Are there problems with underclocking connected to Windows 11 or the BIOS?
Are there problems with underclocking connected to Windows 11 or the BIOS?
I’m facing a challenge with something that isn’t immediately clear to me, and I lack the expertise to pinpoint exactly what needs attention.
Problem:
I’ve been attempting to undervolt my GPU, but so far nothing has worked. Almost any adjustment—from standard settings to lower values—leads to crashes. This is puzzling because I’ve tested around seven different 30-series GPUs in the last year, and all have shown instability eventually. I don’t think a silicon lottery is responsible here.
My current setup is an EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 at 1790MHz, which crashes at 875mV occasionally. I’ve spent many hours tweaking frequencies and voltages without success.
What bothers me is that my partner’s 10 rig, which uses three different 30-series cards, all undervolts perfectly. They have a TUF 3080 at 1860MHz with 875mV and no problems—just like before. All I needed was to set the undervolt, run superposition tests, play some games, and make minor tweaks if necessary.
Overall, my system isn’t as stable as my partner’s even when running at stock settings, and I didn’t think this was a win-10 versus 11 issue! xD
Possible reasons:
I’ve also undervolted my CPU, which seems to run fine at stock GPU settings—crashes are rare. I’ve adjusted my DDR5 RAM timings to 36/36/72, using one of the memory profiles from my Gskill kit (sticks are cl40 at stock). Perhaps this is the cause, though extensive OCCT and prime 95 tests didn’t reveal any problems.
Additionally, I changed several TPM settings to get Valorant to work on Windows 11, following some BIOS guides that might have caused unintended changes.
System details:
- Motherboard: I7 12700k
- CPU: Z690 Aorus Master
- GPU: RTX 3090
- RAM: 32GB Gskill DDR5 6000mhz CL40
- Partner system: 5800x, B550m-k Prime, 32GB Corsair 3200MHz (AMD 3600)
- Partner GPU: RTX 3080
Great observation! Both of us are centered around Seasonic, with mine being a 1000w model and the other a 850w one.
you can't compare 3080 and 3090 at the same frequency at certain voltages...3090 offers significantly more GPU cores (around 1500 extra), which demands higher voltage for stable operation. Running the same voltage on 3090 versus 3080 would lead to much lower GPU clock speeds compared to 3080. Likewise, matching frequency on 3090 versus 3080 would require substantially higher voltage than on 3080. That’s equivalent to using an 8-core CPU and undervolting it to a 6-core version while trying to achieve stability.
I completely understand your point, though I don’t believe it’s just about the undervolt. I’ve tried a 3080 Strix on my rig and struggled at 1815mhz 850mv, but with the other unit it performs much better. It looks like I lack a proper baseline unless I’m willing to sacrifice performance.