Question Overclocking bundle issues

[zx128k]

So I got an overclocking bundle from overclockers co uk, with an Asus ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming , 10900k and DDR-3600 Ram. I would post of their forums but the people there a very toxic. This bundle was 5GHz SSE and 4,9GHz AVX. It has like a burning smell, that happens randomly sometimes and I think it could be the heat or something wrong. Also I get a blast of super heated air out the top sometimes. This is normal usage.

I have a very good water cooling setup. It can keep 350-400 watts under control. I have massive air flow over the VRMs.

So I got some issues with a HD, one cause of which was overclocking (data corruption, HD crash). Running Prime95 will cause the VRM's to hit 110c or above (have not got the balls to let it run for any lenght of time). 280 watts becomes 330 watts and then sometimes 350 watts. This is with massive airflow and me reducing the vcore from 1.385volts (OC profile that came with the bundle with LLC7) to 1.28volts vcore. This causes the VRM's to massively heat up. The blast of hot air out the top can be felt. This is with 7 flans. So I think without this air flow this motherboard will overheat. Most stress tests will pass but only Prime95 really proves stable. After a few minutes this can be seen. I have not run prime95 for long incase this causes damage but I also got from calling customer support that they will be hard to get to honor warranty. If the bundle dies they will argue I am massively overclocking the bundle. They wont upgrade the motherboard to a better one, after stating this type of motherboard will do this even when replaced. That means after getting the bundle and a new better motherboard, I have to do all the work myself.



I have got a far better motherboard being delivered, asus rog maximus xiii hero. Have any of you had experience with the Asus ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming motherboard. Seems it just not designed for overclocking. The VRM appear good and they are rated to 150c maximum but run heavy loads turns the vrms into a BBQ. Really in a small form factor case and 110c+ VRMs something has to go wrong.

 

[Eximo]

Hmm, increase core voltage and reduce load line calibration? LLC is likely driving the VRMs hard to keep this where they are set.

Certainly reduce AVX even lower if you aren't using it for much. Gaming and the like you won't be needing it for much. Intel even removed it from their upcoming 12th gen chips.

 

[zx128k]

I tried reducing LLC and increasing vcore. If I run prime95 the VRMs just become a BBQ. They hit 109c at least and I stop the stress test. If they stayed 100c or below I would most likely not care. Its the fact they hit 110c which means they are burning up.

I believe from reviews that at stock it will hit 300 watts anyway. The reviews warn the CPU hits 300 watts under heavy load. An overclock must take a heavy load under account.

I can even increase the overclock to 5.2GHz but prime95 gets really hot for the VRMs. The amximum watts for the CPU just goes up a tiny bit. Increases from 330 watts @ 4.9GHz to 350 watts @ 5.1GHz AVX. At 4.9Ghz AVX and prime95 at FM3 there is not anywere to go but stock.

Imagine a small case with 110c VRMs and one fan going out. So hopefully a real overclocking board can handle better. In one review for the asus rog maximus xiii hero they stated it can handle prime95 with low vrm temps. Thats really my cup of tea for a small form factor case.

Basically I cant blame overclockers because the board still works and the overclock still works. If this board was in a small case and I hit prime95, it like would be above 110c on the VRMs. At some point this would cause issues and kill something.

I am most likely getting strange smells because of the heat. It is a furnace, when I run prime95. So really I can just test in occt. I have found that hours of occt wont find an unstable cache overclock. The same will aida64 and Intel Extreme Tuning Utility. It runs fine but prime95 finds it within an hour. So really prime95 is the only way to go.

Just wondering if someone has an Asus ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming , in reviews the Asus ROG Strix Z490-E hits about 70c in prime95 for the VRMs. I was very angry that the vrms hit 110c because I would personally not run a motherboard on the edge like that. Both boards have the same 50A SIC639 MOSFETs via the spreadsheet.

Techpowerup review of the Asus ROG Strix Z490-E shows the VRMs hiting 69c with the same basic overclock. This test typically involves a 30 minute Prime95 run at the maximum overclock the motherboard can maintain, again with no airflow over the VRM. With my build there is maximum airflow over the VRMs.

The goal was to keep the VRM testing as fair as possible, so I chose to keep the stock 4.9 GHz frequency and simply boosted the voltage to 1.38 V in order to get the desired power output of about 250 W.

Basically my overclock has an all cores 4.9GHz overclock for AVX.

4.9 GHz CPU, 3600 MHz Memory

This test typically involves a 30 minute Prime95 run at the maximum overclock the motherboard can maintain, again with no airflow over the VRM. For Z490, I took a slightly different approach. The goal was to keep the VRM testing as fair as possible, so I chose to keep the stock 4.9 GHz frequency and simply boosted the voltage to 1.38 V in order to get the desired power output of about 250 W. Temperatures are logged every second, and the two probes are then averaged for a cleaner presentation before subtracting the ambient to calculate the Delta-T. The results are charted below.

The ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming's VRM heatsink shows an unusually large difference between the probe on the left side and the top probe. This is likely due to the three-sided heatsink design that allows the left-back power stages to offload heat into the heatsink for the SA VRM section. Regardless, the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming did very well in my VRM toture test, approaching but never breaching 70 °C.

- ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming Review techpowerup.

68C VRMs - overclock3d net


Even at stock prime95 will hit 300 watts stock.

We were very impressed to see the results of our combined Prime95 + AIDA64 stress test on the ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming Motherboard. Both the i7 10700k and the i9 10900K were tested to see how the Z490-E would handle the 125w and 225w TDPs. The ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming easily handles both processors, even the overclocked i9 10900k we only recorded a maximum temp of 56.5°c with the backside of the PCB measuring 50.1°c.

- gadgetpilipinas

Reviews are not stressing the real power draw of the 10900k which is 300 watts. Even cinebench can hit nearly 270 watts.

So if my VRMs are close to the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E, OC is 4.9GHz and vcore is 1.385volts. Just like my setup on the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G. Why does my motherboard get 110c VRM temps in prime95 an 330watts but they get 250watts and 70c. Additionally, there is no direct airflow over the VRM with the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E, placing extra strain on the VRM cooling.

Btw I limited the power draw of the cpu and going to replace the motherboard. That way I can just run it without a power limit. Just after information on the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G. There is no really good review that comes up in a google search.

TLDR: I know most people wont answer but maybe this will help others. Do not get an OC'ing bundle with a ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G. Without great airflow over the vrms you will thermal throttle with a 10900k. The heat from these VRMs are insane. Keep this board stock with decent airflow. I would not pair the board with a 10900k OC of any kind. I lifted the computer onto my desk to check the heat and I could feel it. It was so hot the whole case was affected. You have to let the VRMs cool so you can work on the board. The VRMs are the same as the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E but with 2 less phases I believe.

 

[Eximo]

We all knew the 10900k runs hot if you try to keep an all core overclock, that is why there are some $400 Z490/Z590 motherboards out there. Maybe pick up a water cooled board if you really want to push the CPU.

It is possible you just have a leaky chip that needs a lot of power. My i7-4770k was like that. It could pull 4.5Ghz, but the power draw was ludicrous, so I ran it at 4.3Ghz.

Even my 10900F pulls 192W at its stock 4.6Ghz all core boost (power limits removed). Intel gives this chip a 65W TDP.

 

[zx128k]

The overclock was a bundle from overclockers. They made it and tested it in prime95. They had all the power limits removed, 1.385volts vcore and a LLC7 which basically is like saying the VRMs are open for business. Then they picked a very poor binned 10900k. With the small motherboard form factor and cpu. They should have used a CPU with the lowest posible vcore for the frequency, then pick a chip that has a low power draw.

Instead they picked the poor CPU, SP 69. Then picked a chip that needs 330 watts at the overclock they set with the power limits unlocked. They then unlock the boards power limit, set the LLC to 7 and set the vcore to 1.385volts. The most quick and dirty overclock you can get. The result is a VRM BBQ @ 110c in prime95. If I remove the six fans and leave one the VRMs thermal thottle.

I found that I could drop the vcore massively, all the way down to 1.25 volts vcore with an LLC of 7. I could also dial in a lower LLC. Thats when I get 330 watts. Before It could reach higher.

I get the feeling in a small form factor case with just one fan. Not the seven fans I have, this build would just fry as soon as it hits a high load. I am getting 110c VRM in prime95 with overkill airflow over the vrms. Then I shut it down. Also the tech support will not ride to your help. You get better service from their sales line. They were not going to do anything about the VRM temps. They just tried putting the blame on me. Tell me that all replacement board will be the same. They wont let you upgrade the motherboard. The issue is their overclocking profile.

It was their overclocking settings, overclocking frequencies and choice of motherboard. You cant unlock the power limits 100%, set vcore to maximum/LLC to maximum and then put this board into a small form factor case. The 110c temps I got, would be higher in a small case and the hot air would hit other components. If I ran this with prime95 the vrms temps could get higher. I am not happy with that (will explain why at he end). I also dont turst them to do the overclock correctly. So I have to do it myself. So I got a better board, will dial in the same overclock. I might still have to limit the power draw but at least the LLC wont be 7 and the vcore wont be 1.385 volts.

Its not a stable overclock if you can just game and browse the internet without overheating the vrms. At some point I am using the 10900k to video encode game sessions in handbrake and upload them to youtube. Sometimes that can hit the system as hard as prime95.

The 10900k is TDP is 125 watts. The 10900F is 65 watts. With the 10900k at stock people report with a good motherboard and cooling an all core speed of 4.9GHz is reached with TVB and this drops to all cores 4.8Ghz without TVB after 70c. Thats the same as OCUK's overclock basically. My water cooling loop is approx. just under 80c at 330watts.

For the case of the Core i9 parts, Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) limits for the i9-10900K are 5.3 GHz single core, 4.9 GHz all-core, and after the turbo budget is used, the CPU will operate somewhere above the base clock of 3.7 GHz. If the processor is above 70ºC, then TVB is disabled, and users will get 5.2 GHz on two favored cores (or 5.1 GHz for other cores), leading to 4.8 GHz all-core, until the turbo budget is used and then back to somewhere above the base clock of 3.7 GHz.

As explained in many of our other articles, motherboard manufacturers have the option to disregard Intel’s turbo limit recommendations completely. This cannot be overstated enough – at least one of my colleagues had issues with a motherboard implementing a different turbo profile than Intel’s suggested recommendations. This is because with an appropriately built motherboard, a manufacturer might enforce an all-core 5.1-5.3 GHz scenario with the i9-10900K, regardless of the temperature, for an unlimited time – if the user can cool it sufficiently. Intel states that the Core i9-10900K has a peak turbo power around 250 W, however motherboard manufacturers earlier this year told us they were building boards for 320-350 W turbo power to give additional thermal headroom or in the event that the 250 W suggestion is completely ignored. Choosing a motherboard just got more complex if a user wants the best out of their new Comet Lake processor.

-anandtech

Basically at 200 watts the VRMs on the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G appear to be fine. In both OCCT and Aida. Also at 285 watts in Cinebench but not in prime95 at 330 watts. This does not mean that the VRMs on the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G are garbage. It just means you cant get away with unlocking the power limit completely which OCUK did.

• Core i9-10900K: TDP is 125 W, PL2 is 250 W, Tau is 56 seconds
• Core i7-10700K: TDP is 125 W, PL2 is 229 W, Tau is 56 seconds
• Core i5-10600K: TDP is 125 W, PL2 is 182 W, Tau is 56 seconds

-anandtech

This points to the overclocking settings used by OCUK as the real issue here. The cpu should clock down in prime95. They should have done a v/f curve overclock like siliconlottery, this keeps the ST performance. Note the binning statistics, that my overclock is for the Top 68% of CPU's. Note the watts of Power Limit 230w and All Core Die Sense Vcore 1.170volts. This is not an extreme overclock. By completely unlocking the power OCUK likely made this an extreme OC because this overclock is not much better than stock performance.

10900K	4.80GHz	4.70GHz	6C+100MHz 3C+200MHz	1.130V	210W	100%
10900K	4.90GHz	4.80GHz	6C+100MHz 3C+200MHz	1.150V	220W	Top 99%
10900K	5.00GHz	4.90GHz	6C+100MHz 3C+200MHz	1.170V	230W	Top 68%
10900K	5.10GHz	5.00GHz	6C+100MHz 3C+200MHz	1.190V	250W	Top 21%
10900K	5.20GHz	5.10GHz	6C+100MHz 3C+200MHz	1.210V	270W	Top 1%

siliconlottery

Hopefully you can see why this is not an issue with the motherboard or amount of overclock. The ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G can with its VRMs hit 5GHz SSE and 4.9GHz AVX with a low all Core Die Sense Vcore. With the correct power limit of 230 watts. This means in Prime95 the VRMs wont hit 110c because power is limited to 230 watts. This will mean lower performance in cinebench but normal performance in games. This makes its their fault really in my opinion. This is why I wanted to fix it myself because it became my opinion that they dont know what they are doing (my opinion). Thus I wanted a board that can do a decent overclock. Maybe at stock with TVB I will hit 4.9GHz all cores and still have the 5.3GHz ST. This without the chance of a VRM BBQ with any real load.

The more I research this the less this looks like the motherboards fault, the more it looks like OCUK made a poor overclocking profile. 110c temps on the VRMs is not safe and not really neccessary if you know what you are doing. I have opened a ticket with Asus to ask them about this and if the motherboard should be RMA'ed. I am waiting on a reply. I think they will think I am nuts.

This was found out because I have notied burning smells coming from my case and blasts of heat. Also one hard disk has become faulty. Full of data corruption. The smells like burning and blasts of heat are very likely to be the VRMs hitting high temps. The HD just happened to be faulty. The SMART test fails on the HD but one of the causes is overclocking.

My new motherboard has just been delivered. I will take pictures of the old bios settings from OCUKs profile.

 

[zx128k]

So say I fix the issue myself. I start with a 230 watt limit.

See all cores 4.9GHz. Now the vcore looks high but that because of the normal boosting. Its 0.8 volts vcore for the multi core part in the cpu-z vcore value. Not sure if that in the true value.

LLC is 5 voltage is adaptive.

Prime95



Now VRMs are under control. I can reduce the vcore voltage. CPU temp 63c and VRM 61c. 220 watts. So now my frequency will reduce in prime 95 and my VRMs wont burnup. Basically using this method you can manage the power draw of the cpu under prime95. If the VRMs are fine you can increase power draw, if not then reduce the power draw.

Now I dial in my overclock, 5GHz SSE, 4.9GHz AVX. 270 watts power limit. Vcore 1.330 volts LLC4. Prime95 stable for ~1 hour. Vcore was increased from 1.3volts to 1.33 to fix errors on single threads. VRMs under 80 c.



My overclocking settings. Note everything but vcore is the settings overclockers co uk use.


Prime 95 CPU 69c and VRMs 76c after a few minutes. Vcore 1.217volts


Time Spy cpu


BIOS OCUK settings




Fixed BIOS setting to stop 110c VRMs




I will be using these settings once I move to the more powerfull motherboard. I should hopefully be able to increase the power limit and keep the VRM temps low.

Maximum CPU overclock on the Asus ROG STRIX Z490-G GAMING (WI-FI) 5.2GHz SSE and 5.1GHz AVX. LLC5 1.33volts vcore underload.