
Originally Posted by
Mark Campbell (OC3D)
Benchmarker, RichUK, has shown a new Intel Kaby Lake i7 7700K running at 5.0GHz before and after he replaced Intel's stock TIM, with thermals lowering by a maximum of 30 degrees.
This i7 7700K was benchmarked on a Z170 motherboard, with the overclocker being able to run the CPU at 5.0GHz at 1.344v when using an NZXT Kraken X62. Using this setup the user was able to run Prime95 when the CPU was clocked at 5GHz, with the CPU temperatures shooting up to 90+ degrees after a few seconds of use when using Intel's stock TIM (Thermal Interface Material).
After deliding his Intel i7 7700K CPU and replacing Intel's stock TIM, RichUK was able to run the same test at the same voltages but with much lower thermals, with the hottest core running at 66 degrees celsius, which is 26 degrees lower than the previous test.
While this overclock was not stable over an extended testing period, the CPUs thermals were not longer an issue. This clearly shows that Intel's stock thermal interface material is not an optimal solution for high-end overclockers.