Vcore voltage warning - spikes and constant fluctuation. Help!

[e_nascimento]

Hi,

For the past weeks I have been getting an erratic warning pop up from AI Suite II for Vcore voltage spikes. By checking the alert log, I can see it is rapidly and constantly fluctuating from 1,100 to 1,620.
I have an Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 motherboard (with the latest 2603 bios) with an AMD 8350 processor for quite a while and it has always ran stable, but only recently it has been giving me this issue. Also, I haven't setup any overclock or change to the default stock values that came with them.
I'm worried this could be a grave problem and could limit the lifespan of the equipment or cause a failure. Could you shed a light on this issue?

Kind regards,
Eduardo

 

[kfarris]

Hello, did this start after you updated the BIOS Or before? It is normal for it to fluctuate power as it does this when it detects that the load has been increased. Like when you open a game and start playing it increases the workload on the hardware so to compensate voltages increase. It's normal in case you were worried.

However, I personally don't use Asus's dumb AI Suite as it's just annoying to me.

As long as the temps remain around 60C or below it will not hurt the lifespan of your hardware. Just be sure to dust the components off once a month to prevent dust build up and from clogging the CPU cooler. Depending on how clean your home or air is you may be able to get away with once every 3 months.

 

[kfarris]

You could always manually set the voltage instead of having it set to AUTO. Or just ignore/uninstall the AI Suite.

 

[Calvin7]

AI Suite II starts automatically when you enter the Windows OS. The Auto Tuning program appears there. Auto-Tuning is a software Overclocking Program. I suggest not using such programs because of CPU overvolting. Check to see if it has a normal setting.

Install latest ASUS AI Suite II V2.04.01 program and check voltages with CPU-Z. Both programs are available in downloads.
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M5A97_EVO_R20/HelpDesk_Download/

 

[e_nascimento]

Hello, did this start after you updated the BIOS Or before? It is normal for it to fluctuate power as it does this when it detects that the load has been increased. Like when you open a game and start playing it increases the workload on the hardware so to compensate voltages increase. It's normal in case you were worried.

However, I personally don't use Asus's dumb AI Suite as it's just annoying to me.

As long as the temps remain around 60C or below it will not hurt the lifespan of your hardware. Just be sure to dust the components off once a month to prevent dust build up and from clogging the CPU cooler. Depending on how clean your home or air is you may be able to get away with once every 3 months.

Thank you for your kind answer!
I updated the BIOS long ago, maybe a year, but this problem only came up recently. I also did a full dust clean up last week presuming it had something to do with dust accumulating over time, just like you said. It is a bit relaxing to read that as long as the temperature stay stable I don't have to worry. Nevertheless I find this puzzling.
I am not sure of this or not because I haven't tested it enough, but it may be just a feeling but I noticed it happens more frequently when I am downloading big files (just like now I have a game downloading on Steam which is causing a separate issue of causing the entire Wifi adapter to disconnect intermitently)..

 

[e_nascimento]

Hmm, just a follow up: The game just finished downloading, the connection became stable and there is no longer any significant power fluctuation nor warning. How the heck..

 

[kfarris]

Lol, the problems you are talking about now are off topic. However, I will oblige and respond.

The problem relating to your wifi connection is simply that your wireless router either cannot support the throughput you were shoving through the wifi bandwidth (overloading the router) or your wifi signal is too weak and is unstable because you are too far from it.

Your voltage shouldn't be spiking with a wifi USB dongle unless it's one of those PIC express wifi card things?

 

[kfarris]

If you are using a PCI or PCI-E wifi card I recommend switching to a USB dongle or manually set the voltage for it in BIOS.