Check if the system runs smoothly when idle with the Ryzen 7500F on a ROG STRIX B650E-F board.
Check if the system runs smoothly when idle with the Ryzen 7500F on a ROG STRIX B650E-F board.
So, does 15W represent suitable idle power? I'm currently using the newest Windows 11 version, with the latest chipset, LAN and audio drivers from the Asus support site, and my motherboard has been updated to the most recent BIOS.
Power consumption increases directly with the quantity of work the CPU must perform. When demand rises, it requires higher voltage and more cores. This might appear unexpected, yet a more powerful CPU could actually consume more energy for the same task compared to a less powerful one.
Relatively large idle usage is a characteristic of chiplet-based CPU designs. A high-bandwidth bus connecting dies via the substrate isn't energy efficient; it simply relies on silicon operation. More chiplets result in increased idle consumption. Very large Epyc chips can consume over 100W when idle. Cores can shut down dynamically, which also explains why idle clock speeds reported in monitoring apps are inaccurate—their idle power is minimal, just a few milliwatts.
Monolithic CPUs perform better in this area, which is why AMD's mobile processors use monolithic designs (except for high-end models). Desktop APUs can operate under 10W.
Not very clear why you're so focused on idle performance, since that’s far less significant compared to other specifications and metrics, but it should be acceptable. While "idle" is somewhat ambiguous, a mostly inactive system—like mine—runs between 6w and 17w during idle. More important is how it behaves under heavy loads, especially regarding thermal management and stability. As long as those aspects are satisfactory, the rest is largely irrelevant. For those worried about utility costs, I strongly suggest putting the system to sleep whenever you won’t be using it for more than five or ten minutes, which greatly reduces concerns about unnecessary power consumption.
Other than energy savings, there’s little information at idle about what the system is actually doing, unless something unusual is occurring. I don’t see any issues with your setup.