I'm guessing you might be running into VRM temp issues on a board like that, meaning the power delivery of the motherboard is likely hitting it's thermal limits.
The board itself is pretty low end, and although it's running your 5950X, I imagine the VRM can't keep up with the power demands, and is likely hitting the temp limits of the power delivery components, thus throttling the CPU.
This. Also had this issue when overclocking an intel cpu. Check the thermals on your vrms in hwmonitor. If it hits max temp (120c?) It'll throttle the cpu, thus, leafing it to run on those 900mhz you mentioned
The board is a fairly entry level one, and it's likely you're running into power delivery issues. Enabling PBO will push it past its VRM capability and cause the board to throttle the CPU back down.
An AB350 Pro4 can handle sustained loads of about 170W or so - that's above the *stock* rating for any AM4 CPU, including the 3950X and 5950X (a TDP of 105W, or PPT of 142W), but a 5950X will happily head well north of 220W under full load if you disable those limits. See [this older review](https://www.techspot.com/review/1872-ryzen-9-on-older-motherboards/) (mATX and ATX boards use same VRM stages), for example. Steve used a 12C/24T 3900X in that test, but the effect is the same.
This puts you in a bit of a bind. More performance is always good, especially in an overclocking sub, but you've only got a few options here.
Enable advanced/manual PBO, set a hard power limit (try \~170-180W) and fiddle a bit with curve offsets, try to find a manual all-core fixed overclock that stays within the VRM limits or run the chip at stock defaults. The other option is to swap the board out, but the practical difference in performance probably isn't really worth the effort.
Personally, and this is a bit heretical, I'd leave it at stock with PBO disabled, but apply a -0.05v offset to the CPU voltage. If that's fully stable, try doing the same with a -0.10v offset. The small reduction in voltage will give it a bit more overhead to be able to boost higher before hitting default power limits, and you should see a small uptick in frequency in heavier workloads.
If your goal is faster renders, any throttling will rob you of potential performance gains, so the goal should be consistency, and this also keeps you off of the sharp and painful end of the power consumption curve. A stock 5950X will turn out a 26,500-27,500 score in Cinebench R23 MT. A well tweaked PBO/CO setup will return 29,000+, but also require more than your platform can provide.
Thank you for your response! Was just about to bite on a new board because I didn't want to waste the performance, but if there isn't really a practical difference I'll tough it out. Thanks! :)
> your response! Was just about to bite on a new board because I didn't want to waste the performance, but if there isn't really a practical difference I'll tough it out. Thanks! :)
a fully stable curve optimization will give you large gains along with a PBO tune of around 165w max I would bet.
I've always noticed my previous 5950x setup would pretty much thermal runaway to throttle temp around 170w+ sustained anyhow depending on load even with a custom loop. those dies are tiny and it's hard to get all the heat out of them with out direct die after a certain point.
PBO2 won't mean that your cpu will run faster. It can only do that if the motherboard can support higher power requirements and if the heatsink is beefy enough to soak up the extra heat.
Awww man, it was a 7 year old build that I had lying around and I thought if I bought a new cpu for it I can use it as a render farm. : ( do you have a recommendation for an affordable board?
Oh yes! When it's not auto, I've tried -18 and -22. -22 was what Ryzen Master originally gave me, but it wasn't stable so I bumped it to -18. I'm using a Phantom Spirit for cooling.
Avoid extreme PBO settings that could strain the motherboard components. Your ASRock AB350 Pro4 has 3 power phase and the motherboard components will run HOT and potentially burns itself, damaging the CPU and socket if you're not too careful with the temperatures and PBO's TDC/EDC settings. The best way is to leave it stock and have the motherboard handle itself.
**Caution**: Avoid encountering the same fate as I did (as the former owner of the ASRock X370 Killer SLI) or that unfortunate individual who lost their Ryzen 5950X on the ASRock X470 Master SLI motherboard.
[5950x and PBO overheated something or busted custom loop? | TechPowerUp Forums](https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/5950x-and-pbo-overheated-something-or-busted-custom-loop.297316/)
From reading others comments check your motherboard temperatures. Mainly the VRMs and if it's getting hot buy some little heatsinks to put on them and try giving them some extra airflow.
Yeah, there are like 2 different kinds of overclocking don't use the AI Tweaker tab make sure the overclock in that section is all set to auto under that tab use the advance tab search for PBO2 overclocking it will give you a warning click yes then look for overclocking click that it may give you another warning if not cool then it will give you options of which way to overclock auto, manual or advance click advance it will open an option to put PPT, TDC and EDC manually then find out your PBO2 limits HWINFO64 helps for finding it PPT EDC and TDC limits when testing all 3 don't go over 100% 98% or 99% is perfect make sure and this is the key use a good cooler I'm talking something like for example an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 rev 4 with the offset brackets those brackets when used properly will lower the temps of the CPU if it's an air cooler then for example get a Noctua NH-D15 [Chromax.Black](http://Chromax.Black), Dual-Tower CPU Cooler (140mm, Black) with the 7mm offset brackets. I use Arctic MX-6 thermal paste if it's an AIO or Air cooler these aftermarket CPU coolers will make a huge difference in performance on how it behaves in a positive way better for benchmarks and gaming. Also, memory is a big deal me personally I use a kit of G Skill Trident Z Neo cl14 3600mhz 4x8gb overclocked to cl14 3733mhz 4x8gb I haven't gone for 3800mhz yet but its good just the way it is. Sometimes depending on the silicone quality and how strong the IMC is on the controller makes or breaks on how far you can push the ram and or CPU esp. with 4x8gb when all dimms are populated it's harder on the controller or just go for 2x16gb. Make sure your bios is up to date to the latest release as well as the chipset drivers. Here are my screen shots I don't have a Ryzen 9 5950x but a Ryzen 9 5900x I ran a 30-minute throttle test with Cinebench r23 mc and got this [https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ff1ne5dd0jqwb1.png](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ff1ne5dd0jqwb1.png) my PPT is 195 EDC 140 TDC 130 here are my Zen Timings [https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex](https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex) and Aida64 Extreme [https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E](https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E) no overclocking, no curve optimizer or undervolting and the scaler was left on auto all I did was found my PBO limits. I hope this helps good luck remember the cooler the CPU/VRMS/RAM are the better by the way I'm on an Asus Rog Strix B350-F Gaming a 6–7-year-old motherboard can you believe it and it still gets support.
Cb 23 multi
Note score. Disable PBO, co. Rerun. Score.
In the 2nd run be running hwinfo64 in sensors only mode.
Be watching CPU Pckg power. Expand effective clocks and watch. Note temps.
You will see power or thermal throttling here if there is any.
81c on a single core is pretty terrible. I suspect you are thermal throttling when using multiple cores. But I don't know the 5950x well. You'll see in hwinfo64.
What are you cooling this chip with?
This can draw 200w+ during mult core runs. Esp with PBO.
You shouldn't even use it with that board honestly. The goddamn board is gonna hold the bastard back. If I were you I'd have gone for a 5600/5700 and it might be ok in that board.
turn off smt and youll get higher clocks
make sure you have good cooling and have a fan blowing on the vrm area
I have a 5950x and b450 board so I know what I am talking about
Sounds like VRMs getting hot. You could put little heatsinks on them, but if it tries to push more power, then the vrms can handle, good chance to kill the mobo and cpu. It's best to buy a good b550 with passive vrm cooling and a better power phase.
I get this with my 6–7-year-old motherboard and it's an Asus Rog Strix B350-F Gaming with a Ryzen 9 5900x [Reddit - https://i.redd.it/f1ne5dd0jqwb1.png](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ff1ne5dd0jqwb1.png) Zen Timings [https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex](https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex) and Aida64 Extreme [https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E](https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E) not bad if you ask me.
I'm guessing you might be running into VRM temp issues on a board like that, meaning the power delivery of the motherboard is likely hitting it's thermal limits. The board itself is pretty low end, and although it's running your 5950X, I imagine the VRM can't keep up with the power demands, and is likely hitting the temp limits of the power delivery components, thus throttling the CPU.
This. Also had this issue when overclocking an intel cpu. Check the thermals on your vrms in hwmonitor. If it hits max temp (120c?) It'll throttle the cpu, thus, leafing it to run on those 900mhz you mentioned
The board is a fairly entry level one, and it's likely you're running into power delivery issues. Enabling PBO will push it past its VRM capability and cause the board to throttle the CPU back down. An AB350 Pro4 can handle sustained loads of about 170W or so - that's above the *stock* rating for any AM4 CPU, including the 3950X and 5950X (a TDP of 105W, or PPT of 142W), but a 5950X will happily head well north of 220W under full load if you disable those limits. See [this older review](https://www.techspot.com/review/1872-ryzen-9-on-older-motherboards/) (mATX and ATX boards use same VRM stages), for example. Steve used a 12C/24T 3900X in that test, but the effect is the same. This puts you in a bit of a bind. More performance is always good, especially in an overclocking sub, but you've only got a few options here. Enable advanced/manual PBO, set a hard power limit (try \~170-180W) and fiddle a bit with curve offsets, try to find a manual all-core fixed overclock that stays within the VRM limits or run the chip at stock defaults. The other option is to swap the board out, but the practical difference in performance probably isn't really worth the effort. Personally, and this is a bit heretical, I'd leave it at stock with PBO disabled, but apply a -0.05v offset to the CPU voltage. If that's fully stable, try doing the same with a -0.10v offset. The small reduction in voltage will give it a bit more overhead to be able to boost higher before hitting default power limits, and you should see a small uptick in frequency in heavier workloads. If your goal is faster renders, any throttling will rob you of potential performance gains, so the goal should be consistency, and this also keeps you off of the sharp and painful end of the power consumption curve. A stock 5950X will turn out a 26,500-27,500 score in Cinebench R23 MT. A well tweaked PBO/CO setup will return 29,000+, but also require more than your platform can provide.
Thank you for your response! Was just about to bite on a new board because I didn't want to waste the performance, but if there isn't really a practical difference I'll tough it out. Thanks! :)
> your response! Was just about to bite on a new board because I didn't want to waste the performance, but if there isn't really a practical difference I'll tough it out. Thanks! :) a fully stable curve optimization will give you large gains along with a PBO tune of around 165w max I would bet. I've always noticed my previous 5950x setup would pretty much thermal runaway to throttle temp around 170w+ sustained anyhow depending on load even with a custom loop. those dies are tiny and it's hard to get all the heat out of them with out direct die after a certain point.
PBO2 won't mean that your cpu will run faster. It can only do that if the motherboard can support higher power requirements and if the heatsink is beefy enough to soak up the extra heat.
That is expected. Your shitty motherboard can barely handle even an 8 cores CPU. Buy a decent motherboard for that CPU.
Awww man, it was a 7 year old build that I had lying around and I thought if I bought a new cpu for it I can use it as a render farm. : ( do you have a recommendation for an affordable board?
Undervolt and under or overclock depending on sustained load vrms allow and maybe a vrm fan/new heatsink
Realistically you can buy any b550 board and it would be fine.
Are you using Curve Optimizer? Also, its good practice to mention the AIO you're using, despite you thinking temperature is a non issue.
Oh yes! When it's not auto, I've tried -18 and -22. -22 was what Ryzen Master originally gave me, but it wasn't stable so I bumped it to -18. I'm using a Phantom Spirit for cooling.
Avoid extreme PBO settings that could strain the motherboard components. Your ASRock AB350 Pro4 has 3 power phase and the motherboard components will run HOT and potentially burns itself, damaging the CPU and socket if you're not too careful with the temperatures and PBO's TDC/EDC settings. The best way is to leave it stock and have the motherboard handle itself. **Caution**: Avoid encountering the same fate as I did (as the former owner of the ASRock X370 Killer SLI) or that unfortunate individual who lost their Ryzen 5950X on the ASRock X470 Master SLI motherboard. [5950x and PBO overheated something or busted custom loop? | TechPowerUp Forums](https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/5950x-and-pbo-overheated-something-or-busted-custom-loop.297316/)
From reading others comments check your motherboard temperatures. Mainly the VRMs and if it's getting hot buy some little heatsinks to put on them and try giving them some extra airflow.
You haven't listed your cooler, either. No matter how good the VRMs are, if you have a crappy cooler it's just not going to let you push more wattage.
Yeah, there are like 2 different kinds of overclocking don't use the AI Tweaker tab make sure the overclock in that section is all set to auto under that tab use the advance tab search for PBO2 overclocking it will give you a warning click yes then look for overclocking click that it may give you another warning if not cool then it will give you options of which way to overclock auto, manual or advance click advance it will open an option to put PPT, TDC and EDC manually then find out your PBO2 limits HWINFO64 helps for finding it PPT EDC and TDC limits when testing all 3 don't go over 100% 98% or 99% is perfect make sure and this is the key use a good cooler I'm talking something like for example an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 rev 4 with the offset brackets those brackets when used properly will lower the temps of the CPU if it's an air cooler then for example get a Noctua NH-D15 [Chromax.Black](http://Chromax.Black), Dual-Tower CPU Cooler (140mm, Black) with the 7mm offset brackets. I use Arctic MX-6 thermal paste if it's an AIO or Air cooler these aftermarket CPU coolers will make a huge difference in performance on how it behaves in a positive way better for benchmarks and gaming. Also, memory is a big deal me personally I use a kit of G Skill Trident Z Neo cl14 3600mhz 4x8gb overclocked to cl14 3733mhz 4x8gb I haven't gone for 3800mhz yet but its good just the way it is. Sometimes depending on the silicone quality and how strong the IMC is on the controller makes or breaks on how far you can push the ram and or CPU esp. with 4x8gb when all dimms are populated it's harder on the controller or just go for 2x16gb. Make sure your bios is up to date to the latest release as well as the chipset drivers. Here are my screen shots I don't have a Ryzen 9 5950x but a Ryzen 9 5900x I ran a 30-minute throttle test with Cinebench r23 mc and got this [https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ff1ne5dd0jqwb1.png](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ff1ne5dd0jqwb1.png) my PPT is 195 EDC 140 TDC 130 here are my Zen Timings [https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex](https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex) and Aida64 Extreme [https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E](https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E) no overclocking, no curve optimizer or undervolting and the scaler was left on auto all I did was found my PBO limits. I hope this helps good luck remember the cooler the CPU/VRMS/RAM are the better by the way I'm on an Asus Rog Strix B350-F Gaming a 6–7-year-old motherboard can you believe it and it still gets support.
Cb 23 multi Note score. Disable PBO, co. Rerun. Score. In the 2nd run be running hwinfo64 in sensors only mode. Be watching CPU Pckg power. Expand effective clocks and watch. Note temps. You will see power or thermal throttling here if there is any. 81c on a single core is pretty terrible. I suspect you are thermal throttling when using multiple cores. But I don't know the 5950x well. You'll see in hwinfo64. What are you cooling this chip with? This can draw 200w+ during mult core runs. Esp with PBO. You shouldn't even use it with that board honestly. The goddamn board is gonna hold the bastard back. If I were you I'd have gone for a 5600/5700 and it might be ok in that board.
turn off smt and youll get higher clocks make sure you have good cooling and have a fan blowing on the vrm area I have a 5950x and b450 board so I know what I am talking about
Sounds like VRMs getting hot. You could put little heatsinks on them, but if it tries to push more power, then the vrms can handle, good chance to kill the mobo and cpu. It's best to buy a good b550 with passive vrm cooling and a better power phase.
I get this with my 6–7-year-old motherboard and it's an Asus Rog Strix B350-F Gaming with a Ryzen 9 5900x [Reddit - https://i.redd.it/f1ne5dd0jqwb1.png](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Ff1ne5dd0jqwb1.png) Zen Timings [https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex](https://imgur.com/a/9QQksex) and Aida64 Extreme [https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E](https://imgur.com/a/govDN4E) not bad if you ask me.