My 12700K is a bit hot, what's the best guide on how to undervolt it to keep the temps under control ?

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abugassem2008c153e02de

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Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4
CPU: Intel i7 12700K + Thermallight contact frame
Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer ii 360 AiO

My CPU can get a bit hot when gaming, playing Warhammer 2 Total War at least 2 cores reach 81c according to HWinfo64 with the rest are in the low to mid 70s which rather high from what I've seen and read online, even the E-cores can reach 60c.
My BIOS is pretty much at default settings with exception of turning on X.M.P and ReBAR.
I've never tried undervolting and I don't really need to fine tune it to the absolute limit, I just wanna go with the safest and most low hanging fruit undervolt figure just to hopefully get the temps under control.

Also, my RAM sticks can get up to 57c, is that normal or high ?
 
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abugassem2008c153e02de said:
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4
CPU: Intel i7 12700K + Thermallight contact frame
Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer ii 360 AiO

My CPU can get a bit hot when gaming, playing Warhammer 2 Total War at least 2 cores reach 81c according to HWinfo64 with the rest are in the low to mid 70s which rather high from what I've seen and read online, even the E-cores can reach 60c.
My BIOS is pretty much at default settings with exception of turning on X.M.P and ReBAR.
I've never tried undervolting and I don't really need to fine tune it to the absolute limit, I just wanna go with the safest and most low hanging fruit undervolt figure just to hopefully get the temps under control.

Also, my RAM sticks can get up to 57c, is that normal or high ?
Click to expand...
If your DDR4 memory DIMMs get that hot, my first reaction would be to try to improve your case cooling configuration. And, if you cannot improve it, then seriously look at buying a new case. Gamers Nexus YouTube channel has a lot of good comparison charts in their case review videos, especially the ones that use the same Noctua fans to standardize the native cooling abilities of the case layout. If you can lower your memory temps, you will help your CPU temps, but maybe less so if you already have a front mounted AIO with limited restrictions. In that situation, a new case might have more impact on component temps. At least you‘re not having instability problems. So improved cooling would be more about component life expectancy.
 
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My case is the NZXT H710 ATX Mid Tower. It came with 3x120mm intake front fans and one 140mm fan to push air out and the radiator and its 3x120mm fans are one the top of the case as well.
I don't know, the case seemed decent when I was looking at reviews including Gamers Nexus.
 
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abugassem2008c153e02de said:
My case is the NZXT H710 ATX Mid Tower. It came with 3x120mm intake front fans and one 140mm fan to push air out and the radiator and its 3x120mm fans are one the top of the case as well.
I don't know, the case seemed decent when I was looking at reviews including Gamers Nexus.
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I’m not a fan of cases with sold front panels. Maybe you should see what temperature changes you get with the front panel removed. You could also change your fan curve to ramp up sooner. When front fans run off CPU temp, which is the normal setup, you could be cooking all the other components if the CPU cooler is keeping average CPU temps down. Even with a mesh front panel, 120mm fans might need to spin > 1200rpm (even better ones than what come with the case) to have a chance of coping with modern GPU heat. I would definitely start my investigation with how well the front fans are pulling cool air into the case. Start by making big changes and observe what happens to temps. Use HWInfo and keep an eye on all component temps like chipset, VRM, SSDs, HDDs, etc. This might give you an idea of where pockets of heat are caused by stagnant airflow.

Another possibility is that you are creating negative pressure in a case that was probably not designed for it. This condition is caused when the CPU cooler fans are exhausting air out of the case faster than the front fans can replenish that air. Your components get starved of airflow. Again, start by removing the front cover, max out the front fan rpm when CPU is above 55C. See what changes. If this is the problem then your only two options are 1) find a way to cool down your CPU (e.g. undervolting, and/or downclocking) so the CPU fans run slower or 2) improve the airflow from the front and/or make the front fan curve more aggressive. Maybe try slowing down the rear exhaust, too. But there’s only so much you can do with a solid front panel case. Case cooling can be tricky.

I’m still messing with my two cases. Everything is fine until you start gaming. That’s when the cooling problems show themselves. CPU stress tests like Cinebench R23 are useless for highlighting case airflow issues. Most CPU stress tests don’t even heat up the RAM, let alone the GPU and PSU.
 
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FlyingScot said:
I’m not a fan of cases with sold front panels. Maybe you should see what temperature changes you get with the front panel removed. You could also change your fan curve to ramp up sooner. When front fans run off CPU temp, which is the normal setup, you could be cooking all the other components if the CPU cooler is keeping average CPU temps down. Even with a mesh front panel, 120mm fans might need to spin > 1200rpm (even better ones than what come with the case) to have a chance of coping with modern GPU heat. I would definitely start my investigation with how well the front fans are pulling cool air into the case. Start by making big changes and observe what happens to temps. Use HWInfo and keep an eye on all component temps like chipset, VRM, SSDs, HDDs, etc. This might give you an idea of where pockets of heat are caused by stagnant airflow.

Another possibility is that you are creating negative pressure in a case that was probably not designed for it. This condition is caused when the CPU cooler fans are exhausting air out of the case faster than the front fans can replenish that air. Your components get starved of airflow. Again, start by removing the front cover, max out the front fan rpm when CPU is above 55C. See what changes. If this is the problem then your only two options are 1) find a way to cool down your CPU (e.g. undervolting, and/or downclocking) so the CPU fans run slower or 2) improve the airflow from the front and/or make the front fan curve more aggressive. Maybe try slowing down the rear exhaust, too. But there’s only so much you can do with a solid front panel case. Case cooling can be tricky.

I’m still messing with my two cases. Everything is fine until you start gaming. That’s when the cooling problems show themselves. CPU stress tests like Cinebench R23 are useless for highlighting case airflow issues. Most CPU stress tests don’t even heat up the RAM, let alone the GPU and PSU.
Click to expand...
Took off the front panel and both side panels (cleaned the air filter for the front fans as well for good measure) and the temps dropped considerably. Most cores are between low to mid 60s C with one or two cores only at high 50s C, The E-cores don't even reach 50C. The RAM temps also dropped almost 10C they are now between 48-45C (although I installed Corsair's iCUE and completely disabled the RGB lights which should help)
Never realized how air starved the insides of my case was, I'm gonna leave the panels off now until winter at least when the weather starts to cool off. I still like the H710 look when it's completely assembled, it looks like a neat, slick tightly packed box but I guess it does come at the cost of cooling despite the good reviews.
citay said:
Here you go: Guide: How to set good power limits in the BIOS and reduce the CPU power draw.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I should've checker that sub forum but when I saw there was a dedicated forum for undervolting I figured it would be here and I didn't find anything that wasn't way too old.
 
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abugassem2008c153e02de said:
Took off the front panel and both side panels (cleaned the air filter for the front fans as well for good measure) and the temps dropped considerably. Most cores are between low to mid 60s C with one or two cores only at high 50s C, The E-cores don't even reach 50C. The RAM temps also dropped almost 10C they are now between 48-45C (although I installed Corsair's iCUE and completely disabled the RGB lights which should help)
Never realized how air starved the insides of my case was, I'm gonna leave the panels off now until winter at least when the weather starts to cool off. I still like the H710 look when it's completely assembled, it looks like a neat, slick tightly packed box but I guess it does come at the cost of cooling despite the good reviews.
Click to expand...
Good deal! I'm really glad you found a way to cool things down. It's great when you figure out what's going on inside your PC, isn't it?
The learning never stops!
Cheers!
FlyingScot
 
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