Undervolt

[kilo_17]

Will undervolting my CPU make a difference in temps? And is it safe?

 

[opexx]

what are you currently feeding it?

 

[kilo_17]

With prime95 the max vcore is 1.44, at idle (cool'n quiet) 1.06

 

[enzo matrix]

Undervolting is exactly like overclocking.

Reducing the voltage too much could lead to instability. The limits also depend on the processor. Running prime95 to test for stability is a good idea.

I've undervolted my Tx2500 tablet to .9625V stable. My cool n quiet voltage was reduced to .9V but that was only because of a limitation somewhere. It has a QL-60 in it.

What CPU are you attempting to undervolt?

 

[kilo_17]

Athlon II X4 640. Mainly just to keep temps down

 

[hunter315]

Power consumption is greatly affected by the voltage, under volting a bit can help drop temps a fair amount since power consumption is proportional to the square of the voltage. Its perfectly safe, you cannot damage hardware with too little voltage, it might not run right if you set it too low but if you set it back to a normal level it will be just fine.

 

[enzo matrix]

Should work out pretty well for you then. If you have a built system, you can adjust the settings in the bios. If your system is OEM and the bios is locked, you can use K10stat to change the settings.
I recommend googling Athlon II x4 undervolting and you will get some results. There you will be able to find successfully undervolt settings to try. Just remember, every CPU is different so your results will vary. Don't forget to test for stability.

 

[kilo_17]

OK. Thanks everyone!

 

[kilo_17]

Best answer selected by kilo_17.