Z790i Actual VCORE

[GeraldPrime]

Hi,

Which voltage reading in HWinfo or otherwise depicts my ACTUAL VCORE under load? This is very confusing, can someone clarify this for me?

Set Values in BIOS:

1.24V Override (Shows 1.22 on the left of this)
51 Sync All Cores
LLC6
E Cores OFF
Ring at 40
RAM at JEDEC
C-States Off

HWInfo Windows 11 while running VT3.

CPU [#0]: Intel Core i9-12900KS: DTS :
Vcore: Idle ~1.234V / Load: 1.208

ASUS EC: ASUS :
VRM Vcore Voltage (VOUT): Idle ~1.229 / Load: 1.176

Thanks.

EDIT: The VRM Vcore Voltage (VOUT) seems to be the correct reading. The typical Vcore reading isn't accurate, at least on this board.

[achugh]

Hi @GeraldPrime the 12th Gen Intel CPUs don't have any OC or stability issues. What are you trying to do?

[Nate152]

Hello GeraldPrime

The Vcore in HWinfo is the actual cpu voltage.

You can adjust the LLC setting to get the voltage at or close to what you're setting in the bios. When under load, the maximum column should be what you're setting in the bios.

[achugh]

Hi Nate152,

Can you please share what is VDDQ TX under CPU Enhanced section? Is it the Direct Voltage reported by the CPU itself? See https://youtu.be/dqyaiTUaH9A?t=59 where this person is talking about the CPU reported direct voltage. According to him this is the most accurate voltage reported across the the sensor points that are reporting voltages.

So on ASUS boards, is this VDDQ TX the same as Voltage Direct?

[Nate152]

No, the VDDQ TX voltage is a memory voltage, I bumped this up to 1.40v.

[achugh]

Thank you Nate512 for sharing that VDDQ is related to memory.

So on ASUS MAXIMUS ROG Z790 DARK HERO, is there a way to get this Direct Voltage that this YouTuber is talking about?

[Nate152]

In the bios on the Monitor tab you should have voltage monitoring.

[GeraldPrime]

Hi @Nate152  that's not accurate on this board, since I've discovered that this boards VCORE reading on HWinfo is the voltage at the socket and not the actual Die Sense Voltage. LLC6 gives about ~50mV of droop and I need to use the VRM Vcore Voltage (VOUT) reading which is under the ASUS EC monitor in HWinfo to get the actual voltage on the Die at load.

I know this because that value reflects the mV droop that I've applied when under load and the set value when idle. The VCORE voltage reading in HWinfo does not.

[Nate152]

The Vcore has always been the cpu voltage reading for all motherboards, I don't see this changing for your motherboard.

Have you tried a different bios version? This could have an effect on the cpu voltage.

Bios 2503 is the latest for your motherboard.  - ROG STRIX Z790-I GAMING WIFI | Gaming motherboards｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Global (asus.com)

If in doubt, you could always try CPU-Z.

[GeraldPrime]

It has nothing to do with bios version, some Asus boards do not accurately reflect the Vcore voltage at the Die because they don't support Die Sense voltage. On the higher end boards (which I thought the Z790i was part of) Vcore reflects the Die Sense Voltage. On others it's in another sensor (In this case the VRM VCore Voltage (VOUT) sensor) , and Vcore reflects the Socket Voltage which is not accurate at all because there's resistance in the socket and the actual voltage the CPU gets is lower than that reported value. 

All motherboard manufacturers do this to a degree, for example on Gigabyte boards the VR VOUT reading is the actual voltage your CPU is getting and not the Vcore reading. On any board you can test this with setting a Core Value, applying an LLC and looking at the values you get under a proper load (e.g Y-cruncher).