I'm having trouble figuring out how to undervolt my 13700k.
I'm having trouble figuring out how to undervolt my 13700k.
Good morning,
I'm working on adjusting my 13700k to undervolt it slightly. The temperatures aren't extreme, but my ramps spike to 61°C during games. I thought changing the fan curve would let them ramp at higher temps. Last night everything seemed normal with an initial offset of -.085 and a few hours of gaming. This morning it changed its mind, so I lowered it to .075 and it's been stable so far. Still puzzled about why Core VID voltages shifted without tweaking overnight. Also curious how others are using more extreme offsets like -.125s and 135s. So far I've managed a small drop of 4-6°C.
Stock Core VID was around 1.361. With -.085 it dropped to about 1.291, same offset -.085 went down to 1.260, and adjusting to -.075 brought it back near 1.260 again.
Feedback would be really helpful. I'm using Gigabyte BIOS for offsets, undervolt protection is off (Adaptive), and only changed the offset values as per the tutorial. The machine still crashes at idle, even with a -.065 offset. I think I might be missing something in the process.
My top recommendation is to refrain from adjusting voltages. Stick with the standard settings initially.
The 13700K is built for optimal performance when operating at 100°C.
You’ll find a useful article discussing 13th gen CPUs running smoothly with less powerful cooling solutions:
Core i9-13900K Cooling Guide: Testing Intel's Flagship With Budget Air and Big AIOs
This guide explains how the Core i9-13900K handles even high-end liquid coolers while using affordable air cooling.
You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFgswzTvyc
I haven't experimented with throttle stop, not really understanding what it does. I also couldn't locate the CPU power limit in my BIOS; I know some BIOS settings let you set very high draw limits by default, even though a 253W limit is usually recommended. While the 61C isn't bad, WoW is the only game that really gets my fans excited... I could tweak the fan curve a bit higher myself, but I just followed the trend for 13th and everyone says Undervolt it, lower temps, and give it a free overclock. Still, I was mainly trying to learn and cut down temperatures. Probably I did that except the PC doesn't like sitting idle.
You're absolutely right, many 13700k models are running well at 80C, and my cooler might be better than what I have. It was taken from an earlier build, but I'm planning to switch to a Phanteks D30 glacier one AIO around the 14th-gen release or EKWB's 360.