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Guide: Addressing CPU Instability on Gigabyte Motherboards

zzetta
New Contributor I
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Hello.

Like many individuals within this community, I encountered stability issues with my recent CPU(14700kf). Through extensive troubleshooting efforts, I successfully identified the root cause of the instability. In summary, it appears that motherboard vendors have implemented reductions in IA AC loadlines within updated BIOS versions without explicit documentation of these adjustments.

 

Prior to implementing these adjustments, ensure that external factors such as RAM issues, cooling system malfunctions, etc., are not contributing to system instability.

 

Now, I will provide step-by-step instructions for navigating the BIOS menu to access the settings that require modification to restore CPU stability.

 

Step 1: Enter the BIOS interface and select "ADVANCED MODE." Then, navigate downwards until you locate the "Advanced Voltage Settings" option. Enter the menu.

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Step 2: Once inside the menu, continue scrolling down until you find the "CPU/VRM Settings" option, then proceed to enter this submenu.

2.jpeg

 

Step 3: Scroll further down until you reach the "Internal VR Control" option, then select it to enter its settings.

3.jpeg

 

Step 4: Upon entering the menu, locate the "IA VR Config Enable" option. Set it to "Enabled" to gain access to the settings that require adjustment.

4.jpeg

 

Step 5: The critical settings to adjust for restoring CPU stability are IA AC LOADLINE and IA DC LOADLINE. For Gigabyte motherboards, it's imperative to set IA DC LOADLINE to 90 to ensure accurate power readings; deviating from this value may result in inaccurate readings.

Focus primarily on adjusting IA AC LOADLINE. Initially, observe the default values displayed on the right side of the menu. For instance, if the default IA AC LOADLINE value is 40, proceed by incrementing it by one step each time your targeted applications experience instability. After each adjustment, conduct stability tests. If instability persists, continue incrementing the value until optimal stability is achieved.

 

 

There is no need to enable any power limits or current limits. These chips are designed to operate without issues with fully unlocked power and current limits. While I disabled all power limits myself, it's unnecessary because Gigabyte BIOSes typically come with unlocked power limits by default(4095PL2/280PL1).

 

Have a nice day!!

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zzetta
New Contributor I
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A quick and effective method to test stability is by utilizing Cinebench R15 from Benchmate, an application featuring various benchmarking tools. Simply run Cinebench R15, and if it encounters issues such as locking, crashing, or triggering a BSOD, proceed with incrementing the IA AC loadline.

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