Undervolting
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Undervolting is the practice of reducing the supply voltage of a computer's CPU. There are many reasons to perform this sort of modification, but a common one is to reduce power consumption and thus heat generation in laptop computers. Lower heat generation provided by undervolting and underclocking is also helpful in making computers quieter. The term may also be used negatively, to describe a condition in which a device is being supplied a voltage level below that which is required for proper operation.
Undervolting may be accomplished in a number of ways. Some motherboards contain a user-configurable BIOS in which it is possible to adjust the CPU core voltage (VCore). A number of programs capable of adjusting the VCore from within an operating system may also be used.
Reducing the voltage supplied to the CPU below the manufacturer's recommended minimum setting can result in system instability. Accordingly, it is advisable to reduce the voltage in small steps, following each reduction with a thorough stress test of the system.
Undervolting is possible for similar reasons overclocking is possible.
