The 5950X will not exceed 3.6 GHz.
The 5950X will not exceed 3.6 GHz.
Hey everyone, I recently purchased a 5950X a few days back. Before that, I had a 3900X and it performed perfectly, achieving around a 7.200 CB20 score. Now, with the 5950X, when it's idle it sits at about 1.4V. But once I start the multi-core benchmark test, the voltage drops to 1.024V and both the CPU and case fans slow down, while all cores run around 3.5-3.6 GHz. I’m getting roughly an 8.500 CB20 score. My motherboard is ASUS Tuf X570, I have a 128GB 3200MHz CL16 RAM, a RMx850W power supply, and the Gigabyte RTX 3090. The cooler is an NH-D15 chromax black. The BIOS is updated to the latest version with reset optimized defaults, and only DOCP is enabled. I’ve formatted my C: drive and installed a fresh copy of Windows 11 Pro.
Despite these upgrades, I’m not seeing the expected Cinebench results that other reviews claim this CPU delivers. It doesn’t reach around 4GHz across all cores when under full load. A friend who uses a TUF X570 with the same model is getting identical performance and scores, yet they’re unaware of it. I tried enabling PBO, which boosts over 4.2GHz during full load, but then the CB score drops back to similar levels. I’m not using PBO because this is my work machine, and doing so would void the warranty.
With the 3900X, setup was straightforward—just enable DOCP for optimal performance. On the Ryzen Master chart, without PBO, I hit TDC (95A) and EDC (140A) limits at full capacity. If I push those to 120A and 150A and raise the power limit to 165W, I’d see an incredible 26,000 CB23 points and an all-core boost near 4.09 GHz, which is a decent score. However, this would still be considered an overclock, right? Since it exceeds the default specs, is it safe to push these limits on my work PC? I’m doing heavy 3D rendering a few hours daily. Thanks for your help!
It's not necessary to stress too much about overclocking. A 5950X can easily reach 5GHz without problems. I typically use a 5900X and push it to PPT 220/TDC 150/EDC 200. With sufficient cooling, you might also consider Curve Optimizer with -15 for all cores for improved performance. PBO works well too. As for whether AMD can void warranty claims, I'm not sure how that would be handled.
All reviewers are receiving those ratings because they activate PBO. It doesn’t cancel the warranty since AMD can’t verify if it was turned on when you bring the CPU in for service. AMD promoted all performance numbers with PBO enabled—just turn it on and use it. Even if your system relied on the standard Intel cooler, the CPU would still operate at its lowest safe speed without any issues.
I updated the AMD chipset drivers and installed all Windows updates. I tested both Windows 10 and 11. @gymleader - these reviews without PBO enabled are averaging over 25,000 points on CB23. I’m hoping to achieve the advertised speed once everything is fully installed. My system includes a high-end cooler, a solid X570 board, and a reliable PSU. This is why I’m puzzled about the 20-30% drop in performance compared to others. I still can’t locate the solution—could this be misleading advertising from AMD? @PDifolco - I adjusted the CPU voltage slightly as shown in the video, setting it to 10%. Since that creator claims a 5950x only managed -12, it seems my settings are stable (TDC 120A, EDC 150A, PPT 165W). This should be safe for long-term use without harming any components. Thanks!
It looks like you've disabled all boost features, so performance stays around the normal 3.6GHz clock. Instead of full 4.2GHz per core boost without optimization, you're limited to at least 4.5GHz across all cores with decent tuning. With strong optimization, reaching up to 5GHz becomes possible—especially with a 25K point CBR23 and a 5950X chip, though I'd expect around 22.5K with a 5900X. If you push it further, you might hit 30k or more.
You essentially cleared all boost settings and reinitialized the BIOS to its standard configuration while enabling DOCP. This means any previous boost configurations were discarded, which could explain why boosting doesn't reach higher speeds. It's likely the system is now operating without those adjustments.
Temps are fine if you run cinebench at stock settings. Verify using Ryzen Master or hwinfo64. There might be a minor cooling mount issue with insufficient thermal headroom.