Sharp voltage drop under load (i7-13700k, ASRock Z790)

[djesteban]

Hi,

I'm using an ASRock Z790 Steel Legend motherboard with an i7-13700k CPU.

I'm experiencing a significant voltage drop (Vdrop or Vdroop?) when the CPU is under load.

At idle, the voltage stays around 1.32V, and the core speed is around 4.2GHz. However, when I run a CPU-intensive task (like an x265 encode), the voltage drops to about 1.05-1.10V, and the clock speed decreases to 3.8-3.9GHz.

I've tried adjusting a few BIOS settings without success:

• Disabled/enabled XMP—no effect.
• Enabled/disabled OC mode in Voltage Configurations—no effect.
• Changed LLC (Load-Line Calibration) from Level 3 (default) to Level 2, then Level 1—this had no noticeable effect, which was surprising as I expected it to address the issue (See manual page 49).

The drop seems to occur a few seconds after the CPU load starts, around when temps hit 70-100°C. After the voltage drops, temps stabilize at 65-70°C. When I stop the encode, the voltage and core speeds return to normal.

Is there a way to maintain a higher voltage under load, maybe around 1.2-1.25V? I understand this might raise temps, but with current temps at 65°C, I’d be comfortable running up to 80-85°C.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

I'm not sure on this matter, but I looked around, and this seems to be a known issue.