, open the side panel and listen. If you use monitoring software, confirm the pump RPM.
* Confirm you've removed the clear plastic cover from the bottom of the water block completely.
* Ensure TIM was applied properly.
* Make sure the water block is securely fastened, as improper tightening can cause poor contact between CPU and block.
Even experienced professionals can make small errors—don't assume your mistake was avoidable; recheck everything carefully.
using ez tuning in bios and various fan positions gave me stable performance without overheating above 82°C most of the time. however, the vcore on cpuid hwmonitor still fluctuates between 2.8v and 1.5v max during idle, while corevid stays around 1.5v max under load. the load readings are between 1.440v and 1.447v (using cpu-z). it seems normal for the vcore to vary like this. another point is whether slipping 2 1070s is worth it—do you own one, or should you upgrade to a better model? it can work well for those games, but running it on all titles may cause issues; turning it off might be better for others.
Using ez tuning with bios and various fan positions has made it stable for gaming without overheating beyond 82°C consistently. However, the vcore on the CPUID tool still fluctuates up to 2.8V while the corevid max is 1.5V during idle (0.644v-1.017v). The load readings are between 1.440v and 1.447v (using CPU-z). Is it typical for voltages to vary like this?
Another concern is whether slipping to a 1070s model is worthwhile. I own one but prefer something better. Should I upgrade to another 1070strix? It seems to work well for those games, and running it on all titles isn’t a major issue. It does scale, but turning it off for others might be okay.
If your CPU were actually running at 2.8V, it would have triggered a significant warning. Stick with CPUZ, as I haven’t heard any reports of incorrect readings there.
Fluctuating voltages and clock speeds are normal if the system isn’t set to manual (fixed) mode. Power-saving features and C-States can cause voltage changes from as low as 0.500V on some CPUs up to 1.500V+, depending on overclock settings and voltage configuration.
What I’d emphasize is that 1.5V is a lot for an AIO cooler—it exceeds Intel’s safe limits, goes well beyond typical advice, and is quite high even for custom loops. For AIO coolers, the standard max is around 1.35V, with 1.40V if you push it further safely. At 1.5V, there’s a strong chance of damage over time. It could shorten lifespan or affect future overclocking, possibly leading to instability later on.
Concerning the 1070 SLI setup, it's hard to say for sure if it's beneficial or not. It really comes down to your personal situation—do you have the necessary funds, PSU, and case? Also, what games do you play, the monitor specifications (resolution and refresh rate), etc.? SLI has improved in recent years with better scaling, but this depends on the specific game and the development team behind it.
Some titles, like Tomb Raider, scale very well, while others such as ArmA 3 and DayZ don't. In some cases, SLI can actually lower FPS because the games aren't optimized for it.
euphoria4949 :
Regarding 1070 SLI. Well no one can tell you if it's worth it or not, that depends on you, if you have the money, PSU and case to support it, what games you play, monitors (what resolution you game at, what refresh rate).... etc.
SLI has got better over recent years with scaling, but it depends on the game and the dev team that designed it.
Some games, Tomb Raider as an example, scale fantastically. Other games like ArmA 3 and DayZ don't scale and SLI can actually reduce FPS as the games are so poorly optimised for SLI.
how much of a pain is it too turn off and just run one 1070 money is not an issue i just lost my frames on blizzard games when i was changing setting now getting 60fps instead of 90+
Turning off SLI is easy with just a few clicks. I don't have the time to discuss Blizzard titles and their advantages or disadvantages with SLI.
Disabling SLI is easy with just a few clicks. I don’t have time to discuss Blizzard titles and their benefits from SLI. Thanks for the details—I’m running everything smoothly now. I’m planning to switch to HB Sli using the two 1070s and just turn it off during games since it causes scaling issues. I’ll also need to check each game’s SLI compatibility, but it should work much better than my current setup. Thanks again.
There are some interesting observations here. Using ez tuning with various BIOS settings and fan positions has kept me stable during gaming, rarely exceeding 82°C. However, the core voltage on the CPU-HWMonitor still fluctuates between 2.8V and 1.5V max (usually under), while the CoreVid is around 1.5V max in idle. The load readings are between 1.44V and 1.45V (using CPU-z). Is it normal for these voltages to vary like this?
Another point: I own a 2,1070s model, but I’m curious if upgrading to another 1070 would be worthwhile. Should I stick with it or try a different one? It seems to work well for those games, but does it really matter if I run it on all titles? Or should I turn it off for some?
If the CPU were actually running at 2.8V, it would have triggered a major warning. Stick with CPUZ, as I haven’t heard any reports of incorrect readings there.
Fluctuating voltages and clock speeds are typical if the system isn’t set to manual (fixed) mode. Power-saving features and C-States can cause voltage changes from as low as 0.5V on some CPUs up to over 1.5V, depending on the overclock settings and voltage configuration.
In short, a 1.5V setting is quite high for an AIO cooler—well beyond Intel’s safe limits and even above typical recommendations. It could shorten lifespan or affect top-end overclocking. It might already be causing some degradation, possibly lowering my 3DMark scores on DirectX12.