The 105W TDP mode is now under warranty Updated: Oct 1, 2024 10:27 am WePC is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more Table of Contents Table of Contents Let’s look back to the release of the Ryzen 9000 series processors. We’ll remember that many reviewers criticized the performance of the Ryzen 5 and 7 SKUs, stating that the generational performance uplift was less than ideal. Many cited the very low TDP as the source of the issue. Well, it turns out that it was indeed one of the issues, and even without AMD making an official statement on its plans to rectify the situation, motherboard manufacturers started to release 105W TDP modes for their boards – allowing the 96 and 9700X to achieve a 105W TDP. This increased performance by about 10% on average across the board, and coupled with Windows update 23H2, and AGESA 1.2.0.2, made the 9600X and 9700X into formidable gaming machines. AMD extends the warranty of 9600X and 9700X to include 105W TDP mode AMD has put out an official slideshow covering the issues that Zen 5 faced upon launch, the low TDP, the Windows performance issues, and the latency problems. And in that same slideshow AMD officially stated that it’s extending the warranty to include the 105W TDP modes. Source: AMD AGESA 1.2.0.2 This is coupled with the AGESA information because 1.2.0.2 is the last update that added stability to the new TDP mode. It is said to be the last one, presumably meaning no more tweaks will be made to this mode assuming there are no issues. Videocardz quoted a section of the press release that explains very well why AMD chose to include the 65W TDP to begin with, and why they eventually made the change: “With a stock Thermal Design Power (TDP) of a low 65 Watts, our vision for the Ryzen 9600X and 9700X was all about efficient performance. But we hear that some of you will always crave more power and more speed. Well, guess what? With the new 1.2.0.2 BIOS update, you can run your Ryzen 9600X and 9700X at 105W TDP without voiding your warranty. Just enable the 105W cTDP in the BIOS, and you’re good to go! These processors have been validated at 105W since their release, so you won’t be pushing them beyond their design limits. This boost is especially beneficial for multithreaded workloads, but you might see some gains in less-threaded apps too. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility: make sure you have an appropriate cooling solution to handle the higher thermal limit that 105W brings to the table.” With that being said, if you were at all worried about taking your 96 or 9700X CPU outside of its warranty by enabling the 105W TDP mode, then you can rest easy. This is a good move from AMD, and it looks like it’s pretty well rectified the hiccups it had with the launch of Zen 5.
