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In brief: MSI has introduced a BIOS update for select AMD motherboards that adds a one-click option to raise the thermal ceiling on AMD's latest 65W TDP processors, the Ryzen 5 9600X and the Ryzen 7 9700X.
TDP is short for thermal design power, and relates to the maximum amount of heat generated by a chip that its cooling system is capable of dissipating. Both of AMD's new, entry-level Zen 5-based chips shipped with a TDP rating of 65W although recent rumors have suggested AMD is looking into increasing the TDP to boost performance (and sales).
Rather than wait for AMD to make a move, MSI has already taken action in its latest AGESA 1.2.0.1 BIOS. The new "TDP to 105W" does exactly what you'd think – increases the TDP of the Ryzen 5 9600X / Ryzen 7 9700X to 105W.
Received new BIOS from MSI, with a new option "TDP to 105W" to increase TDP of Ryzen 9700X/9600X from 65W to 105W.
– kuroberu (@kuroberumo) August 28, 2024
Ryzen 9700X Cinebench R23 multi-core score :
65W: 20,409, 105W: 23,153. It's 13% faster. pic.twitter.com/mt9wh5AnJS
Over on X, user kuroberu reported a 13 percent increase in Cinebench R23's multi-core test on a Ryzen 7 9700X with "TDP to 105W" enabled. Unfortunately, we don't yet know the specifics such as the clock speed bump, voltage increase, or temperature increase from this run.
Synthetic, multi-core CPU benchmarks are certainly worth having, but most will likely be more interested in the impact it'll have on gaming. For that, we'll have to wait until more information becomes available.
MSI, meanwhile, has been on a roll as of late. The Taiwanese tech firm recently shared the blueprint for its upcoming high-end X870E motherboard with Wccf Tech, and it's a monster.
The MEG X870E Godlike is an E-ATX socket AM5 board that supports up to 256 GB of DDR5 memory and can accommodate five M.2 devices. There's also a 28 Phase (110A) CPU VRM design, dual 8-pin CPU power connectors, and steel reinforced PCIe and memory slots. Pricing wasn't mentioned, but it likely won't come cheap when it arrives after the first wave of AMD 800-series motherboards.
AMD is still expected to roll out its own TDP bump, but no word yet on when exactly it'll arrive.