MSI adds Kombo Strike feature to its B550 and X570 BIOS to boost Ryzen 7 5800X3D performance

MSI has released new BIOS versions for its AMD X570 and B550 chipset-based motherboards.
The fresh firmware adds more customization options for Ryzen 7 5800X3D processors.
These chips officially do not support manual overclocking, however, some motherboard manufacturers go for various tricks, allowing to raise CPU frequency.Image source: MSIMSI has released beta BIOS for its AMD X570 and B550 chipsets with Kombo Strike feature.
At the moment, it is hard to say what exactly the benefit of this feature is - the company itself does not talk about it in detail.
The description to the new BIOS version only mentions \"improved Ryzen 7 5800X3D performance\".
At the moment we know that Kombo Strike has three operating modes and an option to turn it off.
Probably the third mode provides the biggest performance boost for the processor.
It is quite possible that MSI has found a way to change the CPU power consumption level.
Officially this setting is locked out for the CPU as well as the others which aim to overclock.
Corresponding beta BIOS versions with Kombo Strike have been released for X570S Unify, Ace, X570 Godlike, B550 Unify X, B550 Unify, B550 Gaming Edge WiFi, B550I Gaming Edge MAX WiFi and B550M Mortar mainboards.
After installing the new BIOS version, the Kombo Strike feature can be found under Overclocking/Advanced CPU Configuration.
Keep in mind that this is a beta firmware version and therefore errors and general system instability are possible during its operation.Note that MSI is releasing the second BIOS version with additional settings for Ryzen 7 5800X3D within a week.
The previous version adds CPU offset, Precision Boost Overdrive and Curve Optimizer.
The new beta BIOS also adds CPU Offset Voltage setup.
It is intended for enthusiasts who want to experiment with the settings of the operating voltage indicator of the chipRyzen 7 5800X3D.
But it is recommended to be used only by experienced users who know what they are doing.MSI is not the only motherboard manufacturer who tries to expand the possibilities of changing Ryzen 7 5800X3D settings.
For example, ASUS has also included new features in their latest firmware versions that work on all Ryzen 5000 series processors, including the Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
Because of this, some owners of these chips were able to overclock them to a frequency above 5 GHz at the official maximum of 4.5 GHz.

AMD summed up the era of Socket AM4: more than 125 processor models that have sold 70 million copies

At the opening of Computex 2022, AMD CEO Lisa Su unwittingly summed up the intermediate life cycle of Socket AM4 platform, anticipating the appearance this fall of a Socket AM5 successor.
Announcement of platform Socket AM4 took place in 2016, but the first processors Ryzen for it came out in March 2017, and only during this time has been released about 70 million CPUs in this design.Image source: AMDAs emphasized CEO of the company, today, tens of millions of users own systems with Socket AM4.
Initially, it was planned that the active life cycle of the platform will last until the end of 2020, but reality has made its adjustments, and Socket AM4 is relevant to the present day.
As an example, Lisa Su cited the Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor, which debuted as early as this year, the sixth year of the Socket AM4 platform.
Compared to its predecessors, the processor has provided up to 15% increase in gaming performance, and previously this could not be achieved without a change in architecture, and in this case, the existing model simply added cache memory.
This gave Ryzen 7 5800X3D a confident advantage in games over the competing solution, which allows AMD to still consider this model the best gaming processor in the world.Image source: AMDThe Socket AM4 platform has gone through a change of five architectures and four processors, as Lisa Su recalled.
The number of unique processor models in this design has exceeded 125 units, and the company's partners have released more than 500 models of compatible motherboards in that time.
Even with the appearance on the horizon of the successor platform Socket AM4, according to the head of AMD, does not lose relevance, and will remain on the market for several years.Of course, the original declared principle of \"end-to-end\" compatibility between processors in the Socket AM4 with the first generation motherboard in practice did not always hold.
The fact is that as new processor models were released, the size of the microcode update began to limit the number of supported models, and then the old CPUs began to be supplanted by the new ones.
In general, of course, the Socket AM4 platform showed an amazing example of longevity, maintaining competitiveness without changing the design of processors.
Continuity was aimed at winning the trust of consumers, and with this task the company generally succeeded.
In the case of transition to Socket AM5, which was dictated by the introduction of PCI Express 5.0 and DDR5 support, the compatibility by mounts with the former cooling systems is provided, which is also a manifestation of concern for the users.

AMD introduced Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor with 3D V-Cache technology

At CES 2022 AMD introduced the first and only Ryzen processor with the new 3D V-Cache technology. It was named Ryzen 7 5800X3D. Novelty manufacturer calls the fastest gaming processor in the world;

To improve performance by increasing the amount of cache memory, the company uses an additional 7-nm SRAM crystal, which is installed on top of the chip with cores using 3D-mounting technology. This will triple the L3-cache capacity of the Zen 3 architecture processor, to 96 Mbytes. The manufacturer points out that the use of hybrid L3 cache layering technology on the chipset in the Ryzen 7 5800X3D allows for a 200-fold increase in interconnect density compared to 2D chipsets, as well as a 15-fold increase in density and a three-fold increase in power efficiency compared to 3D packaging using micro-notches. Like the original Ryzen 7 5800X, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D uses 8 processing cores with support for 16 virtual threads. However, the difference between the chips is not only in the presence of additional 3D V-Cache, but also in their clock speeds. However, not in favor of the new processor. While the current Ryzen 7 5800X model has an operating frequency range of 3.8 to 4.7 GHz, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D runs at 3.5 to 4.5 GHz. The regular model is equipped with 32 Mbytes of Level 3 cache memory. Ryzen 7 5800X3D in addition to 32 MB of L3 cache memory is equipped with 64 MB of 3D V-Cache memory. TDP rating of both processors is the same and is 105W. As for the gaming performance measured at 1080p resolution, AMD compares the novelty with its twelve-core Ryzen 9 5900X, as well as with the sixteen-core Intel Core i9 12900K. Compared to the former, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor showed on average 15 percent better performance. Compared to the Core i9 12900K, the AMD chip showed the same performance in half of gaming projects, and was even slightly faster in some games. AMD points out that Ryzen 7 5800X3D will be compatible with current motherboards on AMD 400-series and 500-series chipsets. The processor should be available in spring this year.