Issue with i7 9700K performance at default settings
Issue with i7 9700K performance at default settings
Hey there, over the last two and a half years I've been using a Core i5 8400 with 16 GB G.Skill on a Gigabyte Z370P D3 (full details of the setup are listed below). With Cyberpunk and similar titles releasing, I felt it was time to upgrade my processor. After some research online, I chose to switch to a 9th generation chip rather than an 8th because manufacturers like Gigabyte claim the newer models should fit perfectly on my motherboard. Last week I swapped in an i7 9700K. Once I updated the BIOS/UEFI to the latest release, the system booted and games ran much smoother than the i5 8400 ever did. However, using MSI Afterburner showed the i7 only clocked between 4.1 and 4.3 GHz all at once (occasionally briefly hitting 4.4 GHz). My thermal readings stayed solid – never going past 57°C under heavy load, and I didn’t hit the stock speeds of 4.6 GHz or 4.9 GHz. The single-core cap was 4.6 GHz. After checking the UEFI, I realized I couldn’t enable overclocking toggles directly, though I could adjust RAM settings and some pre-set overclock profiles for older CPUs like the i7 8700K (4.8 and 4.9 GHz). I haven’t activated those options because I didn’t want risking damage. Now, regarding your mainboard: should I replace it or is the CPU the issue? If you’re thinking about light overclocking, your thermal performance looks great – the hottest core never exceeded 57°C even during full synthetic stress, and it never reached the stock 4.6 GHz or 4.9 GHz. For future upgrades, swapping to a cooler AIO cooler in January should be fine.
Recommendations for boards:
- Intel Core i7 9700K
- Alpenföhn Brocken Eco
- Asus Dual OC RTX 2070 Super
- 4x 4GB G.Skill 2400 MHz
- Gigabyte Z370P D3 version F15a
- Bequiet! Straight Power 550 Watts 80+ Gold Modular
Thanks in advance!
Clear CMOS and certain motherboards include a reset BIOS button too
I’ll try removing the CMOS to check if it makes a difference. I’ve already reinstalled Windows twice, but it didn’t help. I wasn’t able to adjust settings like CPU power or clock speeds in the UEFI. They looked white but weren’t interactive. I’ll follow up once I’ve cleared the CMOS.
So I tested the CPU under stress in Intel XTU, did two 3-minute runs at 4.4 GHz and got the same results. The system reported power limits and current/EDP constraints. When I increased the voltage by 0.050V, the clock dropped to 4.3–4.48 GHz, and undervolting helped bring it back up to 4.5 GHz. The PSU test didn’t reveal an issue either. It seems the problem might lie with the motherboard. If you want more power without changing the board, you could look into BIOS settings or firmware updates.