Precision Boost Overdrive is a powerful new feature of the 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPUs.
Much like traditional overclocking, PBO is designed to improve multithreaded performance.
But unlike traditional overclocking, Precision Boost Overdrive
preserves all the automated intelligence
built into a smart CPU like Ryzen: Precision Boost remains enabled for on-demand performance,
XFR still enables higher performance with better cooling, and the CPU still lowers clocks
and voltages to save power at idle. As you can see,
Precision Boost Overdrive is sort of a "best of all worlds"
approach to overclocking that manual mode usually doesn't offer.
But how does PBO work? Let's find out in three easy steps.
Step 1: What Controls Boost
All 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen-branded Processors use Precision Boost 2,
which intelligently leverages a large network of sensors built into the CPU
to determine whether it's okay to boost.
These sensors measure and react in a very fast loop: up to 1000 times per second.
Though there are many data points being measured, the most important are:
SoC Power (“PPT Limit”): measured in watts, the amount of power the CPU
can draw before boost levels off.
VRM Current (“TDC Limit”): measured in amps, the amount of current we let
the motherboard deliver to the CPU before boost levels off.
Temp: measured in degrees Celsius, the temperature the CPU can reach before boost levels off.
If the sensors detect that the CPU isn’t close to one of these limits, Precision Boost 2
sees opportunity to raise clockspeeds on as many cores as it can.
Step 2: More Room to Play
If the size of the imaginary triangle largely determines whether or not the CPU can boost,
what if the triangle were simply larger? In the previous diagram, you may have noticed that
there’s some empty space between the factory CPU configuration and the platform limits.
That empty space is what users are filling up when they overclock their CPU,
and it’s the same space the 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper CPU consumes when PBO is enabled.
Let’s see how that new triangle might look!
As you can see, the PPT and TDC Limits have been embiggened to let the platform draw more power.
That extra power is directly converted into higher average
clockspeeds on more cores for a longer period of time.
PBO even communicates with your motherboard to understand how much
extra VRM current capacity (TDC) it can provide!
Step 3: The Benefits of Precision Boost Overdrive
By now we know that Precision Boost Overdrive unleashes a more aggressive version of
Precision Boost 2 that preserves the smart frequency and voltage management that users like.
The performance upside for PBO can be significant: up to 13% more multithread performance!
That’s not dissimilar to what a user might gain with manual overclocking,
but PBO can accomplish it at the touch of a button in the latest version of AMD Ryzen Master.
Precision Boost Overdrive: A Smarter Way to Overclock
Taking your feedback seriously is a critical objective for us,
as is using the Ryzen CPU's intelligence in new and beneficial ways.
We knew we could bring those two goals together with Precision Boost Overdrive!
The result is awesome: a new type of overclocking that combines smart boost control,
idle power savings,factory max boost clock, and higher nT performance. We hope you enjoy!