Voltage Oddity?

Kazeko · Sep 29, 2007, 03:16 AM

So, the Original Voltage for my Q6600, is SUPPOSED to be 1.15v.

That's all well and good, but, for whatever reason, it's under volted. It's been running at 1.10v, despite it's forced setting at 1.15 in the bios. Mainboard still curbs off about .05v. So I turn it up a little bit, and see where it sits at 1.175v - 1.12v. Turn it up to 1.20 - 1.16v.

Forced settings are confirmed by value listings (shows current value) in the bios, and by CPU-Z.

It's really pretty strange. Should I be concerned, or just compensate for the odd values in the bios? (Bios updates checked)

The really funny part, is that it's happy and stable (8+ hours on prime95) at 2.4ghz - 2.7ghz at 1.10v.

Zelig · Sep 29, 2007, 04:38 AM

Software is pretty useless for reporting voltage. If you get a multimeter and test the voltage, it will probably be pretty close to whatever you set in the BIOS.

ChaosMinionX · Sep 29, 2007, 04:49 AM

Its whats called "Voltage Droop, or Vdroop" it occurs under load on all boards to some extent, it is nothing to be worried about.

Zelig · Sep 29, 2007, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaosMinionX

Its whats called "Voltage Droop, or Vdroop" it occurs under load on all boards to some extent, it is nothing to be worried about.

Doing a quick google of vdroop, I don't think it's the same thing. I've got my voltage set to 1.35 in the BIOS, it detects as 1.312, but my multimeter reads 1.351 or so.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Sep 30, 2007, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelig

Doing a quick google of vdroop, I don't think it's the same thing. I've got my voltage set to 1.35 in the BIOS, it detects as 1.312, but my multimeter reads 1.351 or so.

It isn't the same thing. Software sensors just aren't that reliable.

A board with a good voltage regulation design shouldn't drop period on load. Maybe it'll drop a little but it shouldn't drop as much as that.

procupine14 · Sep 30, 2007, 08:50 AM

yeah from my recent personal experience.....software isn't really good for monitoring anything......kinda makes you wonder why we all even bother

ChaosMinionX · Sep 30, 2007, 09:27 AM

Well software isnt, but the same theory applies to what its reading... Might not be good that excessively, but yes it can occur that way on some mobos with extreme overclocks and poor voltage regs.

Kazeko · Oct 1, 2007, 10:02 AM

Link for a quick guide on measuring voltage with my fancy-shmancy new multimeter I got last x-mas?

The only thing I can come up with is measuring on the back of the mainboard somewhere, but I'll be damned if I know where?

The_Neon_Cowboy · Oct 4, 2007, 09:17 AM

1) multimeters are carefully calabrated
2) voltage chips on mothers boards are not
thus a mobo sensor is never more then "a guide"
becouse it'll never be truely accurate

Kazeko · Oct 5, 2007, 08:16 AM

Right-o... But where would I go about finding how to measure the voltage with a multimeter?

Lot of things I do understand, lot of things I don't. : /

ChaosMinionX · Oct 5, 2007, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazeko

Right-o... But where would I go about finding how to measure the voltage with a multimeter?

Lot of things I do understand, lot of things I don't. : /

Just google MM points on various voltages your looking for on that particular board, I couldnt tell you as I have never used it.

Kazeko · Oct 5, 2007, 09:03 PM

Well, apparently it's quite the problem on this board, and it is fairly accurate. Folks have even gone to using graphite (Pencil Lead!) to bypass a resistor for more stable voltages.

Apparently the low idle and low loaded voltages are standard fare on this mainboard.

Fortunately, I'm one to ask questions like "Why didn't nVidia's engineers just reduce or eliminate that resistor in their reference design, if this was a problem?"

Likely answer: While voltage doesn't droop as much, the spikes will be far more drastic, IMO. Going to stay away from this one. I'll deal with the Vdroop.

From other forums, for others running 680i Mainboards. Apparently it's a semi-big problem across other mainboards on the nForce680i chipset as well. Hope someone else finds this helpful.

Pencil Mod, and References
Stopping VDROOP dead in it's tracks!

680i (eVGA, XFX, BFG...) A1 / D00 Rev. VCORE AND VDROP DONE! - XtremeSystems Forums

Edit: On the upside of things, the thermals are the only thing stopping me from overclocking this cpu further than I already have, and I found the best place to test the core voltage.

Also, I think with the right OC, I can break a 15k 3dm06 score... for what it's worth.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Nov 4, 2007, 02:02 AM

Isn't the resistor there for a specific reason.... using graphite to short it doesn't seem like such a great idea

ChaosMinionX · Nov 4, 2007, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H3X4D3C1M4L

Isn't the resistor there for a specific reason.... using graphite to short it doesn't seem like such a great idea

Its used generally for extreme benching to eliminate vdroop under high loads.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Nov 21, 2007, 03:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaosMinionX

Its used generally for extreme benching to eliminate vdroop under high loads.

So it should be left alone then....amiright?

ChaosMinionX · Nov 21, 2007, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H3X4D3C1M4L

So it should be left alone then....amiright?

Vdroop is actually an integral part of motherboards today.

Source: Intel Processor Power Delivery Design Guidelines and Specifications: Vdroop Explained - The Tech Repository Forums

Very good reading.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Nov 21, 2007, 04:01 AM

I'll give it a read

So what I was saying was, should the transistor not be left alone

ChaosMinionX · Nov 21, 2007, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H3X4D3C1M4L

I'll give it a read

So what I was saying was, should the transistor not be left alone

Normal Users - Leave it alone

Extreme OCers - have at it

People with money in their pocket - have at it

Kazeko · Nov 21, 2007, 06:11 AM

I'll be letting this one alone...

But I gather that this mainboard wasn't necessarily the best choice in the world.

Edit: An X38 northbridge may have been a better option, but no SLI, and... blah. Perhaps I should be happy with 3.5ghz on air.

Sep 29, 2007, 03:16 AM	#1
Kazeko DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 174 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Voltage Oddity? So, the Original Voltage for my Q6600, is SUPPOSED to be 1.15v. That's all well and good, but, for whatever reason, it's under volted. It's been running at 1.10v, despite it's forced setting at 1.15 in the bios. Mainboard still curbs off about .05v. So I turn it up a little bit, and see where it sits at 1.175v - 1.12v. Turn it up to 1.20 - 1.16v. Forced settings are confirmed by value listings (shows current value) in the bios, and by CPU-Z. It's really pretty strange. Should I be concerned, or just compensate for the odd values in the bios? (Bios updates checked) The really funny part, is that it's happy and stable (8+ hours on prime95) at 2.4ghz - 2.7ghz at 1.10v. Last edited by Kazeko; Sep 29, 2007 at 03:59 AM.

Sep 29, 2007, 04:38 AM	#2
Zelig HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 3,187 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Software is pretty useless for reporting voltage. If you get a multimeter and test the voltage, it will probably be pretty close to whatever you set in the BIOS. __________________ --

Sep 29, 2007, 04:49 AM	#3
ChaosMinionX USB 3 dot oh Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,911 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	Its whats called "Voltage Droop, or Vdroop" it occurs under load on all boards to some extent, it is nothing to be worried about. __________________ ::Heatware:: How you can help DriverHeaven by using Digg!

Sep 30, 2007, 08:50 AM	#6
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,400 Rep Power: 58 System Specs	yeah from my recent personal experience.....software isn't really good for monitoring anything......kinda makes you wonder why we all even bother __________________ HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU

Sep 30, 2007, 09:27 AM	#7
ChaosMinionX USB 3 dot oh Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,911 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	Well software isnt, but the same theory applies to what its reading... Might not be good that excessively, but yes it can occur that way on some mobos with extreme overclocks and poor voltage regs. __________________ ::Heatware:: How you can help DriverHeaven by using Digg!

Oct 1, 2007, 10:02 AM	Thread Starter #8
Kazeko DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 174 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Link for a quick guide on measuring voltage with my fancy-shmancy new multimeter I got last x-mas? The only thing I can come up with is measuring on the back of the mainboard somewhere, but I'll be damned if I know where? Last edited by Kazeko; Oct 1, 2007 at 10:26 AM.

Oct 4, 2007, 09:17 AM	#9
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	1) multimeters are carefully calabrated 2) voltage chips on mothers boards are not thus a mobo sensor is never more then "a guide" becouse it'll never be truely accurate __________________

Oct 5, 2007, 08:16 AM	Thread Starter #10
Kazeko DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 174 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Right-o... But where would I go about finding how to measure the voltage with a multimeter? Lot of things I do understand, lot of things I don't. : /

Oct 5, 2007, 09:03 PM	Thread Starter #12
Kazeko DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 174 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Well, apparently it's quite the problem on this board, and it is fairly accurate. Folks have even gone to using graphite (Pencil Lead!) to bypass a resistor for more stable voltages. Apparently the low idle and low loaded voltages are standard fare on this mainboard. Fortunately, I'm one to ask questions like "Why didn't nVidia's engineers just reduce or eliminate that resistor in their reference design, if this was a problem?" Likely answer: While voltage doesn't droop as much, the spikes will be far more drastic, IMO. Going to stay away from this one. I'll deal with the Vdroop. From other forums, for others running 680i Mainboards. Apparently it's a semi-big problem across other mainboards on the nForce680i chipset as well. Hope someone else finds this helpful. Pencil Mod, and References Stopping VDROOP dead in it's tracks! 680i (eVGA, XFX, BFG...) A1 / D00 Rev. VCORE AND VDROP DONE! - XtremeSystems Forums Edit: On the upside of things, the thermals are the only thing stopping me from overclocking this cpu further than I already have, and I found the best place to test the core voltage. Also, I think with the right OC, I can break a 15k 3dm06 score... for what it's worth. Last edited by Kazeko; Oct 6, 2007 at 04:48 PM.

Nov 4, 2007, 02:02 AM	#13
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	Isn't the resistor there for a specific reason.... using graphite to short it doesn't seem like such a great idea

Nov 21, 2007, 04:01 AM	#17
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	I'll give it a read So what I was saying was, should the transistor not be left alone

Nov 21, 2007, 06:11 AM	Thread Starter #19
Kazeko DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 174 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	I'll be letting this one alone... But I gather that this mainboard wasn't necessarily the best choice in the world. Edit: An X38 northbridge may have been a better option, but no SLI, and... blah. Perhaps I should be happy with 3.5ghz on air.