5900x oc question
5900x oc question
I am reviewing the OC options for 5900x. My knowledge is that Stock, Base clock versus all core OC versus PBO versus PBO+OC are as follows.
Stock
The base clock is 3.7 GHz (is this the full single-core speed or just one core at 3.7GHz? I assume all cores run at that frequency at stock.)
Boost clock is 4.8 (this applies only to single-core boost).
All Core OC
All cores are always running at a fixed frequency set by the system.
PBO
It never exceeds the boost clock when activated. Does this apply to a single core or all cores? With PBO enabled, can one or several cores reach 4.8?
PBO + Auto OC
One or multiple cores can exceed 4.8.
Do I understand this correctly? Which path should I choose for OC on the 5900x? All Core OC vs PBO vs PBO+Auto OC.
I am coming from an Intel platform and the details seem different.
Your time and advice are greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Most Ryzen manuals state that core overclocking is restricted to single-core auto boost, including PBO/PBO2, since the system is optimized by internal algorithms based on load and temperature. If your manual OC results in lower performance than the maximum boost, you’ll miss out on some single-core speed even if multicore gains are achieved. You’d also need to maintain consistent voltage settings and ensure adequate cooling. The base clock of 3.7 GHz applies to all cores, but during auto boost (such as PBO) it neither reaches its minimum nor its maximum unless manually adjusted. At full boost, the single core that reaches the highest frequency should reach or surpass 4-5-4.6 GHz, and I’ve observed CPU boosts reaching up to 5 GHz or slightly higher when properly configured and cooled effectively.
Thank you for your feedback. I have artic cooler 360. Should I push all core oc or allow pbo and auto oc to manage? How do you typically set up your configuration? Thanks.
As mentioned in another discussion about 5800x, PBO is not particularly well optimized, no pun intended.
Here’s an illustration:
When operating stock, my 5900x cores could reach up to 5.025 while voltage would climb to 1.500V and remain elevated during idle, though it will also drop to around 0.965 V.
Switching to PBO with the default motherboard settings for PPT, TDC, and EDC gives performance close to stock. The only noticeable improvement is through Curve Optimizer, adjusting the best cores to negative 10 and the rest to negative 15, but voltage remains fairly high.
Any voltage adjustments lock my CPU back to the stock 3.7 GHz setting.
Applying AMD overclock with offset settings all enabled and setting manual multiplier to 45 keeps voltage steady at 1.25 while still delivering comparable performance; as noted before, this sacrifices single-core speed for multi-core gains.
I believe until a better BIOS is released and tools like clock tuner become available for the 5000 series, I’ll stick with constant voltage. It’s unclear how much electromigration has changed, but I feel more at ease with steady voltage than with frequent spikes.
When you can modify the BIOS to set a maximum spike voltage and test how far each core can go, that would be the day I try PBO.
Hope this helps and I look forward to further updates.
Thank you all for your responses. I don't intend to leave my CPU at stock since I have a 360 rad, high airflow case, a solid motherboard, and more. This configuration is mainly for testing, to satisfy my curiosity and pass the time. I plan to try PBO and curve optimizer along with all other options just for fun. Stock performance already provides strong baseline performance. I can assemble my system next week once all components arrive.
Feel free to share your settings if you need guidance.
Thank you again.