Athlon64 3700+ at 1.5V not overclocked...

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:16 pm

ok maybe i've found one of the cause of the heating problem in my computer.

my CPU is Athlon 64 3700+ 2.2Ghz Socket 939 "San Diego" 1.4V, and when i check on CPU-Z, the voltage monitoring always go around 1.5V, but my CPU is not overclocked.

with AMD Power Monitor, it says 1.4V for the Voltage

with CPU-Z, it always says around 1.5V, yet the Core clock is always bertween 2201.0 and 2201.2Mhz

Multiplier: x 11.0
Bus Speed: 200.1Mhz
HT Link: 1000.5Mhz

help me please.

AZBrandon · Post by **AZBrandon** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:29 pm

Go into BIOS and see what it shows there. By the way, that chip is supposed to be run at 1.35v, not 1.4v and I'm running my own 3700+ San Diego core at 1.125v at stock speed. It doesn't need anywhere near the full voltage to run with total stability.

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:49 pm

always around 1.5V in BIOS

when i try to change the value, the 2 choices i have it "1.5V" and "ignored"

i think they made 2 versions of the San Diego, 1.4V and 1.35V

is there a way to lower the voltage to 1.4V without losing the 2.2Ghz of my CPU?

J. Sparrow · Post by **J. Sparrow** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:02 pm

you're in the wrong place, that "ignore" only affects the "PC health monitor".

To change VCore or VID as it's called on the K8, you'll have to search elsewhere, probably in the advanced setup menu.

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:08 pm

i went in the advanced menu, in the Vcore adjustement, i have 2 choices: +1.5V or +1.6V. and right now it seem to be set at +1.6V (when i got in that section, it was already set at +1.6V, so i guess it's set at +1.6V), but still, the voltage monitored always go around 1.5V...

should i set it to +1.5V? it won't screw-up my CPU?

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 7:45 pm

i've found something on another forum:

Do you have the A8V-E Deluxe? I had that board and it insists of overvolting your CPU by at least 0.1 volts. It has two settings for CPU voltage. Hammer Vid Control (or something like that) which sets the voltage, and an adjustment of either 0.1 or 0.2 volts. Incredibly, there's no 0.0.

On mine, you could set the Hammer Vid to 1.1 (which the board would insist on adding the 0.1). I can't remember if I had to disable C'n'Q or not ... I have a suspicion I did. This means you'll be consuming more power at idle (because the CPU won't scale its frequency down), but less under load (because of the lower voltage). I left it with the C'n'Q on.

anyone else have Asus A8V-E Deluxe or A8V-E SE and having this 0.1V addition problem? is that dangerous for my CPU?

J. Sparrow · Post by **J. Sparrow** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:02 pm

You can set VCore in Windows with CrystalCPUID.

Lower the VID and then test with Prime95/SP2004 for several (8 or more) hours to ensure stability.

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:31 pm

ok, how do i change the Vcore in CrystalCPUID?

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:34 pm

ok i've found the "AMD K6/K7/K8 Multiplier" in the Function tab.

the 11x Multiplier (the one used by my CPU right now) is selected.

Current, Startup and Max are set at 11.0x Multiplier

in Voltage Section, the unselectable "New Voltage" is at 1.4V

the Current in 1.400V, Startup is 1.400V and Max is 1.450V

on another note...why in SpeedFan, CPU-Z and in my BIOS, it shows a Vcore of around 1.5V when CrystalCPUID is showing me 1.4V?

J. Sparrow · Post by **J. Sparrow** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 9:16 am

click on enable change voltage, then lower the VID one step at a time.

When you manage to get a drop of about 0.1V, try SP2004. Remember you have to change the VID every time you boot your computer (the setting is not retained)

on another note...why in SpeedFan, CPU-Z and in my BIOS, it shows a Vcore of around 1.5V when CrystalCPUID is showing me 1.4V?

The VID is not an actual voltage measure, it's just a mechanism which the CPU uses to say the motherboard "give me this voltage".

If your motherboard always overvolt, you're going to see a difference between the voltage reported by the hardware monitor and the VID. This is normal.

You shouldn't have any trouble if you just lower the VID as long as the processor is rated for that VCore. Most (all?) Athlon64 can be overclocked at stock VCore, so if you're not going to speed it up, you can even try lower-than-specs VCore to reduce heat production and energy consumption.

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 1:34 pm

but 1.5V shouldn't be dangerous for the CPU, right?

J. Sparrow · Post by **J. Sparrow** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:09 pm

Let's say that if you're not going to overclock, it's pretty useless. If you keep your computer on for many hours a day, lowering the VID could save you some money on your energy bills.

Remember that older versions of Clockgen allow for batch setting of VID at startup, that would relieve you from the stress of getting your hands dirty every time you boot

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:12 pm

but i wonder why they made the main board put 0.1V more on a CPU...

i don't think i'll overclock the CPU nor my video card. if i want a better video card, i'll just buy a better one (need the cash before

)

J. Sparrow · Post by **J. Sparrow** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:19 pm

Don't have a clue. If that behaviour is deemed common for that model, I wouldn't mind... unless you can't swap it for another model, I'd go with the clockgen solution.

scrandman · Post by **scrandman** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:25 pm

Enable Cool & Quiet in BIOS, install RMClock (you may also need to install the AMD Cool & Quiet driver). Finally, undervolt to your heart's content.

http://cpu.rightmark.org/download.shtml

RaptorZX3 · Post by **RaptorZX3** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:30 pm

i have Cool n' Quiet enabled in my BIOS.

but i can't find the Cool n' Quiet driver for Windows XP on the AMD website...