Core voltage power drop

I just bought a new system, including:

i7-950
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R
XFX Radeon HD 6870 900MHz 1Gb 4.2GHz
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1333C9 6Gb
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1Tb
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus

OCZ StealthXStream 2 700W PSU

I have push the base clock up to 174MHz, and set the Vcore as 1.35V.
When I start the computer CPUZ says it is 1.31V. When I try to run Prime95, it drops down to 1.248V.

Is this normal? Should I get a new power supply? If so, what specs?

Thanks so much.

 

Hi

Looks like a pretty nice system. Are you planning on upgrading it in the future (adding a second video card, more hard drives, etc.)?

Definitely get a different power supply (especially if you can return the one you have)! OCZ isn't exactly well known in the PSU world, and since a PSU powers or kills everything in your system, you don't want to skimp on a power supply. I personally have an Corsair 1000W PSU. The other brand people here will recommend is Antec. I don't have experience with Antec PSUs, but generally Corsair or Antec are the brands to go with.

Wattage isn't the only consideration when getting a power supply. Amps is the main thing to look for, and also how many rails (the less, the better). More rails means more limited power.

Your PSU doesn't even list amperage or rails numbers, and it's not modular!

My PSU specs (click Details tab):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007

Keep in mind that I don't have a system maxing out my power supply yet, I'm upgrading as I go, but it's given me no issues whatsoever so far!

 

I beg to differ. OCZ is a highly respected, well known PSU maker that has been around for years earning a well deserved reputation.

A two second look here on the Specs page shows a link to the Ratings Chart where you can clearly see it has 4 rails with 18A available on each. Note the System Requirements page for that graphics card calls for a 500W or greater PSU (600W for CrossFire in dual mode) so your 700W is plenty big. Plus it has an efficiency rating better than that Corsair! So you have fine PSU there.

So what if it is not modular? Note that even the best connection adds resistance to a circuit. Over time, dirt can be introduced, and even corrosion can set in - especially on the exposed, unused connections. The only downside to not having modular is tidiness and air flow disruption. But a good case that supports good cable management can negate those issues.

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If your voltage is dropping, it is probably due to the motherboard's regulator circuits and nothing to do with the PSU. I would suggest you return all voltage/overclocking settings back to the defaults and see what happens. You should do this anyway to establish a base line.

 

I just checked the base line.
The default vcore is 1.103V, and on idle it is 0.98V.

I guess I was expecting something less than 0.06V drop. If this is normal, then I guess I am fine.