The recently announced AMD Ryzen 7000 X3D Zen 4 3D V-Cache CPUs may not support overclocking like their predecessors.
AMD Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs Do Not Get Full Overclocking Support; Microsoft Working on Multi-CCD Chip Optimizations in Windows 11
AMD confirmed in a press Q&A that their Ryzen 7000 X3D 3D V-Cache CPUs will benefit from more advanced tuning features such as PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) and Curve optimizer, but manual frequency overclocking and voltage adjustments appear to be out of the question.
AMD recommends Curve Optimizer because it provides the best balance of overall CPU performance, but hard frequency overclocking is restricted, as it was with previous generation Zen 3D V-Cache chips. According to the red team, the voltages have been increased this time, reaching 1.4V versus the 1.1V limit on the Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU. The stacked L3 cache on the chip is very sensitive to high temperatures and additional voltage, and it is possible that the chips will break if these are tweaked, so there is a hard lock, just like the previous generation. AMD Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs benefit from PBO and Curve Optimizer due to the limited voltage.
The full specifications page for the 7950X3D has been updated to remove the phrase “Unlocked for overclocking” and replace it with “AMD Expo Memory overclocking technology”:
Ex-Head of Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock, stated last year when AMD launched its Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU that they were quick in rolling out the Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU in the gaming market, so it is likely that given enough time to mature, AMD could have future generations of 3D V-Cache chips that support overclocking just like any other CPU. AMD’s first-generation designs have definitely improved, with more auto-tuning options and higher clock speeds to work with, but it appears that full manual overclocking will have to wait a little longer.
There were also reports that the overclocking lock was bypassed by a few overclockers, and we know for a fact that a few motherboard vendors were working on a BIOS for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D to enable overclock support, but that didn’t pan out and AMD was hit hard with the restrictions, so those plans had to go down the drain.
AMD and Microsoft are working together to optimise Windows 11 for hybrid chiplet architecture designs.
Furthermore, Microsoft and AMD are working together to optimise the dual-CCD Ryzen 7000 X3D configurations in Windows 11. This is the first time AMD has released a CPU with two distinct chiplets. One CCD will have a 3D V-Cache (along with lower clocks), while the other will have a standard Non-V-Cache die but run at faster clocks (up to 5.7 GHz). It will also be interesting to see how Windows 11 optimises workloads and usage across those CCDs, as games will clearly benefit from the 3D V-Cache die while single-threaded workloads will benefit more from the other non-3D die.
The optimizations will be delivered via AMD’s own chipset drivers, which will choose from a list of games that benefit from the increased V-Cache solution. This is a process that takes time to mature, so we will most likely see improvements months after the Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs are released.
Source: Tomshardware
