Can the adaptive voltage be restricted?
Can the adaptive voltage be restricted?
Hi there, for Christmas I upgraded myself with a used 10900k. It performed well right off the bat. I quickly experimented to see if I could push it higher. I discovered that at 5.2 GHz it stabilizes around 5.2 GHz with a voltage of 1.375V in BIOS, but the core voltage jumps to about 1.37V under load and then climbs to 1.47V. Since keeping that voltage constant wasn’t ideal, I switched to adaptive voltage control with a fixed core voltage of 1.375V. I realized it gets ignored and the core voltage spikes to 1.47V, which is too high for both me and the chip. I’ve tried looking into options to force a fixed voltage, like targeting 1.375V manually. I’m using an MSI Z490 with Godlike power delivery, the i9 10900k running normally at stock speeds, and a custom loop setup of 2*480 rads for cooling. The OC is steady at 5.2 GHz with LLC5 (higher number = higher voltage drop). Thanks for any tips, guys!
You should avoid damaging the chip at those voltages. 1.46v works when the CPU isn’t fully loaded, probably just for peak boost. I’m assuming a safe limit of 1.45v for 14nm and newer chips. For fixed voltage cores, stick to static Vcore instead of adaptive—this reduces efficiency at low loads but improves performance and power usage during full load. Overall, full-load efficiency is more important than a few extra watts while idling.
Hi, first of all, yes it doesn't damage the chip at 1.46V, though I still feel unsure about it. I began OCing with a 7700k and somehow ended up embedding it, so I thought 1.4V is safe for continuous use. Second: even at 5.1 with an LLC 6, everything works just fine; it only starts acting weird around 5.2 with voltage issues. Lastly: I understand your concern, and I thought maybe someone had this problem and solved it since having an adaptive voltage setup would be convenient. I hope someone can help me out.
It's closer to 1.45v, but you might be able to increase it a bit if you maintain around mid-50c at full capacity. For 22-45nm processes, the maximum is about 1.6v, while 65-90nm could reach roughly 1.7v. These chips tend to last longer than expected, though 7nm designs seem more sensitive and aren't ideal for sustained loads above 1.4v. People who have tested them confirm degradation, so it's not just rumors. They're quite reliable under stress, but they do show signs of wear above 2.2v. They're more robust than you might think, but keep in mind they aren't the best for very high voltages. Also, performance drops noticeably after 45nm, so running at 1.2-1.25v is a good compromise—saves around 200 MHz while cutting power use and heat, even if it means slightly lower efficiency when idle.