# i5 2500k oc/voltage



## FerK (Sep 20, 2017)

Hello, I've been running my i5 2500k at 4.2 GHZ for a year or so, using turbo boost and setting 'auto' in core voltage (1.28v was the auto setting, which I think it's not too bad).

I wanted to extract a little bit more now that it's getting a little bit old so I tried putting the turbo boost at 4.5 GHZ and every other setting untouched. It crashed while starting windows. I tried manually changing the core voltage and I was able to get to Windows at 1.312v. I didn't perform any stress test to see if it was stable because I want to know, first, if it's possible to have the voltage to go down when idle, because if I set it up manually it stays at 1.312 at all times.

I have a MSI P67A-GD65 as MB, if it helps.

So my questions are; is there a way to lower that voltage at idle? (it usually goes down to 0.96v in auto). Are those voltages safe for the CPU? Would having 1.312v constantly damage the CPU?

Regards.


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Sep 20, 2017)

try Windows power options

press start and type "power + sleep settings"

additional power settings


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## Vya Domus (Sep 20, 2017)

SpeedStep is probably disabled in the BIOS which cause the CPU to run at the highest power state all the time.


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## BarbaricSoul (Sep 20, 2017)

> is there a way to lower that voltage at idle? (it usually goes down to 0.96v in auto).



Your board should do that automatically as your CPU lowers it's clock speeds. If you have the CPU locked at 4.5 GHz, the voltage will stay at 1.312 volts.



> Are those voltages safe for the CPU?



Absolutely, the 2500k can handle up to 1.38 volts with no issues.



> Would having 1.312v constantly damage the CPU?



As long as you have adequate cooling to keep the CPU below 80'c, 1.312 volts will not hurt your CPU.


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## FreedomEclipse (Sep 20, 2017)

I had 1.39v for 4.9ghz on my old 2500k. So long as you keep temps as close as you can below 70'c you'll be fine. My temps used to top out below 60'c on an Antec 920 AIO i later upgraded toa Corsair H80i and temps dropped to 55-57'c on load


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## FerK (Sep 20, 2017)

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:


> try Windows power options
> 
> press start and type "power + sleep settings"
> 
> additional power settings



I have the balanced mode there. The speed goes down (1600mhz) and I haven't touched many things there. Not sure if there is an option.



Vya Domus said:


> SpeedStep is probably disabled in the BIOS which cause the CPU to run at the highest power state all the time.



I don't have a 'SpeedStep' option in the BIOS. A quick search seems to indicate that MSI calls it EIST. Its enabled.



BarbaricSoul said:


> Your board should do that automatically as your CPU lowers it's clock speeds. If you have the CPU locked at 4.5 GHz, the voltage will stay at 1.312 volts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





FreedomEclipse said:


> I had 1.39v for 4.9ghz on my old 2500k. So long as you keep temps as close as you can below 70'c you'll be fine. My temps used to top out below 60'c on an Antec 920 AIO i later upgraded toa Corsair H80i and temps dropped to 55-57'c on load



At 4.5 ghz the temperature remains at about 56-60º, with a pretty old CM 212 (Plus or evo, one of the earliest models).

_________________________________________

This is a screenshot I just take. With EIST enabled, 4.3 GHZ and 1.29v set on the BIOS, CPUZ shows a constant Core Voltage but CoreTemp VID is variable (starting from 0.98 to 1.35). Does this mean the voltage is constant, variable, or...?


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## haxzion (Sep 20, 2017)

I wouldn't use Auto Vcore or a fixed value , add an offset voltage till 1.32v and stress it and yes 1.35v is the safe voltage like other users already mentioned.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Sep 23, 2017)

Check the voltage using HWinfo. It should show the same as CoreTemp, if it doesn't you will have to dig through your BIOS for any "adaptive" voltage settings.


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## FerK (Sep 23, 2017)

haxzion said:


> I wouldn't use Auto Vcore or a fixed value , add an offset voltage till 1.32v and stress it and yes 1.35v is the safe voltage like other users already mentioned.



If only I knew... I tried looking at different guides, saw terms I didn't know like LLC or similar then went to my motherboard and... Not the same names or directly no options.



GorbazTheDragon said:


> Check the voltage using HWinfo. It should show the same as CoreTemp, if it doesn't you will have to dig through your BIOS for any "adaptive" voltage settings.



A little bit more of digging and I found this. If what the first answer says is true, then there's not much hope for me.

The max I can go with auto voltage and turboboost is 4.3 ghz, any more than that and it doesn't boot. For me to go further I need to set a manual vcore that will stick no matter the CPU speed. What do you guys think I should do? Stay at 4.3 ghz with auto (1.28v) voltage or 4.5+ with a constant voltage?


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## EarthDog (Sep 24, 2017)

FerK said:


> Hello, I've been running my i5 2500k at 4.2 GHZ for a year or so, using turbo boost and setting 'auto' in core voltage (1.28v was the auto setting, which I think it's not too bad).
> 
> I wanted to extract a little bit more now that it's getting a little bit old so I tried putting the turbo boost at 4.5 GHZ and every other setting untouched. It crashed while starting windows. I tried manually changing the core voltage and I was able to get to Windows at 1.312v. I didn't perform any stress test to see if it was stable because I want to know, first, if it's possible to have the voltage to go down when idle, because if I set it up manually it stays at 1.312 at all times.
> 
> ...


1. Use the offset voltage instead of manual. You need to know what your stock voltage is idle, and ise the offset to reach your stable voltage. So for instance, if you manually test and 1.25V is stable, and your stoco voltage is 1.15, your offset should be around .1V/100mv...
2. 1.3v is fine. Keep it under 1.4v-1.45v.


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## MrGenius (Sep 24, 2017)

His board doesn't have offset voltage.





https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/support/P67AGD65_B3#down-manual
http://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/7681_gd65_oc_guide.zip
http://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/E7681v1.1.zip


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## EarthDog (Sep 24, 2017)

Garbage board...lol


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## jaggerwild (Sep 24, 2017)

MrGenius said:


> His board doesn't have offset voltage.
> View attachment 92400
> 
> https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/support/P67AGD65_B3#down-manual
> ...


V DROP!


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## MrGenius (Sep 24, 2017)

VDroop Control = LLC(Load-Line Calibration) ≠ Offset Voltage

https://www.msi.com/blog/why-llc-is-your-friend-when-overclocking
https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?2162-Overclocking-Using-Offset-Mode-for-CPU-Core-Voltage


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## FerK (Sep 24, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> Garbage board...lol



Curious thing is that I actually bought this motherboard especially for overclocking in the future (now), since I read several reviews and they all said it had I don't know how many power phases and it was good for OC. Obviously I have to improve at researching for my next build. I'm also never going to buy anything from MSI again; last time I opened a ticket with them I ended up waiting about six months for a predefined answer that didn't help me in any way.


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## Vya Domus (Sep 24, 2017)

How did we end talking about voltage offset and such when OP's problem was that the CPU would not switch to the lower power sates when idle ?

Just let it be , running that voltage constantly is going to be fine. If you want to be extra cautious put a fan over the VRM heatsink.


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## hat (Sep 24, 2017)

Vya Domus said:


> How did we end talking about voltage offset and such when OP's problem was that the CPU would not switch to the lower power sates when idle ?
> 
> Just let it be , running that voltage constantly is going to be fine. If you want to be extra cautious put a fan over the VRM heatsink.



Because when you force a voltage the way FerK is doing, it stops that from happening. When you use an offset voltage, the voltage you set is applied under load, and it's still able to switch to the lower voltage during idle.


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## Vya Domus (Sep 24, 2017)

hat said:


> Because when you force a voltage the way FerK is doing, it stops that from happening. When you use an offset voltage, the voltage you set is applied under load, and it's still able to switch to the lower voltage during idle.



Never heard of that , maybe it's something specif to Intel boards. My board has a voltage offset option too and whether I use it or set the voltage manually it still switches between P/C states like it should.


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## hat (Sep 25, 2017)

As far as I know, that's just how it works with Intel systems. I assumed AMD was the same, but maybe they work differently?


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