AMD’s Ryzen Zen 5 processors are getting a performance boost thanks to a new BIOS update from MSI for AM5 motherboards. The update introduces a new overclocking mode called “105W TDP” which significantly increases power consumption for AMD’s mid-range Ryzen 9000 processors, namely the Ryzen 9700X and Ryzen 9600X.
These processors typically operate at 65W, but the new mode elevates power usage by 60%. This increase translates to a substantial performance gain, especially in multi-core benchmarks. In Cinebench R23, the Ryzen 9700X achieved a multi-core score of 23,153, a 13% jump compared to the 20,409 score in the 65W mode. While this benchmark demonstrates a significant improvement, it’s important to remember that it’s a synthetic test and doesn’t directly reflect real-world gaming performance.
Although the increase in power may not directly translate to a 13% boost in gaming, it’s reasonable to expect a noticeable performance improvement in various gaming scenarios. However, AMD has implemented safeguards to prevent motherboard vendors from pushing the CPU’s performance beyond the intended limits for its price point. This ensures that the Ryzen 9700X won’t surpass the performance of the Ryzen 9800X, even with the new BIOS update.
Considering these limitations, it’s likely that the overall performance increase in games will be less than 5%. Nonetheless, this BIOS update offers a valuable enhancement for Ryzen 9000 users, particularly those seeking to squeeze out additional performance from their processors.
