Issue with CPU performance observed during Cinebench R23 execution.
Issue with CPU performance observed during Cinebench R23 execution.
I assembled my present system in Spring 2022, then upgraded with additional RAM and a new GPU in August. It has been operating at default settings until now, but I’m considering adjustments.
Processor: Intel i7-12700K
Memory: Asrock Z690 Steel Legend
Cooler: Vetroo V5 air
RAM: Neo Forza MARS DDR4-4400 2x16GB
GPU: PowerColor Red Devel RX 6700 XT (under testing; permanent card is an MSI RTX 3070)
The RAM should support 4400 CAS 19 under XMP, but it isn’t reaching any XMP profile. It’s currently set to 440 and manually adjusted, with Gear 2 limiting it to around 3066 under Gear 1.
I’ve been benchmarking before making any changes to the CPU configuration to ensure it meets expected stock performance. The results so far are:
Cinebench R23: ST 1890-1900, MT 22100-22500
Timespy: 13000 range
Port Royal: 5600 range
During a recent 10-minute Cinebench MT test, CPU-Z displayed all cores at x47 initially, but by the end of the run the temperature rose to about 89°C, then dropped to x43 and x44, with overall temps staying near 60°C. At the conclusion, the score exceeded 20000.
This outcome surprised me. I questioned whether it was normal or indicative of a problem. I expected higher clock speeds to remain stable as long as temperatures stayed below 90°C, aiming for optimal speed rather than settling at lower timings. It seems this could be related to the default BIOS settings on my motherboard, not necessarily a cooling failure. Although I have only a modest air cooler, it should suffice for baseline timing.
I plan to upgrade the cooler before any serious overclocking attempts, but first I’d like to explore possible improvements. A basic AIO would be suitable since I don’t intend to push overclock limits aggressively—even at base speeds it should perform adequately.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Rob
I would say this is a cooling issue. The cooler you have I'd argue is more suited for a Core i5 or Ryzen 5.
What makes it worse is it performed last in a lot of the tests Gamers Nexus threw at it:
According to IIRC, there is a power limit timer on Alder Lake. It seems likely that this could be the reason behind the issue, since similar limitations were applied in various ways across different boards and BIOS versions. This might offer a plausible explanation.
You are testing in a multithreaded environment when your intended use is likely for gaming where only a few cores will need the performance.
Run Hwmonitor. It will give you the current, minimum and maximum temperatures per core.
I suspect that you will see a few cores with 100c. in red.
That indicates some throttling.
But, unless there is a failure, that is not all bad.
The motherboard and cpu are performing to their max capability given the conditions.
There are some better coolers out there.
Noctua maintains a list of suitable coolers for different processors.
Here is the list for the 12700K:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-C...2700K-1579
You have a number of very good air cooling options.
What is the make/model of your case and fan arrangement?
Any cooler needs a good source of fresh air to let it do it's job.
I began a 10-minute MT test while monitoring core temperatures, not just overall. Here’s what happened after two minutes when the CPU throttled to x43-44.
HWInfo64
This appears to indicate the CPU started downshifting when one core reached 86°C.
Running a ST test, after five minutes the first pass was roughly two-thirds complete and these temperatures were recorded:
So it seems that during ST, none of the cores reached their temperature limits and they consistently showed x47-49 throughout.
Here are the Core Power Limits exceeded statistics:
Please note these are currently "No" while the ST test is active, but they previously showed "Yes." This suggests the CPU speed limits during the MT test stem from power constraints, not temperature issues. The thermal throttling indicators all say "No."
Do my R23 scores of 22362 MT and 1865 ST align with an i7-12700K on a Z690 board?
Also... would this post look better in the CPU section rather than the Overclock one?
Rob
Use HWINFO to capture the reason for the limit. The CPU can indicate why it is throttling. It seems like power limit throttling is occurring. Check the BIOS for the PL1 and PL2 turbo power limits and set them to 4095W each. No further power limit throttling will happen.
Yes, it was about power limits. After getting a better grasp of the PL1, PL2, and tau time, it became clear that the stock MB settings were still using outdated non-K configurations and increasing power after 56 seconds, even though temperatures stayed below 80°C. When I overclocked with the Intel tool by adjusting or removing the limits, the temperature reached 100°C on one core but still managed a slightly better Cinebench R23 score. I plan to install an MSI AIO cooler and experiment further with overclocking, expecting improved performance and longevity compared to my current minimal air cooler.
I have have new results to relate and so far I'm pleased with the improvements!
The case is a 6-year-old Rosewill Star Predator mid-tower case. It came with 2 front-mounted 120mm intake fans and one 120mm exhaust fan. The front panel is probably pretty restrictive, but does have some openings with mesh and is open at the bottom with about 3/4" standoff from the floor (but it sits on carpet, so no).
With the initial setup using the Vetroo air cooler, no overclocking and default BIOS settings, I was getting about 1900 Cinebench R23 Single Thread, single pass scores. The Multi Thread single was pretty steady in the low 22,000-22,500 range for single pass. When running a 10-mintue stress test, though, the system started slowing down after about 1 minute and the full-pass score dropped down to just over 20,000. As many stated early, it was hitting the power limits for non-K i7s and throttling down.
Before updating the system with an MSI 240mm AIO setup, I used the Intel ETU to "auto overclock" by removing the power limits, as should be for a 12700K CPU. This just caused the system to hit THERMAL throttling very early and didn't help overall performance at all.
Next I just kinda tossed the AIO into the case following the pictorial instructions, which leave a lot to be desired. This setup did help some, but with the Auto OC (50x multiplier and power limits both set to 260W), the Cin R23 single pass scores didn't change by more than 1-200 points (22,300). With a 10 minute MT stress test, the system was able to stay out of thermal throttling for about 4 minutes, but ultimately it did throttle and peaked at 22,566
But I realized that just tossing the AIO into the system was NOT optimized for cooling or air flow. With my case, there isn't room for the radiator at the top and it just barely fits in front with the tubes at the top. The default fan install also sets them to push from inside the case to outside, which meant OUT the front of the case. My rear fan was also exhausting, so the only air intake was from the top mesh and maybe a little from the bottom mesh (through the carpet) and back slots. I also realized that I had plugged the radiator fans into CHASSIS headers in the MB so they were not ramping up appropriately for the heat generated in the MT stress tests (I saw they were only running about 900 RPM). With all this in mind, it is surprising that the system did any better at all!
TODAY, I reconfigured the AIO to PULL cool room air in from the front and added an additional 120mm case fan at the top, so I now have intake from the front through the radiator and then exhaust from the back and top fans. I also changed the 2 radiator fans to the CPU1 header on the MB so they can properly adjust speed.
The NEW OC, AIO and better air path results:
Cinebench R23
ST, 1x pass: 1895 (unchanged from initial results)
MT, 1x pass: 23,328 (gain of about 1000)
MT, 10 min stress test: 23,334
CPU max temp at 5 min: 90C
CPU max temp at 7 min: 92C
CPU max temp at completion: 93C
As we see, not only did mild OC gain 1000 points, but the TEMPS were kept well under control even at 10 minutes of MT stress testing. NO THROTTLING was reported by HWInfo for the entire test, leading to the same score for the 10 min test as for the single pass! The radiator fans were also able to run up to 2000 RPM during the test, greatly helping with the temperature control.
I'm now feeling like I can play a bit more with the overclocking to see what I can do with it. Just because, not because I need a little more CPU power. I also might look at modifying my case front panel to allow for more airflow. Better yet, a newer better designed case!
Thanks for the early thoughts folks!