Bad news for those who dream of overclocking AMD Ryzen 7000X3D processors

AMD’s recently announced Ryzen 7000X3D processors offered a significant increase in performance compared to the previous generation, and were one step ahead in energy consumption. It seems that overclocking will not happen again on these processors, which come with the new Zen 4 3D V-Cache, which provides serious performance gains especially in games.

Ryzen 7000X3D no overclocking

First of all, Ryzen 7000X3D processors namely Ryzen 7950X3D, Ryzen 7900X3D and Ryzen 7800X3D have more advanced tuning features with PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) and Curve. In other words, processors can automatically run themselves at higher frequencies. However, manual frequency adjustment or any voltage adjustment is still not possible.

AMD recommends the use of Curve Optimizer for the best balance on the new X3D processors, but fixed frequency overclocking is locked in these chips as in the previous generation. According to AMD, voltages have been made much more aggressive in this generation. As the related readers know, the voltage which was 1.1V in the Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor has been increased to 1.4V in the Ryzen 7000X3D series.

The 3D V-Cache implementation enables multi-layer stacked L3 cache design, but at this point the heat factor becomes very important. Because 3D V-Cache is extremely sensitive to high temperatures and additional voltage. Yes, we can say that AMD has taken a serious step forward in this generation, but manual overclocking will have to wait a little longer.

AMD and Microsoft are working on Windows 11 optimization

AMD uses chiplet multi-chip design in its Zen 4/RDNA3 architectures, namely both the Ryzen 7000/Ryzen 7000X3D and the RX 7000 series. Therefore, operating system optimizations are important in terms of performance. On the other hand, in the current dual CCD configurations of the Ryzen 7000X3D processors, AMD is using two very different chips for the first time. One CCD has 3D V-Cache and slower clock speeds, while the other has the standard die and offers higher clock speeds. At this point, the optimization of the operating system and the correct use of the processor become important. AMD and Microsoft are already working together on this for Windows 11.

This optimization process takes some time. Both game engines and operating systems need to be configured for this. So even months after the launch of the Ryzen 7000 X3D processors, we are likely to see performance improvements.