Adjusting voltage on a B760 proved tougher than anticipated... (And the 14th-gen cooling system)
Adjusting voltage on a B760 proved tougher than anticipated... (And the 14th-gen cooling system)
I've been considering upgrading to a 14700k model when they release it. It's not a massive jump, but there are some features I'm interested in. Right now I only use an Arctic liquid cooler II 240, which handles my 13600k well, but I'm unsure how it would perform with the new chip. I thought undervolting would help if overheating became an issue. I adjusted the offsets in my BIOS and tried throttling in throttlestop, but nothing worked. In Intel's XTU it just turned grayed out, which wasn't surprising since I had successfully undervolted my 11600k on a B560 without problems. Eventually I managed to get it running again—updating the BIOS and applying this setting added gigabytes. From what I understand, these tweaks might affect how the cooler interacts with the hardware. Would it be able to manage something like the 14700k (heat output likely between 13700k and 13900k) for gaming and emulation while keeping the highest turbo speeds? I can always crank the fans up if needed. Also, could this microcode change affect future undervolting attempts on next-gen CPUs? I'm not sure how it works, but I just want to be informed.
I’m leaning toward 13900K rather than 13700K since both power and clock speeds are rising together. The 240mm AIOs struggle to match the performance of a 13700K under heavy use, making an upgrade less likely. Based on what you mentioned, it doesn’t seem worthwhile to jump to the 14th gen right now. Unless you’re focused on memory overclocking and the better memory controller in newer chips, the benefits probably won’t be noticeable. The only real reason for moving up might be future BIOS updates, which could introduce a performance bypass.
Intel introduced a new safeguard named Undervolt Protection in the latest BIOS releases for B760 and B660 boards. ThrottleStop has detected when this setting is active via the BIOS. Following the exposure of the Plundervolt vulnerability, Intel has been focused on preventing undervolting. Manufacturers began updating their BIOS to restrict voltage adjustments. Some developers discovered a method to bypass these protections using UEFI BIOS modifications, prompting Intel to enhance its security measures. The HX mobile line still permits undervolting, while all 12th Gen and newer CPUs now include this feature. Intel may introduce a microcode update in the future to enable Undervolt Protection on its 14th Gen processors as well.
I didn't need any reminders... lol. I've heard those whispers. Recently I learned the 14600k still has six cores. Either way might be true. I've picked up rumors about power efficiency staying the same, and some say it'll improve. It feels unfair to ask questions without full details yet. What I really want is:
1) Two more P cores for emulators that don't use energy-saving modes and higher single-core speeds for certain games.
2) I think extra cache would help. But you're right, in mainstream titles 13600k works just fine.
The issue is... I sometimes stray from the usual path. I've faced some situations where I was almost there but not quite, like missing a 10% difference between 55 and 60 FPS. That's frustrating.
I've heard about the 13900k being tested for better cooling, but only for gaming, not serious multithreading tasks. The main reason I came up with this idea was how impressive it makes my 13600k feel—never dropped below 50 FPS. It almost seemed unnecessary.
Anyway... I'll keep watching reviews. Thanks for your thoughts!
That's the feedback I received when first attempting to undervolt the 13600kf. After updating the microcode in Gigabyte BIOS, I was successful. This feature was included in the same update that added support for the 14th generation, so I'm hoping it will work with those too. I'm not sure if I'll actually need it, but it would be helpful just in case.