Question Intel 11 gen unstable when Long Duration Power Limit is at 125 watt
Question Intel 11 gen unstable when Long Duration Power Limit is at 125 watt
I own an i5 11400f paired with a Nzxt N7 Z590 motherboard, equipped with the latest BIOS and 32GB 4000mhz CL18 RAM. In this video, it is recommended to increase the Base Frequency Boost from 65 watts to 125 watts for a better cb r23 score. I also do that even though my system lacks Base Frequency Boost but raise the TDP, and set the Long Duration Power Limit from 65 to 125 watts. What follows during stress testing is reaching around 3,900 MHz in AIDA64 with all features enabled, whereas it normally stays near 3,100 MHz at 65 watts. In other tests, it hits 4,200 MHz with the Long Duration Power Limit at 125 watts. The issue arises when something fails during the AIDA64 test after about two minutes—this is the CPU, it doesn’t freeze or crash, but the test halts and the AIDA64 turns red. It reverts to 65 watts, then the test becomes 100% stable, but the score drops below the expected 10,000+ in multicore tests, which is because the bus speed isn’t quite at 100%. How can I achieve full stability with a TDP of 125 watts and Long Duration Power Limit of 125 watts?
Hey there,
You might want to give Throttlestop a shot. Install it, start it up, and open the 'Limits' section as well as the built-in bench, TS Bench. Run the bench and check the limits display; if it shows red or yellow, it could indicate throttling is happening.
TS Bench offers many settings that can adapt to your CPU, and it's also a solid method for adjusting voltages, PL1, PL2, Tau. You could experiment with a vcore offset, like subtracting a number from the value. For example, if your vcore is at 1.37v, using an offset of 0.05mv might help reduce instability.
Thought it might be my CPU, but could also be my RAM. G Skill Ripjaws 4000MHz CL 18 is unstable with RAM at that frequency; the stock version seems more stable. PL1 red, a few seconds before the 960M test ends, PL1 was yellow. Enable, use Load line calibration and raising power limit?
The default speed for those dimms is 2133mhz when stable, which isn't ideal. Let's see how it performs. Perhaps setting timings and voltage manually and beginning at a lower speed like 3600 would help. The LLC option is intended to boost CPU stability but can overvolt the CPU, so I wouldn't go beyond the first or second choice. Anything higher could lead to further problems. In reality, I'd leave it as is for now.
2133mhz it also throttles at stock ram speed. When raising the power limit in Intel XTU it remains stable with RAM at 2133mhz, though I'm unsure why HWINFO64 displays stock values of 65 and 154 watts for pl 1 and pl 2. Updated: I've tried AVX-512 in Intel XTU (Intel Extreme Tuning Utility). Current EDP Limit Throttle is working, and both power and current limits are being applied with the connected CPU cables.
When frequency increases, a RAM overclock may lose stability. A 32GB 4000mhz CL 18 RAM with 4xDIMMs isn’t a straightforward overclock; it’s better to begin with the cores and cache before moving to RAM. With 4xDIMMs, achieving DDR4-3600 becomes more manageable. Beyond that point, you need careful management to maintain stability.
Start by optimizing the CPU first, then adjust the RAM settings. Set the RAM to a low, stable baseline similar to the CPU default. Proceed to tweak the cores/cache settings next. For RAM overclocking, lower frequencies on the CPU work well, but pushing too high causes instability—especially during intensive tasks like large FFTs, which trigger errors.
Once the CPU reaches its optimal setting, you can fine-tune the RAM. It’s essential to test incrementally and avoid rushing. Overclocking demands reliable cooling and a solid power supply. Excessive heat in your system can lead to memory overheating and instability, particularly during aggressive overclocks. Some RAM configurations are sensitive to temperature changes. Proceed cautiously with timing adjustments and always verify your settings.
I received a 3200mhz cl16 trident z rgb ram with disabled rgb, which was available the next day and appears on the 2x8gb version (my setup has 2x16gb). I considered the 11600k or kf because they offer more flexibility, possibly better pinning options, and my 11400f is down by 0.300mw.
I prefer to check reviews about the cooler before purchasing. I received a 360 rad rating because the 10900k draws more than 350 watts in prime95 small ffts after overclocking. If the TDP is below 200 watts and the cooler is 200 watts, everything should work well.