Intel i7-10700kf comet lake CPU possibly faulty?

[AlphaDraft]

Hi, 2 months ago i had a issue where my PC would start to lag hard when playing games. I had massive frame drops for 0.5s every like 10-15min, but with time it started to become more frequent every couple minutes then 40-60 seconds.

Once it reached the couple seconds mark my PC completly died and wouldnt boot even to BiOS. Ive sent my entire system back for warranty, but they didnt tell me what was the problem and it took them like 3 weeks to figure it out.

Recently its been starting to happen again and i want to prevent it this time. Im going to attach a clip where its visiable.

There's no thermal throttling, CPU idle 30-36C under load usually around 60C but max ive seen was 71C. GPU idle 34C, under load 60C

my specs:

intel i7-10700kf 4.8ghz
RTX 3070
32gb ram
MB -Gigabyte B460M DS3H V2

PSU 850w bequiet

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

Thank you for posting on the Intel️® communities. I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing issues when gaming with your system.

If you are concerned about the processor, I recommend using the Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool (Intel® PDT). It will verify the functionality of all the cores of the Intel® Processor and the processor operating frequency, test specific processor features, and even perform a stress test on the processor.

Once installed, the Intel® PDT starts testing the processor using the default configuration. Two windows might appear to show the test is in progress. When the Intel® PDT completes, the testing status will display either a PASS or FAIL.

However, as you mentioned that the issue was present before and you needed an RMA process to solve the problem, I would recommend you contact your system manufacturer for further support; they can perform a hardware inspection if needed.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AlphaDraft]

It passed the test on the program. but it didnt find anything wrong. Last time i RMA'd through the company i bought the system from didnt tell me what the issue was or how to make it not happen anymore, basically communication with them was very difficult. But even i RMA'd the Mobo, CPU and the issue came back. I assume it can be Mobo bottlenecking the CPU or possible the AIO might be dirty inside of the block?

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

As you mentioned, the processor passed the IPDT test, which indicates that the CPU is running as expected with no issues. Furthermore, you may want to run a stress test using the Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel® XTU), it will display the processor's statistics, and you can confirm if everything is alright, just for confirmation that the processor is running as expected.

However, checking your video, we noticed a latency peak just before your performance is affected. This may indicate that the issue can be caused by an unstable internet connection. Could you try testing different games and confirm if you can replicate the issue using both online and single-player?

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AlphaDraft]

I have a screenshot from the stress test that i did before my PC completly shutdown. It had split seconds of thermal throttling but from what i saw i didnt impact the charts. (i might be wrong)

Although I've checked it on other games and it wasnt happening at all. Back in the day it happened regardless of the game i played, but if i streamed it via OBS the lag was more frequent. My guess that under load it cant perfom or is perhaps bottlenecked?

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

Thanks for the information provided

I see the screenshot you shared. The stress test has completed the process. Did the system turn off after starting a different stress test?

Also, what other games have you tested? Have you tried both offline and online games?

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AlphaDraft]

No, the system didn’t shut down after the test, only a couple days later. It happened in any game regardless if it was online or not. Happened in Apex Legends, Minecraft, sometimes even in the browser or while watching twitch

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

Thanks for the information you provided.

Do you mention that the unit shut down a couple of days after trying the XTU test? Did you try the test before I recommended it to you?

Also, I want to confirm what is the exact issue you are experiencing. You first provided a video showing a performance problem when running Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and now you mentioned that your system shut down. Could you describe in more detail what is your issue?

Create a report using the Intel System Support Utility (Intel SSU)  

• Download the Intel SSU

• Open the application and click on "Scan" to see the system and device information. By default, Intel SSU will take you to the "Summary View." 

• Click on the menu where it says: "Summary" to change it to "Detailed View." 

• To save your scan: click on "Next"; then "Save." 

Also, as I mentioned before, I would recommend you contact your system manufacturer for further support; have you tried checking with your system manufacturer regarding this issue?

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

I hope you are doing fine.

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AlphaDraft]

Hi, sorry for late reply. Ive ran the XTU test before my system shut down. I believe i provided a screenshot of the results somewhere above. Anyways today I realized that the "lag" started happening in a game with lower requirements. It didnt happen in that game ever since I received my system back from RMA.
I would assume it might be a faulty AIO Cooler? Since it doesnt happen instantly but over time it gets worse and worse. That would be my guess. I will contact the company that sold me the system, but communication is very difficult with them.

here i attach the SSU test.

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

Thanks for the information provided.

Based on your question, The XTU reports you shared mention that the highest temperature was 71°C. The processor stress test puts a heavy workload on your CPU and may run hotter than during normal usage. I would assume that the CPU cooler is working fine.

Based on the report you shared states that the processor's current Voltage is 8 volts, which is higher than the Maximum Operating Voltage for your processor (1.72 V). This behavior may cause unexpected system shutdown and performance issues. Based on this information, I recommend you reset the BIOS to default settings to disable overclocking features in the BIOS. You should contact your motherboard manufacturer for the proper steps to run your BIOS to deffaults.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jocelyn_Intel]

Hello @AlphaDraft,

I hope you are doing fine.

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards, 

Jocelyn M.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AlphaDraft]

Hi. yes ive contacted the motherboard manufacturer but unfortunately without any response yet. I cant find any specific tutorial online for my specific motherboard and bios verision

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

I appreciate your response.

Looking at the GIGABYTE website for your motherboard, the latest BIOS version is the F23, the same version as the BIOS version installed on your system, however, the report stated that the version was installed on 11/23/2021, earlier than the official release date of 2021/11/25. That's the reason why I recommended you check if it is the latest.

Also, it is important to mention that the Motherboard manufacturer is the only one that can educate you about the correct BIOS update steps, as well as the steps to load the BIOS to deffaults.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

I hope you are doing fine.

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards, 

Jean O.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[dougaMAT]

Hello @AlphaDraft

Is the VRM temperature on your motherboard rising too high?

When I looked at your PC configuration, the VRM on your motherboard seem weak. Also, you are using AIO water cooling, but these AIO water coolers do not cool the VRM as well as air cooled coolers.

When the VRM temperature reaches the limit, the over-temperature protection activates thermal throttling. If the VRM temperature still does not improve, the system may shut down.

You mentioned that thermal throttling occurred in the XTU benchmark, but the CPU temperature has not reached TjMAX, so the CPU thermal throttling is not activated. So the thermal throttling is due to factors other than the CPU. I would guess it is due to VRM over-temperature protection.

If you can take the risk, try opening the case panel and cooling the VRM with fan air. If that stops the problem, then figure out a way to permanently cool the VRM.

[Jean_Intel]

Hello AlphaDraft,

I hope you are doing fine.

I have not heard back from you. So I will close this thread. If you need any additional information, submit a new question, as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards.

Jean O. 

Intel Customer Support Technician.