i8700K runs smoothly without thermal throttling following the GPU upgrade.
i8700K runs smoothly without thermal throttling following the GPU upgrade.
I have an 8700K without overclocking, but it’s throttling after upgrading to a GTX 1080 to 3080 Ti while playing Cold War. My cooler is a Corsair 115i Pro all-in-one with two 140mm fans and a rear 140mm fan. I’m looking for ways to prevent CPU thermal throttling during those sessions.
Around 40-50°C when not gaming, and during Cold War mode 80-100°C with GPU at 70°C. Cooler Master MasterCase H500P looks great over the pump—no need to lower it.
The same issue occurred with my 8700K after upgrading from 1080Ti to 3090. It quickly throttled during gameplay, reaching temperatures close to 100°C on the cores. Having four sticks of RAM also contributed to higher CPU heat compared to using two, since the IMC worked harder. It seems the newer GPU can handle what the older one could manage, forcing it to work harder. I adjusted the frequency cap to 4.3GHz with a Vcore of 0.095mV offset for undervolting and replaced the IHS with a custom nickel-plated cobber from Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut, plus Kryonaut on the H100X AIO. This helped keep my CPU around 75°C during long gaming sessions. I also applied an -offset undervolt to lower voltage as much as possible while keeping auto-voltage active. Based on my experience, capped Vcore leads more often to BSODs than auto-voltages. Note that a larger offset tends to trigger BSOD at idle; 0.100mV caused issues after four days, but 0.095mV has prevented them since January. The 8700K is extremely hot, particularly on low-quality silicon. I’m aware my model struggles significantly, and yours likely does too.
So now you have options beyond custom IHS, liquid metal, etc. Limit the 8700K to 4.3GHz across all cores, aiming for lower peak voltages. Use the -Offset for Vcore—start with 0.100mV. Others have managed 0.130mV without problems. If you have more than two RAM sticks installed, consider whether extra is essential. You can also set all games to match your monitor’s refresh rate, ensuring the GPU isn’t overworked beyond what’s necessary and reducing CPU strain.
I'm not sure underclocking will fix the issue. I'm trying to check if new case fans might help.
It seems the advice isn't going to be very useful for you, though I'm not sure. If you're not pushing your 8700K beyond stock settings, then in demanding titles like Cold War it won't even hit its 4.7GHz boost speeds. This usually happens when only one core is active, but modern games typically use six cores.
I don't believe it will happen, though I'm hoping. Besides, I could try reseating the cooler and applying fresh thermal paste.
I also repositioned my old H105 from Corsair several times, but didn’t assist. Then I realized maybe the AIO failed, so I bought the H100X. It didn’t help at all. The same issue persisted. It’s just that the 8700K is running extremely hot. Also, my case is packed with fans, giving me excellent airflow.
It's hard to believe things were okay before and now I can make an egg from scratch.