Question CPU temp hitting 100c on i7 8700k in a mini ITX case

[cwjbowler]

Hi all,

I'm currently having concerns with my gaming PC. I purchased an older version of this computer from CyberPower
https://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/Syber-C-Elite-300-Gaming-Console

It's a Mini ITX case with an MSI Z370i Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard, an Intel i7 8700k cooled with a Cryorig C7 fan, and an nVidia GTX 1070ti. I've had the PC die on me recently after owning it for 9 months, and sent it back to cyberpower under the warranty. The motherboard and CPU had both died and had to be replaced. I've had it back for a few weeks and have been a bit cautious with it lately, so I decided to do something CPU intensive and use HWInfo to see how it performs.

I ran some processing of 4k video, which was maxing out the CPU, and after 40 minutes the CPU cores were hitting 100 degrees celcius and throttling down.
Here's a screenshot of HWInfo at the peak temperatures.
https://ibb.co/QFZVbGk


I've contacted CyberPower about it, saying I'm concerned to be seeing these temperatures and the CPU throttling as a result, and given that it's already died on me once (whilst I was in the middle of the first 4k gaming session I'd used the PC for), it doesn't seem like a good situation to me. The support people are telling me that these kind of temperatures are fine and won't damage the hardware. Granted I'm not that savvy when it comes to the hardware side, but that seems surprising to me. It's not like I process a lot of 4k video or really tax my CPU very often, but it's worrying to me that this is happening on those occasions when I do stress my PC.

Should I be concerned? Is this a problem, and cyberpower are just trying to get me to go away?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Craig

 

[drivinfast247]

Get a real tower case and proper cooling.

 

[CompuTronix]

cwjbowler,

On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

Cyberpower's response to your thermal problem is unacceptable.

Intel's Thermal Specification for Maximum Junction Temperature (Tj Max ) or "Throttle" temperature exist for the purpose of protecting the processor from thermal damage due to excessive Core temperatures, which for the i7-8700K is 100°C. Computer systems which allow their CPU to operate at Throttle temperature when running commonly used applications are inherently poorly designed.

Cooling upgrades not implemented by the manufacturer will void your warranty. Unfortunately, this means your choices are limited to; having the manufacturer upgrade the cooling solution, or exchanging / replacing the PC with a system that has adequate cooling, or voiding your warranty and upgrading the cooling solution yourself, or downgrading performance parameters in BIOS / Windows, or living with it as is.

Sorry for your situation, but once again, welcome aboard!

CT

 

[cwjbowler]

Thanks CompuTronix for your helpful reply. It didn't sound right to me either.

I dug out and got my old Alienware X51 working which has an i7-3770 and is a smaller case than the Syber-C series case that I bought from CyberPower, and tried out the same CPU intensive task on there, and after running it at 100% CPU usage for nearly 2 hours, the CPU temp still only reached 75 degrees celcius. The same task brought my CyberPower machine to the point of throttling after less than 30 minutes.

I don't really want to change the case to a full tower, as this PC is in my living room on my TV cabinet. It's got plenty of space around it for ventilation, but there's not enough space to fit a tower without redesigning my whole living room layout/furniture

I've been in touch with CyberPower again since this test, asking if there's another cooling solution they could install, or if they're so confident that these temperatures aren't going to reduce the life of my components then ask if they're willing to offer me an extended warranty, and the response is no. They said my test I did wasn't a fair test as the CPU manufacturing process is completely different now and the i7-8700k is known to run very hot.

So I guess I'm either going to have to hope it doesn't die on me, or move the guts into a full tower and have it somewhere completely different in the room with some very long HDMI cables to the TV, or write off my warranty and investigate alternate cooling solutions myself. Maybe I could try contacting the manufacturer of the case and explain the issue, see if they recommend another solution, as I'm getting nowhere with CyberPower.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Limit cpu turbo-boost frequency in BIOS (you could turn turbo boost completely off) and lower cpu voltage.
For 8700k base frequency is 3.7Ghz, turbo boost 4.7Ghz.

 

[Spaceghaze]

If you still have warranty, return the whole thing, or make them change the case/ cooling solution. It would be unacceptable to have to underclock or change anything yourself in a prebuilt system like that.

Btw. that case looks awful for any kind of airflow..

 

[CompuTronix]

cwjbowler,

There is one remaining alternative that I didn't mention; delidding. Although it would also void both your PC and CPU warranties, it can decrease your Core temperatures during heavy workloads up to about 18°C, which would most likely solve all your problems. Delidding results are well documented, however, I have delidded 8700K's and know from first hand experience how effective it is.

If you'd like to look into this, you can either have it professionally done, or you can safely delid with a "delidding tool":

der8auer Delid Die Mate 2
Dr. Delid
Rockit 88

If you're not confident in delidding yourself, then just send your 8700K to Silicon Lottery - https://siliconlottery.com/collections/all/products/delid

This is a reputable company that tests, bins and sells overclocked, delidded "K" CPU's. They also offer professional delidding services, and give the following figures on how much Core temperatures at 100% workload are improved by delidding:

9th Generation ... Coffee Lake Refresh - 3 to 7°C
8th Generation ... Coffee Lake - 12 to 25°C
7th Generation ... Kaby Lake - 12 to 25°C
6th Generation ... Skylake - 7 to 20°C
5th Generation ... Broadwell - 8 to 18°C
4th Generation ... Devil's Canyon - 7 to 15°C
4th Generation ... Haswell - 10 to 25°C
3rd Generation ... Ivy Bridge - 10 to 25°C

They do a great job and include a warranty with quick turn-around time. They charge $40 not including shipping to delid an 8700K. I've ordered a few of their delidded CPUs and have been thoroughly pleased with their work.

CT

 

[Ketchup79]

Limit cpu turbo-boost frequency in BIOS (you could turn turbo boost completely off) and lower cpu voltage.
For 8700k base frequency is 3.7Ghz, turbo boost 4.7Ghz.

This is what I would recommend, and I would be surprised if the BIOS does not allow some manipulation here. You probably don't even need to go all the way down to 3.7, even 4.2 would probably give you a nice drop in temps (as it wouldn't be raising the core voltage to compensate). Let us know if you have any questions on how to do this.

Do you know what model the motherboard is? If you pull the "Sensor" column in HWInfo a little more to the right it may list it. If not, CPU-Z will tell you what it is.

 

[mdd1963]

Systems should have enough thermal headroom to be used for editing...

If they overheat, they are inadequate, IMO...

Tell them their system appears to fall in the 'inadequately engineered' category, and get a refund, or, get a full or mid-tower...

If you get a normal ATX mid-tower case yourself $60, you can add a Mugen 5 sink/fan for about $50....