Overclocking

The overclocking process using a Ryzen 9 7950X is exactly the same as the previous Ryzen generations. However AMD has already tuned the turbo algorithm to the ceiling, very little room is left for manual overclocking. This is a good thing for those who have no desire to overclock, but also leaves those who like the hobby somewhat unsatisfied. Gone are the days of heavy all-core overclocks being beneficial, what is left is AMD Ryzen Precision Boost Overdrive. When configured correctly, you can have similar performance to a stock CPU setup, but with a lower power draw. In some cases, upwards of 5% increases in CPU performance are achievable as well. It is worth taking the time to go through the settings and set it up correctly according to your hardware and use case.


If you are not keen on using the BIOS for CPU overclocking, AMD provides a piece of software called Ryzen Master. This is a all-in-one tool for overclocking on Ryzen platforms. You can also have the software try to auto optimize PBO, or use the AMD ECO mode preset to limit the AMD 7950X to 90 Watts. Multi-threaded scores are reasonable considering the lower power target, with just over 30,000 pt in Cinebench R23.


The next step was a brute force overclock, after trying out PBO first. AMD says any, and all overclocking (including memory) will void the warranty. Lots of warnings in software are given as well. In any case, if you do plan on overclocking, a media-only overclocking guide suggested not to exceed 1.3 Vcore, and AMD says Tj.Max is 95 °C for the cores. This temperature threshold is for the "lifetime" of the CPU, where you can exceed this up to 115 °C (if allowed by BIOS) before the system shuts off. Doing so will degrade the CPU over a shorter period of time, but 95 °C is perfectly acceptable, the CPU being designed to operate at that temperature. The good news is that more than 1.3 Vcore will never be practical without first delidding the CPU, going with exotic sub-ambient cooling, or a direct-die cooling solution. The bad news is, as you may have guessed, is that the CPU temperatures can easily reach 95 °C with just 1.25 static Vcore, under load. A primitive overclocking session ended with a all-core overclock of 5.3 GHz at 1.25 V. Not very exciting overclocking using this method, but its possible none the less.

If it seems like Déjà vu that all these motherboards have very similar overclocking potential, that's because they do in a way. The clarification comes here as the limitation is generally not the motherboard, instead it is the processor and the internal thermal limitations. Without going to the extreme measures of sanding down the IHS or delidding a processor for direct die cooling, overclocking potential is going to be similar across the board for Ryzen 7000 CPUs, give or take 100-200 MHz.

HWInfo Sensors

HWInfo Sensors have been requested. Here you go folks!

Memory Overclock

Another echo of previous B560E / X670E reviews here. DDR5 support for the AM5 platform is somewhat sporadic. Over the course of the last few weeks from early access, to first retail release and now the newest BIOS, improvements are seen across the all previously tested motherboards. DD5-6400 is starting to look possible without having to do a lot of voltage and settings tweaking. Dual-Rank didn't work at all mere weeks ago, and now DDR5-6000 works perfectly fine. After testing a number of X670/B650 motherboards, it is clear the BIOS and subsequently AMD AGESA version implemented plays a vital role in memory compatibility. Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master memory QVL lists go to DDR5-6600, but so far DDR5-6200 is the highest stable frequency reached in this review (and others) using auto EXPO settings. It is expected that memory compatibility will improve with future BIOS updates.

I have reached out to Gigabyte for additional memory help. It is a long communication process to make sure that I am doing everything correctly on my end and using memory that is on the QVL list. Unfortunately, at the time of publication, I have not made any additional progress besides what the BIOS updates have provided. DDR5-6600 is still out of the question, even though it is on the QVL list. With a sample size of one CPU, it is entirely possible that I am the problem. However my counter-argument to check out all the XOC scores and compare. HWBOT is a great place to see high scores and top memory frequencies. Looking at top scores, DD5-6400 is the current stopping point for many novice overclockers as well, leading me to believe I'm not the only one here.


HWBOT Submission Link

Similar to other vendors, Gigabyte is also at the mercy of AMD AGESA updates. Right now with the current F8a BIOS, it is highly suggested to buy memory DDR5-6200 or below and to avoid using four DIMMs. For this HWBOT submission using four DIMMs, a maximum frequency of DDR5-6000 was stabilized. Using that as a baseline, the primary timings were brought down to the lowest possible with 1.5 V (28-38-38-50).