Can I use AVX offset to fix my current EDLP limit throttling?
Can I use AVX offset to fix my current EDLP limit throttling?
I recently started overclocking my Intel i7-9700k to run at 5.0GHz using benchmark tools like Cinebench R15 to see how fast it gets. I noticed something weird: when I ran the test for the first few times, everything worked great and stayed at the new speed. But after that point, later tests would suddenly drop down to around 4.6GHz, even though my score didn't change much. This same thing happened with an Aida 64 stress test too; the clock speeds started dropping after about two minutes on their own. At first, I thought it might be a problem with the motherboard's power supply unit (VRMs), but since my board doesn't have a temperature sensor to tell me that, I couldn't know for sure. So I downloaded Intel's XTU software and checked things out normally; everything looked fine there. But when I tried running tests using AVX instructions, it said the problem was with the current/EDP limits, not the VRMs. I searched everywhere online looking for a fix to boost my CPU power while also adjusting the long, short package power limits in my BIOS settings, but neither worked. In fact, trying those changes actually broke my computer. After testing an AVX offset of 2, things finally stopped fluctuating and stayed steady at 4.8GHz instead. Now I'm wondering if there are other ways to fix a CPU being throttled by current/EDP limits besides using an AVX offset, or will adding that offset hurt me when playing video games? My system details are:
CPU: Intel Core i7-9700k OC running at 5.0GHz
Cooler: NZXT Kraken x63
RAM: 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz CL16
Motherboard: Asus Prime Z370A-II
GPU: Zotac GTX 1060 Mini (6GB)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 750W MWE Gold (Full modular)
The current setting limits how high your voltage can go on your processor. If you push it too much, the CPU gets damaged, so keep things normal here. Check what your core temperature is doing while running a test program that pushes those limits. Tell us the number from CoreTemp. The safe limit is 1.5 volts or lower; anything higher hurts the CPU over time. You probably don't need AVX since games usually skip it and your graphics card stops you before your processor can get hurt. Also, a GTX 1060 isn't powerful enough to show any real difference in gaming right now.
I always use Aida 64 to check if my overclock is working right or not. My system has been stable so far, but when I run stress tests with AVX instructions, my CPU slows down on its own instead of going faster. I'll try increasing the vcore setting. Also, I plan to upgrade my 1060 card to a 3080 later, which is why I'm overclocking it right now. Thanks!
It makes sense to turn off AVX because that feature needs a lot of power, so don't worry about it while you play games. You should keep your voltage low; in fact, I'd try to lower the vcore as much as possible. High voltage isn't good for the CPU either. First test out the 3080 and see what happens before trying anything else.
Hey, in the world of electronics, when people talk about "Current," they mean either Amperage or just "Amps." This doesn't actually touch on Core voltage or Voltage ID entificaion (VID). When it comes to Direct Current (DC), you multiply Amps by Volts to get Watts. So that's how the numbers line up for Core Voltage vs. VID CT.
I just figured out why things were slow. I hit the limit for how much work my CPU core and cache could do at once, which fixed one problem but made another appear: power limits kicking in during stress tests. So I went back into the BIOS to boost both the total power draw allowed and the time window. That finally stopped everything working too hard. Now I can run Cinebench 15 again without my CPU slowing down on its own. The temps go up just a little bit when it gets hot, but they don't get close enough to trigger throttling right now.