NoTraX,
On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!
As
vMax has already pointed out, 4.7 at 1.25 shows that you have a good 3570K. But just so our other Forum Members and visiting readers don't become confused about Core voltage, let's take a closer look:
vMax,
CPU Degradation has always been a controversial topic among overclockers on a quest to squeeze out another 100MHz. Respectfully, opinions abound; especially when "some say" are somewhat less than well informed, and are simply repeating what "some say".
Since Intel's launch of 14 nanometer processors in 2015, users have become accustomed to seeing Vcore numbers around 1.4 getting tossed around on forums like gorilla poo in a cage. Most who are new to overclocking and lack fundamental knowledge and experience simply jump to the conclusion that the older 22 nanometer microarchitecture tolerates the same Vcore.
Not true.
Each Microarchitecture has a “Maximum Recommended Vcore”. For example, it’s important to point out that 22 nanometer 3rd and 4th Generation processors will
not tolerate the higher Core voltages of other Microarchitectures.
Here's the Maximum Recommended Vcore per Microarchitecture from 14 to 65 nanometers since 2006:
We know that over time, excessive voltage and heat damages electronics, so when using manual Vcore settings in BIOS, excessive Core voltage and Core temperature can cause accelerated "
Electromigration". Processors have multiple layers of hundreds of millions of microscopic
nanometer scale components. Electromigration erodes fragile circuit pathways and transistor junctions which results in the
degradation of overclock stability, and thus performance.
Although your initial overclock may be stable, degradation doesn't appear until later, when increasingly frequent blue-screen crashes indicate a progressive loss of stability. The more excessive the levels of voltage and heat and the longer they're sustained determines how long until transistor degradation destabilizes your overclock. Decreasing overclock and Vcore may temporarily restore stability and slow the rate of degradation.
Extreme overvolting can cause degradation in minutes, but a sensible overclock remains stable for years.
Each Microarchitecture also has a "
Degradation Curve". As a rule, CPUs are more susceptible to electromigration and degradation with each Die-shrink. However, the exception to the rule is Intel's 14 nanometer Microarchitecture, where advances in
FinFET transistor technology have improved voltage tolerance.
Here's how the Degradation Curves correspond to Maximum Recommended Vcore for 22 nanometer 3rd and 4th Generation, which differs from 14 nanometer 5th through 10th Generation:
Degradation Curves are relative to the term “
Vt (Voltage threshold) Shift” which is expressed in millivolts (mv). Users can not monitor Vt Shift. With respect to overclocking and overvolting, Vt Shift basically represents the potential for
permanent loss of normal transistor performance. Excessively high Core voltage drives excessively high Power consumption and Core temperatures, all of which contribute to gradual Vt Shift over time. Core voltages that impose high Vt Shift values are
not recommended.
Core
voltage multiplied by direct
current (amps) equals
power (watts) which is driven by
workload, that in turn drives Core
temperature. Over
time, these variables will cause transistor degradation due to Electromigration and Vt Shift.
Here's the variables summarized in a list:
• Voltage
• Current
• Power
• Workload
• Temperature
• Time
The voltages and curves in the above graphs are not merely theoretical techno babble;
degradation is a reality, and it does happen when too much Vcore is applied, even if Core temperatures are not excessively high. If you click on the
red links above, you can read for yourself the undisputable hard scientific proof behind Electromigration and Vt Shift.
If you look very carefully at the Vt Shift graph and closely examine the blue curve for 22nm processors, you can see that 1.325 volts is about as high as you should go. However, a simple rule of thumb for 22 nanometer 3rd and 4th generation processors is, if you don't want to risk degradation, then don't exceed 1.3 volts or 80°C. I do not recommend that anyone just ignore it, and instead trust their CPU's longevity to what "some say".
Remember to keep overclocking in perspective. For example, the difference between 4.5 GHz and 4.6 GHz is less than 2.3%, which has no noticeable impact on overall system performance. It simply isn’t worth pushing your processor beyond recommended Core voltage and Core temperature limits just to squeeze out another 100 MHz.
Here's the nominal operating range for Core temperature:
Core temperatures above 85°C are not recommended.
Core temperatures below 80°C are ideal.
NoTraX, once again, welcome aboard!
CT