i7700 Temperature/Fan Speed problem

diegokuic,

On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

At the top of all our Forums we have "Stickies" which are Threads that are permanently "stuck" in place as quick reference material for everyone's benefit. Near the top of our CPUs Forum you'll see a Sticky you should read: Intel Temperature Guide - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

From the Guide:

" ... Core temperatures increase and decrease instantly with changes in load.

Intel’s specification for Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) response time is 256 milliseconds, or about 1/4th of a second. Since Windows has dozens of Processes and Services running in the background, it’s normal to see rapid and random Core temperature “spikes” or fluctuations, especially during the first few minutes after startup, which should eventually settle. Any software activity will show some percentage of CPU Utilization in Task Manager, where unnecessary Tray items, Startups, Processes and Services that contribute to excessive or continued spiking can be disabled. ... "

" ... 6th Generation processors introduced "Speed Shift" technology in Windows 10, which responds much faster to changes in workload than "SpeedStep" due to having many more Core speed and Core voltage transition levels.

Since 7th and 8th Generation Speed Shift is twice as fast as 6th Generation, some users complain of Core temperature spikes which cause fluctuations in fan RPM at idle. Motherboard manufacturers are currently developing BIOS fixes that include separate SpeedStep and Speed Shift settings with more flexible fan curves and time delay options. ... "

" ... Here's the operating range for Core temperature:

Core temperatures above 85°C aren't recommended.

Core temperatures increase and decrease with Ambient temperature.

Highest Core temperatures occur during stress tests, rendering or transcoding, but are lower during less processor intensive workloads such as applications and gaming. CPU workloads and Core temperatures can vary greatly between games. Idle temperatures below 25°C are generally due to Ambient temperatures below 22°C. ... "

Don't feel alone; you're not the only person experiencing this problem. Here's a 73 page Thread that's been running on Intel's Forums since the 7700 / 7700K was launched: Thermal sensor issue i7-7700k? - https://communities.intel.com/thread/110728

Of course, the title of the thread is misleading, because the Digital Thermal Sensors (DTS) function properly; the real problem is as I described above, but this Intel Thread is still a good read. The solution is primarily fan curves (and time delay options, if available) in BIOS, which you've discovered on your own following a BIOS update.

Also, better cooling and manually reducing Core voltage (Vcore) and Load / Line Compensation (LLC) keeps the Core temperatures lower, thereby minimizing the problem. Although you mentioned that you won't be replacing your cooler anytime soon, and you can't overclock a locked 7700 on a B250 motherboard, Google up a few overclocking Guides anyway, which will explain how to minimize Vcore and LLC while maintaining stability.

Keep working with the fan curves. Increase the temperature thresholds till you find a combination that keeps your fans from spinning up during spiking events. Don't hesitate to experiment with pushing your fan curves up to 80'ish, as 60°C is not at all hot. Also, work with Task Manager to disable unnecessary Tray items, Startups, Processes and Services that might be contributing to the problem.

Oh, and incidentally, your english is excellent and you write very well. Once again, welcome aboard!

CT