Same temperatures but better speed?
Same temperatures but better speed?
I just tried a 9800x3d and experimented with undervolting. The numbers on Cinebench show some interesting trends. At peak performance, my scores were 1227, 97C, 1256, 97C, 1286, and 98C. The drop to -30 PBO still brings the peak up to 1315, which is a +7.2% improvement over the stock. It seems odd that even with deeper undervolting, the peak doesn’t fall much lower. I thought going into negative PBO would help, but it still climbs to 98C. The idea that the 9800X3d can boost up to 95C for better performance is real, but I’m not sure if this is typical. If it’s not, maybe there’s something wrong with the settings or the chip itself.
The 9800X3D will continue reaching 95°C even with PBO and undervolting, especially when running a fully synthetic workload like Cinebench. That’s the way it’s built. It’s not easy to describe, but I’ll attempt it. I understand the concept from memory, but putting it into words is tough (thanks ADHD). I’m really bad at explaining things. Your CPU will ramp up to 95°C on the die and 97°C on the package, as you observed. At that temperature it will begin self-regulating to maintain around 95°C, possibly reducing clock speeds to achieve that. Undervolting means lower voltage and less heat, allowing higher clock speeds without exceeding the temperature limit—and this is why your Cinebench score improved. It’s exactly why cooling becomes critical at 95°C. I ran Cinebench with the CPU fans set to minimum and achieved about 5250MHz on the cores, but with fans at full speed I reached 5300–5350MHz.
It essentially enabled faster performance up to a temperature of 95°C.
Based on what you observed, people still suggest keeping temperatures at -30 max. Your 9800 seems to handle it well. If it continues to reach 95°C without exceeding that range, your cooling system likely performs adequately. Keep monitoring the temperatures to ensure they stay within safe limits.
It depends on your cooling setup. EDIT: I didn't recognize your profile, but a 240mm AIO is a solid choice.
I encountered a problem during the initial setup. Some users felt 240mm wasn't sufficient and suggested 360 would be better. I'm just checking if my current setup meets the requirements.
Unless you're constantly testing Cinebench, the temperature during stress tests isn't crucial. For gaming or everyday tasks under 80°C, it's fine. You can also cut the maximum PPT to keep temperatures down and slightly reduce performance.
The question is about how often the CPU handles full loads. Your cooler may not be sufficient during intensive Cinebench runs, but it should handle normal gaming fine. Stress test readings aren’t crucial. You’ll probably reach around 95°C when shaders load in games or during antivirus scans. I’ve overclocked my 9800X3D to 5.6Ghz with PBO, -25°C and x10 on the Scalar. It uses two AK620 fans at a steady 30% speed, which is more than enough for gaming.