Is there a voltage issue or another concern?
Is there a voltage issue or another concern?
I experienced extremely high temperatures, even surpassing 90°C on the CPU. Both the Armoury Crate software and HWiNFO displayed frequent and consistent voltage fluctuations for the CPU (ranging from 0.702V to 1.501V), while the CPU frequency jumped from around 1000 to about 5200 MHz. These spikes occurred almost every second, with CPU usage hovering near 9%, and no other applications were running.
Yesterday, the Q-led red light (indicating VGA/CPU error) activated and then deactivated. I’m pretty certain I also heard a brief zapping sound from inside the case during that moment.
Could this indicate a loose connection, a power problem, or a defective component? All parts were new purchases from a store three days ago.
System specifications:
- Motherboard: Tuf gaming B660M+ with Wi-Fi
- CPU: Intel i7 13700K
- Cooler: BeQuiet Pure Rock2 Black
- GPU: MSI RX 4070 Ventus3x
- Power Supply: Seasonic B12 BC-850
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2x16GB) DDR5
In their own right, 90C along with the broad spectrum of voltage and frequencies remain completely typical for a contemporary CPU during its transition from idle to full speed. However, the minimal 9% CPU consumption at elevated temperatures is unusual, and the strange "zapping sound" raises concerns. Have you verified that all 24-way ATX, 4/8-way 12v EPS and PCIe 6/8-way GPU power connectors are securely connected? It may require some pressure to ensure they are properly positioned. Should any of these power connectors be only partially inserted, you might notice an audible "pop".
I understand it's typical for a modern CPU, but with all cores running at 5287MHz while the CPU usage stays between 7-9%, it doesn't seem right. The QLED light on the motherboard turning on makes me suspect an issue.
I believe everything is securely connected, but since this is my first build, there might be a problem with the installation.
This has been happening for three days since I set up the PC, and yesterday was the first time the QLED light activated.
From the 24 logical processors, about two cores are equivalent, which means you might have a system running with two cores active. Usually, the CPU would only increase the two preferred cores and keep the rest at low clocks. If your motherboard settings are incorrect, it could boost all cores to the same frequency even when only two are needed, leading to excessive heat generation.
Check the BIOS settings and ensure all turbo features are enabled. Turn off any MCE or other motherboard enhancements. Even though a 1.5Vcore is acceptable, consider lowering it to between 1.45 and 1.4 for better performance.
All BIOS settings remain at their default values since no changes were made. Could you clarify what the "MCE" refers to? I was also informed to adjust the SVID behavior to normal, set core voltage between 1.25 and 1.30 volts, and load line calibration to 4 or 5. Should I proceed with those adjustments? Would they be beneficial?
MCE is a multi-core enhancement that synchronizes all cores to the same clock, similar to a fixed overclock from the past. It might have another name in your motherboard, based on a quick search. You should disable it first and observe how temperatures and voltage core change before making many adjustments at once.
Where do you notice 2400? If it relates to tools like CPU-Z, it's likely because they measure memory speed. DDR technology operates at double data rates, meaning two cycles per clock, which would make your memory around 2400 MHz. MCE shouldn't affect core performance in this way. I recommend resetting your BIOS to the default settings and then disabling MCE. It essentially acts as an automatic overclocking feature that bypasses power restrictions.