Not clear what you mean by "Vcore." Could you clarify the context?
Not clear what you mean by "Vcore." Could you clarify the context?
I have a few queries about overclocking. I've been using my i5 6600k at 4.4 GHz for over six months without any problems—no blue screens or other issues. Temperatures are normal, and I run it daily. To reach 4.4 GHz, I just used the auto overclock option in BIOS, without making any changes. The auto setting lists options like 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, and 5.0. Attempting any other auto setting above 4.4 causes an immediate blue screen during startup. Now I'm trying manual overclocking. It boots into Windows fine, but after a while it crashes again. At 4.6 I've adjusted the vcore quite a bit in hopes of stability, but it still triggers a blue screen. I've set vcore to "fixed" in BIOS, yet it still fails at 1.4 vcore. Comparing with other forums, many users manage 4.6 at 1.4 or lower, which makes sense since not every chip can handle it. However, I've noticed on HWMonitor, CPU-Z, and ASRock A-Tuning that the readings show a much lower vcore than what I set. Right now I'm testing 4.5 at 1.38 to check stability, but all programs report values from 1.312 to 1.360—never higher. During the AIDA64 stability test, it was around 1.328 most of the time, even though it's set to fixed 1.380. What might I be overlooking? In BIOS I see all cores at 4.5, a cache ratio of 43 or Auto, fixed vcore at 1.380, and Speedstep off. Everything else seems to be in Auto mode. Perhaps the minimum cache ratio was set to 43 or Auto, and BLCK Frequency is on Auto or 100.0.
What you're encountering is referred to as VDroop. This happens when stress testing or applying pressure to your computer causes it to ignore the voltage settings on the motherboard unless you adjust the motherboard's LLC configuration. Not every motherboard supports this feature, but most likely your graphics card does. LLC stands for load line calibration, and tweaking it can help achieve a stable voltage level. Still, I'm skeptical about the built-in overclocking option on some boards. It often delivers more voltage than necessary, which could be risky. Overclocking demands significant time and effort, but if you're willing to invest, you can fully unlock your processor's capabilities for extended use.
The only adjustment I noticed for the LLC was setting it to Auto, Level 1, 2 or 3. Level 1 seems optimal for voltage and overclocking according to the guidance. I might have overlooked something—I could review the motherboard manual. Shouldn’t it at least approach the fixed Vcore when the system is idle? Currently, when I’m not putting stress on the system, I see a max of 1.355 to 1.360, which is still far from 1.380?