Air-cooled 5900X... Activated PBO, Odd outcomes
Air-cooled 5900X... Activated PBO, Odd outcomes
I've been testing my latest setup for about 45 days. PBO remains off, and it's performing on par or slightly better than the CB R23 score without any major problems. The components include a 5900X processor, an Asus Tuf B550-PLUS board, two 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3200 CL16 modules, WD Blue SN570 drive, and an Asus KO RTX3060ti with 8GB OC memory. It's air-cooled via the Scythe Mugen 5 and six 120mm fans on a Corsair iCUE Commander Core XT case. To test the impact, I enabled PBO last night—my BIOS only shows options to enable or disable it, with no specific voltage settings—and ran a CB R23 benchmark. I anticipate some temperature increase or variation, plus at least a performance lift. Interestingly, the score didn't change much, but the peak package temperature jumped about 10°C from around 86°C. That seems a bit excessive; would appreciate input on whether this is typical. I was hoping for a 2-4°C difference, not a 10°C swing. I'd need to verify with a non-PBO test run to confirm the baseline, but the maximum core frequency I observed was near 4.9 GHz. Does everything align with expectations?
Interesting, generally warmer readings mean increased clock speeds. What are your results and timing with or without PBO? I wasn't surprised by the +10C effect—it occurs when you exceed 4.2/4.3GHz on a 5900X, even on one core.
Stock 5900X CBR23 has a score of 20.5K. With PBO, OC usage, and higher limits, you can push it up to 22.5K, some say even near 24K—about a 15% boost. Performance jumps from 4.2GHz to around 4.8GHz across all cores. This matters because faster clocks improve gaming and general performance. It won’t cost anything, and better clocks mean better results in games or daily tasks. Just make sure your cooling system can handle it; otherwise it’s a solid pick if you have a reliable setup.
Monitor clockspeed, power consumption, and temperature closely during full-core stress. A peak of 4.9Ghz likely came from a single core, but sustained performance across all cores simultaneously is unlikely. Power draw (CPU Package Power) with PBO enabled or disabled will reveal temperature trends. For optimal PBO results, especially at high temperatures, improved cooling is essential. Adjusting voltages via the curve optimizer can help achieve lower temps and better benefits from PBO.
I wasn’t really committed to the concept, just wanted to review the advantages and disadvantages. I prefer my non-PBO temps exactly where they are, thank you very much. Most folks think it’s not essential on a 5900X either. I didn’t grasp why I wasn’t experiencing such a noticeable improvement despite the temperature increase.