Will reduced voltage affect the general efficiency when increasing clock speed? Skylake Workstation Stability
Will reduced voltage affect the general efficiency when increasing clock speed? Skylake Workstation Stability
Hello everyone, just starting out with overclocking. I’m curious if using the lowest voltage needed for the CPU to boost its performance would actually hurt things in applications like 3D rendering or Photoshop. I want my system to stay stable over time while still delivering strong single-core speed.
From what I’ve tested so far, there seems to be a point where gains start to fade as the overclock increases. Plus, I’ve encountered more issues than I was comfortable with. I’ve found two “profiles” that have held up well.
I’m running a 6700k processor on a Z170x Gigabyte UD5 motherboard with offset voltage enabled. The Gigabyte boards don’t seem to adjust automatically. I have 32GB of RAM at 2400 MHz. Right now I only have a Hyper Evo 212, but I plan to upgrade soon.
Here are the details:
- 4.6GHz
- BIOS: 1.332 Vcore
- CPU Vcore: 1.3V
- DVID (dynamic offset): +0.03
- LLC: Standard
- XMP
- Voltage on load: 1.324 – 1.366, sometimes up to 1.38 under heavy load. Are these safe? Temperature stays around 72°C, but I’m concerned about stability. Occasional crashes have happened. It might be related to voltage drops. Using High LLC can cause spikes to 1.4–1.41V. Cooling might be a problem, but the Hyper Evo 212 handles it well for its price.
- 4.5GHz
- BIOS: 1.248 Vcore
- DVID: -0.060V
- LLC: Standard
- XMP
- Voltage on load: never exceeded 1.29V on average, sometimes reaching 1.320V. Temperatures stayed under 64°C (about 53°C on average). This profile feels very stable under stress and rendering tasks. I don’t see any major issues.
I’m leaning toward sticking with these settings, but I’m not sure if I’m providing enough power for optimal performance at this voltage. It seems the difference between 4.5 and 4.6 GHz won’t be noticeable in 3D modeling or Photoshop, especially considering my current setup.
Could anyone share their thoughts? Thanks a lot for your help.
4.5ghz @1.248v with occasional spikes to 1.320v sounds acceptable. Disappointing that there’s no override function for voltage though! The temperatures look great. Is this also tested with Aida64?
The results really depend on your personal experience, and everything seems stable after the OC with XMP enabled, especially when running games. For instance, during stress tests I found a stable voltage but it didn’t feel perfect—maybe it was just in my mind. I adjusted the Vcore a bit higher and lowered the Uncore slightly, which improved the feeling.
Regarding your RAM, its effect here is minimal, so it’s not something to worry about.
4.5ghz @1.248v with occasional spikes to 1.320v sounds acceptable. Disappointing that there’s no override function for voltage though! The temperatures look fine. Is this also tested with Aida64?
The result really depends on your personal experience. Once the overclock was done and I ran stress tests, I still felt it wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was just a mental adjustment. I adjusted the Vcore a bit higher and the Uncore a bit lower, which improved the feeling.
About your RAM, it has almost no impact here—definitely not something to worry about. I’d stick with the XMP profile and move forward. If it’s performing as expected in terms of clock speed, voltage, and timing, then it’s fine. I’ve adjusted mine (Corsair Vengeance Pro 2x8gb @1866mhz @1.5v) and didn’t notice any difference compared to the XMP settings.
That’s just my opinion—you might have a different take.