Question Intel i7 10700K CPU maximum frequency dropping down from 100% to 40%

Dec 10, 2022
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Hello, I've been having this issue for nearly a month now and I first noticed it when playing Call of Duty Warzone 2.0. When I play the game the CPU maximum frequency drops from 100% to 40% even 20% and then will go back to 100% again. This happens constantly during the game and causes the game to constantly slow down, stutter then resume and then 4 seconds later repeat. My friend and I have tried everything within our combined knowledge and no matter what we try we can't seem to get the PC to stop the frequency from dropping. My knowledge is limited, admittedly, I don't know what else to try or look for.

This problem happens when playing on CoD Warzone 2, Battlefield 2042 and World War 3. Whenever we ran benchmarks or checks we never had any errors for any component, we've tried disabling overlays, changing power management settings, priority for programs, going into Bios and turning off any sort of auto CPU based options, I have bought new components for the PC such as power supply, SSD, Heatsink. I've overclocked ram, turned it back off, defaulted my Bios, changed voltage settings.

I don't really know what else to do so I'm reaching out here for a fresh perspective in case we're overlooking something obvious. If you need more info just ask.

PC specs:

Intel Core i7 10700K
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti
Gigabyte technology H410M H
x2 Corsair CMW32GX4M2C3200C16 DDR4 (default frequency)
EVGA 750w Gq
Samsung SSD 970
x2 Crucial BX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5
 
Dec 10, 2022
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What CPU cooler are you using? Are you overclocking the CPU or GPU? Also, what are your CPU and GPU operating temperatures at idle and under load?

Using a Cooler Master Hyper H412R CPU Air Cooler, No not overclocking CPU or GPU, Temps on idle are 50°C CPU and 45°C GPU, Temps while under load are 70°C CPU and 84°C when under load.
 

Phaaze88

Titan
Ambassador
Overheating motherboard power delivery is my guess. It's going to force frequency down, even if the cores themselves aren't hitting their thermal limits.
That board is pretty naked, considering the 10700K and 2080Ti in there; it's getting roasted by them.

Essentially need a new motherboard, such as Z490/590. Some B and H series boards can also handle the heat, but the selection is much more limited.
 
Dec 10, 2022
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Overheating motherboard power delivery is my guess. It's going to force frequency down, even if the cores themselves aren't hitting their thermal limits.
That board is pretty naked, considering the 10700K and 2080Ti in there; it's getting roasted by them.

Essentially need a new motherboard, such as Z490/590. Some B and H series boards can also handle the heat, but the selection is much more limited.
Well that's a shame, if I couldn't afford a new motherboard would you have any other suggestions I could try first?
 
Dec 10, 2022
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-Open the case up, have a fan blow inside the PC.
-DIY some heatsinks and fan around the board.
-Reduce gpu power limit, as it tends to use the most power and dumps it inside the PC.
I will give these a try and if it clears up the problem I will invest in a new motherboard that can take heat, tyvm.
 
Dec 10, 2022
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I will give these a try and if it clears up the problem I will invest in a new motherboard that can take heat, tyvm.

I tried taking the side off and fan method and it worked instantly so think we found the problem. It still gets warm but it isn't insane levels of temperature like it had been and the clocks stayed stable.
 

COLGeek

Cybernaut
Moderator
The original CPU cooler was just a stock one that came with the CPU so I bought the next best thing.
I think you need to get a cooler designed for the load. Based on the side removal improvement, a look at your airflow config is in order.

Please describe the number of case fans and whether intake or exhaust.

In general, front, bottom, and side fans are intake (pull cool air into case). Rear and top fans are exhaust (remove warm air from case). The idea is airflow (cool in/warm out).
 
Dec 10, 2022
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I think you need to get a cooler designed for the load. Based on the side removal improvement, a look at your airflow config is in order.

Please describe the number of case fans and whether intake or exhaust.

In general, front, bottom, and side fans are intake (pull cool air into case). Rear and top fans are exhaust (remove warm air from case). The idea is airflow (cool in/warm out).

It has 1 intake front and 1 exhaust back. Only the 2 fans from what I can see.
 

COLGeek

Cybernaut
Moderator
Looks like you could add another front fan to improve cool air entering the case. I can also see now why you chose the cooler you did. You don't have a lot of room to work with, but you can go up to a cooler that is 160mm tall, according the specs listed below.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174441511223

A cooler like this one would do a better job cooling your CPU and is 158mm tall: https://noctua.at/en/nh-u12s/specification
 
Dec 10, 2022
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Looks like you could add another front fan to improve cool air entering the case. I can also see now why you chose the cooler you did. You don't have a lot of room to work with, but you can go up to a cooler that is 160mm tall, according the specs listed below.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174441511223

A cooler like this one would do a better job cooling your CPU and is 158mm tall: https://noctua.at/en/nh-u12s/specification
Thanks for the help, I will have to do this next payday after Christmas but hopefully it will work.