Undervolting and PBO
Undervolting and PBO
CTR assists in locating a stable 'overclock' via repeated trials. It tends to target a secure voltage level. After identification, it can implement it using Ryzenmaster's tool, which still requires the software to be installed. At least that’s my understanding. The overclock discovered for my system actually harmed gaming performance and only slightly surpassed stock results. Adjusting to safer voltage settings would cause crashes or restarts during testing. My PBO overclock outperforms stock and edges out gaming performance.
Im really struggling- im getting a 5900x and dont want to go crazy, want to get the most out of the chip and just dont know what to do to achieve that. PBO2 in ryzenmaster/bios?
I'm uncertain about the baseline for differences but I allow PBO, widen the limits (ppt 330, tdc and edc starting at 230), set a PBO Scalar of 10X, and add an extra boost clock of +250Mhz. Strong cooling is essential here since PBO (especially with a 10x scalar) causes the CPU to heat up significantly; otherwise the algorithm will reduce clocks and you might think it's not working.
However, I have a B450 motherboard and a 3700X CPU. You'll get a 5900X and a B550 or X570 board. Five hundred CPUs behave quite differently under PBO, so this might not suit you well. I think starting with the video posted by the OP would be a good idea...
this one here.
I don't like fixed overclocking on Ryzen processors as it often harms the lightweight threading performance crucial for gaming. But if you need an overclock for rendering or transcoding, it could help.
Safe voltage levels aren't really applicable for Ryzens in the same way they are for Intels. Intels function as a dynamic CPU, allowing a single voltage setting that suits all cores well, especially in overclocking scenarios. However, Ryzens behave differently—voltages as high as 1.5V are used for individual core boosts, which reduces current draw for that specific core, but when applied across multiple cores, the required voltage drops to around 1.2-1.3V. Therefore, using a fixed 1.3V will negatively impact single-core performance while possibly being excessive for full-core usage.
Finding a safe approach has proven challenging. Many early adopters of Ryzen who thought they were safe experienced premature failures within six months by applying a roughly constant 1.325V setting. This is one reason I favor CT2, as it doesn’t adjust Vcore (SVI2) or set voltage limits; instead, it restricts the VID, allowing the CPU to determine its own needs based on actual requirements rather than predefined demands.
PBO changes power limits. If pushing the 90A threshold forces the Ryzen to throttle, PBO will allow it to exceed that limit temporarily. This doesn’t guarantee the full 90A will be used, as manufacturers like MSI Godlike and Gigabyte can set higher boundaries—even up to 1000A. No Ryzen model is designed to approach those extremes, especially when using extreme cooling solutions.
Applying PBO won’t improve performance directly; it merely broadens the power ceiling so it doesn’t become a bottleneck. Factory PBO aligns with AMD’s established limits, expanding what the Ryzen considers acceptable. PBO versions like 1 or 2 don’t adhere to AMD’s standards but are influenced by the motherboard manufacturer, which can override them even under extreme conditions.
Whether you rely on performance or comfort matters a lot. For Ryzens, it’s better to accept slightly lower frame rates during long gaming sessions and stay within the safe limits than risk damaging the chip after just ten minutes. Intels, on the other hand, will deliver what they promise now and handle any consequences later.
A Ryzen is built to maintain stable temperatures around 90°C or higher, while an Intel can comfortably operate in that range. It’s up to you to provide adequate cooling if you push those limits.
Not really. You don't get anything until you hit the right point, then everything kicks in at whatever its setting is, no matter the temperature until it reaches the limit, or almost there.
Someone pushing 95°C wouldn't understand, the performance stays the same as at 65°C. Especially in a prebuilt like a Dell with its weak cooling and maximum fan speed at any decent load.
My wife can run Office like a pro, she has no problems with working on a PC, but when it comes to hardware and actually using the PC, she's completely confused—she'd never think about temperatures or anything similar.
Much happier with a Ryzen, she says it just isn't as fast as it used to be compared to when she would tell me it keeps shutting down for no reason when I'm not home.