I aim to slow down the 9700k. (Above the standard 3.6 but below the maximum turbo boost speed)
I aim to slow down the 9700k. (Above the standard 3.6 but below the maximum turbo boost speed)
My computer details are as follows
CPU: i7 9700k
M/B: asrock z390 ex4
RAM: samsung 16GB x2 (2666)
Cooler: Thermolab Trinity air cooling (130mm / max rpm 1200)
The machine I purchased a year ago ran under-voltage due to the high voltage of 9700k, mainly for gaming, video editing, and rendering.
I understand the cooler isn’t great, but... 😅
I used it properly without issues for a year, though I recently reinstalled Windows multiple times with frequent blue screens.
While researching alternatives, I found the CPU temperature was elevated.
So I re-applied thermal measures and believed the blue screen stemmed from underbolting.
After initializing the underbolting, I tried a weak underbolt until rendering completed safely.
The blue screen problem was resolved.
However, the CPU temperature remains above 90 degrees.
The voltage also becomes unstable, fluctuating.
The underbolting applied earlier is now challenging.
I know this might seem silly, but I’m trying to lower the clock speed of 9700k for more stable rendering and to use the machine.
I don’t know if I should underclock further or not.
Anyone have advice on stabilizing the voltage and adjusting the clock above the base but below the full turbo?
At this point, I keep the basic base clock and write. 😥
* The sentence may be awkward using the Google Translator. Sorry.
It's probably Google Translator, but some statements aren't making any sense...
There's more than 1 version of this cooler, and I kept finding the old one: 1800rpm(max), 220w TDP, 735g...
Yours appears to be a revision of said older model: 1200rpm(max), 650g - no mention of the TDP of this one, so no way for me to know if it can handle the same kind of thermals as the old model...
The old one would've been adequate for a 9700K.
Needs clarification.
90 degrees, what? Celsius? Fahrenheit? Celsius is the traditional measurement, by the way.
Was this taken at idle? Gaming? Editing? Rendering?
If you were using F, then there is no overheating occurring.
Nothing unstable about it. It's supposed to do that.
And you're still 'overheating' with Turbo Boost disabled? You may have:
-improper cooler mount
-dead cpu fan
-little to no chassis airflow
These were the parts that didn't make sense. Probably Google Translator.
Undervolting too much can cause BSODs though.
Here is your rewritten text:
I appreciate the detailed inquiry. My previous explanation didn’t cover everything clearly.
When I initially bought the computer and applied underbolting, it consistently passed the Rings Legacy 80 degrees 5 times after the 1200rpm revision. I assumed it would still perform well even with a new version.
The temperature reference I was using was in Celsius. Sorry for any confusion.
During the rendering process, the CPU temperature fluctuated between 90 and 95 degrees Celsius. It remained stable at 45-50 degrees during idle periods with Turbo Boost active, but spiked to 60-70 degrees when switching on Chrome or launching other applications. In those high-temperature phases, the voltage (vid) varied significantly—from a minimum of 1.25 to a maximum of 1.45 (confirmed by hwmonitor/1.5v in extreme cases). Throttling also occurred frequently during these spikes.
When Turbo Boost was turned off, the average temperature dropped to around 36 degrees and the voltage stabilized at about 1 volt. The gap between the minimum voltage [vid] (0.98) and the high voltage [vid] (1.1) was minimal.
Regarding the final issue, it matches what I’m experiencing.
Over the past year, I’ve been using Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Chrome, and Twitch simultaneously without any problems. Recently, blue screens or freezing have started to appear. It’s surprising that turning off underbolting resolved the issue and eliminated the blue screen.
It’s extremely challenging for me to recalibrate voltages and temperatures while keeping Turbo Boost enabled. From the start, my 9700k showed excessive voltage in pure Turbo Boost mode. Underbolting didn’t improve performance as expected.
I believe I should consider giving up Turbo Boost and reducing clock speed below 4.6.
If my explanation is unclear, please let me know again.
Thank you.
1)Again, the voltages are normal. The cpu/OS dynamically adjusts frequency and voltage depending on the load.
2)The 9700K is NOT a Ryzen 3000 cpu; it does not care how hot it operates, except for the critical limit, which is 100C(default).
This cpu could be running up to 98C and it would STILL operate normally. It will not throttle until it hits at least 99.5C.
So if you're not seeing it get that high, then it's not thermal throttling yet - unless you set a lower limit in the bios...
3)For the cpu to continue to run hot even with undervolting, you've definitely got a cooling issue.
4)If the cpu cooler was adequate from the beginning, there would be no need to touch any settings in bios.
5)What is the chassis make and model?
How do you have your chassis fans set up? Generally speaking, air should move from front to back, bottom to top. For reference:
I suspect a combination of the following:
-poor airflow
-inadequate cpu cooler
-dead fan(s)
My cooler is open side. Is there a way to make it work better without swapping it out right now? The high voltage and heat are fine, but I worry about the blue screen showing up. I want to prevent that screen from appearing while I edit videos or render files.
The goal of the image was to confirm your chassis fans were arranged properly, just in case they were placed in the wrong direction.
1) What is the chassis model and make?
2) How many fans are installed in this chassis, and are they correctly positioned?
If the CPU is showing signs of overheating even when Intel Turbo Boost is turned off, it indicates a cooling issue.
You haven’t confirmed that the CPU is experiencing thermal throttling; it typically requires reaching 99.5°C or more for this to happen.
Then you should investigate other areas.
1) Check your PC for viruses or malware using the free Adwcleaner tool—especially useful when Windows Defender struggles:
https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/
2) Execute the Windows System File Checker following these instructions:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help...le-checker
3) Launch Memtest86 free tool:
https://www.memtest86.com/
Perform a full test overnight (it may take several hours). Results should show no errors, with no system freezes or crashes.
4) Assess the health of your storage drive using CrystalDiskInfo:
https://crystalmark.info/redirect.php?pr...oInstaller
This utility can display operating temperatures and other relevant conditions.