Why does my CPU reduce its speed and voltage during stress tests?
Why does my CPU reduce its speed and voltage during stress tests?
You're right about your CPU not being an i9-11900K. It's actually an i7-11700K/KF with 3.6 base and 4.6 core boost, reaching 5.0 at 2 cores. The 11700K doesn't even have ABT support. You're definitely putting in a lot of effort!
The 5.0Ghz isn't the full turbo boost for every core, and my current setup already provides a 0.4Ghz improvement on six of them.
Modern CPUs typically reduce clock speeds and voltages to safeguard against overheating. This is normal behavior, and it's a positive outcome since otherwise, unskilled individuals might expose the chips to damage.
What I'm trying to convey is that you're exceeding the CPU's limits in a significant way. Unless you have a deep understanding of what you're doing and have properly over-provisioned cooling and power systems to match, you're putting your hardware at serious risk of damage. Also, keep in mind that not all CPUs are the same, even if they look identical. The highest quality chips come from the center of a wafer. As you move toward the outer edges, the die becomes more prone to imperfections and is typically used for lower-grade CPUs. Occasionally, you might find a piece that performs better than expected, but it's a gamble and requires more than just watching a YouTube video to assess your specific component.
This occurs despite lowering the voltages significantly and adjusting certain parameters that influence voltage and/or temperature. I’m experiencing around 90°C during a stress test using Realbench, and according to SkatterBencher’s video from yesterday, he reached 95°C with his I7-11700K under Prime95 stress testing. I don’t think this should be related to the temperatures unless there’s a specific setting involved.
I’m currently operating the CPU at 1.370V, and I feel this value is within the acceptable range. The voltage isn’t a major concern unless it’s unusually high, which happened during a stress test where the CPU was set to 1.370V and the measured voltages ranged from 1.500V to 1.520V.
My main goal has been identifying an appropriate core clock speed for either all cores or individual cores. I’ve been trying to figure this out throughout the day, learning more about overclocking while also considering temperature and voltage implications. Understanding the maximum possible core clock speed is important for planning future adjustments.
If I reach a relatively high core clock speed, it might not be worth using it in the long run. The YouTuber mentioned using 1.450V for his i7-11700K, so I’ve been checking other sources to see what voltage levels others were using. This has helped me narrow down my target range of 1.450–1.500V for this project.
I didn’t expect it to take long to find a suitable core clock speed, as I thought it would take hours rather than days. Now that I have this information, I’m seeking help to ensure the voltage stays as low as possible—ideally below 1.450V—and to plan for a future upgrade if needed.
My goal in overclocking has changed. It’s no longer about getting something for nothing. Today’s processors are grouped and sold to run at their peak by default. If you’re just experimenting, go ahead. Just be careful not to harm your processor. The 1.5v setting is too high, and your expectations are unrealistic. Silicon’s selection process favors better chips at a higher price. Even the i9-9900KF reaches only 5.0 with a vcore around 1.46. What tasks will you be running? In most cases, it’s best to have the BIOS set to “optimized settings” and let the rest remain unchanged. This approach varies depending on your motherboard. Such a configuration can unlock maximum turbo in a few cores if workload and cooling allow. The i7-11700K supports a turbo boost of up to 5.0. These processors are so powerful that overclocking is rarely worthwhile in practice. It could help only if your application can utilize all 16 threads at full capacity, which is often not the case. Usually, games and similar apps rely on fast performance from just a few cores, where boosting a few cores makes a difference.