Slider46

For quite a while I was confused by the plethora of terms used to describe different voltage settings for Intel motherboards. People can tend to say one thing when it actually means something else. There are also some things that have more than one term.

This can be very confusing for someone new to overclocking and the "overclocking language" that we OCN members use on a daily basis.

I've compiled as many terms I can think of for Intel Voltage settings and provided a description. Hopefully this little list will help those who need some clarification on these terms.

*Note - some of these terms may apply to AMD systems but some of them may not.

The definitions for these terms were gathered from various sources on the internet so please feel free to correct any mistakes but please have a basis or proof to do so. Positing: "I heard this means something else" or "I think it means this" is not very helpful. Thanks


VID

VID, often confused with Vcore, is generally considered the voltage that the CPU will run at when at stock clock settings. VID according to Intel, is a voltage range within which the CPU will run at stock settings.

**The VID range is also the recommended safe voltage range for the chip. Exceeding this range does not guarantee that the chip will be damaged or "fried" and is not necessarily the physical maximum however, it is not guaranteed that the chip will not become damaged. *Many very high or extreme overclocks will require going outside the VID range

Generally, a lower VID is thought to be good as that means that the CPU requires lower voltage to run and thus the CPU could have a higher headroom for overclocking. Also, as each chip differs, so will it's VID. (Two identical stepping chips may have two different VIDs)

Vcore / CPU Voltage

Vcore is widely considered to be the CPU voltage that is set in the BIOS. Vcore is the voltage that is shown in many utility programs such as CPU-Z, Everest, OCCT, etc. In most cases, on newer motherboards, Vcore can be set to "AUTO" or a range of voltages from 0.85 to 2.0.

Also, remember that increasing the CPU Vcore can increase the thermal output of the CPU so adequate cooling is a must.

VTT / CPU Termination / FSB Termination / FSB Voltage

VTT is widely considered to be the voltage needed for the FSB (Front Side Bus) to function properly. This voltage may need to be increased when raising the FSB frequency to allow for an overclock of the CPU and RAM. It is best to research the maximum voltage for your motherboard as each motherboard and chipset will be different.

CPU PLL

I could not find a lot of information on CPU PLL voltage but the general consensus is that PLL voltage affects the clock generator. As with any type of overclocking - voltage increases may be needed throughout the system. You will need to research what the safe maximum PLL voltage is for your motherboard. Adjusting this voltage may help with stability of your overclock however, too much voltage can have a negative effect on stability.

DDR2 Voltage

This one is pretty self explanatory. DDR2 voltage affects what voltage the RAM runs at. Higher RAM clocks may require more voltage depending on the overclock potential of the RAM chips. Always check the RAM manufacturer's voltage ratings as overvolting certain RAM can damage the RAM. Increasing RAM voltage (just like CPU Vcore) can increase thermal output so be sure you have adequate airflow over your RAM.

MCH / NorthBridge Voltage

MCH / NB voltage is the voltage setting that affects the NorthBridge chipset. This voltage will most likely need to be increased when increasing the speed of the FSB. The extra voltage will help the CPU, Memory and GPU to communicate at faster clocks (when overclocked).

ICH / SouthBridge Voltage

ICH / SouthBridge Voltage is the voltage setting that affects the SouthBridge chipset. This voltage setting very rarely needs to be changed as the SouthBridge chipset is responsible for slower devices such as the PCI bus, IDE/SATA interface and real-time clock.


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How does this look? Any suggestions or additions are welcome

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dennyb

Well done Slider46 and +REP. One thing that I think would be handy to know is the different terminologies that the various mobo manufacturers employ for the same functions ie vtt, term--MCH ,SPP and so on

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Daney

Bookmarked on FireFox.

Thanks for this Been trying to understand some stuff :P +rep.

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Slider46

Yea that would be helpful. It would take a lot more time and research and a lot of OCN'ers to submit their information.

Maybe we can get another thread started for that

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NoGuru

Nice work +reps

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imadude10

Very nice. Answers alot of questions. Bookmarked for future intel builds. +rep