We tested the vrm of the x299 boards, how much do they really heat?

Just a week ago we told you that several overclockers claimed that the Intel X299 VRM reached more than 100 degrees. Many have criticized Intel with this rumor… Unfairly or with reason? Today we will discover it with various tests that we have carried out in our test bench. Do not miss it!

We tested the VRM of the X299 boards

Well, since I have the opportunity to test almost any material that comes onto the market… I have an Intel Core i9-7900X processor and a Gigabyte X299 Gaming 3 that they had sent me recently, and I said , Why not test it thoroughly? After analyzing 4 or 5 X299 motherboards… these rumors smelled of singe… Never better said! (Don't kill me with the bad joke?)

The test equipment that I have used is the classic one that we have in the test bench:

• Intel Core i9-7900X processor. Gigabyte X299 Gaming 3 motherboard. (We will soon publish his review) Corsair Vengeance LED RGB @ 3200 MHz. Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti 11 GB. EVGA G2 750W power supply. Heatsink Corsair H100i V2. 480GB Kingston UV400 SSD. Windows 10 PRO 64 bit.Benchtable Dimastech.

To get the most out of the processor I have used Prime95 in its latest version running in “ In-Place large FTTs ” mode for 4 hours each test session at 21ºC with air conditioning at 21ºC operating. I have used three profiles, as I think they will be the most common for normal user use:

• Stock speed with Intel Boost Max 3.0 with air conditioning. 4.2 GHz lightweight overclocking with 1.2V air conditioning. Maximum 4.4 GHz overclock with and without air conditioning.

To control the temperatures we have used an infrared thermometer that measures between -50ºC to 500ºC, CPU-Z in its latest version, Core Temp and Hwinfo64 to control the phases via software. I do not roll up anymore and I leave you the results I have obtained by pointing the gun directly at the heatsink after 4 hours of use.

Processor	Speed	Voltage	VRM temperatures
i9-7900x with air conditioning at 21ºC	Stock	Stock	52 ºC
i9-7900X with air conditioning at 21ºC	4200 MHz	1.20 v (fixed mode)	56 ºC
i9-7900X without air conditioning	4400 MHz	1.35 v (fixed mode)	78.7 ºC
i9-7900X with air conditioning at 21ºC	4400 MHz	1.35 v (fixed mode)	70 ºC

Note: The differences by software were minimal…

As you can see both in stock values ​​and with a 4200 MHz overclock they are very good. Nothing to see what the der8auer overclocker said that they reached 100ºC… When we have selected 4400 MHz frequency with a voltage of 1.35v, temperatures without air conditioning have risen to almost 79ºC, while with air conditioning in the laboratory it dropped to 70ºC. And we are talking about a processor of 10 physical cores and 20 cores of logical cores… so I can assure you that they are totally acceptable and not alarming temperatures.

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Can they be improved? Yes, and they will surely be solved with more robust heatsinks or even including active ventilation (a small fan) that have already been seen in other models from other generations. And it is that only overclockers who want to compete for world records and who will have to wait for specific models for these purposes will be affected.

Okay, okay… but are X299 motherboards secure?

I have debated it internally and we have come to the conclusion that they are totally safe both For home users and users who want to squeeze their overclocked processor (with voltages similar to those exposed) with custom or compact liquid cooling. So you should n't worry , Other users may be wondering , is a single 8-pin EPS connection sufficient? Yes, more than enough and try not to be fooled with this topic. If they have 8 + 4 EPS much better, but with 8 EPS pins it is totally acceptable.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if they finally find any extra flaws, we are sure that the motherboard manufacturers will change the units sold for a new revision. Did you find the tests carried out interesting? Are you interested in trying something else? If so, you can make the request in the official thread of Intel Kaby Lake x & Intel Skylake-X in our forum.