overclocking cpus and voltage regulation

[omar80747326]

Why overclocking cpus can differ just because of cpu binning that can change required oc voltage producing different levels of temperature? Why most motherboards especially the high-end ones have got 8-14 voltage regulator design for more than a premium cpu overclocking?

 

[TJ Hooker]

Semiconductor manufacturing isn't an exact process. There will be tiny defects or variations from one chip to the next. The can affect the switching characteristics of the transistors on the chip. A highly binned chip has transistors that switch very quickly. A lower binned chip may require a higher voltage to drive the transistor harder in order to get it to switch at the same rate as the higher binned chip. Higher voltage means higher temperature. A lower binned chip may also have higher leakage current due to defects, which would also increase power.

Higher VRM phase count means:

-For a given current, a higher phase count means less current (and therefore less heat) for each individual phase
-Higher phase count means the effective switching frequency of the VRM is X times higher, where X is the phase count, without the increased switching losses you'd get if your switching frequency was actually that high.
-Higher switching frequency reduces voltage ripple (which also reduces current through the capacitors, thereby increasing their lifespan) and improves transient response.