Got my 5950x a few days before Christmas, and have been tweaking it ever since. I thought I hit a wall a couple times with adjusting CO values, but I finally think I hit the PBO2 limits of my chip. My goal was to get as good of a balance between single core and all core performance, and I think I achieved it quite nicely here so I wanted to share my results and findings with the community.

Relevant(?) Specs:

• 5950x

• NZXT Kraken X63 + 2x Noctua NF-A14 (in a Coolermaster NR200 mITX case)

• Asus Crosshair VIII Impact - BIOS 3102 AGESA 1.1.9.0

• 32GB G.Skill Trident Z Royal - 3800Mhz 1:1 FCLK @ 16-16-16-32

PBO Settings:

• PBO Advanced

• PBO Limits

  • PPT: 200

  • TDC: 200

  • EDC: 150

• Scalar: Auto

• Curve Optimizer:

  • 4 best cores: -14

  • Next two cores: -20

  • All remaining cores: -30

• Max Boost: +125Mhz

A couple screenshots:

Notes and Observations:

• For the longest time I was hovering around the 30140-30200 range in R23 and 13500 in CPU-Z, hitting 86-87 degrees in Cinebench. It wasn't until I read a comment while scrolling around on overclock.net saying something along the lines of "Zen 3 doesn't like high power draw" or similar, I can't seem to find that comment now. This whole time I had the PBO Limits set to Motherboard, which was maxing out EDC at 200A. Before I read that comment, I thought that raising it would be the solution to increasing performance (at the cost of more heat, of course).

  • After fiddling around with values, I came to the setup that I have above (particularly EDC 150), which gained me 600 points in R23 and 200 points in CPU-Z, while also dropping my temps down to 74 degrees maximum. Amazing!

  • Limiting PPT to 200W also seems to be the perfect value for my chip. During R23 load it does hit 100%, but increasing this value made things worse, as did lowering it. TDC doesn't seem to make any noticeable differences that I can see. Even lowering it to 200A, it only hits 73% maximum.

• Maximum effective clock during R23 Single Core is around 5030Mhz. During my RAM timing testing I noticed my max effective clock get up to 5167Mhz. Not super meaning full, but it was interesting to see.

• Maximum effective clock during R23 Multi Core is around 4600Mhz. It jumps up to about 4680Mhz during CPU-Z.

So I have done about 9-12 hours extensive testings.

--

You WILL have to know your max PPT, TDC, EDC else this is just waste of time doing it and you will just be using default values which give you more aggressive under-volt than you might had opted before manually before using this.

Make sure to set those values in bios before moving on else you will just see default values in there no matter if you pick auto oc, or pbo, this was the case at least for me it would not pickup anything else than default values in software until manually set in bios.

So go to bios set values for those and set everything else on auto in PBO menu.

Verify and run a test just to verify settings are applied like on this screenshot, you don't have to run a full test if your settings where not added correct, go back and do it again.

My 5900X can handle these

PPT 185

TDC 125

EDC 170

Screen after completion..

https://i.imgur.com/otgetEQ.png

Video running test being stable for now and screen from HWiNFO just after finished tests.

Setup

5900X B0 Stepping early unit, not first week tho.

Asus x570-I ITX - Bios 4204 with AMD AM4 AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.6b

3080 FE

16GB F4-3600C15-8GTZ

SF600

All in a loque ghost s1 case with some vector EK cooling setup on all parts.

All this was done by upgrading to latest bios, resetting bios to make sure no old values was stock and I only touched RAM timings with and dram voltage and PPT, TDC, EDC, PBO scalar x10, overclock 200mhz, rest was injected by ryzen masters into the bios settings after hitting apply.

Overall AMD have done a amazing job with this, even noobs can overclock and undervolt proper now 10/10 AMD clap clap

Do you wish to do it your self grab latest version here

https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/ryzen-master

This is free performance that I hadn’t taken advantage of in the year I’ve owned my Ryzen 5600, so I’m writing to this to advocate that nobody else wait as long as I did.

This is my guide. There are many like it, but this one is mine😁.

Curve Optimization is very easy - the testing being automated - and poses no danger whatsoever to one’s hardware; the worst you can expect is a Windows bluescreen, and that is no more deleterious than stalling a car. The only drawback is that you will need to have your computer running tests that render it useless – if you are prepared to leave it running overnight and/or while at work, though, this is not a problem – and it can take a long time.

1. Software (all free)

You will need:

• AMD Ryzen Master (latest version)

• HWINFO (to get the preferred core order and, optionally, compare before and after temps/power)

• Core Cycler (which contains PBO2Tuner – set and test curve optimizer values)

• CPU and gaming benchmarks (compare before and after performance, test for real-world stability)

2. Preliminaries

• Open HWINFO and uncheck both boxes, then navigate to “Central Processor(s)”-> <your CPU>. Make a note of the sequence after “Core Performance Order” – this is the order in which we will be testing them with Core Cycler, but you must SUBTRACT 1 from each value; Core Cycler starts numbering cores at 0, not 1.

• Open AMD Ryzen Master, select Advanced View, click Curve Optimizer, Per Core, then click Start Optimizing. Ryzen Master will then enter an automated procedure to generate its best estimate of what your CPU is capable of. Plan to be away from your computer for at least an hour while this is going on; when you come back, make a note of the values it generates, but DO NOT APPLY them - just close the program. Note that the “subtract 1” rule applies to Ryzen Master, as with HWINFO.

• Open the Core Cycler config file and make the following changes:

“stressTestProgram = YCRUNCHER”

“coreTestOrder = <your order from earlier>” - remember to subtract one from each

“numberOfThreads = 2”

“mode = 20-ZN3 ~ Yuzuki” in the ycruncher section, halfway down the page.

Some rationale:

The preferred core order is from WORST to BEST under-volter, and thus MOST to LEAST likely to fail – this is because the more preferred a core is, the more efficiently it is already running, and so the lower the voltage floor is. This makes testing faster because the most unstable cores will fail first, and dropped cores are left out of subsequent intra-session iterations by Core Cycler. Also, the ycruncher Yuzuki test is considered to be the most difficult one to pass, so we might as well start with it; you can – and should – run others afterwards.

• Open Windows Event Viewer, right-click on Custom Views, and click Create Custom View. Check “Warning”, and “Error”, then “By source”, and check “WHEA Error” in event sources. Name the view something meaningful, then exit the Event Viewer. This is just in case Windows ever BSODs – not likely, but possible – and we will need to know which core failed.

3. Testing – Round One

Create a spreadsheet like the one below – we will be keeping track of passes and fails.

When you’re ready to leave the computer alone, close all programs, open PBO2Tuner and key in the values given by Ryzen Master earlier, then click Apply, and minimize the program. These values are applied as though they were typed into the BIOS, and persist until they are changed, or the computer is restarted.

Run “Run CoreCycler” - the testing will begin, and will run until you stop it, or until every core has thrown an error.

~TESTING HAPPENS – LEAVE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, PREFERABLY 6+ HOURS~

When you come back to the computer, if Core Cycler is still running, stop it with Ctrl-C, and see which core/s, if any, have failed; Ryzen Master’s supplied values are usually rather optimistic, so you should expect some errors, which show up in bright purple text. (If you accidentally close the window, the log file contains all the same information, but is more annoying to parse.)

Scroll around the window and see how long it took for the core/s in question to error out – a fast error is anything under 10 mins, IMO, and a slow error is anything over. Any core with a fast error will be having its CO value increased by 2, while slows will have theirs increased by 1; if any cores don’t error (in which case, Core Cycler will still be running on those cores when you come to check), add them to the

“coresToIgnore =”

– no point hitting these cores again until Round 2.

(If the machine has reset, go into Event Viewer and look in your custom view – under Error, there will be an entry called “Processor APIC ID”, with a number, the number corresponding to a thread. Core 0 will run threads 0 and 1, Core 1, threads 2 and 3, and so on; whichever core was running the failed thread, increase its CO by 3 or 4 – that core was not even close to stable!)

Update your spreadsheet as shown below, with the adjusted CO values, and save it – when you are ready for your next test session, put these new values into PBO2Tuner before you start.

Keep repeating the above until all cores pass a session of this “all cores at once” testing.

and so on; my last all-core session, after shedding cores as they passed, looked like this:

4. Testing – Round 2

The next step is to extend the testing for each core. You can jump right to hitting one core for 6+ hours (as I did), or divide the cores into two groups (“front half, back half”, from the order earlier, is best), and test them one half at a time, Ignoring the cores in the other half. This will double the amount of time each core is under stress, and might generate errors that didn’t appear before, but you will be much closer to the true stable value thanks to the previous testing.

Change the core testing order to match the results from Round One - they might not be the same as the HWINFO values; for example, HWINFO gave me 2 ,1 ,0, 4, 3, 5, but ordering by the results of my Round One, worst to best, would be 0, 1, 4, 5, 3, 2.

Do the “increment on error” procedure from before, until the front half all pass, and then do the same for the rear half.

5. Testing – Round 3-4-5

If you like, you can split the cores again, and repeat, getting all groups stable. Keep splitting until you get to the point where only one core is being tested at a time:

• Ryzen 3 – four, two twos, four ones.

• Ryzen 5 – six, two threes (or three twos), six ones.

• Ryzen 7 – eight, two fours, four twos, eight ones.

• Ryzen 9 – 5900 = twelve, two sixes, then each six as per Ryzen 5; 5950 = sixteen, two eights, then each eight as Ryzen 7.

Yes, this CAN be a lot of testing, but Curve Optimizer CPUs are most likely to crash at the highest boosts (= lowest loads), so sheer duration is the only way to generate any confidence in stability. Thankfully, Ryzen Master gets us most of the way there; the values it gives are usually stable enough at least for idle Windows tasks.

My last round of Yuzuki was a 40-iteration test on each core individually - 5-6 hours per core:

From Ryzen Master's -28, -30, -30, -30, -30, -30, I ended up at -20, -21, -29, -26, -22, -26.

6. Further Testing

It is advisable to use the PRIME95 HUGE on each core in turn, as this is another very low load situation that lets the CPU boost to its maximum; make these changes in the Core Cycler config file. Feel free to try to some other presets as well – no such thing as too much testing. Read what other users found to be their “magic bullet” test settings, and try those out.

The best test, though, is, as always, to use the thing - browse, game, edit, do whatever you normally do.

7. Finalizing

When you’re happy that everything tests stably, go into the BIOS and enter your final values in the Curve Optimizer menu – this will save you having to use PBOTuner2 every time you boot up.

If your computer ever crashes (not impossible) use the Event Viewer to identify the rogue core, and increase its CO value in the BIOS.

So, I've been using my 5900x at a -25 offset on all but the first core (which is at -20) for the last 36 hours or so. I've been playing games normally and running things like OCCT, Prime95, Cinebench R23, etc... and I have yet to get any sort of crash or system reboot.

My PBO2 settings are as follows...

PPT: 205 W
TDC: 145 A
EDC: 155 A

PBO Scalar: Auto

Curve Optimizer: -20, -25, -25, -25, -25, -25, -25, -25, -25, -25, -25, -25

Boost Clock Override: 150MHz

So my question is, is it normal to be stable (as far as I'm concerned) at these settings? -25 seems a little extreme to me. Please feel free to leave suggestions or ask for more details in the comments!

PS, here's a screenshot of what Ryzen Master looks like while running Prime95 Small FFTs: https://imgur.com/wz93o1D, just as an example. :)

I've been toying with my new 5900x chip, and have been reading up on the new PBO2 and curve optimizer tool. I'm a bit confused because two of the key settings (I think) seem to be contradictory, being the curve optimizer offset (from 0 to negative 30) or the manual OC boost limit (from 0 to +200 mhz). If I set the boost limit to +200, I'm unable to use a lower (more negative) offset and my pc will crash, I'm assuming due to the lower voltage. Which, in theory, is better to maximize? Would it be more beneficial to set a lower boost (say +100) and a lower curve offset (say -15) versus a higher boost (say +150) and a higher offset (say -5)? I guess my question is, how do I find the balance and / or what is the balance I should be aiming for in PBO2?

✅ I already did the "Automatic Optimizer", it took about 1h 45m to complete, then it restarted.

✅ If i see this screen, this mean it's applied?

✅ Because if i restart and go to the BIOS, i don't see any changes in the CO.

✅ Also, i can close RM and the CO will still runing right or need to keep it opened?

✅ And for last, i should activate Max CPU Boost Clock Override?

Thx in advance!

So somehow I got a 5900X, and being the enthusiast I am I'm trying to see what kinda of clocks I can get out of this thing.

Now I know how it goes with all core clocks on these. Full load clocks are lower but boost clocks are higher, benifiting games.

But I feel like I'm not getting the results with PBO, or more specifically the Curve Optimizer.

Here are my current settings

PBO Limits = 500/500/500 PBO Scalar = 10X Max CPU boost override = 200Mhz

Curve optimization per core all negative Core1 14 circle Core2 20 Core3 14 star Core4 20 Core5 20 Core5 20 Core7 20 Core8 20 Core9 20 Core10 8 circle Core11 15 Core12 8 star

These values were found by starting high and dropping untill stable on each core individually. Circle and star indicate the best cores as per ryzen master, these also happen the be the ones who's curve I can't change much.

Results at these settings are as follows (note these are with normal background tasks running).

Peak clocks on some cores 5024 5099 5024 others range from 4990 to 4876.

Sustained clocks on Cinebench R20 MC = 4524 @ 82C

R20 SC score = 625, MC = 8705

What do people think? Am I using the curve optimizer wrong? Are there additional settings I should be using to improve results? Maybe my silicon is mediocre?

Hello

I've always hated overclocking. I'm the kinda guy who likes to play on his computer, not with his computer. I think this is because of bad experiences overclocking FX 8350 and 6700K, I had unbelievable stability issues on those chips. Running prime95 all night just to have the system crash on me 10 mins after concluding my overclock was "stable".

Anyway, I'd like to share my experience "overclocking" my 5900X, and maybe ask for advice from those more experienced than myself.

I started with everything on default settings and I was getting mediocre results. r20 603 single core and 7800 multicore. Those scores were unacceptable to me. I then started to play around with the settings.

Disabling the Asus 'Fmax' option in the PBO settings raised MC by 600 points to 8400, pretty good. Then activating PBO really did almost nothing on auto settings. So I started reading about it and tuning. I ended up setting PPT, TDC, EDC to 185, 125, 170 respectively, accoridng to https://albertherd.com/2020/12/13/my-experience-with-precision-boost-overdrive-2-on-a-5900x/

I set the scalar multiplier to 10X and max boost to 200MHz.

Finally I set the curve optimizer to -10 all core, and behold, I get around 620 SC annd 8700 MC. This is still a bit shy from the advertised 631 SC, so I decided to decrease the curve optimizer in increments of 5 until Cinebench crashes, and then increase it by 5. I decreased it until I reached -30 and my motherboard wouldn't let my decrease it further. I get scores of 629 SC and 8830 MC. Pretty good I think, but maybe it could be better? I've seen people get better results, but I haven't been able to hit higher numbers with other settings.

Max temp during cinebench was 75 degrees, on prime95 I hit max temp 91 on blend.

I believe my settings are stable, I've been running prime95 on blend for about 30 mins so far as of writing this.

I would like to ask if I made some mistake along the way? Should I have done something different? Are my scores any good?

My specs:

5900X

Corsair H115i platinum

Asus TUF x570 Gaming plus wifi

On cinebench my processor hits a sustained clock of 4600 on MC and 4950-4975 on SC, although I have seen it boosting all the way up to 5150 momentarily on one core.

Thanks for all comments and advice!

I did -5 in all my cores and it was stable, then tried to do -15 on all with the occt test to see which cores where the problem, but it shows no issues and as soon as i open any game it crashes. I have a gigabyte b450 motherboard and i am trying to get my temps lower because while gaming it goes up to 85C. Any ideas of what to do? This is my first time doing anything like this.

Not sure if I should have flaired this as discussion but I think news is appropriate since I couldn't find any mentions of these new capabilities on the sub. Mods, please change it if appropriate.

Version 2.9.0.2093 release highlights:

• Adds support for Desktops utilizing AMD Ryzen™ 5000 processors

• Adds Memory Overclocking support for AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X3D

• Adds support for AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 5000WX processors

• Added Bug Reporting Tool for easy feedback and issue reporting

• Introducing both Auto-Curve optimizer and Manual Curve optimizer for AMD Ryzen™ 5000 processors and AMD Ryzen™ PRO 5000WX processors

Full release notes: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/release-notes/rn-ryzen-master-2-9-0-2093

Ryzen Master main page and download source: https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/ryzen-master