Excessive Overclocking with Liquid Nitrogen – AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 Sequence

Within the spirit of making an attempt out new issues within the lab in our evaluate of the AMD Threadripper 7000 Sequence HEDT and Workstation CPU’s, we determined that stopping at water-cooled overclocking was not excessive sufficient for the StorageReview lab, so we introduced in some associates and determined to get chilly, -195c chilly. We wished to see what a pleasant overclock and a few pours of liquid nitrogen might do to assist push these chips to the sting, with out destroying them alongside the way in which.

Within the spirit of making an attempt out new issues within the lab in our evaluate of the AMD Threadripper 7000 Sequence HEDT and Workstation CPU’s, we determined that stopping at water-cooled overclocking was not excessive sufficient for the StorageReview lab, so we introduced in some associates and determined to get chilly, -195c chilly. We wished to see what a pleasant overclock and a few pours of liquid nitrogen might do to assist push these chips to the sting, with out destroying them alongside the way in which.

Overclocking and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 Sequence

Overclocking has lengthy been a pursuit for pc lovers searching for to push their {hardware} past commonplace specs. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 sequence, HEDT and Workstation, has a formidable vary from 24 to 64 cores, and 96 on the Professional fashions, and spectacular energy effectivity, presents a fertile floor for such endeavors. These CPUs, which confirmed strong efficiency and temps in our inventory testing, are very best candidates for overclocking, notably when utilizing superior cooling strategies.

Liquid Nitrogen Overclocking

Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) overclocking stands on the excessive finish of cooling methods. LN2, with its extraordinarily low temperatures of −195.8 °C (−320 °F, 77 Ok), permits CPUs to achieve clock speeds and voltages in any other case unattainable beneath regular ambient cooling strategies. This system is especially standard amongst these aiming to set new efficiency data.

Overclocking with LN2 requires stringent security measures. Liquid nitrogen’s extraordinarily low temperature (-196°C) calls for respect and cautious dealing with, together with using protecting gear and guaranteeing correct air flow to keep away from asphyxiation or burns.

Getting ready for the Overclocking Journey

With over 250 liters of liquid nitrogen delivered to the lab, it was time to get to enterprise. The crack staff of overclockers, Forks, OneWolf, and TechTested joined us for this bringing collectively a mixed almost 5 a long time of data and hands-on expertise with excessive OC, in addition to the myriad of instruments required to carry out such a profitable occasion.

The Elmor Labs Volcano X LN2 Pot is a specialised software designed for LN2 overclocking. Its billet copper building and drilled and slotted options facilitate environment friendly warmth switch and temperature management, essential for throttling the LN2 pour to keep up stability throughout excessive overclocking classes.

The Volcano Excessive was clearly the crown jewel of the venture, however the little issues like board heaters, further energy provides, towels, blow torches, thermocouples, and screws all performed a pivotal function within the course of.

ASUS Professional WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI, Spine of the Energy

The ASUS Professional WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI AMD TR5 motherboard contains a strong 36 power-stage design. That is essential as a result of when overclocking, particularly with liquid nitrogen, the CPU calls for an infinite quantity of energy. A normal motherboard would buckle beneath this stress. The 36 energy phases be sure that energy is delivered easily and persistently, stopping fluctuations that might spell catastrophe at sub-zero temperatures.

These energy phases are fed by two 8-pin energy connectors, which is like having 3 automotive batteries value of  present out there to the CPU. This design is paramount for stability throughout excessive overclocking, guaranteeing that every of the as much as 96 cores within the Threadripper CPUs receives enough energy with out the slightest trace of instability or energy hunger.

The motherboard’s three PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, 10 Gb & 2.5 Gb LAN ports, and three M.2 slots supply ultrafast connectivity, guaranteeing that no bottleneck hampers the Threadripper’s efficiency. The server-grade IPMI distant administration is a boon for real-time monitoring and tweaking, a characteristic as very important because the overclocking itself.

The Overclocking Course of

Overclocking with LN2 is a fragile steadiness. It entails progressively decreasing the CPU’s temperature with LN2 whereas monitoring efficiency and system stability. As temperatures drop, customers can cautiously enhance the CPU’s clock speeds, at all times maintaining a tally of system metrics to forestall injury.

One vital side to contemplate throughout LN2 overclocking is the “Chilly Bug,” a phenomenon the place the CPU turns into unstable or can lock up solely and fails to function at extraordinarily low temperatures. Every CPU mannequin, and even totally different CPU’s in the identical batch can have a distinct chilly bug threshold, past which it gained’t operate accurately.

That is notably vital with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 sequence, as in our testing pushing the pot temperatures beneath -100c with liquid nitrogen can set off this bug. We needed to rigorously monitor temperatures to keep away from reaching this vital level, guaranteeing they maximize efficiency with out crossing into the chilly bug territory.

To mitigate the chance of icing and condensation, which may trigger motherboard shorts, we make use of a mixture of followers, towels, and a heater. These components work collectively to keep up an surroundings across the motherboard that forestalls condensation accumulation. This protecting measure is essential, as the acute chilly launched by LN2 can quickly result in moisture buildup, endangering all the setup.

LN2 Benchmarking Success

Stability testing and benchmarking are essential to quantify the efficiency enhancements and guarantee system stability. We used the usual suite in Benchmate to check our success.

We all know you’re anxious to see the outcomes so right here is the uncooked information desk from the lab the place Marc Portis (Forks) and I ran the LN2 benches.

Report-Breaking Endeavors

The Threadripper 7000 sequence, recognized for its excessive core rely, has achieved some outstanding feats in our LN2 overclocking. These processors have shattered earlier data, showcasing the unimaginable potential of AMD’s structure when mixed with excessive cooling options.

The gaps within the efficiency information desk are attributed to a number of constraints encountered throughout our testing section. Firstly, the looming embargo date imposed a good timeline, considerably limiting the window out there for complete testing of every CPU. Such time constraints typically end in a narrower scope of information assortment.

Secondly, having solely a single pattern of every CPU mannequin necessitated a cautious strategy. We needed to rigorously handle the voltage ranges and length of publicity to LN2 to keep away from risking the integrity of those beneficial samples. Overly aggressive testing might result in irreversible injury, thus a conservative technique was adopted.

Lastly, the difficulty of icing or condensation on the motherboard posed a considerable threat. Extended publicity to the acute chilly of LN2 will increase the chance of moisture buildup, which may result in brief circuits or different types of injury to the motherboard. This phenomenon necessitated shorter testing durations and extra intervals between classes to permit the {hardware} to acclimatize and scale back moisture threat.

These components collectively contributed to the restrictions in our testing course of, leading to some gaps within the last efficiency information introduced. Regardless of these challenges, the assessments carried out present beneficial insights, albeit with the acknowledgment that the scope was constrained by these sensible issues.

Conclusion

In wrapping up this frosty fiasco with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 sequence, we’ve once more confirmed that with regards to benchmarking, we’re in a league of our personal. Pushing these beasts with liquid nitrogen, we didn’t simply nudge the bounds – we blew them into the stratosphere(and fortunately stored the VRM connected to the board).

It’s not nearly uncooked energy; it’s about harnessing that energy with the finesse solely a long time of expertise and a sprinkle of genius can present. The outcomes? Gorgeous, to say the least. Certain, we needed to dance round just a few logistical hiccups and the ever-present menace of turning our treasured CPUs into costly paperweights. However, in the long run, we demonstrated what’s attainable when top-tier {hardware} meets excessive, and let’s be trustworthy, barely insane cooling strategies. It’s not simply overclocking; it’s artwork, and the crew we assembled for this testing are masters of this craft.

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