Question Do I have a faulty i7-14700K ?

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Mar 13, 2025
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Hello All,


I'm not a techie guy but I built my pc last year and from that time I was having problem like "Out of video memory trying to allocate rendering resource". I researched online and got to know that intels 13th n 14th gen had some problem and probably mine was one of em. At that time I was not able to do RMA as I needed my machine for work. Now after BIOS update and intel default settings most things started to run like games and all but there are still some crashes like unreal engine (will attach below). Recently I started playing PUBG and while I'm playing game my whole pc sometimes just restarts on its own. I did prime95 test and it gives me error like hardware failure. (I re-run the test and the timing for error is different and I cant run the test for 24h so I stop after 10-15mins and there are no error until that).

Crash.png
Crash_2.png



FATAL ERROR: Final result was 922A259E, expected: 87610A79.
Hardware failure detected running 288K FFT size, consult stress.txt file.
Torture Test completed 1 tests in 1 minutes - 1 errors, 0 warnings.
Worker stopped.

After reading online I came to know that this can be due to faulty RAMs so I run memtest86 and got 5 errors in that too(attached ss). Should I RMA my ram sticks too or my CPU is only defective ? My RAM xmp was enabled while I run the test.

My PC specs are :-

CPU - i7 14700K
GPU - Zotac 3060 RTX
Mobo - MSI z790 tomahawk max wifi ddr5
Ram - G skill trident z5 7200Mhz
PSU - Corsair 80+ Gold 850W RM
Cooler - Noctua Nh - DH15 Chromax ( Adding during prime test my temps reach 100degress Celsius)

Please help me out as I am really frustrated now

WhatsApp_Image_2025-03-14_at_6.08.07_AM.jpeg
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WhatsApp_Image_2025-03-14_at_6.08.06_AM.jpeg
 
According to this both Pl1 n pl2 can be 241W am I right or got anything wrong ? As suggested above I changed pl1 to 125W. In my BIOS when I select intel default then its written 253W infront of it? (As i have shared ss above) Is it wrong ?
This picture is for the 12th gen when this was first introduced, the limit for your 14700k is 253W so both pl1 and pl2 can be 253w.

The thing is to find why you have such high temps.
 
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This picture is for the 12th gen when this was first introduced, the limit for your 14700k is 253W so both pl1 and pl2 can be 253w.

The thing is to find why you have such high temps.
Can it be due to faulty CPU ? I will ship my CPU for RMA and until then will clean my case n fans and after that will check again with 253W both and gonna update here what will happen until then any suggestion or knowledge is well and good.
 
If it where only crashing then it might have been the CPU, but with the temps being so high we can't say.
Well I dont know if it helps or not but as soon as I run these test like in 2 secs my temps are BOOM 100C. Like there is no delay and my fan starts to run faster but it doesnt help cooling it. Thanks for replying and pls give any info which seems useful for my scenario.
 
I suspect your cpu has been degraded from prolonged OC and exposure to 100C.
If lowering TDP limits fixes stability, then you can continue using it (at slightly lowered performance levels).

If that doesn't fix it, then replace the cpu.

Anyway - here document with Intel recommended TDP settings. Refer to baseline profile values.
Performance profile values may not be suitable for your cpu anymore.
 
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Well I dont know if it helps or not but as soon as I run these test like in 2 secs my temps are BOOM 100C. Like there is no delay and my fan starts to run faster but it doesnt help cooling it. Thanks for replying and pls give any info which seems useful for my scenario.
If you haven't, take a little time to read the Reddit link I posted above. The videos are also helpful with being able to find what the Reddit poster is talking about in his post. It also explains undervolting.

Your MOBO was probably one of those that was wide open out of the box, meaning the settings were pumped up to make their performance look better. In doing that, these 14th gen Intel chips - specifically the K models - were left with way too much voltage. This additional voltage lead to additional heat. The heat is the problem with these chips because they already had a "weakness" to them from the factory which resulted in Intel's offer of a longer warranty period and replacement if the chips were damaged. It was the confluence of these two things which allowed experts to figure out what was going on: wide open MOBOs were causing heat issues in a chip that was already susceptible to heat damage from poor manufacturing.

It could be a number of things causing the failures - as you've been hearing from other posters; and as @TerryLaze says the 100C is normal for Intel chips, but these specific chips, the 14th gen K models, have known susceptibilities to damage from heat, so finding a way to get the most performance out of lower voltages is the key to reducing the heat problems. It seems counter intuitive that lower voltages lead to better performance, but finding the sweet spot in the power fixes the heat issue and allows the CPU to run to full potential.

Eventually after doing all of the Bios updates, I loaded the default "performance" settings on my MSI MOBO. After that I went in and followed the Reddit poster's directions on undervolting the CPU. You should watch the videos so you know where settings are for your model MOBO. My CPU is the 14600K and it never gets above 85C and it's performance is excellent. There's more info about my experience with it in the thread I linked above.
 
Hello Thanks a lot for pointing out this thing I never know that it should be 125W. I opened my BIOS to confirm it but I don't know why its showing in intel default settings in 253W. Can you help me in this too. I have shared some screenshots hope it helps you. Sorry to be a bother I have no clue about volt and all.

IMG_20250315_003331444_HDR_AE.jpg
IMG_20250315_004059235_HDR_AE.jpg
IMG_20250315_003707023_HDR_AE.jpg
Your MOBO is a similar model to mine. I have an MSi Z790- A Wifi. You should have no trouble undervolting your CPU with the help of the videos and Reddit directions. Your MOBO was on the wide open setting. The most helpful setting to adjust first if you want to experiment is the CPU Lite setting. Leave the Bios on the performance setting that you had it on in the picture above, find the CPU Lite line in your Bios, click it and see where it is. I bet it is on like 26 or higher. This is seriously overvolting your CPU! Change that setting to 11 and save and exit bios. Test your pc with Cinebench with HWMonitor going to monitor temps and performance. Your temps should go down and your performance will likely be the same or go up a little. Start with that.

There is the chance that in letting your CPU run at those 100C+ temps thru your testing the damage is already done and it will continue to shut down unexpectedly. But while you're testing the CPU Lite settings, shut it down if it reaches 100C. Try 11. If everything works, try 9 and note changes on HWMonitor. You might want to experiment up a little to 12-15, but you are going to notice higher temps as you go higher because more voltage is being allowed to go to the CPU. I made additional settings later after I got that setting figured out and what I did is in the Reddit link.

I just saw that setting in the pic you posted after I posted the previous comment. Good luck.