Hey guys, so I'm in the process of putting together a new build based around the 3900X and the ROG STRIX B550-E. I'm not really looking to push a high overclock on it, just maybe locking it in at something like 4.2GHZ, but I was wondering whether or not the voltage you set for it (say something like 1.3V) would be constant or whether it's something that decreases/increases like the CPU frequency depending on demand?
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Could someone school me a little bit on voltages for overclocking?
- Thread starter Icet
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Leave it stock and let it boost imho, especially if you're only aiming for 4.2GHz. It'll boost all cores to 4-4.1Ghz stock usually and you'll get better performance gaming etc when you let it boost a few cores to higher than that.
But for 4.2Ghz you should be around 1.25-1.3v easily enough.
But for 4.2Ghz you should be around 1.25-1.3v easily enough.
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As above, leave it on stock voltages and turn on precision boost overdrive. It'll peak to its max boost frequency when required depending on thermal capacity.
The reason I ask is because right now I have a 2700x on stock voltage and at idle in CPU Z it floats around between 1.4 and 1.45. That seems crazy to me. A few friends with 3700X have reported similar.
That level of voltage is definitely going to degrade the CPU long term, as well as the high amount of additional heat. It would surely make more sense to cap it at a certain number, but my question is whether or not that keeps the CPU running at that voltage 24/7 or if it's just a maximum limit?
That level of voltage is definitely going to degrade the CPU long term, as well as the high amount of additional heat. It would surely make more sense to cap it at a certain number, but my question is whether or not that keeps the CPU running at that voltage 24/7 or if it's just a maximum limit?
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So at auto voltages it's definitely going to degrade the chip? Wouldn't that then be an issue for almost everyone?
Using precision boost overdrive, mine automatically peaks over the voltages you mentioned but it does it dynamically rather than being pegged at a specific voltage.
Limiting your voltage will limit how much it can boost, but this could still be an improvement assuming heat was the limiting factor before.
Also and I don't fully understand this but I believe at idle your voltage is higher than underload.
Using precision boost overdrive, mine automatically peaks over the voltages you mentioned but it does it dynamically rather than being pegged at a specific voltage.
Limiting your voltage will limit how much it can boost, but this could still be an improvement assuming heat was the limiting factor before.
Also and I don't fully understand this but I believe at idle your voltage is higher than underload.
An AMD rep made a thread on Reddit last year claiming the voltages were just the result of spiking because they were being probed by the software (like Ryzen Master or HW Monitor) and that CPU Z would show the true voltage. Everyone in that thread seemed to be happy with that answer (I guess for them the voltages were much lower), but when I check CPU Z my voltages are definitely showing as around 1.45.
They've already said anything above 1.35 isn't recommended, and I'm sure someone else has said the limit should actually be closer to 1.31 for daily use.
That's why I want to set the clock for all cores to 4.2GHZ but also cap the voltage. I'm just not sure if capping the voltage keeps it at a flat rate or if that's just an upper limit that gets set.
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Easiest way to find out is to just do it.
It's the current that will kill the CPU and at idle there is very little running through it, now if you were seeing 1.45 at a high load then that would be cause for concern.
If you really want to lower idle volts then just add an negative vcore offset but you may want to increase load line calibration so you don't lose all core performance.
If you really want to lower idle volts then just add an negative vcore offset but you may want to increase load line calibration so you don't lose all core performance.
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AMD seems high voltages and low Amps at ifle to be safe while Intel does not
Leave it im running same motherboard and cpu as you... well my motherboard aint wifi verison. mines all stock and i see 4.6GHZ boost on games.
No there isn't. You can set a negative offset which can improve things in some cases.
But let it do its thing at stock, it's programmed to allow high voltage to burst cores up to high frequencies for short periods. It's like that by design.
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This. I've had several Ryzen boards and some benefit from negative offset and others don't. The bios version also used can also effect this.
Best to test yourself by running CBr20 single and multithreaded and monitoring the temps at the same time. At the time on my Asus motherboard -0.1 gave me highest scores and also lower temps.
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TBH, you have to trust the manufacturer in these circumstances. Semiconductor reliability is horrifically complex [https://www.renesas.com/us/en/doc/products/others/r51zz0001ej0250.pdf]. no one outside of semiconductor gurus can tell you what is "safe" for a particular architecture and node.
I was uncomfortable with my 2600x on auto for voltage too. I fixed it to a constant 4.1GHz (so just 100Mhz under it's max boost speed). And that allowed me to lower CPU voltage and fix it to ~1.37 - 1.38v. Less heat, less fan noise. Much better. CPU is idle at 39ºC with about 50% CPU fan (~13dB for the 135mm Silent Wing fans at that speed and ~700rpm). That's using a be quiet! Dark Rock TF CPU Cooler.
You were uncomfortable even though AMD say it's perfectly fine and that's how the chip behaves by design? Surely the makers would know , they made it??
At first I thought I'd used the wrong word, but no I stick by uncomfortable. I'd much rather have control of what is going on in my rig. I fix voltage values for SoC and RAM, so why not the CPU. Being part of an enthusiast forum I'd thought people would understand that. Leaving it on "auto" may work for the general masses who don't want to dive into altering settings, or don't understand what they are doing, but allowing it to adjust up to those higher values means more heat and more noise. More heat generally means less system stability and effects wider components. I'd much rather know what voltages I'm supplying at all the time and therefore control these other factors. For non-gaming my rig is silent. I do wonder what boosting to those values on the stock AMD cooler must sound like. So yeah, I'm uncomfortable letting it do that. In no way am I saying it is not safe, I just prefer to be in control at all times and make improvements.