The Ryzen 5 3600 performs better on the A320M than on the X470.
The Ryzen 5 3600 performs better on the A320M than on the X470.
I improved my setup from a Ryzen 5 2600 to 3600 in just one week. I stayed with the Gigabyte A320M S2H for the 2600 because it works well. When pairing the 3600 with the A320M, I achieved a stable 4.3Ghz at 1.45V for extended use. Recently, I purchased an Asus Prime x470 Pro, hoping it would OC better, but only reached 4.2Ghz at 1.35V. Despite trying PBO and Ryzen Master, I couldn't exceed 4.2Ghz at any voltage. Even with PBO, the boosts were limited to 4.09Ghz peak and 4.05Ghz constant at 1.45V. I use BIOS for PBO and Ryzen Master for manual OC on both boards. What went wrong?
The A320 chipset is fixed, so you can't overclock it. It seems you managed to do it on earlier models like the B350 and X370 before that.
degradation simply refers to a gradual decline rather than an immediate failure. It’s true that even at 12nm it starts to degrade slowly over time. Also, have you checked the performance at 4.3 GHz? There are instances where systems operate in a very unstable mode.
It might also reflect a lower-end BIOS version and the actual voltage readings from the X470 board. The data you see isn't always the same as the one being used.
It looks like your A320M provides more stable voltage than the X470, possibly due to design differences. Reviewers often hit around 4.3GHz at 1.4V, while the X470 tends to reach higher frequencies with less consistency.
Maybe just a higher voltage setting. Likely bios problems or possibly the VRM is just not working right.
It's a tough board to overclock on. No clear CMOS button, just header reset. No post code LEDs or any status indicators. No clock generator means no FSB OC capability. The VRM is only 6+"2x2" and can handle around 125A for the CPU—way too much power for safe operation. The heat sinks are inadequate, causing temperatures to rise above 100°C without proper airflow. Once you hit 1.4V, ripple control fails and efficiency drops. I’ve used a 2700x running at 4.2GHz with 1.425V and custom water cooling. Adjusting the frequency and LLC to 5 can stabilize 4.3GHz at 1.475V, but even then, my cooling system struggles under full load and I’m not comfortable at those voltages.