Intel responds to i7-7700K high temperature issue, tells owners they shouldn't overclock...

midian182

Posts: 9,734   +121
Staff member

If you own one of Intel’s new i7-7700 and 7700K CPUs, you may be one of the few to notice the chips have been randomly spiking in temperature. There have been reports of them hitting 90C (194°F), which is uncomfortably close to the 100C (212°F) threshold. TechSpot's features editor Steve Walton touched on this in a video for Hardware Unboxed back in February.

Following three months of complaints, Intel has finally issued a response on the company’s community forums: it says there is no problem with the CPUs.

“The reported behavior of the 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7700K Processor, showing momentary temperature changes from the idle temperature, is normal while completing a task (like opening a browser or an application or a program),” writes the chipmaker.

“In our internal investigation, we did not observe temperature variation outside of the expected behavior and recommended specifications. For processor specifications, please refer to the Intel Core i7-7700K Processor Product Specifications.”

Despite everything being "normal," Intel is advising owners not to overclock their i7-7700K processors. Yes, the ones with unlocked multipliers that are meant to be overclocked.

"We do not recommend running outside the processor specifications, such as by exceeding processor frequency or voltage specifications."

For those who are mostly concerned about the noise of the cooling fans whirring up and down as the temperatures spike, Intel says: “Most motherboard manufacturers offer customizable fan speed control settings that may allow for smoother transition of fan revolutions per minute (rpm). Please consult your motherboard manufacturer’s manual or website for instructions on how to change default fan speed control settings.”

Unsurprisingly, users aren’t happy with Intel’s findings. “3 months waiting for Intel to come out with a solution , and now this ?! This is all you can say ?! We know already what you've just said .. You know what never mind this would be my last product from Intel,” wrote forum member Meedy.

Overclocking a chip does void Intel’s warranty (unless you take out its Performance Tuning Protection Plan), and some affected users did say they de-lidded the affected processors, which can cause problems. But Intel’s line that there’s nothing at all wrong with the chips and that people really shouldn’t overclock them is making for some very unhappy customers.

Permalink to story.

 
  • Overclocking a chip does void Intel’s warranty
DUH; I've always opted for reliability :grin:
 
Not a fan of their response, but going to play devil's advocate a little. What could they possibly do? It's not a crippling problem that's frying systems, so it isn't recall worthy. It's probably nothing they could fix through driver/bios updates. Sooo ?

That said, telling people not to overclock an unlocked chip is completely ridiculous. They were better off not responding to this issue.
 
That 20°C drop in the de-lid video is nuts. They're actually shipping K models, marketed for overclocking, with unsuitable internal TIM between the chip and heat-spreader. Then telling you not to overclock it.

Pulling this kinda crap at a time where the competition is already clawing back significant sales is perhaps... unwise.
 
If its the stock cooler than thats expected my non k i7 2600 got up to the 90's before I switched coolers and so did my C2D E8500 which killed itself from being so hot
my i7 is still fine tho
 
If its the stock cooler than thats expected my non k i7 2600 got up to the 90's before I switched coolers and so did my C2D E8500 which killed itself from being so hot
my i7 is still fine tho

I dont think the 7700k comes with a stock cooler
 
Don't overclock a K chip? What a ridiculous statement to make.

Apple's 'You're holding it wrong' response comes to mind.

Cant wait for DX12 games and nVidia response like, "run it with DX11". Oh, wait..

Apple/Intel/Nvidia - The Evil Trio, treating their customers like they`re complete morons and at the same time overcharging them big time.

Dont overclock premium i7-K chip, even if you`re paying premium from regular 7700 just so you can overclock it?

Intel fanboys, where r u at?
 
Not a fan of their response, but going to play devil's advocate a little. What could they possibly do? It's not a crippling problem that's frying systems, so it isn't recall worthy. It's probably nothing they could fix through driver/bios updates. Sooo ?

That said, telling people not to overclock an unlocked chip is completely ridiculous. They were better off not responding to this issue.

Eventually it WILL fry systems that run at 90 Celsius degree 24/7. They need to issue recall for those who are affected and to make replacements ASAP that actually works. Or to simply return your money so you can purchase AMD Ryzen. I`m reading that i5`s are also affected by Intels cheap tactics to make OC nightmarish hard so that they dont get another Sandy Bridge, CPU that no one will change for at least five years.
 
That 20°C drop in the de-lid video is nuts. They're actually shipping K models, marketed for overclocking, with unsuitable internal TIM between the chip and heat-spreader. Then telling you not to overclock it.

Pulling this kinda crap at a time where the competition is already clawing back significant sales is perhaps... unwise.

They put those poor TIM`s on purpose, I never doubted that, they were fighting against OC since, like, forever. Complete domination on PC market but its still not enough, 2-3% improvements per year and yet they want you to upgrade every 2-3 year, what for? And now this.
 
Has anyone considered that this bug may be linked to the "Stuttering" problem I have seen several reviewers mention?

It could be that some defect/bug is making this thing spike in temperature, and then it throttles randomly and causes a brief framerate drop...
 
Back