How to undervolt and overclock your CPU using Intel XTU

Intel XTU is a powerful application that allows you to easily manage your computer's performance. You can fix overheating issues by adjusting the CPU voltage, or boost performance by overclocking. In this article, we'll look at how you can take advantage of Intel XTU to optimize your computer's performance, whether that's adjusting voltage or overclocking.

What are the effects of undervoltage and overclocking on the CPU?

Before we continue to learn how to undervolt and overclock a CPU, we first have to understand what they are.

Undervoltage refers to gradually reducing the voltage required by the CPU. This process helps reduce heat emissions, as high voltage results in higher temperatures. By reducing the voltage supply to the CPU, the temperature can be effectively reduced. If your laptop starts slowing down after heating up, you should resolve the issue promptly to avoid any blue screens or sudden crashes. Since most manufacturers favor higher voltage settings to provide higher performance perceptions, it's important to address this issue.

Overclocking is the practice of increasing the CPU frequency beyond the manufacturer's standards. Although it may cause system instability and hardware damage, overclocking can also significantly improve game performance and overall system performance. By optimizing system cooling, the potential risks of overclocking can be effectively reduced, making it somewhat of a beneficial practice.

How to use Intel XTU to undervolt and overclock your CPU

Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU) is a free tool that can be downloaded directly from Intel’s official website. Using this tool, you can easily undervolt and overclock your computer without entering the BIOS and avoiding complicated operations.

Download and install Intel XTU

First, it is crucial to download the Intel XTU application. It is a free tool that works with most Intel computers. Open your browser, go to intel.com, and click the download button to get the utility. Make sure to scroll down and review the download requirements to make sure your product is compatible with the download.

Undervolting your computer using Intel XTU

To undervolt your system using the free Intel Extreme Tuning utility, follow the steps mentioned below.

First, open the Intel XTU application on your computer.

In Advanced Adjustments, go to the Core Voltage Offset slider. You need to move the slider slightly to the left to lower the voltage.

Apply a core voltage offset of -0.050V and save the changes by clicking the Apply button.

Restart the computer.

When testing the game, you can gradually reduce the voltage to -0.100V. If there is no problem, continue to reduce until the laptop crashes, and then return to the previous voltage value. After applying the changes, you will notice a significant decrease in CPU package temperature, which is very important to maintain system stability.

We do not require you to set specific voltages as they vary depending on the CPU, GPU and other connected components.

Read: AMD Ryzen Master is a powerful PC overclocking tool

Overclock your computer with Intel XTU

Overclocking is not as simple as underclocking. Here we need to pay maximum attention to the stability of the computer. Therefore, you need to test the stability of your system before proceeding with overclocking.

So, first open Intel XTU, go to Benchmarks, click Run XTU Benchmark. The results you get will then be used as a reference to check the performance differences between normal and overclocked systems. We recommend that you run the benchmark three times, take the average, and use it as a reference.

Read: Benchmark CPU Free with Overclocking Check Tool - OCCT

Intel XTU offers a range of options for both novice and experienced overclockers. In this guide, we'll only cover basic tuning options that are easy to use and provide ample overclocking capabilities for your CPU.

First we will adjust the processor core ratio by increasing the multiplier. Each core on the CPU comes with a base clock in MHz, and is relatively low. By increasing the multiplier we can set a considerable overclock on the CPU. So if we start at 50 MHz and add an x80 multiplier we get a frequency of 4000 MHz or 4.0 GHz. So make the changes accordingly and save them.

Next, change the processor cache ratio. The CPU cache is a type of memory that works extremely fast and helps close the speed gap between the processor and RAM. If the performance of the cache is not optimal, it may reduce the overall performance of your computer. When your CPU is overclocked, it is crucial to increase the processor cache ratio multiplier.

It is best to keep the processor core ratio and processor cache ratio multiplier at the same or similar level. You can adjust the processor cache ratio slider, save the settings, and restart your computer. After this, run the benchmark to check for any performance improvements. Keep repeating this process until you encounter any obstacles, such as the computer not booting, lagging, or other stability issues.

If you notice stability issues, you can add more and better cooling solutions, or reduce the processor core ratio and processor cache ratio multipliers to find the sweet spot. You can also reduce the voltage of your CPU on top of overclocking, checking the steps mentioned above to find the perfect balance and eliminate any stability compliance.

Hopefully with the help of Intel XTU, you can find the perfect balance between stability and performance.

Read: AMD Ryzen Master is a powerful PC overclocking tool

Is Intel XTU suitable for overclocking?

Yes, XTU is a great application for those who want to overclock their computers. The best part about it is that it not only allows experienced users to change the clock speed of their CPU, but also allows amateur users to improve their performance easily and systematically. So if you are looking for overclocking applications, look no further than Intel XTU.

Read: The Best Free Overclocking Software for Windows PC

Will low CPU voltage improve performance?

Undervolting does not directly improve the performance of your device, on the contrary, it enhances the computer's thermal management capabilities, making the system stable and preventing it from throttling. All this will ensure that you get constant performance without any significant drop-off while performing intensive tasks.

Also Read: How to undervolt GPU? Is it good or bad to do so.

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