[Tutorial] Graphics Cards Voltage Regulator Modules (VRM) Explained

Article Index
Today, a small article about VRMs. I wrote it few months ago further to the overclocking problems encountered by the Radeon HD 5970 (see HERE and HERE) with FurMark.
These overclocking problems have a common source: VRMs. Fundamentally, VRMs are power supply units. The conception of such devices is a difficult work (voltage and current stability, size of heatsinks, OCP (over current protection), etc.) and sometimes some parts may be under-sized. Under-sized VRMs can lead to a malfunction of the card when the current the VRMs have to deliver is too high (due to a high GPU load). Recent cards like Radeon HD 5000 series come with an advanced OCP management (the GPU is throttled back to reduce the current the VRMs have to deliver, see HERE) but on other cards, an over-current may lead to a system reboot (maybe due to the rig PSU OCP too) or even kill the card (see HERE – in that case, the OCP didn’t work at all…). In this article, I’ll try to explain the basic notions about VRMs and where they are located on the PCB (printed circuit board) of a HD 5970.
These principles are more or less the same for all graphics cards (the components can be different but have the same function).
As usual, if you have additional information and resource or if you detect some errors, just drop a comment.
Tweet





[...] for the onwer ) of a GeForce GTX 275 that has not supported a FurMark session. MOSFETs (part of VRM – voltage regulator module) cooling is important especially with an overclocked [...]
[...] is a model of VRM heatsink especially developed for use with Spitfire GPU [...]
[...] this this post on Expreview Forums, we learn that some users wrote to Thermalright because VRM (voltage regulator module) temperature is too high when using FurMark… and the HR-03 GTX bundled VRM heatsink is [...]
[...] base and aluminium fins. It’s compatible with SLI and Crossfire systems and includes RAM and VRM heatsinks. The ICY VISION is priced at around 46 [...]
[...] once in 2 months or so, at max U are absolutely right. i jus went thru a vrm article yesterdayhere No further stress for me,neither my gpu! __________________ Intel C2D 6420 @ 2.4Ghz OC || XFX [...]
[...] Hawk is the new GeForce GTX 460 for the enthousiast. This card is designed for overclocking with a 7+1 multiphase VRM, V-Check points to read GPU, memory and PLL voltages (like MSI’s R5770 Hawk), military class [...]
[...] [...]
[...] MSI’s top-notch graphics card, the ultime deluxe edition. This card comes with an impressive 16-phase VRM: 12 phases to feed the GPU, 3 phases for the memory and one phase for the PLL (Phase Locked Loop). [...]
[...] okay. As for understanding what a VRM and mosfet are and how are operate, you might want to read this (applies to motherboards and other silicon devices as well). __________________ OCN Water [...]
[...] The max total power consumption of the ENGTX580 is 330W while the GPU one is 106W. The difference, 330-106 = 224W, is the power consumption of the rest of the board (especially the VRM). [...]
[...] Graphics Cards VRM Tutorial [...]
[...] Graphics Cards VRM Tutorial [...]
[...] of the VRM, not a separate component. The VRM consisting of a MOSFET and choke and a logic chip. http://www.geeks3d.com/20100504/tuto…m-explained/2/ [...]
[...] http://www.geeks3d.com/20100504/tuto…vrm-explained/ __________________ [...]
[...] designed a reference board for the GTX 560 Ti with overclocking in mind. There is a robust 4-phase VRM for the GPU amd memory and the PCB is equiped with two 6-pin power connectors allowing a maximal [...]