How to Overclock your Ryzen 5 1500x CPU (Gigabyte Motherboard)

For maximum stability and performance increase

When I was young, my father would tell me, “If you’re going to do something, you better know all the facts”.Overclocking your CPUis no different.

From cooling solution to power supply, each component of your computer needs to be taken into account when overclocking. It’s very important to know what kind of heatsink you’re going to be using during this process, as some will be better for this process than others.

The stock heatsink for the 1500x is the Wraith Spire, which is a 95 watt cooler compared to previous Ryzen models, which only provided a 65 watt cooler. The Spire will allow us to overclock to the recommended maximum and perhaps more. Let’s begin.

Before we start overclocking, it’s important to installCPU-ZandCinebench. This will show us if our overclock is actually stable at the selected clock ratio and will show the relative CPU performance increase.

Run benchmarks initially to see the default state of your CPU and compare those values to subsequent benchmarks. Also, use a tool tomonitor the temperature of your CPUthroughout.

Overclock AMD Ryzen CPU

The first thing we’re going to do is boot up theBIOSby pressingF2when the computer starts up. After loading into the BIOS, you will see a screen similar to this:

The only tab that we need to focus on is theM.I.T(Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker) tab. Within this tab, we are primarily going to be working inAdvanced Frequency Settings,Advanced Voltage SettingsandSmart Fan 5 Settings.

Clicking onAdvanced Frequency Settingswill bring you to this screen:

This point depends on your configuration, but AMD has stated that the recommended clock ratio for overclocking is 3.70 GHz, so we’re going to set it to this clock rate.

To do so selectCPU Clock Ratioand change it fromAutoto37.00(for my build I have set this to39.00because that’s the highest stable clock rate I’m able to run). After adjusting the clock ratio, you’ll see that the BIOS multiplier automatically changes theCPU Frequencyto 3.7 GHz.

Before booting, go intoAdvanced CPU Core Settings(right under CPU Frequency). Your screen should look something like this:

Under this setting we’re going to setCore Performance BoosttoDisabled. This will prevent the frequency from fluctuating, ensuring that it stays at a constant 3.7 GHz. Next, we’re going toDisabletheAMD Cool&Quiet functionandDisabletheGlobal C-state Control.

Next, we’re going toDisabletheAMD Cool&Quiet functionandDisabletheGlobal C-state Control. Cool&Quiet simply limits fan speed and C-state Control basically sends a command to your CPU to use less power when it thinks the processor is idle, since we don’t want to limit the power or fan speed, we’re going to disable them. LeaveSMT Mode,Downcore ControlandOpcache Controlat their Default settings.

HitF10to save settings and quit to boot your computer back into Windows and run your benchmarks. NOTE: Your motherboard might cycle on and off a few times after modifying settings, this is normal. If it shuts on and off more than six times, it will prompt you with a message that the overclock failed and will direct you back to the BIOS.

If your computer failed to start at the 3.7 GHz clock ratio or if you’ve gone to a higher frequency (3.9 GHz), you’re going to have to increase the CPU core voltages. To modify voltages, go to theAdvanced Voltage Settings, which can be found under the Advanced Frequency Settings tab. Your screen should look something like this:

TheAdvanced Voltage Settingswill allow us to keep the CPU stable at higher frequencies but we’re only going to adjust these settings if we need to. Increasing the voltage will also increase the heat that the CPU will produce so we’re going to do this last and only if the overclock doesn’t work at the default voltage.

At 3.7 GHZ, you probably will not need to increase the voltages, but if you do, go into theCPU Vcoresettings. AMD has stated the maximum recommended CPU core voltage is1.4250 V,but for my build I am trying to keep my CPU as cool as possible. Setting this to1.4000 Vwill do the trick just fine.

I personally recommend keeping all of the other voltages onAutobut if you need to increase yours, you should match the voltages on the right side of the screen. Here’s an Example:

Reboot and run benchmarks.

At this point you will have a stable overclock for your machine, but your CPU might be running a little hot. Remember, increasing core voltages will increase the amount of heat produced.

This is where the fan speed comes into play. After selectingSmart Fan 5 Settingsat the bottom of theM.I.Ttab, your screen should look like this:

If your processor is running too hot at this point, select theCPU Fan Speed Controland set it toFull Speed. Save your settings and run benchmarks.

After running all of my benchmarks, my CPU saw an 12% performance increase, which may seem insignificant, but can make or break the performance of some applications. Your CPU is now ready for use. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Also, be sure to check out our post onhow to overclock your GPUtoo.

Image credits:https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/gigabyte-aorus-z370-gaming-7-review,6.html

Writer for Switching to Mac, Online Tech Tips, and Help Desk Geek blogs. With a background in IT and Physics, Christian has experience with computers, music, photography, and augmented reality technologies.Read Christian’s Full Bio

Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.

HomeAbout UsEditorial StandardsContact UsTerms of Use

Copyright © 2008-2024 Help Desk Geek.com, LLC All Rights Reserved