Yesterday, ASRock's South Korean office issued a statement regarding problematic hardware pairings; affecting current-gen motherboards and AMD Ryzen 9000 "Granite Ridge" desktop processors. Curiously, the Taiwanese manufacturer's local branch slipped in an intriguing tidbit into its message, addressed to members of the Quasar Zone forum: "ASRock has released a new BIOS version 3.25. This version is based on AMD AGESA 1.2.0.3d, and has been improved to enhance compatibility with next-generation CPUs and optimize PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) settings to enable more stable system operation." Due to media outlets focusing on an important BIOS update, a major hint was largely ignored. Fortunately, VideoCardz's keen eye was not distracted by current affairs.

According to their evening report (dated June 4), their local contacts have confirmed that there are no misunderstandings when Westerners machine translate ASRock Korea's original statement. Naturally, guess work—about the company's teasing of next-gen processors—will land on two upcoming Team Red product families. VideoCardz quickly eliminated a successive "Zen 6" CPU series, aka "Ryzen 10000." Despite recent leaks, industry watchdogs anticipate (at best) a mid-2026 debut. Given the uptick of semi-official Ryzen 9000G "Gorgon Point" leaks throughout Q2'25, VideoCardz reckons that AMD and mainboard partners are preparing for the arrival of this Zen 5 + RDNA 3.5-based APU series. Industry insiders have proposed a fourth quarter launch window.

ASRock has finally acknowledged that the mysterious AMD Ryzen "processor deaths" plaguing its mid- and high-end motherboards weren't caused by defective AMD chips or stray debris but rather overly aggressive Precision Boost Overdrive settings in its BIOS. After more than 100 reports of Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 9 9950X CPUs going dark on boards like the X670E Taichi and B650E Steel Legend, the company rolled out BIOS version 3.25 to dial back the Thermal Design Current and Electrical Design Current limits and apologized for initially blaming memory quirks and socket contaminants. ASRock will repair or replace affected motherboards free of charge (including shipping), though users whose CPUs have already failed must seek warranties through their retailer or AMD.

"No, we're not saying it's an AMD issue. We found that it should be related to our BIOS setting — that's the PBO settings, Precision Boost Overdrive. More technically, we adjusted two main settings in PBO. One is TDC (Thermal Design Current) and the other is EDC (Electrical Design Current). We found that our original values for these two settings might have been too high. So now, with BIOS version 3.25, we lowered the PBO values. We believe this can solve the problem."—Chris Lee, ASRock VP of Motherboard Business

ASUS Republic of Gamers today announced the ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme and ROG Crosshair X870E Apex, which join the previously-released ROG Crosshair X870E Hero to triple the number of premium ASUS motherboard options for high-end AMD Ryzen systems. Equipped with premium components, heavy-duty power solutions, and offering next-level connectivity options, these motherboards cater to those who dare to build a PC that shatters boundaries. ASUS AI Advisor, available within the ASUS DriverHub app, can help users learn all about this new hardware and get performance tips.

ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme
The ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme carries forward the AMD Ryzen 9000 Series of ROG motherboards with a no-holds-barred feature set and an all-new design that exudes luxury. Its massive power solution unleashes the full potential of new CPUs. 20+2+2 power stages effortlessly slake the thirst of the top-end AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, even when firing on all cylinders. Thick-and-tall VRM heatsinks keep the power circuitry operating comfortably, while 8+8 ProCool II power connectors with solid pins give the CPU a direct line to the power supply.

While the Ryzen 5 7500F was the least expensive Raphael AM5 Zen 4 CPU that you could find, AMD has now silently launched the Ryzen 5 7400F, a new 6-core/12-thread SKU. Similar to the Ryzen 5 9600 (non-X) that was silently introduced during CES 2025, the Ryzen 5 7400F was not officially announced, but rather just showed up on AMD's product pages. Unlike the Ryzen 5 7500F, which was available only to OEMs and system integrators (SIs), the Ryzen 5 7400F will apparently be available in retail/e-tail as well.

As said, the Ryzen 5 7400F is a Raphael architecture CPU with Zen 4 CPU cores and fits into an AM5 socket. It is a 6-core CPU with support for AMD Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT), so it packs 12-threads and has the same 32 MB of L3 cache. The base clock is set at 3.7 GHz, with a maximum boost clock of 4.7 GHz. The TDP is still at 65 W. As with the rest of the lineup, it is an unlocked CPU, so overclocking is possible, and it supports AMD EXPO Memory Overclocking technology, as well as Precision Boost Overdrive. In the boxed version, it comes with an AMD Wraith Stealth cooler.

MSI is excited to announce the launch of the latest AMD Ryzen 9000 Series processors, set to debut on the AM5 platform. Powered by advanced 4 nm CPU process technology, the Ryzen 9000 Series promises to revolutionize the computing landscape with unmatched performance, efficiency, and versatility for gamers and content creators. At launch, August 8th, AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, and Ryzen 5 9600X are available while the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X will launch on August 15th. These processors will feature up to 16 cores and 32 threads, with a theoretical maximum boost clock speed of 5.7 GHz, 64 MB of L3 cache, and a maximum TDP of 170 W.

AMD Ryzen 9000 Series will also support PCIe 5.0 for the GPU and M.2 while enhancing DDR5 memory speed. Notably, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X offers approximately 12% better overall performance than the first-gen AMD 3D V-cache CPU. All these processors are compatible with the AM5 socket, and existing AMD 600 Series motherboards and Ryzen 9000 Series processors can seamlessly integrate by updating to the latest BIOS, available on MSI's product support page.

AMD's upcoming flagship desktop processor, the Ryzen 9 9950X, supports Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) overclocking. In the comments section of our Zen 5 Technical Deep Dive article, a keen-eyed user noticed a footnote in one of the slides that reads that PBO is supported on Ryzen 9000 series desktop processor with the parenthesis "excluding the 9950." Add to this, the company's presentation slide for PBO on Ryzen 9000 series only highlights performance gains for the Ryzen 9 9900X, the Ryzen 7 9700X, and the Ryzen 5 9600X, but not the 9950X. We reached out to AMD seeking a clarification on this.

AMD got back to us and confirmed that the Ryzen 9 9950X does indeed support PBO overclocking: "Confirmed that PBO is supported with 9950X", just like the 9900X, 9700X, and the 9600X, and that there is an "Error in the footnotes." It would be highly unusual for AMD to disable PBO on a specific SKU, especially considering that all non-APU Ryzen processors in the past have supported PBO, not just some special overclocking SKUs, like the "K" models on Intel.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the new ROG Strix SCAR 17 X3D, the perfect fusion of cutting-edge silicon and ROG engineering. Featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D mobile processor equipped with AMD 3D V-Cache technology for the very first time, the Strix SCAR 17 X3D takes performance to a whole new level. By doubling the L3 cache of the mighty Ryzen 9 7945HX processor, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D gives users a boost in games that are hungry for this onboard ultrafast memory. Paired with a 240 Hz QHD display, Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal on the GPU, and a vapor chamber, the Strix SCAR 17 X3D is ready to dominate the leaderboards.

Making great processors even better
While the original 2023 ROG Strix SCAR 17 came equipped with AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors, the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is truly in a league of its own. It leverages the power of AMD 3D V-Cache technology, a stacking of extra ultra-high-speed L3 cache vertically on top of one of the two core compute dies (CCD). This extra cache enables the eight cores to perform certain calculations quickly and efficiently, notably in gaming. For situations where increasing CPU frequency simply doesn't show significant performance gains, 3D V-Cache technology holds the potential to unlock extra compute power.

The 12-core/24-thread AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX "Dragon Range" mobile processors for enthusiast-segment notebooks, are capable of performance that matches the desktop Ryzen 9 7900X, with an easy 130 W power limit enabled along with Precision Boost Overdrive 2 (PBO2), with the "Enhanced" performance mode set on certain ASUS ROG laptops. The 7845HX is capable of drawing up to 110 W of power in its stock settings, which sees it offer a single-threaded boost frequency of 5.25 GHz, and 4.70 GHz all-core, and around 25000 points in Cinebench R23 multi-threaded. The Enhanced mode, which can be set via software on ASUS ROG laptops, raises the power limits, which makes the 7845HX draw up to 130 W of power, hitting temperatures of up to 93 °C, vastly improving boost frequency residency.

The 7845HX is "unlocked," and the UEFI setup program of ASUS ROG laptops offer several manual overclocking controls on par with the desktop platform. Manual overclocking along with PBO2, Curve Optimizer, and Maximum Boost Technology, yields up to 5.45 GHz single-threaded boost, and 5.10 GHz multi-threaded boost, yielding a 14 percent improvement over the stock frequency Cinebench R23 score, hitting 28542 points, which is on-par with that of a desktop Ryzen 9 7900X—a processor with 170 W TDP and 230 W PPT.

ASUS today announced the new Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) enhancement, an exclusive temperature control feature for its range of X670 and B650 motherboards designed for AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors.

These latest CPUs push the limits of performance farther than ever before. They dynamically take advantage of available thermal headroom to give users higher clock speeds. This means that users might see higher CPU temperatures than they are used to in a new AMD Ryzen-powered machine. To put users in control, ASUS is rolling out a BIOS update for its X670 and B650 motherboards with new options for its PBO enhancement feature that makes it easy to balance thermals and performance. With just a few clicks, users will be able to dramatically reduce CPU temperatures—and maybe even increase performance and reduce fan noise in the process.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions announced the latest AMD B650 motherboards based on the success of the X670 series. The comprehensive lineup includes AORUS, AERO, and GAMING series to provide more reasonable options with notable features for users. GIGABYTE select B650 motherboards adopt PCIe 5.0 / 4.0 x16 graphics interface and PCIe 5.0 / 4.0 M.2 slots with EZ-Latch technology, making it easier than ever for users to upgrade graphics cards and M.2 SSDs, avoiding accidental damage to the surrounding components. Further, up to 16+2+2 phase Twin Digital power, 105 Amps Smart Power Stage, and up to 12-layer PCB provide increased stability, optimal compatibility, and performance for AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors. With the advanced thermal design, VRM temperature is reduced, stabilizing the power and performance of the PCIe 5.0 slot and PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD and avoiding performance drop due to thermal throttling. Meanwhile, the enhanced shielding design of SMD slots strengthens the reliability of signals and slot structure. In addition, select models take advantage of Active OC Tuner technology to deliver optimized performance with a more flexible and user-friendly experience.

The latest X670E motherboard platform introduced a wealth of cutting-edge features to accompany AMD's latest 7-series CPUs. Headlined by PCIe 5.0 connectivity and across-the-board DDR5 support, our X670E motherboards cater to enthusiasts ready to extract every ounce of performance they can get out of their new AMD processor. Now, mainstream PC builds can get in on the action, too. Our B650E and B650 boards offer tremendous value for anyone assembling a next-gen machine. This B650 motherboard guide walks you through our different product families to help you find the model that best fits your needs and budget.

Shopping for a gaming-first motherboard that delivers exceptional performance and exudes confident style? Start with our ROG Strix lineup. From the flagship ROG Strix B650E-E Gaming WiFi to the compact-yet-mighty ROG Strix B650E-I Gaming WiFi, these boards bring high-end features and sizzling good looks. Perhaps you'd prefer a straightforward gaming board that delivers essential features in a no-frills design? Check out our TUF Gaming family. Available in either ATX or micro-ATX form factors, these products deliver everything you need for a reliable gaming build and nothing that you don't.

Fmax (or Frequency max), is the maximum clock speed an AMD "Zen" processor will automatically boost/overclock to, at stock multiplier settings. To go beyond this, you'll have to increase the multiplier value, and overclock the traditional way. The Fmax value for AMD's upcoming flagship desktop processor, the Ryzen 9 7950X "Zen 4," is reportedly set at 5.85 GHz. To facilitate this, you'll have to enable settings such as Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO), to eke out the power limits needed to get here. Competing Intel parts, such as the "Raptor Lake" Core i9-13900K, is reported to have a similar maximum boost frequency, of 5.80 GHz, but that's just for its 8 P-cores.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions announced the launch of the newest X570S AORUS series motherboards primed to unleash the potential of the recently released AMD Ryzen 5000 series desktop processors with enhanced DrMOS direct power design and 6 layers and above ultra cool PCB for higher stability. The whole series equip with a brand new passive chipset thermal design and up to four sets of high thermal efficiency armored PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots with M.2 Thermal Guard III, which ensures effective heat dissipation of full operation on chipsets and 7000 MB/s high speed operating on NVMe SSDs without throttling by overheating. The brand new X570S series motherboards kick off the PCIe 4.0 era with extensive feature sets.

The flagship X570S AORUS MASTER motherboard is fitted with a 16-phase direct digital power design for the more solid power management and optimized overclocking performance. With advanced heat dissipation technology of Fins-Array II Stacked Fins Heatsink, Direct Touch Heatpipe II and Smart Fan 6, GIGIABYTE X570S motherboards can maintain cool and high performance under high loading operation. Furthermore, GIGABYTE Active OC Tuner technology integrated in select motherboards to provide a more flexible performance improvement.

Yuri "1usmus" Bubliy released the latest major version of Clock Tuner for Ryzen (CTR), the definitely utility designed for overclocking and memory tuning of AMD Ryzen processors. The app simplifies the myriad of performance-related settings on the AMD platform, and gives professional overclockers the fine-grained control they want. The latest version 2.00 available for download on TechPowerUp today, adds support for Ryzen 5000 series "Vermeer" desktop processors based on the "Zen 3" microarchitecture, and Ryzen 4000G series "Renoir" desktop APUs. This should particularly come as a boon for memory overclockers looking to pair a Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G with a 1-DPC motherboard such as the MSI B550 Unify-X, to chase down AMD memory OC and latency records.

Next up, we see additional diagnostic and tuning modes. The app adds an in-built monitoring utility, so you don't need to run Ryzen Master on the side. The new "Phoenix" feature restores the app's working state following an application crash, reboot, or BSOD. The new Hybrid OC feature lets you combine the accuracy of manual OC, with the efficiency of PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive), so your processor isn't locked at a high clock speed, only to get power/thermal throttled when you need it to run at its manual OC clocks. The app improves the Initial Frequency Smart Offset feature. Profile management has been improved. A host of stability issues and bugs with the application have been fixed.

DOWNLOAD: Clock Tuner for Ryzen (CTR) 2.0 by Yuri Bubliy

AMD has announced they will be introducing Adaptive Undervolting tools for their precision Boost Overdrive software, available for the latest Ryzen 5000 series CPUs. This feature will be made available come launch of AGESA 1180 on 400-series and 500-series motherboards (estimated availability in early December), and will require a BIOS update to enable at the software level. According to AMD, this tool will dynamically calculate the precise amount of voltage required for a given task, analyzing internal sensors (such as workload, temperature, socket limits) and adapting voltage values on the fly at up to 1000 times a second.

This approach by AMD will bring a new age for CPU undervolting, which usually only allows for users to undervolt their CPU on the basis of the worst-case scenario: usually, the way undervolters work is by incrementally reducing the CPU's voltage and testing for stability via stress applications, gaming, or other specialized applications. This means that the CPU will have adequate juice so as not to fail in these scenarios - but of course, your CPU isn't always (in fact, it's almost never, depending on your specific use-case) using the full CPU processing power; this means that all other workloads where the CPU isn't under 100% utilization still have room for voltage reductions. With AMD's Adaptive Undervolting, this will now become possible.