what do you think, is voltage a villen?

[fresh2k21]

what do you think about raising the voltage on a thunder bird. I know that the higher the voltage the greater the heat. but if heat is no longer a problem (say room temp at any load at any voltage) would a modest voltage jump compromise the chip's life and overall stability? what i realy want to know is does voltage cause anything more than heat and a chance for a better overclock? what say the people?

[sfa ok]

Raising voltage up to about 2.1v is usually ok with the chip if you have sufficient cooling. I repeat, COOLING!

[fresh2k21]

Originally posted by sfa ok
Raising voltage up to about 2.1v is usually ok with the chip if you have sufficient cooling. I repeat, COOLING!

But if cooling is NOT an issue does anyone know the other effect of a higher voltage on a thunder bird?

[sfa ok]

I don't think it makes enough difference to matter. The way I see it, we all replace our chips rather regularly, once every year or two. So any shortened life wouldn't matter to me, although it may to you. Higher voltages do cause shortened life of a chip, I'm not sure how shortened, though.

[fresh2k21]

what about stability. some argue that it can cause stability problems within the chip or with other components but i have always understood that it makes your system more stabel. what's up with that? set em straight ( and me).

[Colin]

sfa ok has the right perspective on this. If you push a chip hard, each one has a sweet spot where it is fastest and most stable. Increasing the voltage usually will gain some speed. Supercooling the CPU with pelts will allow even more voltage and more speed while also slowing electromigration.

[sockmonkey]

I read somewhere that you add voltage because of the characteristics of the chip. The silicon isnt perfect, and the speed is sometimes set by how fast it can run under the default voltage. If the silicon isnt that pure, when you run it at stock it comes to gaps and has enough time to go around them. When you try to run it faster the electrons can't make it all the way by going around, and it causes errors. If you up the voltage, it helps the chip out by allowing the electrons to 'jump' the gap and get there faster. Adding voltage is just putting some more oomph into your chip to make sure it always works correctly. Check tweak3d.net, they had an article on it that talks about the voltage, and its pretty much what i just said.

[fresh2k21]

thanks guys you have been most helpfull.)