Brutal murder of integrated graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 glitch or reality?

Question

Graphic arts

Hello dear forum members! I would be very grateful for help in unraveling an unknown phenomenon that is happening with my mini pc. I want to cancel right away that I am a complete layman in the gland, and I ask you to treat with understanding the possible errors in the wording. Before getting to the heart of the matter, a little background.

About a couple of months ago, I decided to change my 10-year-old laptop for something more recent. The expanses of the Internet brought me to one of the Chinese sites, where a local manufacturer offered a piece of iron that was very suitable for me, at a rather tasty price. The only doubt for me was the fact that this piece of iron was referred to as a fanless mini PC. That is, completely passive cooling, the case acts as a radiator, the percentage is soldered on the motherboard and fits snugly to the radiator (case).



Hardware characteristics:

CPU type - DualCore Intel Core i5-7260U, 3400 MHz (34 x 100)
Video adapter - Intel(R) Iris(R) Plus Graphics 640
Motherboard - Unknown Motherboard (The exact name is not determined by any software, on the board itself also no name.)
Motherboard chipset - Intel Sunrise Point-LP, Intel Kaby Lake-U
System memory - 8112 MB (DDR3 SDRAM)
BIOS type - AMI (04/22/2019)
Storage - SSD mSATA 240GB
Windows 10 professional in Russian installed and activated by Chinese.

After a month of waiting, I get the long-awaited PC and after the first connection I am in euphoria from the speed (loading win10 3-4 seconds), its size (4 times smaller and lighter than a laptop), external performance and the complete absence of any noise during operation. The only thing that bothered me from the moment of purchase was the passive cooling system. The percentage is quite powerful, and even with turbo boost technology with overclocking to 3.4MHz. Therefore, the first thing I did was to immediately install the Core Temp program in order to monitor the temperature of the target audience in real time in the tray. I was extremely surprised by the temperature readings, because. in idle mode and web surfing, the temperature did not rise above 37 degrees. In load mode, when installing all programs, I did not see an indicator above 65 degrees, despite the fact that the percentage was accelerated to full. About a week working on this PC, I just got high every day, performance after a laptop on ddr2 and celeron seemed to me just cosmic. And then the most interesting began.

I was curious what kind of iron gives such performance. I downloaded aida64 and began to study the specification of the piece of iron with a smart look :) Everything would be fine if the stress test offered by this software did not catch my eye. Without thinking twice, I decided to check what would happen to the computer under the maximum load of the CPU and video core.

The motive for committing this stupidity was a banal interest and understanding of the protection mechanisms in relation to modern processors. while editing a video, I often leave home for several hours leaving the computer turned on and it is important for me to understand its behavior during prolonged loads. In short, without hesitation, I click on the stress test button. Instantly, the loading of the video core of the Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 and the Intel Core i5-7260U processor rose by 100%, and the temperature of the CPU cores rose to 100 degrees and did not fall below. 10 seconds test - 100 degrees, 30 seconds test - 100 degrees, minute - 100 degrees. In this situation, a smart person should have been hurt on a physical level from such cruelty in relation to such a wonderful, brand new computer. But in my head there was such a thing as throttling, which for some reason, in my understanding, was a protective mechanism that the processor starts when it gets really hot. By the way, this test has a throttling chart and it was at 0%. For some reason, my stupid head calmly waited for the beginning of this very throttling and thought that if it didn’t exist, then 100 degrees was a comfortable temperature. By the way, a few seconds after the start of the test, it was no longer possible to touch the body without getting burned. But since nothing happens, no throttling, no freezes, then everything is fine, I thought, and went about my business. From time to time, the picture remained the same, CPU load, GPU strictly 100%, temperature strictly 100 degrees, Throttling 0%. The whole process of continuous raping took about 2 hours, the nerves could not stand it anymore, I pressed the STOP button. Everything seemed to be okay

After a day or two, everything was as usual and nothing foreshadowed trouble, and then the computer freezes for the first time. Before the stress test, for a week of using the PC in 24/7 mode, not one lag / freeze, but then after a short time it freezes. None of the buttons respond, the picture is frozen, the cursor doesn't move, Control-Alt-Delete doesn't work. Pressed the power button, no response. Pressed and held for 5 seconds, passed out. I turn it on, everything is fine, exhaled. Another day or two passes, again the same picture. I decided to replace on which action the freeze occurred (watching YouTube, the load is minimal, the temperature is frozen at 38 degrees.) I.e. no overload. After that, several more freezes followed in about the same time interval, 1-2 days - 1 freeze. At the same time, in different work scenarios, but without any load. Mostly web surfing.

A little pomatyukavsya on themselves for the skill to create a crap out of the blue climbed to drip on the forums. I dug up the key combination Win + Ctrl + Shift + B, which either restarts the video driver, or the video core itself. Applying this combination the next time the PC freezes, I was freaking out, it worked. It hangs tightly - I press this combination, the monitor goes out and immediately turns on and VUA-LA - everything works, as if nothing had happened. I am glad that the reason seems to be found and it is in the video core or video driver. It's sad that I remember the stress test, in which the percent, aka the video core, worked for 2 hours at 100 degrees. I find a relationship in this, but hoping for the best I decide to dig into the wood. I install the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant program (the official application from Intel for monitoring hardware and providing up-to-date firewood). Immediately finds an update for the processor and video. I bet. I believe, I hope and I wait, but no. The hangups continue. A week later, another update comes, I put it. All the same continues. At the same time, it is surprising that it is commonplace when typing in any form of a site where there is no graphics, except for advertising, it freezes. The Win + Ctrl + Shift + B combination still helps to fight it, but the very fact that the computer can die at any moment does not give rest.

I decided to go through the stress test again in Hades, which is probably the cause of the breakdown, in order to check whether there will be freezes under 100% load. I run the test, instantly the temperature becomes 100 degrees and attention, immediately starts throttling the processor from 20 to 50% Immediately. I stop the test, restart the computer, run the test again, and again the same picture. Immediately throttling under maximum load. The same protection that should regulate overheating starts immediately, which was not the case before. That is, I left the percentage under 100% load for 2 hours and during this time throttling never started. And now it starts from the first second of the test, when the temperature rises sharply from 38 to 100 in one second.

I still do not understand what influenced the changes in throttling, perhaps a driver update? Or did I overheat the chip for the first time and his self-preservation instinct developed during this time?

In general, with infrequent freezes that are solved by a combination of keys and a sense of guilt for the possible murder of a cool computer, I tried to live on until yesterday. But something terrible happened.

Whilst away the evening watching this forum, a silhouette sharply appears on the monitor screen, a shape similar to the structure of a microcircuit. Later, on the Internet, I found the word "artifact", which knowledgeable people refer to something similar to what I encountered. But from all the pictures of artifacts presented on the Internet, I did not find a case similar to mine. Basically, people share pictures of stripes and distortions on the screen, but I had something exactly like a microcircuit in the middle of the screen, as if some part of the iron appeared. After I minimized the browser window, it became less bright and changed its shape a little, then became distinct again. It appeared on the entire system interface and even when I pressed the restart button, it was also on the blue shutdown screen. The size is about 5 by 5 cm. Unfortunately, I did not have time to take a photo. After that, I became really scared for the further health of the PC, and I ask for your help. I would very much like to hear your opinion on the current situation in general and in particular to analyze the following issues:

1. What happens if you leave the Intel Core i5-7260U with Intel(R) Iris(R) Plus Graphics 640 under 100% load without active cooling.

2. Why didn't throttling start during the first stress test in 2 hours? Maybe the reason is the lack of an up-to-date driver? What consequences.

3. Options for solving problems.

4. If the processor is soldered on the motherboard, it turns out that by my actions I ruined everything except for the SSD, RAM and Wi-Fi module? Is it possible to replace the processor?

5. Didn't Intel provide any protection against overheating in the chip itself and it can safely work at temperatures of 100 degrees until it burns out?

6. Could the Chinese, in theory, not install the driver on the video card or turn off system / BIOS throttling, etc. Or is it regulated directly by the chip itself?

7. What are the predictions for the life of a PC with such an injury?)

8. Maybe someone can unravel the manufacturer of the board in the photo.

9. In addition to the processor, as far as I understand, all the iron is Chinese no-name manufacturers, who has experience in using it, does it live for a long time?

Thank you all very much for your attention, I really hope for help.

Answer 1

In theory, 100 degrees is the maximum allowable operating temperature. Which just the same Intel allows. Throttling does not depend on drivers and you had it anyway, maybe you looked at the wrong frequencies.
In practice, everything above 80 degrees is unsafe, and one way or another, the constant operation of the chip in this mode will inevitably lead to a quick dump of the chip. In fact, it is quite possible that you have achieved it.

4. If the processor is soldered on the motherboard, it turns out that by my actions I ruined everything except for the SSD, RAM and Wi-Fi module? Is it possible to replace the processor?

Replacing a processor is possible, but the cost of a new chip + the cost of work will approach the price of a new PC.

9. In addition to the processor, as far as I understand, all the iron is Chinese no-name manufacturers, who has experience in using it, does it live for a long time?

Motherboards - 50/50, depends on the build quality. SDS, as a rule, live, even if they are collected in a completely run-down basement.

7. What are the predictions for the life of a PC with such an injury?)

Disappointing, unfortunately.
Yes, passive cooling should not be trusted. It was worth at least throwing a small fan on the case and powering it from usb.