[SOLVED] Ryzen 3600 throttling?

[Jynantonix]

When I got my Ryzen 3600, I just plugged it in and played without really noticing temps, frequency etc. But recently it feels like games which used to run very smooth have slowed down somewhat, most notable BF5 on some maps (Narvik esp) dropping down to 40fps or so. Lowering video settings made no difference so it's definitely the cpu.

Using afterburner I see the cpu frequency around 3.8Ghz and the temps very steady at about 75c, never above this number.
This got me thinking perhaps it's throttling down when it reaches this temp and 3.8Ghz is actually just the speed of 1 or 2 cores and the rest are much lower.
Does this sound feasible? Am wondering what kind of difference an aftermarket cooler might make on frequencies and ingame experience?

 

[CountMike]

When I got my Ryzen 3600, I just plugged it in and played without really noticing temps, frequency etc. But recently it feels like games which used to run very smooth have slowed down somewhat, most notable BF5 on some maps (Narvik esp) dropping down to 40fps or so. Lowering video settings made no difference so it's definitely the cpu.

Using afterburner I see the cpu frequency around 3.8Ghz and the temps very steady at about 75c, never above this number.
This got me thinking perhaps it's throttling down when it reaches this temp and 3.8Ghz is actually just the speed of 1 or 2 cores and the rest are much lower.
Does this sound feasible? Am wondering what kind of difference an aftermarket cooler might make on frequencies and ingame experience?

Well, it's not so much of throttling as it's lower boost clocks probably caused by temperature.
R5 3600 base speed is 3.6 GHz with boost on one core up to 4.2GHz with other cores lagging typically by 200-300MHz depending on the load. When left on auto, frequency can be also limited by temperature, up to 62-65c is ideal, over that, boost gets limited and falls sharply over 70c.

 

[dorsai]

...Am wondering what kind of difference an aftermarket cooler might make on frequencies and in game experience?

A big difference...when combined with proper case airflow...a cooler like the NH D15 SE-AM4 can keep a 3600 in the low 60's with clock speeds around 4ghz while gaming...it's why I use one myself.

 

[Jynantonix]

Ok thanks for replies, I think I'll push the button on a decent cooler.

 

[drea.drechsler]

When I got my Ryzen 3600, I just plugged it in and played without really noticing temps, frequency etc. But recently it feels like games which used to run very smooth have slowed down somewhat, most notable BF5 on some maps (Narvik esp) dropping down to 40fps or so. Lowering video settings made no difference so it's definitely the cpu.

Using afterburner I see the cpu frequency around 3.8Ghz and the temps very steady at about 75c, never above this number.
This got me thinking perhaps it's throttling down when it reaches this temp and 3.8Ghz is actually just the speed of 1 or 2 cores and the rest are much lower.
Does this sound feasible? Am wondering what kind of difference an aftermarket cooler might make on frequencies and ingame experience?

Better (than stock) CPU cooler almost always helps Ryzen...but will it help your situation?

What GPU do you use? gaming resolution? refresh rate?

Lastly: what case and are the fans well arranged to pull the GPU's hot air out?

 

[Jynantonix]

Vega64, 1080p, 75hz. Case is a cooler master (can't remember what model) and has good airflow. I think getting a better cooler even if its just for the noise is worth my while, the stock one is so loud!

 

[drea.drechsler]

Vega64, 1080p, 75hz. Case is a cooler master (can't remember what model) and has good airflow. I think getting a better cooler even if its just for the noise is worth my while, the stock one is so loud!

Good case air flow also needs fans oriented right (intake in lower front, exhaust in upper rear) but also making sure the GPU isn't exhausting so that the cooler picks up it's hot air when gaming. That can be tricky as new(er) cases with glass or plexi side panels lack the air vents that let the GPU exhaust to the outside...or cool air come directly in for the CPU.

Also, the way Ryzen works CPU temps will spike very briefly as individual cores boost. You need to look at an average temperature reading, something Ryzenmaster shows or HWInfo's Tdie (average), to get a correct idea what true thermal state is.

Motherboards also use that spiking temperature to control fans so you have to set a custom profile to ignore the spikes.

The Wraith Stealth cooler they come with barely works and can be noisy but you don't need an expensive and huge Noctua tower to keep it cool and boosting and as well game quietly.

 

[Jynantonix]

Getting some really woeful cinebench scores so something is definitely up. This was the state during running, so i'm guessing it's a case of thermal throttling. Have already ordered a new cooler which I'll be installing tonight. fingers crossed this resolves the issue. Will report back later. (image has a 'right arrow' to see the state of ryzen master during the cinebench run.

https://imgur.com/a/tadmLQu

View: https://imgur.com/gallery/tadmLQu

 

[Jynantonix]

Ok cooler arrived and temps are now waayyy down, score is a bit better but still not near what I hear others are getting with a Ryzen 3600. I'm now anywhere between 2730 and 3100. Here is what ryzen master looked like while it was running, better boost and lower temps but still a bad score. Getting worried I just have a dodgy chip, any advice please?

https://imgur.com/a/uqeYUMF

View: https://imgur.com/a/uqeYUMF

 

[daylaurie0]

Good case air flow also needs fans oriented right (intake in lower front, exhaust in upper rear) but also making sure the GPU isn't exhausting so that the cooler picks up it's hot air when gaming. That can be tricky as new(er) cases with glass or plexi side panels lack the air vents that let the GPU exhaust to the outside...or cool air come directly in for the CPU.

Also, the way Ryzen works CPU temps will spike very briefly as individual cores boost. You need to look at an average temperature reading, something Ryzenmaster shows or HWInfo's Tdie (average), to get a correct idea what true thermal state is.

Motherboards also use that spiking temperature to control fans so you have to set a custom profile to ignore the spikes.

The Wraith Stealth cooler they come with barely works and can be noisy but you don't need an expensive and huge Noctua tower to keep it cool and boosting and as well game quietly.

This comment is very informative, knowing that your system unit needs best airflow and ventilation to have lower temperature and have better gaming experience.

 

[Jynantonix]

Wow don't I feel dumb, I just realised I have been using this cpu for a nearly a year without the chipset drivers installed! Just installed them and my cinebench score zoomed up to 3572! I'm very happy and embarrassed at the same time, a rather odd emotion. haha.

 

[Jynantonix]

My last post wasn't the end of the story as the very next day my Cinebench score went back down to 2500 ish and stayed there no matter what I tried. In desperation I reinstalled windows and all was instantly fixed. weird.
Thought I would make this final reply with my solution in case someone else stumbles upon this thread and their issue sounds similar to mine.

 

[drea.drechsler]

My last post wasn't the end of the story as the very next day my Cinebench score went back down to 2500 ish and stayed there no matter what I tried. In desperation I reinstalled windows and all was instantly fixed. weird.
Thought I would make this final reply with my solution in case someone else stumbles upon this thread and their issue sounds similar to mine.

It could be something in Windows was changing the Ryzen power plan. It gets installed with the chipset drivers and should remain unchanged for best results.

You might make sure your BIOS is set up right if you haven't done that. So make sure it's set to CPU clock AUTO and CPU Vcore AUTO.

Then set the following all to ENABLED: AMD Cool n Quiet, Advanced C States, Processor CPPC and CPPC Preferred Cores. Do this even if they're in DEFAULT or AUTO settings just to be sure they get enabled.

Some people have had luck with under-volting VCore when done with Offsets. You can experiment, but do it with slight changes and test with Cinebench to make sure you're still getting good performance.

And a few things about Cinebench tests and Ryzen: Ryzen processors are quite temperature sensitive. so back to back tests in cinebench WILL result in lowering scores. Or testing right after doing something that stresses the CPU a lot. Scores will also lower if Windows decides to do something in the middle a test, or just before you start. To get the most consistent results I test immediately after booting up and use task manager to set the Cinebench process to HIGH or REALTIME priority.