Question about AMD Cool&Quiet

[moccor]

Well I just built a new PC, which consisted of the Phenom II X4 965 BE. I first noticed the stock voltage is 1.475 , which is really high. Stock voltage is about 1.40 so I went into the BIOS and manually changed it to 1.40, but also changed the CPU multiplier to 19 to achieve 3.80Ghz and saved the settings + rebooted. I went into Windows, and I noticed the voltage didn't change. I assume some of that AMD default control stuff is conflicting with my settings. And I know there is 2-3 different things that Should be disabled upon overclocking to achieve best results. I often have my computer on for long periods of time and I'm not going for a insane overclock, so my question is - Is it possible to leave the settings which allows the motherboard to undervolt and underclock my hardware, without it causing this weird problem? Maybe there is something I can try? I updated the BIOS to the latest BIOS too. I have AOD ( I know BIOS is best, but supposedly AOD is nice for making testing quicker for finding the MAX for a setting ), could AOD be conflicting with it? I have no idea even how to work the thing, I changed the slider to make my CPU 3.8Ghz and it didn't show a change in Windows upon applying the change lol.
Edit: or if it must be disabled, is there some alternative software that can give the same effects in the same way, but without problems?
And this is my MOBO, though I doubt its needed -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128521

 

[keny]

Get rid of AOD (uninstall completely) go into you're bios and change the CPU voltage and the CPU multiplier, press F10 to save you're settings and you should be ok, test you're overclock with prime95 and if it fails then you're vcore is too low

 

[moccor]

Get rid of AOD (uninstall completely) go into you're bios and change the CPU voltage and the CPU multiplier, press F10 to save you're settings and you should be ok, test you're overclock with prime95 and if it fails then you're vcore is too low

Thanks for the help, I went ahead and did that. I set it to 1.4000 and left the multiplier at 19, resulting in 3.8Ghz. But when I checked CPUZ, it shows a core voltage of about 1.440. is that normal to change? I still didn't disable that Cool&Quiet stuff, keep in mind, so that's always a variable. But its still lower than the 1.470-1.480 I was getting

 

[keny]

You can turn off the power saving options in the bios (CnQ C1E, APM etc) and it should stick to the set voltage.

 

[moccor]

So I disabled all of that stuff, except possibly APM since I'm not sure of the meaning of that acronym. But it seems like something is still interfering, the vcore is like 1.440 even though the BIOS shows 1.400. Any screenshots, pics or info I can provide to make it more easier to troubleshoot? Because I know voltage affects the longevity of hardware and I'd like it to be as close to stock as possible, even if it means a smaller overclock window

 

[keny]

You need to dissable APM, and make sure you have the latest CPUz installed

 

[ssjwizard]

A 0.04v rise in vCore sounds like LLC to me. Probably set on auto still which floats between standard and medium levels depending on temp / load on gigabyte 9xx series motherboards.

Definitely disable APM that stupid thing is a PITA if you want a decent overclock. CnQ, C1E, C6 state can all be disabled, but at most reasonable overclocks you can leave them on. However, for testing and tuning purposes you should disable them for now.

I run my FX with all of the green stuff(except for APM) enabled, and windows set to balanced so my chip can run at 1.2Ghz with its idling(rarely) which in turn helps reduce power draw and saves me $$(small amounts).

You have a gigabyte board with 8 phase analog VRM we have done a bit of testing that has shown some stability improvements / lower core voltages as a result of raising the CPU-PLL voltage on these boards. The long term effects are and likely will remain unknown due to the small sample size of people able to do testing, but I and a few others here have seen good results from this trick. Use at your own risk though.

Good luck!

 

[JeremyCT]

Go through your BIOS settings. Anything that's set to "Auto" change either to "Norm" or a specific setting that's available. See if that helps anything.

 

[FlailBoy]

...except possibly APM since I'm not sure of the meaning of that acronym.

http://www.liutilities.com/articles/windows-7-advanced-power-management/

I'd start by turning everything off, and running at performance settings. You can always go back and start using APM (I am not).

Definitely disable APM that stupid thing is a PITA if you want a decent overclock. CnQ, C1E, C6 state can all be disabled, but at most reasonable overclocks you can leave them on.

Seconded. I am actually also doing pretty well with CnQ still enabled, but I began by disabling all of the windows power management functions.

Get rid of AOD (uninstall completely)...

I also second this.

Oh, and to the forums.

 

[moccor]

Thanks for the welcoming. I disabled everything that I was told, except APM. Reason being, it's not in the BIOS. I think I may have to contact them about that, I read that someone else had a problem with APM and Gigabyte sent him/her specia; beta BIOS's to help fix it. As seen here tho - ftp://download.gigabyte.ru/manual/mb_manual_ga-970a-d3_e.pdf - it Should have this setting in this spot. But doesn't lol. I also noticed that CPU voltage seems to be about .025 less in BIOS than in Windows. So I'm at 1.392 @3.8Ghz, but it still fluctuates from that voltage to 1.408, which I don't like. Disabling APM should fix the fluctuation right? Btw I appreciate all your different and same input, thanks.

 

[ssjwizard]

APM doesnt have much to do with your core voltage, what it does is throttle the CPU if it goes over some wattage limit in the neighborhood of the CPUs TDP. So with a 125W chip you can clock it to 4.8Ghz, but if you load all 8 cores and the chip starts pulling 170W the motherboard will automatically throttle it down to 2.something Ghz to reduce the power draw. If that setting is missing from your BIOS you should check to see if you have the latest version. Gigabyte has a very handy tool called @BioS that can flash your board from within windows. You want to be very very sure you computer is stable while doing this, personally I drop down to stock before flashing my bios.

 

[moccor]

APM doesnt have much to do with your core voltage, what it does is throttle the CPU if it goes over some wattage limit in the neighborhood of the CPUs TDP. So with a 125W chip you can clock it to 4.8Ghz, but if you load all 8 cores and the chip starts pulling 170W the motherboard will automatically throttle it down to 2.something Ghz to reduce the power draw. If that setting is missing from your BIOS you should check to see if you have the latest version. Gigabyte has a very handy tool called @BIOS that can flash your board from within windows. You want to be very very sure you computer is stable while doing this, personally I drop down to stock before flashing my bios.

Thx for the info. Yeah my BIOS is the newest version available (F11) and I downloaded the file myself and installed it with @BioS + used the @BioS feature to check the server to see if it's up to date and it is. I already contacted them regarding the feature, so if it was removed or hidden, I will be helped with it in some way or another.

Also, since the CPU voltage was very high at default settings, could someone please tell me if any of the other ones too are above default?

Thanks. And I know each motherboard is different, resulting in maybe +-.02 voltage or so, but I'd just like to reduce heat as much as possible for better overclocks at stock CPU voltage.