We live in an age where GPUs and CPUs are evolving into two completely different aspects that are necessary and which, on the other hand, are not new at all. We are of course talking about more cores / shaders and a higher frequency, but that skyrockets consumption and temperatures to levels above what many are ready to cool. Here’s a technique as old as the very existence of the system clock: Underclock, but what is it?
The old ways never die and as long as they are available, many will benefit. For various reasons there are users who claim the opposite of what Intel, NVIDIA or AMD is doing and this is precisely where it all gets interesting, as it is a struggle to get the best performance with a series of requirements. .
Underclock, as old as needed for CPUs and GPUs
We strive for the highest performance and for that it is all based on a few factors, such as frequency, IPC or number of cores in the dice, but what if it turns out that we need one of them but not the frequency itself?
Then it only remains for Underclock, which is a very simple technique that allows CPUs and GPUs to reduce clock speed regardless of factors like performance. Logically, if what we want is to lower the frequency, we will lose performance in our processor or our graphics card, just like in memories, but there are many reasons to achieve this at the same level as n ‘ any user would subvolve these components.
Underclock vs undervolt, basically the same? Do they serve the same purpose?
If we compare these two techniques (underclock vs undervolt) the differences are simple and clear: with the first we will focus on lowering the frequencies thus losing performance, with the second we lower the voltages thus losing stability and possibly if we are very aggressive performance as well.
Underclock does not imply undervolt or vice versa, they are two completely independent techniques and yet they can and should be used in unison as long as you know what you are doing. These are techniques that require a medium-high level of knowledge when deepened.
To better understand the notion of underclock, we could say that it is the opposite of the famous overclock and obviously its effects are up to its meaning therefore, as happens in overclock and its voltage that is normally required increase (it does not have a specific name as such, everything is included in overclock) in underclock, it would be necessary to apply undervolt to compensate and gain more general advantages.
Why underclock if what we are looking for is more performance?
Well, while it might not sound like it, the current paradigm has taken to some pretty bizarre levels. The Mainstream processor line receives all the praise and attention from the user, while the HEDT processor line remains residual and may fade in the long run as core and frequency levels skyrocket to look like servers. only 5 years ago. .
Therefore, it is curious that users buy hardware with such brutal performance that they do not think about the other issues of buying a processor or graphics card.
We refer to things that we have all seen as soon as we are in the professional sector: i9 or Ryzen 9 processors with motherboards at 100 dollars, graphics cards with a consumption greater than 300 watts with PSUs of only 600 watts, cases with more cooling than deficient as they are low end heatsinks at 20 dollars for TOP processors and the like.
Some may throw their hands on their heads and for good reason, but it is the real world of the average user, who sometimes allows himself to be advised or badly advised by people who have little or no knowledge of the sector and of course, when the problems we seek information.
But then it is too late because the money is spent and the problem is very real. The symptoms are clear: PC slowdowns, restarts, freezes, feeling of low speed etc etc … These are mainly due to thermal or electrical problems, or if we have already spent all the money in the budget and that we cannot change certain parts of the PC, the solution involves the most optimal configuration for our needs.
Lowering the frequency avoids some of the problems we may have
If we cannot refrigerate the component in question, there are two options: underclock or undervolt. The problem is that the second requires some knowledge and a lot of testing time to claim that there is stability, while the first only needs to touch one or two parameters to guarantee the same or more stability (s ‘there are problems of course).
Therefore, the difficulty causes the average user without knowledge of these issues to end up choosing to choose underclock over undervolt, as getting involved in passing tests with every voltage drop and adjusting parameters is not for everyone, but this changes two settings quickly in BIOS.
These parameters to play for underclock vary depending on the CPU or GPU in question. For CPUs unlocked for overclocking, it’s as easy as changing the multiplier of it, but for CPUs that are stuck, we’ll have to touch the old FSB, now called BCLK.
In the first case, only the processor will lose performance, while in the second we will have additional problems, since the PCIe will be affected in its speed on some platforms. The question now is how much should you lower the multiplier or the BCLK?
The answer is as much as is necessary to cover what we need. That is, if we have a temperature problem, we will have to reduce the frequency to levels where we feel comfortable and the processor is safe and its protection does not come into play.
If it’s a GPU it’s a bit the same, except that in this case you can only lower the MHz via third-party programs for Windows. The advantage of this technique is that it is simple, the tension will remain as it is and therefore we will not lose the general stability, overtaking ourselves does not give any advantage, but rather the opposite.
In short, you have to spend time on what is important, keeping the processor in a safe temperature range, the same GPU, at the cost of having lower performance.
Why is the Underclock post used on Intel and AMD CPUs or NVIDIA GPUs? first appeared on HardZone.
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