Comparison of 5700x and 5900x with energy use
Comparison of 5700x and 5900x with energy use
Water cooling could reduce heat buildup if the 5900X is consuming excessive power.
To lower the power draw on the 5900X while cutting performance, pair it with adjusting PPT/TDC/EDC settings. Just like with a modern GPU, reducing those limits helps stop excessive boosts. I tested this by running a benchmark like CB R23 and using Curve Optimizer, then tweaking the power values to match similar performance at lower energy use. For my RTX 2060 Super, setting the power limit to 90% helped cut heat and power consumption, giving me slightly better results than the original specs. It did lower VRM temps but only if overheating was the main issue. I’d try this approach first to ensure stable power management.
was this your sole MSI board? it looks like they tend to do that. once it stabilizes, it's best to avoid touching the BIOS again—trust me, I know better than to mess with it unless absolutely necessary. (though my B350 is fine, I’ve had enough problems to stay cautious...) the B450 Tomahawk was even worse; that’s why I kept my B350. ; p my 3600 stays much cooler (~5-10°C) thanks to a -200V offset, so I’m not sure that heat just goes into the VRMs. I’d expect them to be cooler too.
I thought @RONOTHAN## was referring to PBO Curve Optimizer, a capability found in 5000 series CPUs that adjusts adaptive voltage based on frequency and workload. An undervolt typically caps performance according to the maximum current allowed by PBO. On my 5900X, after applying Curve Optimizer, it still operates near full capacity during peak load but runs more efficiently. Outside peak times it cools down significantly. This happens because at full load, the CPU is constrained by its power ceiling. Lowering the voltage reduces power draw, effectively raising the power allowance for boosting. My 5900X improved from around 4.2GHz to just over 4.3GHz in Cinebench, thanks to higher boost capability within its limits. The wattage drawn stayed the same; only the current increased as voltage dropped. With just a CO undervolt, the power through the VRMs didn’t drop, unless you also lowered the PBO voltage cap. Setting the TDC to 85 instead of 95 cut power use by about 11% under sustained load without affecting performance.