Have Scan UK done what i think they have?

[workinghard9]

I bought a relatively high end prebuilt PC from Scan around 2.5 years ago.   At the time top spec-ish, 1080ti, 8700k, 1tb SSD. 

 

One of their 3XS systems that claims to be built by enthusiast. 

 

Now recently i've been tinkering with it, upgrading the PSU and installing a 3080.  And when running some tests i realise that the CPU isn't performing as well as it might.   

 

The CPU cooler with the system is this https://www.arctic.ac/en/Freezer-11-LP/UCACO-P2000000-BL  which from all research is a very low end cooler and not good enough for the 8700k.

 

When i open the bios i find it set with a 3XS profile, which caps the voltage to 1.15.   When i remove this it runs really hot, and would constantly throttle.

 

Am i correct in thinking, that Scan have used a too cheap / weak £15 fan then lowered the voltage so it won't overheat, instead of just spending another £20 on a more respectable setup.

 

 

[Master Disaster]

From what you've said that would seem to be the case. Its not even £20 more, they could have used a Hyper 212 Evo for a few quid more and allowed the 8700K to run unthrottled.

[RasmusDC]

well it is a really weak cooler, i guess it has heat dissapation enough to keep a 8700k at stock from wildly throttling, but it is not something i would put in a pc like that.. maybe a i30, if it had to be cheap. 

 

but to be honest, it seems like the important parts of that pc was decent specs.. it is a prebuild, they have to same some places, to be able to fight with larger companies. 

[Gamer Schnitzel]

Did you select this cooler during the ordering process? From what I know you select all the parts, they just put it together.

[NineEyeRon]

Pretty simple fix, Scan are a very reputable company and the 3XS systems are usually very good.

 

Did you not get a chance to configure this system? Usually you can up the cooler and pay for a pre-overclock.

[porina]

That cooler is rated at 95W TDP, the same as the 8700k. So it is the bare minimum required to meet Intel spec. What that does mean is that if the power usage of the CPU goes above 95W for a sustained time, the minimum clock Intel guarantees is 3.7 GHz on all cores. Slap a better cooler on it, you get up to 4.3 GHz all core. For indication only, I have the closely related 8086k running stock with decent cooling on it. Running Prime95 small FFT, it consumes up to 128W at 1.25v. It would be unfair to compare temps as I also delid+LM mine.

 

However you got into this situation, at 2.5 years there is no point thinking about the past. If you want the better performance the CPU can give, slap a better cooler on it and move on.

[TehDwonz]

34 minutes ago, NineEyeRon said:

Pretty simple fix, Scan are a very reputable company and the 3XS systems are usually very good.

Through the 2000s they had the nickname "Scam", so YMMV with how reputable they are

[workinghard9]

8 hours ago, NineEyeRon said:

Pretty simple fix, Scan are a very reputable company and the 3XS systems are usually very good.

 

Did you not get a chance to configure this system? Usually you can up the cooler and pay for a pre-overclock.

It was one of their preconfiged ones.    I mean the system works, and i understand this cut corner just a bit disappointed in them.

 

8 hours ago, Gamer Schnitzel said:

Did you select this cooler during the ordering process? From what I know you select all the parts, they just put it together.

It was prebuilt.

 

7 hours ago, porina said:

That cooler is rated at 95W TDP, the same as the 8700k. So it is the bare minimum required to meet Intel spec. What that does mean is that if the power usage of the CPU goes above 95W for a sustained time, the minimum clock Intel guarantees is 3.7 GHz on all cores. Slap a better cooler on it, you get up to 4.3 GHz all core. For indication only, I have the closely related 8086k running stock with decent cooling on it. Running Prime95 small FFT, it consumes up to 128W at 1.25v. It would be unfair to compare temps as I also delid+LM mine.

 

However you got into this situation, at 2.5 years there is no point thinking about the past. If you want the better performance the CPU can give, slap a better cooler on it and move on.

Okay so they basically gave the bare minimum they could which is understandable but disappointing.   

 

Ive ordered the Kraken x53 so let's see what i can do after that.

 

I don't really think this has been an overall issue for me, i was just surprised and wanted confirmation of my suspicions.

[LogicalDrm]

-> Moved to Laptops and Pre-Built Systems

[Lord Vile]

10 hours ago, workinghard9 said:

I bought a relatively high end prebuilt PC from Scan around 2.5 years ago.   At the time top spec-ish, 1080ti, 8700k, 1tb SSD. 

 

One of their 3XS systems that claims to be built by enthusiast. 

 

Now recently i've been tinkering with it, upgrading the PSU and installing a 3080.  And when running some tests i realise that the CPU isn't performing as well as it might.   

 

The CPU cooler with the system is this https://www.arctic.ac/en/Freezer-11-LP/UCACO-P2000000-BL  which from all research is a very low end cooler and not good enough for the 8700k.

 

When i open the bios i find it set with a 3XS profile, which caps the voltage to 1.15.   When i remove this it runs really hot, and would constantly throttle.

 

Am i correct in thinking, that Scan have used a too cheap / weak £15 fan then lowered the voltage so it won't overheat, instead of just spending another £20 on a more respectable setup.

 

 

Does it run above 3.7Ghz at all times? If so it’s not throttling. 
 

The 8000 series were hot chips and they have a TDP rating of 95W, the TDP of that cooler is 95W. Personally I wouldn’t touch it but it’s what you get for buying a prebuild.

 

saying that I’d rather have that cooler than a bad MB or PSU