Your computer seems to be acting differently than usual.
Your computer seems to be acting differently than usual.
Are you experiencing maximum GPU utilization? The only AAA titles I recall where CPU limits would likely appear before GPU with an 8700k and 1080Ti would be Cyberpunk at 1080p. I saw a benchmark on a forgotten channel that illustrated how a weak Dell cooler could throttle a 3070 despite its power. Since Alienware is a Dell brand, it’s possible they included a subpar cooler for the CPU. Make sure to monitor GPU and CPU usage in AAA games using RTSS (found in MSI Afterburner), as 8700k and 1080Ti should still handle most tasks effectively.
Just to note, my CPU cooler is a water-cooled unit and it’s likely connected to a radiator. I didn’t think this would affect anything, but I wanted to mention it just in case.
You seem to be handling the CPU cooling well and think throttling isn't an issue. Do you have more than one RAM stick, and if yes, is it set to dual-channel mode? Having just one stick can hurt performance, particularly when paired with a powerful GPU like a 1080 Ti.