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Question Overclocking, Why increasing voltage decrease clock speed?

Question Overclocking, Why increasing voltage decrease clock speed?

A
AapenStaartje
Member
164
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM
#1
Overclocking details
i5 6600k on Z170A
It appears auto voltage resists exceeding 1.22v, which only supports 4.0Ghz. Manual voltage increases limit clock speed. I’m unsure what’s happening.

Temperatures remain unaffected; CPU fan runs at 5-10% even under load (stock performance: 50C load, 25C idle). For verification, I ran a test with full fan speed.

All data below reflects performance under heavy load (stress test)
Stock configuration:
- Clock speed remains steady at 3.6Ghz

- At 1.25V/4.2Ghz: speed fluctuates, averages 3.9Ghz
- At 1.36V/4.0Ghz: speed unstable, drops to 3.4Ghz (below base)
- At 1.3V/4.4Ghz/Cpu Fan Always MAX: speed unstable, averages 3.7Ghz
- Auto Voltage (1.2-1.22V)/4.0Ghz: stable at 4.0Ghz
- Auto Voltage (1.2-1.22V)/4.2Ghz: unstable, averages 4.0Ghz
- At 4.4Ghz: sudden blue screen

TL;DR
1.25V → 3.9Ghz
1.3V → 3.7Ghz
1.36V → 3.4Ghz (below base)
A
AapenStaartje
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM #1

Overclocking details
i5 6600k on Z170A
It appears auto voltage resists exceeding 1.22v, which only supports 4.0Ghz. Manual voltage increases limit clock speed. I’m unsure what’s happening.

Temperatures remain unaffected; CPU fan runs at 5-10% even under load (stock performance: 50C load, 25C idle). For verification, I ran a test with full fan speed.

All data below reflects performance under heavy load (stress test)
Stock configuration:
- Clock speed remains steady at 3.6Ghz

- At 1.25V/4.2Ghz: speed fluctuates, averages 3.9Ghz
- At 1.36V/4.0Ghz: speed unstable, drops to 3.4Ghz (below base)
- At 1.3V/4.4Ghz/Cpu Fan Always MAX: speed unstable, averages 3.7Ghz
- Auto Voltage (1.2-1.22V)/4.0Ghz: stable at 4.0Ghz
- Auto Voltage (1.2-1.22V)/4.2Ghz: unstable, averages 4.0Ghz
- At 4.4Ghz: sudden blue screen

TL;DR
1.25V → 3.9Ghz
1.3V → 3.7Ghz
1.36V → 3.4Ghz (below base)

S
Shadowsuns
Member
228
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM
#2
Hitting power limit.
S
Shadowsuns
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM #2

Hitting power limit.

S
218
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM
#3
So I need more Watts on psu ?
S
shacklebolt323
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM #3

So I need more Watts on psu ?

C
Celmunchie
Member
192
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM
#4
No.
How are you overclocking?
C
Celmunchie
11-06-2025, 07:49 AM #4

No.
How are you overclocking?

R
RanDn98
Junior Member
7
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM
#5
There's a happy place between amperage, voltage, and clock speed you have to find. You have not found this happy place. This happy place is very hardware dependent. I don't know intel well enough to know the happy place for your components.
More voltage means more heat and less amperage generally. I dont know which component is failing but the voltage regulator on your mobo might be too stressed.
Are you using a stock cooler? It almost sounds like you're crashing before your system can register to you accurate temps so you're sitting at closer to 80c but only showing 50c, which imo is low even for stock speed, not to mention overclocking.
Perhaps if you could provide full system specs outside of just the mobo and cpu, we could be of more help. Also whatever monitoring software you are using and operating system.
R
RanDn98
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM #5

There's a happy place between amperage, voltage, and clock speed you have to find. You have not found this happy place. This happy place is very hardware dependent. I don't know intel well enough to know the happy place for your components.
More voltage means more heat and less amperage generally. I dont know which component is failing but the voltage regulator on your mobo might be too stressed.
Are you using a stock cooler? It almost sounds like you're crashing before your system can register to you accurate temps so you're sitting at closer to 80c but only showing 50c, which imo is low even for stock speed, not to mention overclocking.
Perhaps if you could provide full system specs outside of just the mobo and cpu, we could be of more help. Also whatever monitoring software you are using and operating system.

B
bear7001
Senior Member
448
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM
#6
All issues resolved by raising CPU current limit (A)
B
bear7001
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM #6

All issues resolved by raising CPU current limit (A)

P
PantherClaw19
Member
149
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM
#7
Adjusted core multiplier and voltage via bios, attempted to disable c-state, speedtrap, and all turbo settings but no noticeable effect.
P
PantherClaw19
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM #7

Adjusted core multiplier and voltage via bios, attempted to disable c-state, speedtrap, and all turbo settings but no noticeable effect.

A
Anna908
Junior Member
30
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM
#8
are you utilizing the stock cooler? and is the maximum cache speed being fine-tuned to align with the OC?
the stock cooler can't handle sudden temperature changes. additionally, the cache speed should be modified (beyond just voltage and multiplier).
A
Anna908
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM #8

are you utilizing the stock cooler? and is the maximum cache speed being fine-tuned to align with the OC?
the stock cooler can't handle sudden temperature changes. additionally, the cache speed should be modified (beyond just voltage and multiplier).

C
165
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM
#9
Hyper 212 Cooler, I resolved the issue now, it was a current limit problem.
C
Chrysanthemum9
11-06-2025, 07:50 AM #9

Hyper 212 Cooler, I resolved the issue now, it was a current limit problem.