I9-12900KS very unstable constant clock watchdog timeout (Stock Settings)

[mcfaddenad]

I have just finished a new system and my 12900KS is very unstable at stock settings. At stock settings for the CPU and motherboard, I'm getting constant clock watchdog timeouts when benchmarking. I tried benchmarking with Intel XTU, Cinebench r23, and OCCT. All my benchmarks stop early due to a BSOD clock watchdog timeout. I'm unsure why the CPU is this unstable at stock. The system works fine when not under load, but once I load the system it BSODs. I have attached an Intel SSU report.  

specs

ASROCK Z690 AQUA OC

2x16Gb Kingston Fury Beast 4800 MHZ (XMP is off)

RTX 3090 FE

Intel I9-12900KS

Windows 11

[Alberto_R_Intel]

mcfaddenad, Thank you for posting in the Intel® Communities Support.

For this scenario, first, it is important to mention that we are not able to comment on benchmarking and performance since, depending on the system specifications, the performance can be different even though the computers being used/compared have similar or equal specifications, due to the fact that the configuration for every system is always different. 

According to the SSU report, all the components are being properly detected and the Memory RAM is also fully compatible with the Intel® processor, which is most of the times the reason why you see this problem:

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/225916/intel-core-i912900ks-processor-30m-cache-up-to-5-50-ghz.html

The Intel® Core™ i9-12900KS processor is not listed as compatible with the Intel® XTU, as you can confirm at the bottom in the link below, which may be the reason why you get the clock watchdog timeouts and BSODs. Same thing goes while using third-party tools such as Cinebench r23, and OCCT:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/17881/intel-extreme-tuning-utility-intel-xtu.html?wapkw=intel%20extreme%20tuning%20utility%20intel%20xtu

You mentioned, "I'm getting constant clock watchdog timeouts when benchmarking", based on that we just wanted to confirm, do you still receive clock watchdog timeouts and BSODs while not running benchmarking?

Could you please provide the BSOD error code?

When did you purchase the Intel® processor?

Were you seeing this problem before?

If not, when did the issue start?

Did you make any recent hardware/software changes that might cause this issue?

Does the problem happen at home or in the work environment?

Any questions, please let me know.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Alberto_R_Intel]

Hello mcfaddenad, I just wanted to check if you saw the information posted previously and if you need further assistance on this matter?

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[mcfaddenad]

I think I have it figured out now. ASRock has a terrible BIOS for the 12900KS. The only way I can get the system stable is setting the voltage mode from "Stable" to "OC Mode". That got me further in a Cinebench r23 but crash close at the end. I set CPU CORE/Cache Load-Line Calibration from "Auto" to "Level 3" and that change let me run the Cinebench r23 without crashing. Nothing bluescreens the desktop now with these settings. I will contact ASRock and try to figure out why their "Stable" mode is not so stable.

[Alberto_R_Intel]

mcfaddenad, Thank you very much for providing that information.

"Nothing bluescreens the desktop now with these settings", Perfect, we are glad to know that you were able to find and use that workaround for the moment.

"I will contact ASRock and try to figure out why their "Stable" mode is not so stable.", Yes, at this point that will be the best thing to do, especially since the problem, as you mentioned, seems to be related to their BIOS.

Any other inquiries, do not hesitate to contact us again.

Regards,

Albert R.

Intel Customer Support Technician