Power usage details for the i7 6700k processor
Power usage details for the i7 6700k processor
Hello, your question is clear but a bit tricky to resolve... At 6700k with stock settings, drawing 120/130W seems unusual since power throttling starts after just a few seconds and drops to around 95W. It sounds like the system might be underclocking depending on the load, which could cause it to drop to lower speeds or even 3.5GHz or less. This doesn’t seem typical. Could you confirm? Also, if this isn’t normal, can a failing CPU actually draw more power than required? My setup is an MSI Nightblade X2 with a proprietary board that lacks direct BIOS access—only the Game Boost option is available. I usually set it to Game Boost off, but with the default stock configuration and locked settings, the situation seems complex. In short: this machine was given to me by a friend who rescued it from being discarded. The motherboard had a burned VRM choke, but luckily the board still functioned normally at the time. The original CPU is likely damaged.
What method are you using to gauge power? Are you looking at CPU-specific readings or overall system output? The reading seems elevated compared to normal usage. For instance, your 6700k is showing 91W during a small FFT test with prime95. Which tools are you employing for this assessment?
the system reports power through multiple sources including HWinfo64, Intel XTU, and OCCT. I ran it with prime95, performed soft stress tests (less intense than prime95 but still causing throttling), used OCCT, and benchmarked in realbench mode. in every scenario the TDP was surpassed. your observations seem quite typical—normally with prime95 and minimal FFTs, the CPU runs at around 3.78 GHz at 1,122V drawing about 123W, then throttles to 3 GHz at 0.96V capped at 95W. the voltages look acceptable. however, it might be an issue with the cooling component rather than the chip itself. in my case, the failure was sudden and not due to external factors. this particular heatsink failed completely, which worried me initially but now seems unrelated to power draw. the increased current draw isn’t necessarily a VRM problem—it’s just the CPU handling its workload. it’s possible I’m misreading the data. overall, your concern is valid, but it could be a hardware failure rather than a performance issue.