Review: EVGA X570 DARK

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CPU overclocking:

We will start the overclock by using the two profiles available in the BIOS. These are the gamer profile and the OC Robot profile. The idea is to compare the performance obtained against the stock processor and then against our manual overclock.

1. Stock performance :

As we have already said, before you overclock any component, the most important thing is to have reference scores. Therefore we took a series of readings (score, voltage, power consumption and temperature) during both Cinebench R15 and Cinebench R23 benchmarks. Here is what we got with the CPU at stock and with our XMP profile enabled.

During both benchmarks we found that the frequency on all 16 cores stabilized at around 4415 MHz. We will compare these results with the different BIOS profiles and our manual overclock.

2. Gamer Mode profile :

On the BIOS home screen, you can choose what is called « Gamer Mode ». You have to agree to a message saying that the CPU will go up to 4500 MHz and the computer will reboot automatically. The only downside, as with all automatic overclock, is that the memory kit is not configured correctly. So you will have to remember to do it manually after rebooting.

The score increases very slightly, which is quite logical since we go from 4415 MHz to 4500 MHz. On the other hand, the temperature has taken a hit and finally the stock profile is perhaps more interesting given the low gain.

3. EVGA OC Robot profile :

As far as the « OC ROBOT » is concerned, the test is quite fast as it « only » takes a minute. The software starts the test at 4000 MHz and finally settles at 4600 MHz at 1.25 volts. If you are happy with this, just confirm and the PC will automatically reboot.

In the end, the good news is that this automatic overclock is quite safe. The chosen voltage is not exaggerated and the temperatures remain good. The score increases even more and is more interesting here. Compared to the « Gamer Mode » profile, we have gained another 100 MHz.

4. Manual overclock :

Having already tested this Ryzen 9 5950X on other X570 motherboards, I know what to expect. I therefore opted for a frequency of 4800 MHz, a Vdroop of 25% and a BIOS voltage of 1.25 volts.

Our Ryzen 9 5950X manages to reach 4.7 GHz with a voltage of 1.19 volts without a flinch. We are quite lucky here, as this chip performs very well and is very docile in terms of overclocking. To get Cinebench R15 to 4.8 GHz, it needs 1.21 volts and 1.22 volts for Cinebench R23.

We will test this configuration in two weeks under LN2. Let’s now move on to the overclock of our memory kits.