Is the i7 8700 stock cooler reliable?

[subrooz]

Hey guys, i would like to know if the stock cooler of the i7 8700 would be able to stay at a good temp in a system featuring a GTX 1080, DDR4 16gb 3000mhz RAM.

 

Considering it isn't overclockable like the K version, would i be able to last for a couple of years without an aftermarket cooler? Or should i opt for a mid range ($50 ish) cooler such as the Cooler Master 212?

[Hiitchy]

The thing about stock coolers and Non-K variant chips is that it's still a good idea to go after an aftermarket CPU cooler just because it'll cool better and has better fin density that helps dissipate air much better than a stock cooler. It also looks a lot better and you have a lot more modularity in terms of what kind of fans you want to use as well.

[Princess Luna]

Personally speaking you should get the Cooler Master 212X it is what I did because I used the older i7 6700 on stock cooler for about a year and that shit was bloody loud all the freaking time, it still gives me nightmares... the stock cooler is the same on coffee lake, shitty aluminium with no copper base, and that loud loud stock fan, Intel is now using a better thermal paste on the IHS so even if the i7 8700 produces more heat the stock cooler will manage to be just enough to avoid a thermal throttling, but your chip will reach temperatures close if not higher than 80Cº on full all cores loads and as I said NOIIIISSEEEE.

 

Getting the 212X was probably one of the best investments I did on my i7 8700 now its maximum temperature registered on full stressing loads was of 68Cº with a silent fan profile on which makes it virtually dead silent, worth it.

[Jurrunio]

Because it comes with a stock cooler anyway, you can try that out first. Enable MCE, then do some undervolting when it's running at full turbo speed. Might end up cool enough for the stock cooler to handle. If it sucks, then buy an aftermarket cooler.

[Princess Luna]

6 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Enable MCE, then do some undervolting when it's running at full turbo speed.

MCE is only enable on the i7 8700 if you use an Asus motherboard specifically and voltages are locked on auto which is a fluctuating 0.9v to 1.25v depending on the turbo clock on any board.

[PCPartListsYT]

I am using a Intel Core i7 8700 CPU and this thing plus a GeForce GTX 1070 is good. Yes, I do use the stock cooler and it should be adequate enough for the GeForce GTX 1080. But, If you are a silence enthusiast, go for the better cooler.

[Jurrunio]

11 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

MCE is only enable on the i7 8700 if you use an Asus motherboard specifically and voltages are locked on auto which is a fluctuating 0.9v to 1.25v depending on the turbo clock on any board.

1

https://www.anandtech.com/show/6214/multicore-enhancement-the-debate-about-free-mhz

Gigabyte, Asrock and EVGA all have this function, just under a different name. I guess other brands could possibly have this as well? It's been 5 years. Also can offset mode be used?

 

Even if that function doesnt work/ doesnt work with voltage offset tuning, the 8700's 4.3GHz 6C boost clock is crazy enough (especially when it's only paired with a 1080).

[Princess Luna]

7 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Gigabyte, Asrock and EVGA all have this function, just under a different name. I guess other brands could possibly have this as well? It's been 5 years. Also can offset mode be used?

They have the function, the function however only works on the unlocked CPU variants.

 

7 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

the 8700's 4.3GHz 6C boost clock is crazy enough

Yes it is, puts it on pair with the i7 7700k(stock) single thread and the Ryzen 7 1700(stock) multi-thread, which is more than most need.

 

My last cinebench did 1390 multi-core and 189 single

[ExplosiveSloths]

Probably yeah.

Sock coolers from my experience have been great, silent etc.

[GoodBytes]

Stock coolers are usually fine. They do the job. But if you want quietness, or building a small form factor computer where heat will be an issue, or overclocking, a good heatsink+fan is something to consider.