What is undervolting?
The CPU and GPU, like any electronic component, require an electrical current to flow through. Voltage is essentially a measurement of the pressure at which electrons flow through a circuit. When you run a processor or video card at low voltage, you reduce this pressure, which has an effect on the energy available for that processor to run.
The idea behind stepping down is to find the optimal minimum voltage that the processor can use without causing performance loss or instability. This is as difficult as raising voltages to make overclocking more stable, but without any danger.
Why is CPU or GPU undervoltage done?
Why is the video card or processor voltage lowering done? First, processors essentially convert electricity into heat. As the electrons move through the integrated circuits of the processor that runs all this math, they generate heat. This is why the processor needs a cooling solution because if it gets too hot it will stop working.
Power consumption is measured in watts, as you know, and the basic formula for watts is watts = volts x amps. When you reduce the volt or amperage, you also reduce the total wattage. This means that the processor will use less power and generate less heat.
Reducing power consumption is a good reason for voltage drop, which is why it’s popular with laptops. Because less power consumption means that the battery lasts longer. It is also important to reduce the heat; allows a processor to run longer at higher clock speeds.
Undervolting provides lower power consumption and less fan noise on both graphics cards and processors, but slightly improves performance, but it is not the only preferred way to increase performance.
How is voltage reduction possible?
How can a processor or video card be designed to operate at a certain voltage (or voltage range) but still work at a low voltage? It is possible due to the nature of the processor.
Processors are etched from silicon wafers using a process known as photolithography. This is one of the most precise manufacturing processes in the world. Processors are divided into certain performance classes, and those that pass verification are guaranteed to operate within a certain voltage and clock speed range. Within this processor group, some run smoothly at voltages lower than their stated specifications. The same thing happens with overclocking.
You can save power, reduce heat, cut noise, maybe get a little higher FPS in games on a laptop with a processor and video card that works well at lower voltages than necessary.
How is undervolting done?
There are two ways to adjust the voltage of a processor. You can use the BIOS and UEFI menu to adjust the processor’s settings at the software level, or you can use a CPU voltage reduction program such as Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, ThrottleStop. The software method is the most practical way to find the perfect voltage as it doesn’t require restarting the computer with each change. Once you find the best voltage value, you can fix it in the firmware settings.
You can use MSI Afterburner for the video card. You must set the agent to apply the settings each time you start the computer.
Is voltage drop harmful?
Your risk of damaging your computer due to a voltage drop is virtually zero. You can damage the CPU or GPU by giving too many volts. However, if the voltage drops too low, you may have an unstable system. That’s why it’s wise to back up anything important before proceeding.
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