i7 6700k experiences numerous WHEA failures in the OCCT CPU benchmark test.
i7 6700k experiences numerous WHEA failures in the OCCT CPU benchmark test.
Hello, I'm assembling a PC using some older components you already have. You have several Gigabyte Z170 boards, a few i7 6700 processors and one i7 6700k. Before selling it, you wanted to make sure everything works properly, so you ran an OCCT stress test for an hour without any problems. All the 6700 series boards handled it well, but the 6700k kept throwing thousands of errors on every board. It wasn't overclocked, the BIOS was up-to-date with default settings, and there was no XMP profile applied. You're using a 550W EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2 power supply, not using any GPU during testing, so the CPU wasn’t limited by power. The boards are Gigabyte Z170-HD3P-CF and the Z270 model. Your setup includes a huge Scythe cooler with Arctic MX-6 paste in a Fractal Define R5 case, plus four 140mm fans, which kept temperatures low—max core temp reached only 58°C. You also tested different RAM sticks (16GB and 32GB from HyperX), all passing MemTest86. The Cinebench scores are normal, with a peak temperature of 50°C during the multi-core test, but Event Viewer still logged the same errors. The 6700k seems fine, so is it defective or just something you can fix? Which tools would help check stability further?
You noted the CPU only worked with Gigabyte Z170 boards. You wanted to verify compatibility with another brand and model, ideally something from a different manufacturer. Consider asking a friend to lend you a different motherboard for testing. This could help confirm if the issue is specific to that setup.
set cpu multiplier to 40 set cpu core voltage to 1.3v this is a really conservative setting that should validate wether its the cpu thats causing errors or not, even the most garbage of cpus should run this setting id suspect ram or even the mobo more than the cpu but youll just have to test things out
I checked all the boards I tested—they were all Gigabyte models, except for one Z270 instead of Z170. Since I'm assembling the PC from refurbished parts, I won't be able to test another board until Monday. I have an MSI Z170 Tomahawk at home, so I'll try that then.
If you grasp the CPU multiplier, 40 should indeed set it to 4 GHz. That’s the current speed it operates at. You’ve tested various voltages and it works at 1.3V with 4.3 GHz, but errors persist. I’ll verify this and try more settings on Monday. Until then, you can continue running tests and benchmarks in Windows. How long can you safely run a stress test like Prime95 without crashes? That would help confirm stability for regular use and gaming, and whether those WHEA cache issues are negligible.
The CPU endured nearly 55 hours of rigorous testing without issues. Prime95 detected no problems during operation, yet Event Viewer recorded the same faults again. If these errors continue even after switching the CPU to the MSI board, can I legally sell it with peace of mind—since it has withstood extensive stress, making it safe for regular use and gaming? Or should I be cautious about that?
Check the boards and rams you already have using another 1151 CPU just to eliminate them. If you don’t notice errors with a different CPU but only with the 6700K, then the 6700K is likely faulty. I recommend cleaning the pads with isopropyl alcohol to see if that resolves your issues, since dirty pads can cause problems like poor clock speed, missing RAM channels, and other strange behavior.
The 6700k is working properly, but the same issues appear on the MSI board. I tried fresh RAM just to confirm. Cleaning the CPU back didn’t resolve the problem. Your advice and help are appreciated.
Have you considered boosting the voltage? It's normal for a 9-year-old CPU to need a bit more power after that time. Run Windows High Performance mode so the speed and voltage stay stable under light use. Also, turn off the Package C settings in the BIOS.