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First time tuning / overclocking – Ryzen 9 9950X3D + RTX 5090 LC (aiming for cooler & quieter gaming, sanity check welcome)
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First time tuning / overclocking – Ryzen 9 9950X3D + RTX 5090 LC (aiming for cooler & quieter gaming, sanity check welcome)

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Hi r/overclocking,

This is my first post here and my first serious attempt at tuning high-end hardware. I’m not chasing benchmark-only numbers — my goal is stable, efficient daily use, with a preference for lower temperatures and noise even if that costs ~1% performance.

I’d appreciate a sanity check on whether what I’ve done makes sense, and advice on whether there’s still meaningful performance or efficiency left on the table.

System Overview

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E Gaming WiFi
Cooling (CPU): NZXT Kraken Z63/Z73 AIO
GPU: ASUS ROG ASTRAL RTX 5090 Liquid OC
RAM: 96 GB (2×48 GB) Corsair DDR5
Storage: WD Black SN850X 1 TB
OS: Windows 11

Primary use cases:

  • 4K gaming (AAA titles)
  • Esports titles
  • Daily work as a software developer

Goals

  • Long-term stability (no “benchmark-only” profiles)
  • Prefer significantly better thermals and acoustics even if it costs ~1% FPS
  • If there’s safe performance or efficiency left on the table, I want to understand where

CPU (Ryzen 9 9950X3D)

  • Mostly stock behavior with PBO enabled
  • Cinebench R23 multi-core: ~41,700
  • Peak temps during all-core load: mid to high 80s °C
  • No thermal throttling
  • Gaming temps are substantially lower

GPU (RTX 5090 LC)

Tools: ASUS GPU Tweak III + GPU-Z + HWInfo

Current behavior:

  • Sustained core clock: +300
  • Voltage under load: 0.975
  • Memory: +2500

VF curve observation:

From the Voltage–Frequency curve, the card:

  • Fully flattened at 0.975v

Benchmarks & Stability Checks

Cinebench R23 (CPU):

  • ~41.7k multi-core

Steel Nomad (DX12):

  • Score: 15,208
  • Graphics FPS: 152
  • Flat clocks, no instability during the run

I’m prioritizing real games + Steel Nomad over FurMark-only validation.

Memory (96 GB DDR5)

  • Running DDR5-6000 (3000 MHz)
  • Timings: 30-38-40-72, Command Rate 1T
  • Stable so far, no WHEA errors observed

Given the capacity (2×48 GB), I chose stability over pushing 6600+.

System overview: CPU, RAM configuration

https://imgur.com/a/0Te0Vt8

HWInfo – CPU behavior under load (no throttling)

https://imgur.com/a/gR5WzUL

Cinebench R23 multi-core (~41.7k)

https://imgur.com/a/r9kLqW7

RTX 5090 VF curve – flattens around 0.975v

https://imgur.com/a/PvAkrRl

Current GPU tuning settings

https://imgur.com/a/qNJGsoW

Steel Nomad DX12 – 15,208 score, flat clocks

https://imgur.com/a/6lbarCd

FurMark stability check

https://imgur.com/a/ZlOKPfS

Further settings from Bios/CPU-Z/HWInfo

https://imgur.com/a/yZWoDtP

Thanks in advance for any feedback — happy to provide more data if useful.