How to use AMD Ryzen Master

If you've got an old CPU, you can squeeze out some extra performance by turning up its clock frequencies. However, navigating the BIOS to tweak different parameters may sound like a challenging endeavor. Thankfully, you can utilize the Ryzen Master tool to make overclocking extremely simple.

Ryzen Master not only allows you to bump up your CPU's performance but also lets you overclock the memory and integrated Radeon graphics. Heck, you can even use it to undervolt your CPU, if your cooling solution can't handle the sheer firepower of your processor. You can also save overclocking profiles and monitor your CPU temperature, voltage, power, and other metrics inside the app. So, we've put together a detailed tutorial to guide you through all the facilities available in the Ryzen Master app.

Before you overclock: Points to remember

Overclocking involves tweaking your CPU's stock frequency and/or voltage to boost performance. It involves careful trial and error so that you don't end up damaging your CPU. It's always recommended to keep the following points in mind before you go about overclocking your processor.

Get a decent CPU cooler

Overclocking will invariably send more power to your CPU and raise its temperature. If you don't have sufficient cooling in place for your CPU, things could get messy. It's rare to damage your CPU with minor overclocking, but you'll still end up with unstable overclocks and BSODs. If you don't have one already, try to get one of the best CPU coolers to keep CPU temps in check.

While you're at it, ensure that you have effective intake and exhaust fans in your case as well. Our list of the best PC case fans could help you pick some.

Follow the precautions

Whenever you're running your processor at settings other than factory settings, you run the risk of voiding your warranty, in the event that something bad happens. But, as long as you follow all the precautions and don't apply random OC settings you got off the internet (even if it's for your exact CPU model), you're going to be fine.

Due to the "silicon lottery" of manufacturing variations, no two chips of the same processor model have the same overclocking headroom. You need to find the settings that work for your specific chip through trial and error.

Benchmark your PC

It's important to benchmark your PC at stock settings before you do any overclocking. After all, you need something to compare to afterward, to see if your overclock produced any significant performance boost or not. Use Cinebench to run some single-core and multi-core tests, and note down the average scores for each test. These will come in handy later when you run the post-OC Cinebench tests.

Overclocking your CPU with Ryzen Master

When you launch Ryzen Master and accept the warning message, you'll be greeted with the Home screen. This screen shows you sections like Temperature, Speed, Power & Current for system monitoring, including Control Mode, Curve Optimizer, and Cores Section options for any existing overclock details, as well as Voltage Control, Additional Control, and Memory Control for deeper overclocking information.

If you don't see the screen below on launch, you're likely in the Basic View. Simply click Advanced View to change views.

This screen is only for you to monitor your CPU readings. For the actual overclocking process, you'll need to use one of the sections on the left, just below the Home tab. The Creator Mode and Game Mode are pre-configured profiles that we'll not get into for the purposes of this guide. Just know that for 8+ core CPUs, Game Mode limits them to using only 8 cores.

We'll use Profile 1 to show the various overclocking modes you can use. Profile 2 is simply an additional profile, and the Curve Optimizer section enables you to undervolt your processor to allow for a cooler operation. We'll cover all these sections in detail below.

Overclocking with Precision Boost Overdrive mode

PBO is a mechanism by which your CPU attempts to achieve your CPU's advertised boost frequency more often and for longer. It does this by changing its power and current settings denoted by the PPT (Package Power Tracking), TDC (Thermal Design Current), and EDC (Electrical Design Current) limits. It's an automatic process that uses the existing, automated boost mechanisms of your CPU and motherboard to improve multi-threaded workload performance.

1. Click Profile 1 to see options such as Default, Precision Boost Overdrive, Auto Overclocking, and Manual at the top — all under Control Mode. Click Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO).
   
2. The voltage settings are not user-modifiable in the PBO mode, but they'll still get tweaked by the utility. Leave Additional Control and Memory Control unchanged.
3. Click Apply at the bottom of the window to activate the overclock.
   
4. The other settings besides Apply can be used to discard changes, save or reset profiles to default settings, or copy the current settings.

The PBO overclock doesn't need a system restart, so you can run a Cinebench multi-core test, and compare the performance against the stock benchmark.

Overclocking with Auto Overclocking mode

The Auto Overclocking section allows your CPU to exceed even the advertised boost clocks, although still limited by the CPU's automated boost mechanisms. It's a more aggressive overclock compared to PBO, as it can automatically manipulate the CPU settings to achieve the CPU frequency you want.

1. Click Auto Overclocking and use the Boost Override CPU to enter the CPU frequency you want in a step-wise fashion. It's best to increase this value in increments of 25 or 50, restart your PC, and then test the stability of the overclock with Cinebench as you go. Voltage control remains locked in this mode.
   
2. If the test hangs or crashes the system, reboot and try a lower frequency. You'll be able to achieve a stable frequency limit for your CPU in a few tries.
3. If you have integrated Radeon graphics on your processor, it will also show up under APU GFX Speeds, right below Additional Control. By default, the auto OC settings will overclock your Radeon graphics as well.
4. You can leave settings like PBO Scalar, Additional Control, and Memory Control untouched for now.

Remember that the Auto OC mode requires a system restart whenever you apply new settings.

Overclocking with Manual mode

Finally, using the Manual mode can unlock even higher frequencies for your CPU as compared to the Auto Overclocking mode. This mode not only allows you to set frequency increments on a per-core basis but also fully unlocks Voltage Control so you're no longer limited to your CPU's automated boost mechanisms.

1. Click Manual and expand the CCX sections to see the individual core frequencies of your CPU. Depending on your model, you can see one or two CCX and CCD sections. Once expanded, the CCX section denotes the core with the most overclocking potential, with a yellow star, and the second-most overclockable core, with a gray circle.
   
2. Move the slider next to the core denoted by the yellow star if you want to overclock only the fastest core. Otherwise, if you want to run a simpler all-core overclock, you can click the small red-colored button at the end of the CCX row to turn it green. Then, move any of the sliders to apply the same frequency boost to all the cores simultaneously.
   
3. Increase the voltage in small increments and test the overclock after each increase. If Cinebench hangs or crashes, you might need more voltage to sustain the frequency. Keep an eye on the CPU temperature just before the crash. If it's very high, then you might need to lower the frequency instead to achieve a stable overclock.

Ryzen Master doesn't restart the system when applying a Manual overclock, but it will prompt a restart when changing modes from Manual to something else.

Undervolting Ryzen CPUs with Ryzen Master

Overclocking is not the only thing you can do with Ryzen Master. In some scenarios, undervolting your Ryzen CPU might be a better option. Maybe you don't need any extra performance from your CPU, and simply need lower temperatures without a hit to stock performance. This is exactly what the Curve Optimizer section can achieve by automatically manipulating the voltage-frequency curve of your CPU. Note that this feature is only available for Ryzen 5000, Ryzen 7000, and Ryzen 9000 series processors.

1. Click Curve Optimizer on the left panel, and select All Cores next to Curve Optimizer Mode.
   
2. Click Start Optimizing to get the best settings for your CPU displayed under a new section called CO All Core Value, just under Curve Optimizer Mode. This optimization process can take some time and could restart your system as well.
   
3. Once the settings are displayed, click Apply to run the Curve Optimizer.
4. Monitor your CPU temps and compare them to stock settings to see if the undervolt reaped any benefits.

You might have noticed Eco-Mode next to the various overclocking modes. If you're looking to run your CPU in a low-powered state for a while, you can use this mode. It's a simplified way to get lower CPU temps when you don't need even stock performance.

Overclocking RAM with Ryzen Master

Memory overclocking is also possible with Ryzen Master. The Memory Control section you've probably noticed is used to overclock your RAM to yield some more performance benefits. Memory overclocking can be beneficial in older, low-powered systems, or when you want to run your high-end RAM at the maximum possible settings.

1. Select the Default mode under any profile and switch Memory Control to Included.
   
2. For a simple and stable overclock, leave all settings unchanged and only use the Memory Clock slider to set the frequency to what you want.
3. You can choose half of your memory's rated speed here or increase it slightly. Apply the changes and run a few benchmarks to test the stability of the overclocks.

Other options in Ryzen Master

On the bottom-left side of the Ryzen Master window, you'll notice a few more options. These are basic UI sections that can help you navigate around the program. Basic View can help you switch to a more simple view to monitor CPU readings or run quick, one-click overclocks. Import/Export can be used when you want to download your settings to a file or restore them from a file.

Reset simply resets all CPU parameters to the default values and Settings takes you to Ryzen Master's settings screen if you want to change its behavior.

Easy BIOS-free overclocking with Ryzen Master

Although BIOS overclocks are known to be more seamless and generally free from software bugs, Ryzen Master is still the better choice for the average user. If you're someone who doesn't want to run a 24x7 overclock, you might not prefer a BIOS overclock. You can simply turn overclocks on and off with one click using Ryzen Master.

If you're on Team Blue, you can safely overclock your CPU with Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility. And if you want to ensure your mobo is up to the task, you might want to check out one of the best motherboards for overclocking before dialing the voltage and frequencies up to an eleven.