The i7 6700k's voltage is significantly greater than the VCore.
The i7 6700k's voltage is significantly greater than the VCore.
I purchased my i7 6700k roughly six months ago, and everything proceeded without major issues. I began overclocking the CPU about two to three weeks after buying it and consistently observed something that concerned me, though I didn’t pursue further investigation at the time.
Prior to updating my BIOS to version F22 for the Gigabyte Z170 Gaming 6 MOBO yesterday, my CPU was running at 4.5GHZ. The BIOS voltage setting was around 1.345, and I noticed that the CPU VCore matched that value, while the VID fluctuated between 1.43V and a similar range.
After updating the BIOS, my overclock profile was removed. Before attempting to revert to 4.5GHZ, I decided to test again. Initially, I kept the CPU at 4.0GHZ with a fixed voltage of 1.2V. The VCore operated between 1.1V and 1.2V, which seemed stable. However, the VID still showed slight deviations, peaking around 1.23V.
Later, I increased the frequency to 4.2GHZ at a voltage of 1.22V to check if the problem persisted. I also turned off Turbo and integrated graphics just in case, but the issue remained unresolved. My VCore stayed between 1.140V and 1.200V (averaging around 1.188V), while the VID fluctuated from 0.715V to 1.308V.
In the attached photo, you can see the VID voltage at 1.292V and the VCore at 1.176V.
I searched online but found it difficult to locate a precise solution, as few people addressed the exact concern I have. A few posts mentioned that the VCore was higher than the VID, but not vice versa. If anyone can clarify what’s happening or share more details, I’d appreciate it. Thank you.
My interpretation is that the VID is a fixed value recorded on each chip during manufacturing. Generally, the chip requests a specific voltage based on the load it's handling.
It seems you've established a constant voltage, which allows it to request whatever it needs, but you're declining it. As long as your system operates normally, I wouldn't have any concerns.
My interpretation is that the VID is a fixed value recorded on each chip during manufacturing. Generally, the chip requests a specific voltage based on the load it's under.
It seems you've established a constant voltage, which allows it to request whatever it needs, but you're declining it. As long as your system operates normally, I wouldn't have any concerns.