Gigabyte UD3 B3 using MUCH more voltage than old UD3 - anybody else?

[ensign_lee]

Hi y'all,

In my BIOS, I noticed that even to just reach the stock turbo of 3.7 Ghz, my motherboard is now cranking through 1.295V to my CPU, considerably higher than the 1.272V that the original non-B3 board used to.

In fact, on my RMAed board, I could get to 4.5 Ghz on 1.272V, only bumping up to 1.284 occassionally. On my new board, if I try to overclock to 4.5 Ghz. it goes to 1.32 !!! D:

For reference, I have an i5-2500k and am using the exact same CPU.

Is anybody else experiencing this? If not, is this worth RMAing over?

 

[ensign_lee]

oh whoops. This should be in the mobo section.

 

[VirtualLarry]

probably bios changes.

 

[ensign_lee]

yeah, I figured if it was BIOS changes then other people might be experiencing the same thing, which was part of why I was asking if other people were experiencing the same thing.

 

[Diogenes2]

I never leave voltages on auto for overclocking. The board almost always bumps it too much ..

Between 1.27 and 1.32 is no big deal .. Less than 4% ...
I wouldn't go to the trouble of returning it, if everything else is OK ..

 

[Acanthus]

overclock manually.

 

[tweakboy]

If your goign to OC you must manually put voltage. No mickey mouse. If your NOT going to OC then put voltage on auto.

When OCing raise the vcore until its stable running a bench or aida or something.

Its understandable its B3 stepping now so its a little different.

 

[ensign_lee]

it's interesting that the B3 chipset would cause so much more voltage, but ya, I guess I'll just have to manually set the voltage to 1.284 or something.

I guess I liked the feature that Intel had implemented where at idle, the Voltage would drop and the processor would drop to 1.6Ghz. Oh well, guess I'll learn to live without it. :/

 

[Diogenes2]

You do not have to set it and leave it ..

Use the " + offset " option. it will limit the maximum, but still drop to 1.v or less when idle ..

 

[ensign_lee]

Wait; what? how...?

Is there a maximum voltage that I can set? If I just change the + offset to a positive number, wouldn't that result in even *more* voltage?

 

[Hogan773]

Wait; what? how...?

Is there a maximum voltage that I can set? If I just change the + offset to a positive number, wouldn't that result in even *more* voltage?

Yes you are right. But the magic is that Offset can be positive or NEGATIVE. I am running MINUS .05 right now. Basically it means you are taking the standard voltage scale that is programmed into the mobo for a given CPU speed and telling them that they're too conservative ie they want to run too much voltage for a given speed.

I am at 42x and -.05 and actually last night began testing a 43x -.055 which runs around 1.22V under load and hasn't gone above 1.26 in mixed usage according to HW Monitor. And for normal usage it still throttles back to about .90V at 16x (which under normal use seems to be where this CPU lolls along rolling its eyes since only time I ever really challenge it is artificially via Prime 95 or something......

 

[Diogenes2]

Wait; what? how...?

Is there a maximum voltage that I can set? If I just change the + offset to a positive number, wouldn't that result in even *more* voltage?

You use the manual voltage to determine what you need for the overclock, then use the difference between that and the default for the offset..
Example .... My default in the BIOS is 1.168 .. I need 1.45 for my overclock..

Offset = 1.45 - 1.168 = + .023

There will be variations between CPU's and mobos, so you will have to find what works for you

 

[ensign_lee]

Ah, hmm. I didn't seem to be able to access that voltage offset in my BIOS. Does anybody who has a Gigabyte UDx know how?

It was grayed out and I couldn't get to it.

 

[Hogan773]

You use the manual voltage to determine what you need for the overclock, then use the difference between that and the default for the offset..
Example .... My default in the BIOS is 1.168 .. I need 1.45 for my overclock..

Offset = 1.45 - 1.168 = + .023

There will be variations between CPU's and mobos, so you will have to find what works for you

BE VERY CAREFUL as this is not really correct. At least on my board.

The way you described it is what I originally thought.....take your stock voltage (1.18 for me) and then plug in a number to Offset that takes you to the number you want to achieve. WRONG.

Offset adds or subtracts from the voltage that the board naturally runs at a given CPU speed. For example, on AUTO a board would run at 1.18 at 35x, but might run at 1.35 at 44x.

If you go into BIOS and type in 44x plus you do an offset of +.08 because you think you're targeting 1.26v (1.18 + .08), you might find when you run the machine that you're actually at 1.43 (1.35 + .08)!

These are all fictitious numbers but you get the point.

 

[Diogenes2]

I will have to take a look at that again, but I think my numbers reflect my experience..

 

[Hogan773]

I will have to take a look at that again, but I think my numbers reflect my experience..

You have ASUS and I have ASRock so possible its different. I assumed what you did re: offset settings and I got a surprise when CPU-Z showed me at 1.37 when I thought I was targeting 1.25.

If you are correct, then why would there be options for significant NEGATIVE offsets? In an OC one would always expect to be adding more voltage vs the stock 35x speed....

 

[ensign_lee]

so...kind of a related question. CPU-Z no longer seems to be giving me the correct voltages. Which version are you guys using for the new B3 revisions to show you the voltages?

 

[Hogan773]

so...kind of a related question. CPU-Z no longer seems to be giving me the correct voltages. Which version are you guys using for the new B3 revisions to show you the voltages?

I just use 1.57 which is the newest as far as I'm aware. How do you know its not correct voltages?

 

[ensign_lee]

Weird. I think I just DLed 1.57

I'm thinking it isn't right because it's showing my voltage at 1.068 at a full load, which is what CPU-Z did when it was incorrectly showing me my voltage for my non-B3 board.

 

[Hogan773]

Weird. I think I just DLed 1.57

I'm thinking it isn't right because it's showing my voltage at 1.068 at a full load, which is what CPU-Z did when it was incorrectly showing me my voltage for my non-B3 board.

Not sure why a change to a SATA port chip would change the way a mobo reports voltage, but I'm not an engineer

 

[Diogenes2]

You have ASUS and I have ASRock so possible its different. I assumed what you did re: offset settings and I got a surprise when CPU-Z showed me at 1.37 when I thought I was targeting 1.25.

If you are correct, then why would there be options for significant NEGATIVE offsets? In an OC one would always expect to be adding more voltage vs the stock 35x speed....

I stand corrected .. My math above was way wrong also ..
1.45 - 1.168 = .282 ..

It looks like my CPU volts in BIOS with multi at 49 = 1.32, which would not cut it..
My offset is + .135 which takes me to 1.455 ..

When I left it on auto, it went up past 1.55 .. Shut it down fast ..

Must say I don't know how it works, but it works ..

 

[Hogan773]

I stand corrected .. My math above was way wrong also ..
1.45 - 1.168 = .282 ..

It looks like my CPU volts in BIOS with multi at 49 = 1.32, which would not cut it..
My offset is + .135 which takes me to 1.455 ..

When I left it on auto, it went up past 1.55 .. Shut it down fast ..

Must say I don't know how it works, but it works ..

How do you know that your CPU volts in BIOS at 1.32? If that doesn't cut it, how do you know that is what its trying to set it at? (because I assume you couldnt even boot). Or you're just reading the 1.45 and then subtracting .135 to assume that the "base" is 1.32?

Dunno - we need a mobo designer or EE to tell us how this all works.

 

[The2ff]

I just use 1.57 which is the newest as far as I'm aware. How do you know its not correct voltages?

I bought the same board (B3) and CPU-Z shows 1.068 for my voltage as well, no matter what I have it set to in the BIOS. From some searching it says it now reads the VTT voltage instead of the VCORE. Seems we need to wait for an update for it to work on this board.

I do not find that it does this on all B3 boards though from my search. Seems to be only this one. Easytune 6 even reports it wrong.

The only one I have found to be right is HWMONITOR in the sensor section. I think it is right but can't be sure so for now I'm only OC'ing on manually set stock voltage. I'm at 4.3GHz on stock volts on my 2600K.

Also quite interested to know if anyone finds how to fix CPU-Z or if we actually have to wait for an upgrade.

 

[Hogan773]

I bought the same board (B3) and CPU-Z shows 1.068 for my voltage as well, no matter what I have it set to in the BIOS. From some searching it says it now reads the VTT voltage instead of the VCORE. Seems we need to wait for an update for it to work on this board.

I do not find that it does this on all B3 boards though from my search. Seems to be only this one. Easytune 6 even reports it wrong.

The only one I have found to be right is HWMONITOR in the sensor section. I think it is right but can't be sure so for now I'm only OC'ing on manually set stock voltage. I'm at 4.3GHz on stock volts on my 2600K.

Also quite interested to know if anyone finds how to fix CPU-Z or if we actually have to wait for an upgrade.

I have an ASRock B3 board and it reports correct VCore on CPU-Z and HWMonitor.