The core speed is changing when the machine turns on and off.
The core speed is changing when the machine turns on and off.
Here is your specs: CPU - an Intel i7-9700k with a working board (Z390), 32GB of memory running at the speed I set it to, and a graphics card called the MSI 2070S. The power supply comes from an Evga White Plus with 600 watts and includes extra protection features like AOI and Arctic Freezer 2 cooling fans. In short - my CPU core frequencies are jumping around when things get heavy, even though I know how to do it. More details: I have been running this i7-9700k overclocked to a speed of 4.9 GHz, which is higher than the normal stock speed of 4.6 GHz. My case and cooler weren't strong enough for the original boost, so I had to take the OC down before buying new parts. Now that I have a new case and cooling setup, I can go back up to 4.9 again using the default settings on my motherboard. I've done this many times before and it usually works fine. When I tried overclocking while gaming in MSI Afterburner, I noticed something weird - my core speed would drop down to the stock 4.6 GHz just when things got busy, then go back up to 4.9 and stay there until I stopped using it. Even though Hwinfo and CPU-Z confirmed these drops, my actual temperatures stayed steady and mostly between 60°C and 70°C. I've also tried manually changing the voltage to 1.25V to see if that helps, but nothing shows up in the software. Honestly, I can't figure out why the speed is dropping just under load when it's supposed to stay at the overclocked level. Any tips on what might be causing this would be really appreciated.
LLC means Load-Line Calibration. It adds a little extra voltage when your computer needs power, so the CPU voltage stays steady even when it's busy. This makes sure that what you set manually matches what happens in real life. LLC helps keep the difference between how fast the CPU works when idle and how fast it works under heavy load small. That's why it's great for finding a stable 24/7 overclock. You can usually find the options to change this in your BIOS, specifically on the OC tab. I don't have an MSI motherboard right now, so I'm not sure where exactly to look there. Your current board should still work fine though. It's on the lower side but it lets you get a decent speed up. A better motherboard with a stronger power supply would be even better for this. My highest safe voltage limit is 1.35 volts, but I usually don't push past 1.3 volts to save my CPU from overheating. Let me try setting it back down to 1.3v and see what happens...
What kind of LLC do you use? I would restart the overclock from scratch using 4.9GHz at a fixed 1.28v and with a mid-range LLC setting. From this point on, if it stays stable in desktop mode, run Prime95 Blend and check the temperatures. If that works fine, lower the vcore slightly and try again. The LLC helps stop voltage droop so stability problems don't happen.
Thank you for the reply! Here is what I tried: I overlocked to 4.9 GHz, used voltage cores like 1.58 and even down to 1.37. Everything ran fine on its own. But if I follow your advice and it stays stable under load, that doesn't solve my problem because it goes back down to 4.6 the moment a load comes on.
I tested today by setting voltage to Auto, and it actually worked most of the time! The voltage went up to 1.4, which is the maximum for this chip. That caused overheating; temps hit way over 80C on my BF5 card. This never happened before I installed a new case and an AOI (anti-offset injector), though I didn't realize it was a problem back then.
Can you tell me what a LLC means? And do you think changing the voltage control method could be a big fix? I'm out of ideas... Maybe swapping out my motherboard would help too!
LLC, which stands for Load-Line Calibration, adds extra voltage to the CPU when you need it. This helps keep the vCore (the actual voltage of the processor) very steady, especially when things get busy or hot. It makes sure the CPU is running at almost exactly what you set in your manual settings and that there isn't a big jump between how much power it uses when sitting still and when it's working hard. So, LLC is usually the best setting if you want to keep your CPU running smoothly for 24 hours straight while overclocking. You can find these settings inside your BIOS under the "OC" tab. Since I don't have a specific MSI motherboard right now, I'm not sure where exactly it is on yours. Your board should be fine, so let's try again. It might not be the strongest yet, but it should still let you get a decent speed up. A newer or stronger motherboard would probably do better, though. My absolute highest vCore limit is 1.35 volts, but even then I like to stay under 1.3 volts for everyday use. Just try setting it back down to 1.3v and see what happens. When you find the right balance for LLC, just set it in the middle first and adjust from there.
Thank you for helping me out! I got a new motherboard and it's holding up well now. Even with 50 ghz, that works perfectly. Maybe I could push it to 5.2, but I'll stick with 4.6. I tested the new mobo on a mini-guild OC, but any OC from my old one wouldn't hold either. It held for a year before so... had to be the motherboard! I'm running at 2.8 atm right now. Maybe I'll lower it soon since I'm only at 4.9 atm.