A software bug allows the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D to be overclocked to … death – AMD

At first glance, it looks like a boon for tech enthusiasts and overclocking geeks. But the application-specific bug completely bypasses the artificial voltage and clock speed limitations, putting the processor at risk of hardware damage. As if things couldn’t get any worse, the bug was later discovered in apps for ASUS, Gigabyte, and ASRock, indicating that this is a platform-wide bug.

Igor from Igor’s Lab was able to demonstrate bug risks with his AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor. As soon as he ran his CPU above 1.3V across the MSI core, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D stopped responding. It is not yet clear how the processor specifically “burned”, but it happened immediately after two manual adjustments to a voltage exceeding 1.3V. The computer shuts down immediately after the second voltage adjustment with Igor unable to turn it back on.

For those who don’t know, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the first processor to feature AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology that greatly boosts gaming performance. What makes it special is the 64MB of 3D V-Cache which is stacked on top of the CCD level of the 32MB on-die V-Cache (L3 cache). With a silicon-to-silicon “internal connection” implemented via TSVs (through Silicon Vias). The 3D V-Cache runs just as fast as the on-die L3 cache, and is essentially a single set of 96MB Level 3 cache that all processor cores can access simultaneously. The additional Level 3 (L3) cache seriously affects the heat emitted by the processor, causing it to operate at lower frequencies compared to models without 3D V-Cache.

The problem was so big that in the past AMD blocked overclocking altogether while reducing the maximum voltage in the core from 1.5V to 1.35V. AMD claimed that the voltage limitations were due to limitations on the operating voltage of the added cache, but in tests conducted, it was discovered that the limitations set by the company were also due to heat generated by the processor. To corroborate Igor’s claims from Igor’s Lab, Aaron Klotz of tom devices Use the MSI center on their PC which includes the mainboard, MSI B450 Pro Carbon AC processor and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D to find that the same unlocked features are available in the User Scenario section with the ability to increase the base voltage to 1.55 V should remain and multiplier unlocked (can be set up to 80 for … 8.0GHz). As expected, out of fear, he didn’t dare to go ahead and implement extreme settings, but the fact that he could “modify” these items beyond their limits was cause for concern. The same thing happened with the Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor from the known Der8aur overclocking before. a few weeksWe expect AMD and its partner companies to fix the bug. In any case, if you have an AMD Ryzen processor with 3D V-Cache, avoid “playing” with voltage or frequency settings until a proper fix is ​​available.