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Over Volting a CPU

Last response: in Overclocking
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I am currently running

Asus m4a89gt 890GX mobo
AMD Phenom II X4 965 BE @ 3.61 GHZ 1.4v
Hyper 212+ in push/pull
Patriot G-Series Sector-5 2x2gb 1600mhz RAM (its native 1600 but bios only reads upto 1333 i set it at 1600)
HAF 922 case
XFX Black 850w PSU
(grabbing an XFX 6850 today)

anyways my question is....currently im stable at 3.6ghz and havent touched voltage (all i did was change it from offset to manual and set it at 1.4 which is what it was at.

now i got 2 questions

1) why does CPU-Z read my voltage as like 1.356-1.378+
2) can i "Overvolt a CPU" in the sense that...obviously i know if i set it at 3v its gonna fry...but i know 1.45v-1.5 is about the MAX a 965BE can handle my question is
say i set voltage at 1.425v BUT DONT up the multiplier so im still at 3.6ghz can i overvolt a chip because i didnt up the multiplier to match it (so to make my example even more clear say i left it at stock speeds but upped voltage a bit? would that have any negative impact? cuz i wanna go for 3.8-4ghz but annoyed by taking these tiny steps and crashing i wanna set voltage at 1.425v and see if i am stable

Thanks!

More about : volting cpu

CPUs Expert
Overclocking Expert

"1) why does CPU-Z read my voltage as like 1.356-1.378+"
First reason may be because you have power saving features enabled in the bios like C1E and cool and quiet.
If they are disabled then most likely it is do to voltage drop which means that the voltage set in the bios has enough resistance between one point to the next that the voltage drops a little. so the voltage will probably never be what was set in the bios. Its not your board, all boards are like that.

Yes, you can set the voltage to 1.425v and gradually up you OC until it is unstable it wont hurt anything.
Related ressources

ok still makes no sense

i used AOD put my voltage upto 1.425v increased multipler to 19x so im at 3.8ghz

just ran 3dmark06 safely but CPU-Z and HWMonitor still said my voltage went no higher then 1.38v????

this is weird is it not? cuz im pretty sure at 3.8ghz ima need that voltage to pass a Linx or Prime95
CPUs Expert
Overclocking Expert

Have you tried to set the core voltage in the bios? See if that works.
Me personaly dont like to us OS overclocking utilitys as they can sometimes be buggy and less stable. Try to set the core voltage in the bios, see if that works and let me know.

well when i boot up

i have the CPU Voltage set at 1.4v for now but it says its at 1.356 (is what its reading) but it does say its set at 1.4v ima try to up it to 1.425v and keep multiplier at 18x see what that does but first im installing my 6850!

Best solution

CPUs Expert
Overclocking Expert

As long as it is stable with your set voltage I wouldnt worry about it just dont set it above the max recommended core voltage and you should be ok. Run your stability test and see what it does.
CPUs Master
Overclocking Master

Question #1: The difference in readings is due to something called "vdroop". It is a design feature in motherboard power regulators. Google it.

#2. The reason that the guides recommend small steps is because overclocking is a balance between voltage and temperature. Raising the voltage too quickly can drive temperatures out of the acceptable range.
CPUs Expert
Overclocking Expert

jsc said:
Question #1: The difference in readings is due to something called "vdroop". It is a design feature in motherboard power regulators. Google it.

#2. The reason that the guides recommend small steps is because overclocking is a balance between voltage and temperature. Raising the voltage too quickly can drive temperatures out of the acceptable range.





#1 True it is a voltage drop across the voltage regulation resistors (RFB) to prevent voltage spikes above set voltage which in turn prevents damaging the CPU.

#2 I agree, but I have seen it done both ways. I have seen people turn voltage up and OCing the CPU to the desired freq. and then turning voltage down until it is unstable, then turning it back up a few notches. I dont use this method but as long as temps and voltage is in safe ranges then I dont see a problem doing it this way.
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