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i_liek_turtals · ‎02-07-2017

Hi there.

I'm using a 6700K CPU and a Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard. Cooling is done by Noctua NH-U14S. I also got a extra fan for it so it's in push-pull configuration. You can view the full specs here. As the title says, I'm trying to lower Vcore while overclocking.

The settings I'm using right now:
CPU Multiplier 45x
Vcore - Adaptive mode: 1.440v
CPU LLC: Level 4
CPU Current Cap: 140%

Before you go, I know. 1.440v is too high but trust me, I've done quite a bit of testing and that was the lowest Vcore I could go if I want 4.5Ghz out of this chip. As you would imagine, 1.440v is a lot of heat to dissepate. According to Anandtech's article, I should achieve 4.5Ghz at 1.225v. I know every chip isn't the same but it's still a lot of voltages don't you think?

The fans I'm using can handle that sort of heat, just, but nonetheless I don't feel comfortable running my chip at that voltage. I actually can hit 4.6Ghz but then I have to pump more than 1.440v and at that range, thermals starts to become an issue. CPU starts throttling.

So, I was wondering if there is a trick to lower Vcore while keeping the overclock.

Nate152 · ‎02-07-2017

Hi i liek turtals

Try setting the cpu core/cache voltage to Manual and enter in 1.35v in the CPU Core Voltage Override, let LLC at level 4.

F10 and Enter.

If it boots try the cpu core/cache voltage at 1.30v.

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i_liek_turtals · ‎02-07-2017

I think I forgot to mention. For 4.5Ghz, I started the tests at 1.225v. First thing I noticed was eventhough I set the voltage manually from UEFI I didn't get the same result in OS. It was undervolting the CPU with default LLC setting. For instance when I set the voltage to 1.225v, I was getting 1.150v in OS. I solved that by setting LLC to Level 4. Then I could see similar results between UEFI and OS.

But as I said, if I go anything below 1.440v for 4.5Ghz, it's not stable. Right now it's in adaptive mode.

Buellersdayoff · ‎02-07-2017

If you are OK with using 1.4v but wanted to reduce temps a little. Try adaptive voltage 1.45v with -0.05 and set up a per core 46.46.44.44 with llc ~2, cache 8-44. You may need to try slightly different voltage/llc or clock ratio to get stable but you'll have a snappy system for general usage and cooler system for heavy loads

i_liek_turtals · ‎02-08-2017

Buellersdayoff wrote:
If you are OK with using 1.4v but wanted to reduce temps a little. Try adaptive voltage 1.45v with -0.05 and set up a per core 46.46.44.44 with llc ~2, cache 8-44. You may need to try slightly different voltage/llc or clock ratio to get stable but you'll have a snappy system for general usage and cooler system for heavy loads

Hero.
That's what you are.
Thank you sir.

I managed to drop it to 1.360~1.376v. I ran a 15 minute stability test and it passed. I'm gonna do some real world usage today and see if it's completely stable. Elite Dangerous, Watch Dogs 2 and Witcher 3 crashes if it's a unstable OC so I'll be testing with those.

If you have time can you explain the logic behind those settings? Eventhough I set cores to 46.46.45.45 in UEFI, I get 4500Mhz across all the cores in OS. I didn't get that. Does it clock all the cores to the lowest like in different speed DIMM's? Also what does cache multipliers do and what is it's impact on performance exactly?

If there's a link to an extensive guide, that would do too.

Again, thank you all.

edit: oh yeah I forgot to put in the new results

http://imgur.com/bBwuaOR.jpg

Buellersdayoff · ‎02-08-2017

LLC 5 usually gives you the closest to what you set up in bios, try the settings from my previous post

Buellersdayoff · ‎02-08-2017

Per core overclock is similar to what Intel does as standard eg. a higher frequency for one (or in our case two) cores loaded and a lower frequency for all core/heavy load. Lower LLC level on asus boards gives a lower voltage under heavy loads while higher LLC level gives voltage closer to what's set in bios despite the load. Cache speed doesn't seem to help much in performance perspective but it seems to help reduce some bsod's if it's set closer to core clock speed. I'm no expert and I could be wrong with some of my information, but it's just from my testing and reading info from around the web. This here http://www.overclock.net/t/1570313/skylake-overclocking-guide-with-statistics helped me a lot and the helpful guy's here on the rog forum. I have my cpu set up now with the same settings as previous post but with 48.48.46.46 and 8-44 cache.

JustinThyme · ‎02-09-2017

Three things working against you here.
First, the IHS TIM that intel puts on these is horrid, delidding and using liquid metal TIM is effective in lowering temps on these chips 100% of the time.
Two, air cooling and OC dont belong in the same topic. While you may get a little bump in performance the same $$ spent on premium air HSF will do you better on a cheap liquid set up.

Three, you lost the silicon lottery with this chip. Mine went to 4.6 GHz by simply changing the multiplier to 46, just that easy.

I delidded my 6700K and at 1.440V I was able to hit the 5GHz mark (core and cache) and topping out under 70C with a custom WC loop. I can run it at 1.225 and 4.8Ghz all day no problems and never see 60C.
I also dont use adaptive, I use manual and it pretty much goes right where I put it.

As always this is all cores synched. One core clocked high with the others low doesn't count.

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, I'm not sure about the former” ~ Albert Einstein

i_liek_turtals · ‎02-09-2017

@Buellersdayoff:
Thanks. I'll check out the article once I get a chance.

@PMJustinThyme:
Yeah I'm aware of the gunk Intel puts in their high end cpu's. I've seen the Hardware Unboxed delid video and jeesus, the difference it makes..

Here is the thing, I've come from Z77 & 3570K. I clocked that CPU to 4.2 and it ran at 60~65 degrees on load with the Thermalright cooler I had. When I built this computer I assumed the temps won't be at the limit of air cooling or at least be similar to the 3570K. Nope. These chips get hot. Learnt my lesson. I had no plans of water cooling so I picked my case accordingly. It has no 240 or 280 radiator support and there's no point of water cooling with a 120, 140mm rad. The results will be similar and the cost of it won't justify imo. I'm not gonna spend ton of money just to get 200~300Mhz extra.

As for the chip lottery, I built 3 systems in the past year for my friends and all of them has the same Motherboard and CPU I have. One of the system even has the same cooler and case. It's quite similar to my system. I'm gonna do the same tests with that system and see how it turns out but I'm not very hopeful to be honest because when I asked him on the phone, he said that his system was running at 1.45v @ 4.5Ghz.

The third guy doesn't understand computers, he buys all the expensive **** and doesn't know how to configure it. I explained him how to do it on the phone but after couple of months he called me back saying that his system crashes randomly. I told him to set it to stock clock speeds (because everytime I try to explain something to him, the information goes in from his one ear and leaves from the other). Now he's running a 6700K at stock speeds with a H110i.

Is there a way to lower Core Voltage?