Clock speeds fluctuated widely on my main rig following the BIOS and ME firmware updates.
Clock speeds fluctuated widely on my main rig following the BIOS and ME firmware updates.
Some real overclockers are expressing their views on this topic. They note that voltage requests differ from the actual voltage achieved. The microcode issue involved a request exceeding 1.55, which should have been blocked. Asking for 1.5 or even 1.55v isn't a problem. Overclockers often rely on intuition, but that doesn't replace the technical work needed at the core of the system. Intuition offers guidance, not definitive answers.
When you search for this information, some are warning against using those voltage settings. I understand the actual voltage is lower, but it's likely still too high. Intel chips aren't usable out of the box and need tuning to function correctly or prevent damage. The microcode does more than just set the maximum voltage—it also affects the boosting process, which has already been problematic. The latest microcode doesn't seem to help and you're still responsible for resolving the issue yourself; whatever their engineering team is doing isn't working properly right now.