CPU overclocking:
Currently, to overclock an AMD processor, you can either do so directly via the BIOS or via the AMD Ryzen Master software. We chose the latter solution for our first tests. Our processor is usually cooled by ourAlphacool Eiszeit 2000 chiller . So we won’t be under the same cooling conditions as in our previous tests with this Ryzen 9 9950X3D. We’ll see what can be achieved with the AIO ROG Ryuo IV 360 ARGB cooling system.
Protocol:
Before getting started, you need to have one or more reference scores with your processor at original frequencies. It’s also very important to have a sheet of paper handy, so you can keep a record of all the tests you’re going to carry out, as well as any results or failures. Personally, I have hundreds of test sheets to which I sometimes return to find out how the processor behaved on a particular motherboard or under a particular test condition. My own little bible.
For H24 overclocking, you’ll need to take more time to fine-tune the voltage to the minimum necessary, but you’ll also need to set each core independently if you want the best performance.
The Ryzen 9 9950X3D has two CCDs. Each CCD has a single CCX with 8 cores. In the case of our 9950X3D, none of the CCX cores are disabled, so that each CCD has 8 cores, for a total of 16. The idea is to see how the CCDs behave when all the cores are activated. We saw in the frequency check that CCD0 performed better than CCD1. It will therefore be possible, via Ryzen Master, to try to push this one higher than the other.
Finally, you can also decide to vary the frequency of each core. To overclock, go to profile 1 and select manual overclocking. This allows you to control either each CCX or each core independently.
Overclocking our Ryzen 9 9950X3D :
As we explained when we analyzed the PCB of this ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial, the design of the power supply stages is more than sufficient to handle the overclocking of our Ryzen 9 9950X3D. So, logically, there will be no difference in terms of CPU overclocking compared with our APEX per example.
Of course, we’ve already tested our Ryzen 9 9950X3D to see what it can do. So the idea is to check that we’re capable of achieving the same overclocking performance on this Glacial. On the left, you can see the original score of 43,420 points, and on the right, the score obtained when our 16 cores are clocked at 5,450 MHz. We then reach 47,771 points, a gain of 10%!
We plan to try out this processor under cold conditions in the coming weeks. If you’re interested, we’ve been delidging a copy of the Ryzen 9 9900X with tools from Thermal Grizzly.
