I just overclocked my G3-571, should I also undervolt?

B1GM1K3
B1GM1K3 Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
edited November 2023 in 2018 Archives
So I get the benefits of overclocking but I'm still confused about the benefits of undervolting.  If you do one, should you definitely do the other or is it more of a preference?  What exactly are the benefits of undervolting?  And what's the best way to go about undervolting?  I've seen the video in the FAQ section about undervolting but it seems like the video is doing a lot more than just that.  What is the bare minimum you have to do to undervolt?

Best Answer

  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    edited April 2018 Answer ✓
    Undervolting means reducing the voltage of the CPU. With less voltage the current reduces, which then reduces the heat generated. In other words the benefit of undervolting is reduced heat and potentially longer life for the CPU. The best way of undervolting is to just reduce the core and cache voltage, which will reduce the CPU's temperature without reducing the performance.

    There is a limit to how much you can undervolt and it is different for each CPU. Start with reducing the adaptive voltage by 100mV and then keep adding -5mV until the system crashes. Reboot and set the voltage to the last value the system was stable on. Make sure you are running a CPU stress software like Prime95 or AIDA64, while undervolting.

    Overclocking and undervolting are 2 very different things. As I mentioned undervolting reduces the heat, while overclocking increases the performance. To have the CPU run at a certain frequency a certain amount of voltage is needed. Overclocking increases the frequency, but to increase the frequency you need more voltage, otherwise the system won't be stable and it will crash, resulting in BSODs. As you increase the voltage, the heat will also increase.

    I7-7700hq can't be overclocked.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

Answers

  • B1GM1K3
    B1GM1K3 Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    Sorry forgot to mention
    Acer Predator Helios 300 15"
    i7-7700
    16gb RAM
    GTX 1060 6gb 
  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    edited April 2018 Answer ✓
    Undervolting means reducing the voltage of the CPU. With less voltage the current reduces, which then reduces the heat generated. In other words the benefit of undervolting is reduced heat and potentially longer life for the CPU. The best way of undervolting is to just reduce the core and cache voltage, which will reduce the CPU's temperature without reducing the performance.

    There is a limit to how much you can undervolt and it is different for each CPU. Start with reducing the adaptive voltage by 100mV and then keep adding -5mV until the system crashes. Reboot and set the voltage to the last value the system was stable on. Make sure you are running a CPU stress software like Prime95 or AIDA64, while undervolting.

    Overclocking and undervolting are 2 very different things. As I mentioned undervolting reduces the heat, while overclocking increases the performance. To have the CPU run at a certain frequency a certain amount of voltage is needed. Overclocking increases the frequency, but to increase the frequency you need more voltage, otherwise the system won't be stable and it will crash, resulting in BSODs. As you increase the voltage, the heat will also increase.

    I7-7700hq can't be overclocked.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • B1GM1K3
    B1GM1K3 Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    I've overclocked my GPU not the i7. So it seems like under volting could be really beneficial, are they any drawbacks to it?
  • Queen6
    Queen6 Member Posts: 319 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon
    No, just make sure your backed up and follow the guides to undervolt the CPU.  Just be aware that although the system may be stable under Prime95, it may have issue with other applications.  I can undervolt my G9-793 as deep as 143.6mV with Prime95 Small FFT running, however in practise the system is 100% stable at 131.8mV, possibly a little deeper.

    Personally I recommend ThrottleStop as it tends to be more reliable than Intel's XTU.  Also note if the XTU service is already running as part of Predator sense, best to delay any auto start of ThrottleStop until the XTU service is running

    Q-6
  • B1GM1K3
    B1GM1K3 Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    Does the XTU service come pre installed on new predator laptops?
  • Queen6
    Queen6 Member Posts: 319 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon
    edited April 2018
    It may and was installed on my Predator 17 (G9-793), however it just looks to be monitoring CPU frequency for PredatorSense.  Nor is the full XTU application installed.  I simply set a 2 minute delay in the auto start of ThrottleStop with W10's Task Scheduler. I've experienced no conflicts or issues, disabling the XTU service stopped PredatorSense being able to read & display CPU frequency, therefore I left it running as per default.

    In general you don't want to be running XTU & ThrottleStop on the same system, however in this case with just the XTU service I don't believe the CPU registers are being altered, just monitoring.  ThrottleStop also tends to confirm the same with all values being default as expected for the 7700HQ.  You can also verify if XTU is present in W10's Services may very well not be applicable for the Helios 300.

    Q-6
  • Queen6
    Queen6 Member Posts: 319 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon
    Just follow this undervolting guide by @Red-Sand for the 7700HQ and the 7300HQ, and you wont go far wrong.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3v3o21M8gg

    Q-6
  • B1GM1K3
    B1GM1K3 Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    So I followed the instructions. Everything seemed good and then 2 minutes into a game laptop shut off. I've since removed throttle stop and even did a factory reset just in case.  Guess it's not so easy
  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    You followed everything, but the amount of undervolt that is shown on the video is likely to not work for you, so you should increase the voltage a bit.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • B1GM1K3
    B1GM1K3 Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    ven98 said:
    You followed everything, but the amount of undervolt that is shown on the video is likely to not work for you, so you should increase the voltage a bit.
    I guess I'll give it another shot. Are the other steps necessary or should I just follow the undervolting part of the video? I did everything the first time, tried to copy every setting that was shown in the video. 
  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    Only follow the undervolting part, but with lower voltages. Enabling speedshift and disabling turbo boost are not needed. Speedshift is managed by windows. When you turn on battery saver the speedshift value is lowered.

    Follow the instructions from this video, but the amount of undervolt that works on your CPU you should find yourself.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • Queen6
    Queen6 Member Posts: 319 Skilled Practitioner WiFi Icon
    Just undervolt the CPU, start at -80mV and drop it incrementally.  Don't chase the absolute maximum undervolt, if the system crashes you just need to reduce the undervolt value.  To reset ThrottleStop you just need to delete the .ini file in the ThrottleStop folder, no need to reset the notebook etc.

    Turbo & Speedshift are just additional steps, I don't bother with Speedshift, although disabling Turbo has it's uses, what's import is stable CPU Core & Cache voltages that should match.

    Q-6
  • B1GM1K3
    B1GM1K3 Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    ven98 said:
    Only follow the undervolting part, but with lower voltages. Enabling speedshift and disabling turbo boost are not needed. Speedshift is managed by windows. When you turn on battery saver the speedshift value is lowered.

    Follow the instructions from this video, but the amount of undervolt that works on your CPU you should find yourself.
    Should I undervolting the Intel GPU as well, or just leave that alone?
  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    leave it alone.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

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