In this brief follow-up to SkatterBencher #79, I overclock the Ryzen 5 9600X to 6 GHz and run some more benchmarks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAQlE80B_pY

This particular Ryzen 5 9600X is a surprisingly good overclocker! With the right BIOS settings and finetuning, I could surpass 6 GHz effective clock just like I could with the Ryzen 7 9700X. I’ll first show you the BIOS configuration and highlight the important settings. Then we go into the operating system, and I show you what I do to get to 6 GHz.

So, let’s jump straight into the BIOS and get started!

BIOS Setup

The basis of the 6 GHz overclock is OC Strategy #4 from SkatterBencher #79. In that OC Strategy, I leverage asynchronous eCLK to push the Precision Boost algorithm beyond its limits. In the OC Strategy, I increase the reference clock from 100 MHz to 105.5 MHz. Together with the Fmax Override of +200, that yields a maximum theoretical clock of 5961 MHz (5650 x 1.055).

To aim for 6 GHz, I increase the eCLK frequency to 106.5 MHz.

However, that’s not stable to boot into the operating system. So, I also set the Fmax Boost Override to -1000, effectively limiting the frequency to 4450 MHz. Lastly, I also remove all the Curve Shaper undervolting settings.

After saving these settings, I boot into the operating system.

Overclocking Tools

In the operating system, we will use a couple of tools to monitor and validate our overclock:

• HWiNFO: To check effective and core clock frequencies.
• CPU-Z XOC: A special version of CPU-Z that skips the benchmark load during validation and only captures the operating frequency.
• Shamino’s Work Tool: To fine-tune the Precision Boost settings like Fmax Boost Override and Curve Optimizer
• NOPBench: A simple application from ElmorLabs that runs NOP instructions repeatedly, tied to a specific core, to give us an indication of the effective clock.

The difference between the core clock and the effective clock is that the core clock measures what the CPU is configured to, whereas the effective clock measures the actual clock cycles.

I got some questions in the previous 6 GHz overclock how NOPBench relates to gaming workloads or other workloads? The short answer is it doesn’t at all. The only purpose for using NOPBench is that increases the effective clock. That’s the only reason why I use NOPBench. And in fact, it is designed to be very little load on the CPU. We don’t want any stress test to actually impact the maximum frequency.

Overclocking Process

1. Open Hardware Info: Here, you will see the core clocks and the effective clock. The core clock shows the frequency the cores are set to, while the effective clock shows the actual clock cycles.
2. Launch CPU- Z XOC: This will help create a validation file without running stress tests.
3. Run NOPBench: This will provide a real-time look at the effective clock on different cores.
4. Overclock with Shamino’s Work Tool: Start by increasing the Fmax Boost Override to 5650 MHz. We immediately see the frequency jump to about nearly 6.0 GHz when idling.
5. Undervolt with Shamino’s Work Tool: Adjust the Curve Optimizer to various levels. For example, try -5. This helps in finding the optimal voltage settings for the highest stable frequency.
6. Validate with CPU-Z: After adjusting the OC settings, validate the frequency using CPU-Z. Pressing F7 will create a validation file which we can later upload to the CPU-Z database.

Fine-Tuning and Validation

After some trial and error, you might hit the 6 GHz mark. Here is a snapshot of the process:

• Initial Adjustments: If you encounter instability (e.g., crashing), revert to the BIOS and fine-tune the reference clock slightly.
• Check Different Cores: You might find that some cores are better at reaching 6 GHz than others.
• Validate multiple times: the CPU-Z software might not always validate at the exact frequency you are seeing in the application. Try validating multiple times to ensure you have captured the highest frequency.

I ended up achieving 6008.15 MHz on Core #1, almost the maximum achievable with 106.5 MHz eCLK and 5650 Fmax boost override (5650 x 1.065 = 6017.25 MHz).

Final Thoughts

Achieving the 6 GHz Ryzen 5 9600X involves careful BIOS adjustments, precise tuning, and iterative testing. Although it is not always straightforward, the results can be quite rewarding. I hope this guide helps you achieve similar results with your Ryzen 5 9600X.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more overclocking tips and guides!