Is it safe to use a Ryzen 7 1700 at 1.4 volts?
Is it safe to use a Ryzen 7 1700 at 1.4 volts?
I'm just starting out with overclocking and decided to give it a shot with my most recent setup. I've already adjusted the memory settings, though I'm not happy with the CPU performance. Right now I'm using an R7 1700 on an Asrock X370 Fatal1ty K4 board. The OC is set at 3.85 GHz and 1.408 volts (as shown by the CPUID hardware monitor) on the core. The LLC is configured at 4, and I let the offsets auto since changing them feels tricky. Core temperatures are usually within normal limits, rarely exceeding 60°C during heavy use—unless it's for a stress test or stability check. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Ah okay, thats a lot clearer.
Fisrtly OC with Ryzen master is not the right way to go. It totally overolts, which is why the core voltage is at 1.4+ You want it as low as possible.
The second thing, and this is quite important. You have not been stress testing, which means there will be instability. You are using benchmarking software as a stress, and although the temps will go up, by not properly stressing you won't know what your true temps are and how to gauge your OC, and how far you can push the CPU.
Your mobo is fine, and is a decent OC, better than mine. Don't see that as the issue.
What you should do is set your system to stock (no overclock) run Prime 95 on small ffts (this will only test the CPU, and give you max volate...
CPU and cooler details:
Motherboard information:
Memory:
Storage devices:
GPU specifications:
Power supply unit:
Chassis configuration:
Operating system:
In my opinion, you should compare the voltages with the BIOS and check other applications in the OS/GUI to ensure consistency. It's recommended to keep them below 1.3v to 1.35v during continuous use.
God, I wouldn't want the voltage that high. You should be able to run 3.85 at about 1.3-1.375. 1.4 is too high for that clock. Also, lower the LLC down to the first strap. Level 4 isn't recommended for that OC—it's mainly for extreme ones you don't have. It helps fight Vdroop. What are you testing with? The temps at 60 seem low compared to the high voltage you're applying. Please share a HWmon screenshot of your system under stress using Prime95 or similar. But first, make sure the LLC is set to the lowest level (not auto). Also, are you using auto CPU voltage settings? If so, it could cause overvoltage.
List your specifications clearly:
CPU and CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
RAM:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
Power supply:
Chassis:
Operating system:
In my opinion, you should compare the voltages with the BIOS and check other applications within the OS/GUI to ensure consistency. It’s recommended to keep them below 1.3v-1.35v in the BIOS for continuous use.
I’ll look into available monitoring tools. It looks like Ryzen Master isn’t cooperating—I can’t even remove it. I was hesitant about losing too much performance, especially at high resolutions.
I’ll update the specs list once I have more information. Thanks for the heads up.
Roland Of Gilead :
God, I would not have the voltage that high. YOu should be able to run 3.85 at about 1.3-1.375. 1.4 is too high for that clock.
Also, adjust the LLC down to the first strap. Using level 4 is not advised for that OC. Its only mainly used for extreme OC's which yours is not. It has the effect of combating Vdroop.
What are you using to stress test? Temps at 60 seem specially low, given the high voltage you are using.
Please post a HWmon screenshot of your system at stress with Prime95 or something. But please in the first instance, take the LLC down to the first setting (not auto)
Are you using auto cpu voltage? If you use auto settings it will over volt.
Alright sorry about that wait there. So I've just defaulted the BIOS settings and started over again. Now, I can't seem to push the system with in your specified limits of 1.3-1.375 volts at 3.8Ghz. My only two guesses are; that my motherboard is just a poor choice, or that I didn't hit the silicon lottery. I'll bank on the motherboard as I trust what this community has to say.
Now, attempting to run Prim95 with my previous settings mentioned in the original post of mine, I would only get fatal errors for the cores. I've gone back to letting the BIOS take over on the LLC, as I would have done more bad than good, no doubt.
Now in regards to Prime95, I actually never used the stress test with all honesty, I utilized various other tools like Cinebench, Unigene and some other smalls ones. I really only used tools that pertained to what I do, which is sit back, and play games from time to time.
Like I had mentioned, and well like you could've of guessed a mile away, I'm no expert in overclocking. I tried my diligence in research when I had began overclocking not to many days ago, and I found that very few people use this board, and those who do, could careless about the overclocking which is quite funny to me.
EDIT: This is post change on BIOS and settings, excuse me for not stating this.
https://imgur.com/a/UIds9
Firstly, using an OC with Ryzen Master isn't the best approach. It causes the core voltage to spike significantly, which is why you should aim for a lower setting. The second point is crucial. You haven’t performed proper stress testing, which can lead to instability. Relying solely on benchmarking software as a stress test won’t give you accurate readings of your real temperatures or help you understand your actual overclock potential. Your motherboard is fine and performs adequately as an OC, better than yours. Don't consider this the main issue.
What you should do is run your system in stock mode without overclocking—executing Prime 95 on small FFTs will only stress the CPU and show maximum voltage and temperature readings. Capture a screenshot when idle, then again during stress with Prime running. This gives you a reliable baseline for further adjustments.
I recommend setting your system to its default (no overclock) and running Prime 95 on small FFTs. Take a screenshot at idle and under stress (with Prime running). If it passes for about an hour—such as the test I ran for around eight hours—I’m confident in its stability. For a more moderate OC without auto-adjustments, this method works well.
Once you’ve tested at a specific speed and Prime runs without errors, you can increase the multiplier further. If you encounter issues, raise the Vcore slightly and retest. Continue increasing CPU speed and/or voltage if needed.
Ideally, aim for around 3.85 GHz with a voltage between 1.3 and 1.375, while keeping temperatures as low as possible. If Prime hits over 80°C during testing, consider reducing either the voltage or clock speed. My 1600x model runs at 3.9 GHz with a 1.3 Vcore, achieving Prime stress temperatures of 73–75°C after eight hours—stable in my opinion.
If you need help, feel free to message me—I’d be glad to assist with reaching your OC goals. Guides like this can be very helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17QdDctWzZ8
@keith12 Should I lower the LLC to 1? I had it set to auto and it would default at 5. I'm trying to get temps posted now, but I'm responding from mobile, sorry for the poor replies.
Yes, reduce it to level 1. For 3.85 you don't need more than that. If you notice big Vdroop, you can increase it to level 2—the reason for using LLC is to handle Vdroop. Vdroop can lead to instability, so use it carefully.
The issue with llc that high & with cpu voltage offset on auto is that it will wildly overestimate required voltage to maintain stability.
Less of an issue on the older am3/+ socket as power saving features were still available when overclocking & that chipset had the ability to downclock/downvolt at will on lower loads.
With ryzen whatever is set in bios voltage wise will remain a 100% constant irregardless of load or clockspeed.
Meaning as soon as you switch that pc on , up until when you power it off its pumping 1.4v+ through the cpu irregardless of your actual usage.
So yeah , while not inherently dangerous (that boards vrm set is easily enough to soak that voltage up), its most certainly more than you need & could be lowered considerably.
Llc is there to combat vdroop under load , with ryzen you don't need heavy load to show vdroop because as I said before the voktage is constant anyway.
I doubt theres any significant droop on tht board anyway in all honestly but its impossible to tell while you have llc on 4 & voltage offset to auto.
My suggestion would be
Cpu voltage 1.1875v (which is stock)
Cpu voltage offset +.175
LLC level 1
Drop your cpu clock to 3600mhz (for testing)
Boot up & check cpu voltage & stability.
Let us know cpu voltage , ypu should test run with prime , aida64 or intel burntest for 5 minutes or so.
The above should theoretically give you 1.3625v & is pretty much a 100% success rate for a ryzen 1700 at 3.6 (ive hit 4ghz on the same voltage)
If load voltage is less there is some droop there but it's a good starting point to overclock properly & to do it as efficiently & safely as possible.