Activate 'Cool & Quiet' on stable FX 8370 OC
Activate 'Cool & Quiet' on stable FX 8370 OC
I’ve reviewed some other discussions about this subject, but they all seem quite narrow. I have a few questions that could clarify the steps involved.
Right now, I have a stable overclock on my FX 8370 (4.65MHz @ 1.332V). During the overclocking phase I turned off 'cool and quiet' and now want to reactivate it. There are often long idle periods when the system is running but not active.
I reverted back into the BIOS and turned on 'C&Q', but it didn’t work. The cores and voltage remain at their manual overclock values, not dropping at all even when CPU usage stays at 0%.
1) Why isn’t C&Q activating even though it’s enabled?
Could it be because I’m no longer using the auto settings for things like multiplier, bus, and voltage?
2) Do you think 'offset voltages' are what I should focus on?
3) Have you seen people using software such as K10STAT? Is that a viable option?
I’ll keep this brief, here are my details:
FX 8370
M5A99FX Pro 2.0
R9 290
850W PSU
16GB RAM
OC settings: TO BE EDITED...
Does the board even support an offset setting?? If not, you might try auto and tinker with an LLC, but it's a lengthy trial-and-error process. While it will lower the low load voltage, your actual full load/clock voltage will likely increase significantly. If your load voltage is around 1.332v (I only trust CPU-Z under heavy stress testing for that reading), you should leave it alone. If it's 1.4v or higher, it might be worth exploring, but that's an extremely low voltage for overclocking and as long as temperatures are stable, it shouldn't harm the CPU or board. As someone who owns a Ryzen, any overclocking tends to automatically adjust the voltage on these chips, making the situation similar for me.
If you've fixed the voltage then c&q may not reduce voltage when using idle loads.
So yeah, offset voltage is the better method but it might require starting your whole overclock and testing from scratch.
It should still slow clocks down at idle though,
No matter what the voltage settings are.
How are you interpreting clock and voltage readings in software?
Have you looked at the power option in Windows settings? Consider setting the minimum processor state to 5%.
Hello MadMatt. Thank you for your prompt response.
I'm checking via CPU-Z and HWM. I just restarted into BIOS to capture some images of my configuration. C6 was turned on without any effect.
My system runs Windows 7, and the minimum processor state is set to 5%.
It seems that choosing 'Balanced' for power instead of Performance has altered certain settings. The cores are now operating at 1500MHz (the multiplier is at 7.0). Thanks.
But the voltage isn't matching the core performance. Is this a problem for the CPU?
Does the board even support an offset setting?? If not, you might try auto and tinker with an LLC, but it's a lengthy trial-and-error process. While it will lower the low load voltage, your actual full load/clock voltage will likely increase significantly. If your load voltage is around 1.332v (I only trust CPU-Z under heavy stress testing for that reading), you should leave it alone. If it's 1.4v or higher, it might be worth exploring, but that's an extremely low voltage for overclocking and as long as temperatures are stable, it shouldn't harm the CPU or board. As someone who owns a Ryzen, any overclocking tends to automatically adjust the voltage on these chips, making the situation similar for me.
Sure thing Matt. The Bios does support offset, though I was a bit confused about which settings to apply. When I enabled it, voltages went back to auto mode. Interestingly, the auto NB voltage was 1.1, while my manual setting was 1.3v – the CPU stayed at 1.32v. Using offset caused the system to fail with the message “Overclock failed” after reboot.
I’ve gone back to my standard settings and lowered the NB voltage to 1.25. It worked fine for about 12 minutes at a 4.65GHz speed test, with no issues. However, the VRM is getting quite hot – around 72°C on the socket. I stopped the test early.
I’ve had more everyday use now, and temperatures in the socket reached 69°C during heavy gaming or rendering. So far it’s okay. I’m curious if lowering the NB voltage even further (remembering the auto setting) could help reduce heat, right? I only set it to 1.3v as a reference from a guide.
I think I have a solid chip after checking other posts’ voltage data. That said, VRM temperatures seem to be the limiting factor. Plus, I only have an Evo212 air cooler on the chip.
I tried placing an 80mm fan on the VRM heatsink yesterday in the hope it would help, but it didn’t make a difference. During the initial overclock process, I increased the NB voltage above 1.3v to try improving RAM/HTlink/NB frequency ratios, but the temperatures were still much higher than expected.
Thanks for your feedback and support.
I think I’ll keep the voltage at 1.3v permanently. It’s definitely that value. I’m monitoring both HWM and CPU-Z during stress tests.
The motherboard does adjust some voltage levels – it logs a max of 1.344V and a minimum of 1.332V.
One more thought/question:
• When using the ‘balanced’ window power option, clocks idle at 1.5Ghz and the voltage stays steady at 1.332v. Does this actually save power or extend component life?
Not sure…
To adjust the offset, return to stock clocks, perform a bench test, record the voltage at load, and subtract it from the voltage you're currently hitting during overclocking. Use that difference as a positive offset in BIOS, then increase the multiplier again. In practice, applying an offset may cause voltage droop under load, so you might need to adjust the LLC setting accordingly. Saving your current configuration as a profile in BIOS can help you experiment safely. You may end up with a slightly higher load voltage while gaining the flexibility to lower it at lower loads.
Please keep checking the offset voltage.
Unfortunately, my Bios doesn't support profiles, but that's not an issue—I can record the current settings and undo them if needed.
Interesting point: the idea I had about stock/boost frequency and voltages was actually what I used as a starting point for my first OC.
Thanks again for your helpful assistance.
Should accommodate profiles.
Tools panel, Asus OC profile choice.