This i7-4790k model consumes a lot of power.
This i7-4790k model consumes a lot of power.
I recently purchased an i7-4790k and after dealing with some overheating challenges, I decided to set up my first overclock. I noticed the total power consumption appears quite high compared to my clock speed and voltage settings. At 4.6Ghz with Vcore 1.18 (VRIN 1.7) using an LLC that's set to "High", XMP is active (adding .3v to SysAgent per HWMonitor), Turbo is off, HyperThreading is enabled, and I'm in IBT mode, I see around +/- 140W. Does this seem excessive or is it just me adapting from my older i5-4670k? Thanks for any advice, everyone!
EDIT: Adjusted voltage
My [email protected]@1.32V reaches 160 watts with prime95, but stays well under 80°C on the cores. I could try [email protected], but then I switched to a mini ITX board and it didn’t work. Even with a "proper" loop, I still have the most "unproper" loop at the moment. 240 rad on the intake, and since I like it well, I use NF-P12 fans up to 1300 RPM. The exhaust is 120 rad, which is quite hot. Even with both prime95 and heaven running together, the temperature stays within a reasonable range.
I previously tested my CPU using MX-4, but later experimented with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut (liquid metal) after a GPU power mod, though results were mixed. It seems there wasn’t much difference.
So the issue is definitely not about cooling.
n0ns3ns3 :
the 1.8 core is way too high.
you need below 1.4v and usually under 1.35v.
but you can reach 140-150watt under full load with an overclocked and overvolted CPU.
d'oh!
i should have mentioned 1.18vcore. i'll edit my request.
i don't think i'd risk going as high as 1.3v core just because of the temps.
n0ns3ns3 :
watts are not that important if the temps are fine.
what are the cores temp under load ?
Yeah, that's the thing. The temps are ridiculously high and failing some kind of improper BIOS setting I have a chip with TIM on the die that is so bad it actually would qualify for an RMA as it cannot be run at stock settings with the stock cooler.
So I'm chasing down why the total watts being used is so high. Right now it's seeming like the LLC controller (or however that is set up) is allowing/setting the amperage too high under load -> hence the very high watts at relatively lower frequency and volts
😉
For specifics, hottest core under load (IBT) hits 84C. 1.18 Vcore (hits 1.2 under load) @ 4.6GHz.
Cooling is done with a new "Old style" H100i (the square block that plugs into a SATA and not a fan header) with 4 SP120 fans in push-pull, mounted at the top of a 400r.
In addition to the two SP120 fans at front I've mounted an extra one on the back of the drive cage and at the bottom of the case for intake.
2 140mm Cougar Vortex fans on the side of the case round out the intake fans. There is also an SP120 at top rear for exhaust.
I think the case is well ventilated and my CPU cooling is pretty adequate
😀
I have tried two different H100i's in different configs with different TIM (stock, mx2, mx4, gelid gc-extreme) best has been gelid with the new H100i in push-pull + lower volts and lower watts (achieved by lowering LLC from "Extreme" to "Turbo"). Used to be at 94C (hottest core) but was also at 1.224 Vcore, 1.9VRIN and LLC "Extreme" and the watts were reported at +/- 180W. Just those voltage changes are worth 10C (and 40W!!!) so the cooling made no difference but the wattage did.
Anyways, I think I've narrowed this thing down to BIOS setting that will need to be adjusted - if possible. If that doesn't give me the results I'm after I can always consider a real WC loop and delidding :lol:
My 4790K at 5ghz with 1.45v only produced around 130 watts under full load with OCCT, so 150 watts seems quite high.
The 4790K at 5ghz with 1.45v only produced around 130 watts under full load with OCCT, so a 150 watts figure seems quite high.
My [email protected]@1.32V reaches 160 watts with prime95, yet stays comfortably under 80°C on all cores. I could try [email protected], but that didn’t work—so I switched to a mini ITX board and had no success. Even with a "proper" loop, the temperatures remain acceptable. The intake is at 240 radians, and with NF-P12 fans running up to 1300 RPM, it's quite hot. Exhaust is at 120 radians, which is also intense. Despite using both prime95 and a liquid cooling solution, the temps stay within a reasonable range.
I previously tested my CPU with an MX-4 cooler, but then experimented with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut (liquid metal), which left a lot of leftover heat after GPU power adjustments. It didn’t make much difference.
So it seems the issue isn’t cooling performance—it could be related to the motherboard (defective or incorrect settings) or possibly the CPU itself, which is rare.
P.S.
Corsair fans are really poor quality; they’re just marketing fluff compared to Noctua, especially for long-term use.