The AMD Cool'n'Quiet may not be functioning properly.
The AMD Cool'n'Quiet may not be functioning properly.
I've observed that AMD Cool'n'Quiet isn't functioning properly with my Ryzen 5 3600, and the CPU speed remains fixed at 3600MHz even when idle. I turned off Core Performance Boost and PBO in the BIOS, which increased my temperatures significantly. Checking Windows power settings didn't resolve the issue, even after switching between Ryzen Balanced, regular balanced, and regular powersave modes. I confirmed the minimum processor state is set to 5%, which it is. What might I be overlooking? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated! System specs: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX (BIOS v3.50), GeForce GTX 1060, 6GB RAM at 3200MHz.
I've saved and set up the newest chipset drivers from the AMD site and the most recent BIOS using MSI's Live Update tool.
I've adjusted my processor settings recently and noticed Ryzen behaves differently from what we expect. The most noticeable change is that clock speed doesn't always reflect power usage. Ryzen also doesn't automatically reduce voltage below Vcore to conserve energy, unlike Intel's CPUs. However, measurements show a significant difference in power draw, and I'm not using any quiet mode. Based on the monitoring data, Ryzen seems to manage power by minimizing current consumption. If you run a tool like HWMonitor or HWiNFO, it will display the actual power usage.
The issue seems unrelated to Cool'n'Quiet or power settings. Voltage, temperature, and clock speed remained unchanged when I toggled the device on and off. MSI Afterburner and HWM displayed a constant 3600MHz, while Ryzen Master showed fluctuating speeds with steady voltage. Power plans also didn't affect performance. I'm concerned something might be wrong and could harm the CPU. A month ago, Afterburner would lower the processor to about 2600MHz during idle. Here are some screenshots from HWM and Ryzen Master: https://imgur.com/a/QDypEsJ Everything is set to default except for Precision Boost Overdrive and Core Performance Boost, which I disabled due to high temperatures.
Based on my observations with the 2700X, the VCore stays steady unless you push the processor to higher loads, at which point it begins to decrease (this is normal). I've locked the speed, but remember that without it, it would vary between base frequencies unless I enabled Power Saver, which brought it down to 2.2GHz without any intermediate settings. The temperature readings are puzzling, but since the third-gen Ryzen behaves similarly to the second-gen with just one temperature sensor, it consistently shows the highest readings and experiences frequent spikes. I wouldn't be too concerned unless it drops below around 50°C.
Turn off all monitoring software you have installed (such as HWMonitor, HWiNFO64, Ryzen Master, etc.) and close Task Manager. Use CPU-Z to verify the VCore and clock speed. AMD recently mentioned in their subreddit that many monitoring tools use polling techniques which can cause the CPU to increase performance. They noted that CPU-Z provides a more accurate reading of VCore and frequency. Be aware that Ryzen tends to put parts of the cores into sleep mode rather than simply lowering the clock speed, which means the frequency shown by monitoring programs might be outdated since the cores aren’t actively working. If speeds and VCore remain high, ensure CPPC and Cool 'n Quiet are activated in UEFI, and apply the Ryzen Balanced Power Plan included with the chipset drivers to achieve the 1ms clock selection offered by CPPC.
As mentioned earlier, you should not rely on hwmonitor or hwinfo for checking Ryzen performance. Instead, use Ryzen Master or CPUID. Additionally, ensure CPPC or C-States are activated in the BIOS.
I compared Ryzen Master and CPU-Z separately. Their readings differed a lot. With Ryzen Master, idle speeds hovered between 400-800MHz and stayed at 3600MHz under load, while CPU-Z showed a steady 3599.16MHz both idle and under stress. Core voltage appeared near 1.008V in both tools, though I’m unsure if that’s normal. When I turned on Cool'n'Quiet in BIOS, a "PSTATE" option appeared and vanished when I disabled CnQ. That setting has three choices: 0, 1, or 2. What’s its purpose?