Yes, it's safe to disable CPB and PBO at 3700x.
Yes, it's safe to disable CPB and PBO at 3700x.
I recently purchased a 3700x and was experiencing idle temperatures around 45-60°C in my new system, capping at 80°C during load. After disabling CPB and PBO in the BIOS, I noticed idle temps dropping into the low 40s. It's not perfect, but it's significantly better than the previous 50°C range. I'm curious—should I keep these features off? Could leaving them on affect performance or reliability? What benefits am I giving up? How can I manage temperatures without CPB and PBO? The cooler voltages drop to about 1.005 when idle, which is a bit low. I'm currently using the stock cooler and maintaining room temps around 22°C.
Assuming you're using an Asus board with CPB or AMD Precision Boost enabled, this feature enhances CPU performance by adjusting clock speeds based on workload. Turning it off restores the processor to its base speed, which may not be ideal. PBO results vary by chip model; testing can reveal if it improves benchmark scores. On my 3900X, stock cooling handled temperatures up to 80-85°C without issues, but upgrading the cooler would help for better efficiency or lower temps. Zen 2 chips operate at higher thermal densities due to their 7nm manufacturing, so elevated temperatures are typical and expected.
You're asking if lowering both CPB and PBO settings is safe, especially since you've been running at 3.58GHz constantly. It's normal for clocks to fluctuate, but re-enabling CPB might help stabilize them. Consider it a precaution rather than a worry.
Restore to BIOS settings. Activate the XMP profile for your RAM (referred to as DOCP on AMD systems). This should suffice for observing normal performance, keep other settings at their defaults. You’re welcome to tweak fan curves as desired. Also, make sure to download and install the newest chipset drivers for your motherboard model—available on AMD’s website by searching “AMD chipset drivers.” These drivers contain AMD’s custom power plans for Ryzen 3000 chipsets, allowing proper boosting and downclocking during idle. When you report consistently seeing 3.58GHz, it’s likely you’re checking Task Manager or a similar tool. Ryzen Master, AMD’s overclocking and monitoring app for Ryzen processors, is the only known utility that displays actual idle clock speeds. Install it and verify your core clocks; if they drop as expected, you’re ready to proceed.