Your 14700K is delivering 1.5V because it's operating within its expected voltage range for that model.
Your 14700K is delivering 1.5V because it's operating within its expected voltage range for that model.
I'm using a STRIX Z790-E Gaming WiFi II with BIOS 1301 and Intel Default Settings. It's been roughly a month and a half since I assembled this system without any crashes, BSODs, or instability. My RAM is 7200mt/s. When I first built the PC (before upgrading to 1301), the CPU core voltage varied between 1.368 and 1.430 on the BIOS page. Now it ranges from about 1.53X to 1.545 when I enter BIOS. The only changes I made were enabling XMP II, and turning off C-states. My idle temperature is around 40°C (about 15°C above ambient) with a 360 AIO fan. I experience thermal throttling during stress tests but gaming temps stay manageable at around 55°C in BF2042. In tests like OCCT CPU+RAM, the peak voltage is 1.5v, and it usually stays near 1.3v during the test. At idle (desktop setting), it's typically about 0.7v. Is this typical?
This could raise the voltage since your CPU stays in a constant C0 state. A firmware update might be the cause. With recent Intel stability problems, manufacturers may be boosting voltages. If it's normal behavior, no issue. But if you turned off certain C-states, voltage could spike. There’s no immediate danger with the levels you’re seeing, though they might be a bit too high. You could try lowering the voltage further.
Confirmed - I reset the C-states to Auto, which restored the vcore to the 1.368v setting in the BIOS.
The main VID values on my 14700K typically rise to around 1.54v during games, though they quickly settle near 1.44v. On idle (desktop mode) the VID stays close to 0.7v. I'm using the STRIX Z790-E Gaming WiFi II with BIOS 1301 and Intel default settings. That's within expected ranges. PS. The boost during stress tests is usually between 1.2–1.3v, which might reflect lower thermal headroom in those scenarios compared to gaming.
These are two distinct aspects here. The focus is on the single thread boost voltage. It varies based on your CPU's condition—1.54V is still the maximum I've observed for a 14700K, though this typically applies mainly to higher-end models like 14900K and KSs. Whether it's acceptable depends on current discussions (especially regarding recent instability issues in the 13th/14th generation). I'd feel somewhat uneasy about this personally.
Your build is around one and a half months along and currently running smoothly. It might be wise to let it sit and avoid overvolting unless you notice any problems.
This discussion has been combined with another about BIOS idle voltages, which was resolved by reverting C-states. Your current query focuses on voltage spikes during gaming performance.
I adjusted the CPU ratio to the maximum core utilization (approximately 55%). If all power management features remain active, only the single-core boost will be turned off. Performance may drop marginally during single-core tasks such as gaming, though the impact will be minimal—around a 100MHz reduction. On your ASUS ROG board, you can check the CPU VID table in the BIOS under the Extreme Tweaker settings. There’s an option labeled AI Features that displays the VID table if you upload an image of it.