I7 2600K ASUS P8P67 Pro - Vcore 1.56v Too High?

[homegun]

See my sig for my setup. I've been running at 4.8GHz lately, very stable for both gaming and number crunching, with temps at a "reasonable" 75C. In the last couple of days, the ASUS AI Suite software has been putting up warnings about my Vcore.

In my OC, I have BCLK at 100, CPU multi at 48, "CPU voltage" set to 1.4, and DDR voltage set to 1.6. Vcore is usually right around 1.2 volts according to the ASUS Sensor utility, but the warning tells me that it is jumping up to as much as 1.56 volts. Is this normal? I'm not having any problems (freezes, crashes, BSOD), and I'm just wondering why this might be happening. I have recorded 3 hours of history, and it shows Vcore jumping up to those levels, staying there for a while, and then dropping back down.

On a different note - I haven't played with the DIGI+ VRM utility at all, because I don't understand it. Is there a decent guide out there, in plain english, that explains what the different adjustments do, and how to use them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

1.56v is dangerous. You should reduce speed immediately, at least until you figure out what's going on. Even I wouldn't run that voltage unless I had some sort of exotic cooling.

The Official ASUS P8P67 Series Overclocking Guide and Information should have the info you need.

 

[homegun]

Thanks for the reply. I am very worried about it. As a test, I dropped my OC back to the defaults (3.4GHz, Vcore around 1 volt) and looked at the voltage history. At idle, Vcore stays at 1 volt. When I stress the system (in this case, running the POV-Ray benchmark with eight threads to max the CPU), Vcore jumps up to 1.24 volts and stays there until the benchmark completes. Then Vcore drops back down.

Is this normal behavior? If so, that would explain why when running Vcore at 1.3 volts it spikes up to >1.5 volts.

Thanks!

 

[warlord1609]

Thanks for the reply. I am very worried about it. As a test, I dropped my OC back to the defaults (3.4GHz, Vcore around 1 volt) and looked at the voltage history. At idle, Vcore stays at 1 volt. When I stress the system (in this case, running the POV-Ray benchmark with eight threads to max the CPU), Vcore jumps up to 1.24 volts and stays there until the benchmark completes. Then Vcore drops back down.

Is this normal behavior? If so, that would explain why when running Vcore at 1.3 volts it spikes up to >1.5 volts.

Thanks!

thats an automatic under-volting mechanism. when your computer requires more juice it pushes the vcore up automatically. when it doesn't it pushes it down. this explains the <1 to 1.24 volts. Its a subsidiary of the Intel Speed Step technology. But i definitely dont have any idea on the 1.5 vcore . try tinkering around with the bios and look for any setting that basically allows you to restrict automatic voltage changes. also remember to disable the Turboboost , c1e states and Automatic speed throttling. btw sandy bridge is capable of handling upto 1.5 with superior cooling and upto 1.35 on good air cooling. Try to work around with that

 

[JackNaylorPE]

That's very high ... when using your puter, you are generally paying attention to that you are doing rather than benchmark / testing results. Here's a nice little tool which you can use which will require 60 minute time investment.

http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/Real_Temp/

I'd read the referenced OC guide above and use the offset method for voltage control. Yopu don't wanna be supplying 1.4 volts in there 24/7. With the offset method, the extra voltage is only applied when you need it.

"Stock" is 3.8 Ghz as it's a 3.4 GHz CPU w/ up to 0.4 "turbo boost". So I started "bumping" in 0.2 increments. I was able to get to 4.4 GHz w/o touching any BIOS options. I agree w/ this article as this being a nice "everyday" profile as I was able to keep all temps below 60C:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=730&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=8

I'd say this is the best frequency according to CPU temperature and power consumption. It required something around 1.25v to keep both processors rock stable. Up to this point, it seems both the Core i5 and the Core i7 require similar voltages to achieve the same frequencies.

I saved this using the BIOS profile feature as the "everyday" profile. At 4.6GHz, I was at 62-68C which was still within my comfort zone ..... but at 4.8, temps shot up to 69-79 on the 1st try @ 1.408v. I atill have all BIOS features enabled including Turbo, SpeedStep. etc but since I'm looking for a "gaming profile", HT is kinda useless and turning off HT dropped it to 72C but ambient temps were about 6C higher for that test.

Next time I get some time, I'm gonna take a shot at 5.0

 

[homegun]

Best answer selected by homegun.