Maximum safe voltage drop below 10750H
Maximum safe voltage drop below 10750H
I'm working to keep my Core i7 10750H cool by undervolting it. I'm checking how much I can reduce the voltage before it starts acting up. My BIOS supports -80 mV, and after a 20mV reduction it's still stable in CineBench with about one watt less power draw.
No one has the right answer since every chip and setup varies. Compare the stock benchmarks and then undervolt once to check for changes. An 80mV adjustment isn't significant.
I reduced the voltage on my 8700K to -100mV and it worked fine in tests, but when I played The Division 2 my system would crash—not just the game but the whole PC. Then I adjusted it to -95mV and it has stayed stable for over a year. If your PC freezes or won’t start, just restart it, change the undervolt in BIOS, and if it still doesn’t boot, reset the CMOS.
Cinebench alone isn't sufficient and doesn't accurately reflect heavy CPU usage. Try it alongside demanding games such as Horizon Zero Dawn or AC Odyssey. It may run stably in Cinebench but will crash right after loading the game. Therefore, perform Cinebench first, then launch the game for 10-15 minutes. That should help. If crashes persist, especially during longer sessions or even when idle, adjust the settings. You can also use OCCT, which offers an option to halt testing immediately upon detecting an issue.
It's crucial to avoid overshooting the voltage by using negative offsets. Applying them reduces the entire voltage range, causing the CPU to struggle with low loads compared to high loads. When the CPU needs minimal power, it might demand an extremely low voltage, making stability unpredictable. In theory, this could result in perfect stability during operation but total instability when idle.
I tested 75 mV and it froze in a graphics-heavy game while the CPU used 15–25 watts and the GPU ran at 90–95 watts. I lowered it to 50 mV now, which stopped freezing after about a minute.