According to my experience, a CPU got a higher issue in term the load is focused on a few cores only instead of a still high load yet properly spread. Handling "hotspots" is the true issue, not handling a die as a whole. Especially modern CPUs with peak frequencies of 5 GHz or more are vulnerable to hotspots issues and especially demanding on a 7800 X3D keeping up such clocks without proper cooling.
However, if you tune your MB settings properly, almost no CPU may have a issue. Still, in my mind, without some form of watercooling, no CPU with clocks reaching 5 GHz is truly safe. It may degrade way to fast... if not cooled well under those conditions. Generally i do not recommend above 80 C for extended period (so my TJ max is set to 80)... if so it will degrade more quick than the warranty may last but the manufacturer will probably still not hand out any warranty.
A critically degraded CPU will act unstable under high load or high clocks... this may not count as a warranty term, yet this is some sort of damage that can be considered "faulty" at a certain point; but the manufacturer usually is keeping "this failure-threshold" very low, so they can say "everything works according to the low threshold".
As far as i can say, Cyberpunk so far was not spreading those core-loads that well, so it was rather demanding on the CPU. Another game with very good spreading is Horizon Zero Dawn... this game is using the CPU a lot but very even on the cores, so the CPU got no issues with temps.
I only got experience on a 7800 X3D, since i started optimizing it (as a critical demand). Setting Volt properly (very critical), setting TJ max to 80, and -15% for curve optimizer. Other settings works best leaving it on auto, because the CPU seems to handle it better than using some forced limiters.
With this settings the CPU should be safe for extended period (even hardcore gaming), however, the effective performance the CPU can keep up depends on the cooling power... so cooling = your sustained performance. Keeping up 5 GHz at high loads will only work with watercooling, because every C will count. Yes, people can still use a higher TJ max, however... i think, as long as someone is not only playing very casually on weekends a lot of luck is required even surpassing the warranty-period without instabilities.
Post edited September 15, 2023 by Xeshra