Need guidance on undervolting the i9-12900k from ASUS?
Need guidance on undervolting the i9-12900k from ASUS?
Hi everyone, I recently assembled a new PC and installed a 12th Intel Core i9 12900K. The motherboard I used is the ROG STRING Z690-F Gaming WI-FI. My cooling setup includes a MasterLiquid ML360 Illusion with additional fans on the back and front, and I'm running Windows 11 with all drivers updated. When rendering tasks are active, my CPU reaches 100% utilization and quickly hits 100°C on the P-cores. The seller assured me it shouldn't exceed 100°C with this cooling solution, but it does. I reviewed several YouTube tutorials about undervolting and adjusted the core voltage in BIOS to Adaptive -0.0500. The system remained stable, but the temperature stayed high. Then I tried setting it to -0.0800 according to another article, which resolved the issue temporarily. However, it caused a HYPERVIZOR_ERROR during early rendering. I also experimented with -0.10000 based on the seller's advice, but it led to a BSoD (Blue Screen of Death) during rendering. Interestingly, Cinebench performed well even with all cores in Windows 10, but certain software like V-Ray, Corona, and VUE triggered a CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT_BSoD. I'm still puzzled—after two weeks of use, the PC isn't functioning properly. I really need your help and advice to fix this problem. Also, here are some questions related to my setup:
- Without undervolting, only a few P-cores reach 100°C, while most are around P-core #3. P-core #1 consistently stays at 89°C. Could this be due to the CPU silicon?
- Could the issue stem from connecting the 3090ti vertically?
- I have an image of the hardware monitor showing the heat distribution on the cores.
- Regards
What is the model of your device?
Usually, the pump comes with a mylar protective film that needs to be taken off before applying paste and installing the pump.
While operating, lightly touch the pump with a finger. You should notice a mild vibration.
Also confirm the pump is linked to a motherboard pump header.
It must operate at full capacity continuously.
If during idle you observe temperatures around 10-15°C above ambient, it suggests your cooler is properly installed and working.
Keep in mind that ambient temperature refers to the surrounding air, not just room temperature—it rises due to heat from your graphics card increasing CPU cooling demands.
Make sure the front fans are functioning as intakes; you can test by placing a tissue in front of them.
Have you removed plastic from the CPU cooler? Is the pump functioning properly? Are you noticing heat being pushed out of the radiator while operating?
Did you remove any plastic from the CPU cooler? I have an image of it.
Is the pump functioning properly? How can I confirm?
Are you noticing any heat being released from the radiator when it's under stress? Yes, there is some.
What is the model of your device?
Usually, the pump comes with a mylar protective film that needs to be removed before applying paste and installing the pump.
While operating, lightly touch the pump; you should notice a minor vibration.
Also confirm it is connected to a motherboard pump header.
It should operate at full capacity continuously.
If during idle you observe temperatures around 10-15°C above ambient, it suggests your cooler is properly installed and working.
Keep in mind that ambient temperature refers to the room environment, not just the room—it rises due to heat from your graphics card, which affects CPU cooling.
Check that the front fans are functioning as intakes; you can gently hold a tissue in front to test.
Make sure the intake fans are spinning at high speeds.
You might consider placing the radiator ahead to draw cooler air for the GPU.
However, this could raise the temperature of the air used for both GPU and motherboard heat sinks.
Try increasing the RPM of the front intake fans to improve cooling airflow.
It’s normal for slight variations in CPU core temperatures.
Some cores are farther from the CPU heat spreader, which is typical.
Don’t stress about it.
What is your motherboard BIOS version?
The CPU-Z motherboard section will provide this information.
Current is 1403
https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-st...pdesk_bios
Multiple updates have been released to resolve performance concerns.
In the BIOS settings, you might be overclocking—sometimes "load optimized defaults" achieves this.
Until you’re certain of your actions (and I’m not), it’s safer to stick with the default settings.
Search the user forum for your motherboard for more expert advice.
As a temporary fix, adjust the power plan: choose balanced and set the CPU max performance to 99%.
This method prevents Intel Turbo Boost and ensures the processor runs at its base frequency, which is just 3.20 GHz on Performance cores. Those who invest heavily in high-end systems won’t be satisfied with such low speeds.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...29...0-ghz.html
@SilverChad
Your image indicates that your cores are hitting the 100°C thermal limit when the power draw reaches 221W. For reference, at 230W my Corsair H115i cooler maintains the 10850K at 80°C while I run Cinebench R23 at a consistent 5000 MHz.
https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...ol...9060044-WW
When a more compact cooler outperforms a larger one, it usually means the bigger model is faulty, was improperly installed, or simply isn’t up to the task.
The temperature gauges Intel provides aren’t perfect at tracking heat. Typically, these sensors are accurate within +/- 5°C, so minor differences in core temperatures are normal even if all cores are identical.
I’ve also noticed that Cinebench R23 performs more stably with lower voltages compared to other applications. As you observed, tweaking voltage solely based on Cinebench stability isn’t advisable for overall system health.
You might want to reinstall the heatsink and refresh the thermal paste. A secure fit between the heatsink and CPU is essential for effective cooling. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, consider replacing the cooler or adjusting the turbo settings in BIOS to slightly slow down the Performance cores. Running them at 4800 MHz can help maintain temperatures without significantly impacting performance. This offers a much more balanced solution than completely turning off Intel Turbo Boost.
Thank you for your message. Here is your case rewritten:
I have the following concerns:
- I’m unsure whether the thin film has been removed or not, and I don’t know how to verify the kit properly. My PC assembly is very tight, making it difficult for me to inspect everything.
- I didn’t notice any significant difference, but I felt a very weak vibration similar to cycling. The room temperature is around 25-28°C, and the CPU temperature is between 38-42°C at idle.
- During a tissue test, the top and rear fans barely move in idle mode, but they become noticeable under load. The front fans do capture some airflow, though I can’t detect much difference between idle and load conditions. It seems slightly stronger when moving.
- My CPU-Z shows a BIOS level of 0403. I added more images in the first post of CPUZ along with CPU rate and fan RPM data for both idle and load situations.
- Should I consider updating my BIOS firmware?
- I didn’t see any overclocking in the BIOS settings. My system runs at around 5100MHz during idle, but reaches about 4800MHz under load. I’m not sure why this happens.
Also, I did a 99% power balance test, but it didn’t make a difference.
Your pc is wide open, that's not tight at all, plenty of room. Just saying.
Follow the tubes away from the radiator. They end up at that pump head with 4 screws. Directly under that pump head is the cpu. When the cooler was shipped and sold, there was a very thin protective plastic tape stuck to the back of the pump head. It's not uncommon for ppl to not see it, or forget to remove it, even pro's like Linus have missed it.
If that plastic was not removed, it'll insulate the pump head from much of the cpu heat.
Checking is easy, but will require having more thermal paste on hand, as that'll need to be replaced. Simply undo those 4 screws in stages until fully loose, then lift the pump head straight up, use a lint-free rag/paper towel/coffee filter to wipe away the paste. If the plastic is still there it will be self evident.
Take a good look at the top of the cpu. Paste should have covered pretty much all of it from edge to edge. The very corner tips aren't an issue.
Replacement is just as easy. Put a good sized blob of paste dead center of the cpu, with 12thgen make it an oval type blob, or use a credit card/spatula or similar plastic/wooden item to gently smear the paste completely covering the cpu in a very thin but consistent layer. Put the pump head (minus plastic if it had it) straight down with a little wiggle side to side. Start all 4 screws first, then tighten in stages in an X pattern until snug or the nuts stop. Doesn't require cranking down, but does require a good finger tight pressure. Can check with a screwdriver to be firm/stopped.
Hi, here are the updates.
The vendor assemblers swapped liquid cooling fans, so instead of releasing hot air, it was drawing in outside air.
Heat reduction wasn't significant, but idle CPU temperature dropped about 10°C and underload still reached 100°C.
I flashed and updated the BIOS to the latest version, which eliminated the BSoD.
Now underload is between 88–95°C, throttling no longer occurs, and performance improved a lot—Cinebench score is around 28000.
Thanks for all your help.
Cheers
But the second image from your second post indicates the contrary??
Spoiler
Based on this, your photo shows the top exhaust. If the system integrators adjusted the fans afterward, then the intake is now at the top.