[SOLVED] Can too low voltage damage my cpu?

[swanepoellukas5]

I started benchmarking my system( Ryzen 5 1600, 16gb RAM in dual chanel) with Cinebench R20 at different configurations. So far I APPEAR to have a stable OC @ 3.9 ghz and I left the voltage on auto(the motherboard chose 1.225V). I know the sort of "standard" overclock you can hope to achieve with a R5 1600 is 3.8Ghz at 1.35V, so my question is could a higher OC with a lower voltage be harmful? I haven't done a stress test with AIDA or Prime95 yet, but the system seems stable so far. I can run R20 multiple consecutive times and it hasn't crashed.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Won't be harmful, but just may be unstable.

My R1600x is at 3.9 with 1.3v. I've had it slightly lower at 1.295 or close, and it just wasn't stable. I could probable get 1.275 or so, if I dial back to 3.8, but at 3.9 with 1.3v and temps after 8 hours of Prime will only creep to 75c. Ideally you want your temps below 80c for OC you are doing.

The key here though is 'stress test'. Although Cinebench is useful for giving a short burst at full load, it doesn't tax the CPU, and won't help find stability. Hence 'bench' in the name.

For voltage stability on a CPU, Prime 95 small ffts' is the way to go. It will give you the max temp at a given voltage. If it fails at a lower voltage, just bump it up one notch at a time. Specially going lower on voltage, testing is essential.

 

[swanepoellukas5]

Thanks for the quick reply. How long would you say should I run Prime95? Would 4 hours be enough?

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

So, if you want to be sure that it is stable, you run it over night. Typically for 8 hours. If it has no failures, then it's pretty darn stable.

Others will tell you to test for an hour or even just a couple of hours. Yes, of course you can do that. But, for completeness, a long stress test to be sure is the way to go. Any decent/reputable guide will tell you the same.

Here's a great guide to get you hooked into OC'ing: https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/cpu-overclocking-guide-and-tutorial-for-beginners.3347428/

Lots of info in here you will find very useful. Among which there is a very specific section on how/why to stress test properly.

Good luck!

 

[swanepoellukas5]

Thanks! I appreciate the help

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Thanks! I appreciate the help

No probs. You're very welcome. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me. I have a similar system, and have gone through the OC process extensively. Am happy to help