I7 7700 paired with RTX 2070 graphics delivers exceptional performance.
I7 7700 paired with RTX 2070 graphics delivers exceptional performance.
You're dealing with a situation where your CPU overheats due to inadequate cooling, causing performance drops. The issue seems tied to both your GPU and CPU cooling setup. Since you mentioned the cooler is failing and the GPU is struggling at high loads, upgrading to a better cooler that can handle higher temperatures would be wise. It’s not necessary to replace the CPU unless the current one is severely damaged or incompatible with your system. Your current setup is clearly limiting performance, so investing in a more robust cooling solution is a good idea.
I wouldn't purchase a new cooler. You might consider using liquid metal with delid—it really improved my 7700k. This could extend the system's lifespan. Alternatively, you could try undervolting by a few degrees. If you can afford it, it's better to upgrade instead of making this effort.
You can purchase one of the Intel stock coolers featuring copper inside from eBay. This model has been tested and cleaned. It's currently working smoothly with an i7-7700 processor, showing no thermal throttling. The all-aluminum cooler that came with the 7700 performs significantly worse compared to this copper version.
Originally, Intel's stock coolers featured copper inside, though some i3 models came with only aluminum. Later, they switched to all-aluminum designs, causing thermal throttling on higher-end chips like the i7 and i7-8700. Despite this, the i7-8700 was still shipped with a copper cooler, while the i7-10700 and i7-10900 models now include a copper slug-equipped version. The previous model without the slug received a cosmetic update, but it's unclear if that improved performance beyond appearance.
I considered upgrading to a high-capacity cooler such as a dh-15 and planning to pair it with the next CPU I purchase.
Hmm, I wasn't aware of that. I assumed the refresh was simply a black-painted stock cooler.