I7 7700k heat problem pre-OC with water cooling
I7 7700k heat problem pre-OC with water cooling
Hi, I’m just starting out with Overclocking. I’ve never pushed my CPU beyond its limits before—I only experimented with the clock speeds of my old graphics card.
I recently got a new computer about two to three weeks ago. Here’s what I have:
System:
- Motherboard: MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon
- CPU: Intel i7 7700K @4.8 GHz
- CPU Cooler: Enermax Liqmax II 120
- RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport DIMM Kit, 16 GB
- SSD: Samsung 850 EVO
- HDD: Toshiba P300 3TB
- GPU: EVGA GTX 1080 Full Speed
- Power Supply: COUGAR GX800 v3
When I started using more CPU-intensive programs (games, Firefox with many tabs, etc.), the PC began to slow down noticeably. I checked temperatures and noticed the issue was thermal throttling.
In idle mode, I usually see around 40-50°C, but it spikes significantly when the CPU is under load. I found some HWiNFO screenshots while running Prime LargeFFs:
http://prnt.sc/em1w9e
http://prnt.sc/em1w0v
http://prnt.sc/em1vtk
I’m trying to fix this and bring the temps back to normal, but I’m unsure how. Maybe adjusting the voltage could help? I heard from someone named delid, but I haven’t tried anything like this before and don’t have the budget for a new CPU if I lose this one. Perhaps I should avoid pushing it too hard, even though I bought it this way.
Could you please assist me and share some tips?
Additionally, I checked some BIOS data:
- CPU core: 1,330 V
- CPU/GT Voltage Mode: Auto
I’m not sure if this setting is optimal or the right voltage. The PC came with these options already. Someone might need more details—just let me know.
I also ran a stress test with x264 and reached up to 97°C, which is way above the expected 80°C for a stress test. This seems unusual since I have water cooling installed. Please help!
Best regards,
Stro
The voltage is significantly too high. My i7 7700K is set to 1.190V @ 4.8GHz and it's stable. You might need a bit more or less voltage since CPUs vary, but 1.3V or higher is typical for 5GHz+ performance.
A solid decision to refresh the setup... but it requires a unique level of courage to test on a brand-new i7-7700k.
I also own an older i7 3770k that I can use to test my abilities. But from what I understand, whenever a new challenge comes up, I tend to do something similar.
The voltage is significantly too high. My i7 7700K is set to 1.190V @ 4.8GHz and it's stable. You might need a bit more or less voltage since CPUs vary, but 1.3V is well above 5GHz.