Kallekorv

It's not a bad idea! I'm also keeping an eye out for a cheap but sufficient 1151 motherboard. But there is a concern with your method of troubleshooting. You see, the processor works fine on that motherboard when underclocked. Using it at 3 GHz for instance. Would the stress on the motherboard's power delivery when using a Pentium be a sufficient analog to a 7700K stock? I kind of doubt it. It wouldn't be a definitive test if that makes sense. Is there another way to investigate the power delivery (or any other motherboard-related factor) aside from putting another 7700K in there? Cheers.

No, but I really wish I had one of the two! For now I can only keep shooting in the dark... Do you think the CPU could have degraded in my possession? I only ran the chip above 1.3V once or twice for a very short duration. Maybe the processor had briefly "recovered" in the time between the previous owner throwing it away and me getting it? That sounds pretty silly though. To be frank - I have never seen or experienced severe CPU degradation like this. The general consensus I've gathered is that the motherboard typically breaks as opposed to the processor. Of course this would be more true if discussing a locked CPU such as the 7700 but I have never seen a processor become degraded beyond (below?) stock spec like this. The processor is only 2.5 years old maximum too, mind you. This would be a first for me anyway. Have you experienced something similar first-hand? Thanks again.

I have no information on previous ownership. It could very well be due to degradation of the silicon. Is what I'm describing above common among broken CPUs, though? I thought perhaps me being able to overclock it quite successfully, at least temporarily, would somewhat disprove that theory. Do you see any other possible explanation? Thanks a ton for responding, btw!

I recently got my hand on some second hand hardware. As you have probably read from the title already, I am experiencing some strange behavior... Specs are as follows: Intel Core i7 7700K Asus Strix Z270H Gaming/K1 1151 Asus ROG Strix 1070 Ti Samsung 850 EVO 500GB Seagate Barracuda 1TB Corsair TX650W Cryorig H5 Ultimate CPU cooler Corsair Vengeance ddr4 2x8gb 2666MHz All of the components are used. I first built the computer on top of a cardboard box to troubleshoot. Standard procedure. I was having trouble reaching BIOS but this was quickly resolved by simply reseating the ram. After this I was able to go into the UEFI and validate that all of the connected hardware was recognized. Cool. I then tried to install Windows but the installation process was continuously interrupted resulting in a corrupt install each time. This was when I first raised an eyebrow. In order to further troubleshoot I connected another SSD which had Windows previously installed. I load into Windows and I blue screen almost immediately. I tried rebooting a few times but would always crash either before loading in or shortly thereafter. Needless to say I tried resetting BIOS multiple times in order to resolve this, making sure the settings stuck. It would not work. I cleared CMOS, updated BIOS to the latest version, swapped both RAM and power supply. Nothing helped. I then tried tweaking some settings manually: I underclocked the processor to 3 GHz (all core) and set the voltage to a fixed 1.2V. This worked. It didn't crash in Windows and it managed to pass stress tests such as Aida64. After this I raised the clocks to 4.2 GHz keeping the voltage the same. This also worked. I then increased the clocks to around 4.7 GHz, still using 1.2V, and that also worked - much to my surprise. After pushing my "luck" for a while I eventually reached something unstable which resulted in a BSOD. "No big deal" I thought, but lowering the clocks back to 4.5 GHz (stable just a few minutes ago) resulted in constant blue screens again. WHAT? ? I started over with an underclock -> "stock-clock" -> overclock (@ 1.2V) which brought me back to where I were. Although the behavior was weird, I decided to build the computer properly into a case ( Corsair Carbide SPEC-DELTA). Around this time I also decided to delid my 7700K in order to exclude temperature as a variable and I also installed Windows on the 850 EVO mentioned above to avoid potential driver clashes. I tuned a few more settings manually in BIOS such as Cache frequency (among others) in hope of making things more stable - and for a while - it really was stable. I even managed to hit 5 GHz (!) at a reasonable voltage: ~1.3V. I had some seemingly random crashes throughout which made me dial it back down to 4.7 GHz 1.2V and I found that to be stable for almost 5 days. I was really happy (although confused) and I used the machine daily for both games and web browsing. **Keep in mind that throughout this entire troubleshoot I had been trying to use stock settings and it NEVER worked** Unfortunately it started crashing again... And now I can't reach 4.7 GHz anymore. I can't even reach 4.2 GHz. Stock settings or "optimized defaults" still also don't work. The only thing working at this moment is a substantial (handicapping) underclock such as 3 GHz. **Has anyone ever experienced something similar??? I don't have another compatible motherboard or CPU to properly troubleshoot further. You guys are my only hope! Any input is appreciated!

Thanks for the response @aisle9! Conclusive answers to pretty much all the topics brought up here. A fun read :D Sorry for the belated response! I posted the thread during the night and subsequently slept through most of you guys discussion. As for the build; I am buying either the 4590s or the Xeon E3-1230V2 (for $20) and I will pick the appropriate motherboard accordingly. About $50 - $60 total for either platform. I am pairing it up with an Asus gtx 680 directcu II ($40), 8gb of 1600mHz RAM ($20) and a 600W PSU ($20). Only DIY/ enthusiast hardware! No OEM crap. :) The aim is to complete the build for $150 - $180. I am now partial to the Xeon processor but it seems harder to come by a proper 1155 board. How much extra money & time do you think it's worth spending to get the Xeon motherboard considering the budget and overall nature of the build? It is a gift for my 9-year-old cousin who is currently gaming on an OEM desktop with a core i3 4170 with integrated HD 4400 graphics. Any further advice and guidance is greatly appreciated!

Good point but seeing as I'm replacing every component except for the motherboard I might as well sell the old machine as a whole. That way I get more money back and my cousin is able to use it until I'm finished with his new build!

Thanks for the input. Do you think an i5 4590s with an LGA 1150 B85 motherboard for about $50 is a bad value? Consider that I'm pairing it up with a gtx 680 I got for $40. I'm mainly trying to get my cousin off his OEM dekstop with a core i3 4170 and integrated HD 4400 graphics... He would probably like to have it before the summer so I'm reluctant to wait for too long!

Is there any other benefit with going LGA 1155 + the Xeon above 1150 + i5 do you reckon? Resale value? Upgrade paths? Buying a Xeon this cheap kinda feels like a special opportunity

I am currently planning a budget PC for a relative of mine. As the title suggests I am deciding between a Xeon E3-1230V2 and an i5 4590s. Specs are as listed below: Asus GTX 680 directcu II OC HyperX genesis 8gb 1600mHz 600W PSU From what I've gathered the i5 has slightly better single core and quad core performance but obviously lacks hyperthreading. I can get both processors for roughly the same price ($20 without motherboard). The primary use case will be gaming. Which processor would you choose out of the two? Any and all input is appreciated. Thanks!