Does the CPU clock decrease when under heavy usage?
Does the CPU clock decrease when under heavy usage?
I've been evaluating the new setup, and during my tests with the 9950X3D in Cinebench R23, I'm observing significantly lower-than-expected scores in multi-core scenarios. I'm consistently achieving around 34K, which appears unusually weak for this processor.
Use Task Manager, Resource Monitor, and Process Explorer (Microsoft, free) to track system performance.
Launch each tool sequentially, keeping only one open at a time.
Power on the machine, enter the tool interface, and maintain the window open.
Begin with simple operations to observe resource consumption, percentages, frame rates, and memory usage, noting which processes consume the most.
Pause between actions to let the system stabilize.
Progress to more intensive tasks and monitor shifts in resource allocation.
Visual graphs can aid early detection of issues.
Finally, refine your focus based on findings.
Remember to save all critical information before proceeding.
Thanks for the message Ralston.
I've started using Process Explorer and from light tasks to medium workloads it seems to be running fine. At idle there's nothing hogging any system resources, and applications that are running are taking up what you would expect from them. I'm unsure where to go from this point.
Under CPU stress tests the CPU is loaded 100% on all cores which is expected, but the performance just isn't there. As I said before the clocks drop to 3900MHz and the CPU barely warms up. It doesn't really make much sense to me what's going on with it currently.
I don't believe there are any power limits in place, and the temps cannot be throttling it.
If it isn't overheating when running at full load with just a 240AIO, it indicates serious underperformance. It should require at least a 360AIO to maintain cooling during full performance. This usually points to insufficient power and/or voltage supply. Have you checked any BIOS performance settings? Make sure PBO is enabled on auto, and ensure the BIOS version is up to date for x3D CPUs. Modern systems often need some adjustments to achieve optimal performance right out of the box. There are limited guides available for optimizing 7000 and 9000 (x3D) Ryzen processors. You can find more tips in the links provided.
Hi Mike, I've experimented with various PBO configurations, including those from the videos you shared. The main difference in multicore performance remains minimal. In all PBO settings, the Vcore voltages stay consistent at 0.88V during full load, never exceeding that level while under stress, but they rise back to about 1.2V afterward. Temperatures stay low, around 50°C. When PBO is enabled, the CPU clocks cap at roughly 4000Mhz when all cores are active. I've switched to the latest AMD chipset and updated the BIOS for my motherboard, ensuring drivers are up to date. I also removed the AIO head, re-seated the CPU, and reapplied the paste—results are better idle temps but no other improvements. In the BIOS, the APU VDDIO is set to 860mV, which matches the Vcore values, though I'm not sure if this is connected.
This is the voltage drop that happens when current increases under load, a typical occurrence but possibly a bit low. It shouldn't fall below 1v. With ample spare temperature, you might attempt adjusting the Curve optimizer to a positive value, starting with +10. Also, check if ECO mode is active in BIOS—lower power input should be around 105W, but for 16 cores it should be at least 150W.
If you don’t want to modify BIOS settings, consider using preset profiles in Ryzen Master or Auto OC. These aren’t officially recommended or permanent, but if they help, you can manually apply them to BIOS.
Unfortunately, there was no improvement from adjusting the curve optimizer. I experimented with various voltage settings in the BIOS to potentially push the Vcores beyond the 1V limit, but nothing worked. There is an eco mode in the MSI BIOS, but it remains disabled and appears grayed out. I managed to get some results by increasing the clocks during full multicore load in cinebench. By manually setting the PBO limits with additional parameters like PPT and EDC TDC to their maximums (based on AMD Master presets), I achieved a maximum of 4500Mhz at full load with a score around 35K. TDC reached approximately 215A and the package power was about 245W. However, the main constraint still seemed to be the Vcore voltages. I discovered that using the manual "target frequency" setting in AMD Master to around 4700 resulted in a stable 1.2V and a score of about 39K in r23, but setting it to 5Ghz or higher caused the system to crash. I have stopped using that setting since then. It seems illogical that this chip doesn<|pad|> when multicore benchmarks don’t improve, even though it can reach up to 5500Mhz in games. There appears to be a fixed restriction on the Vcore voltage when all cores are active.