Pretty much new to PC building. Which settings I should enable in X870 Tomahawk BIOS?

Understanding BIOS Settings for Your AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D on the MSI MPG X870 Tomahawk: A Guide for Beginners

Building your own PC can be an exciting yet sometimes confusing experience, especially when it comes to configuring BIOS settings. With a powerful combination like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, MSI MPG X870 Tomahawk motherboard, and an RTX 4080 graphics card, optimizing your setup is essential for maximizing performance. If you’re new to PC building and BIOS configurations, this article aims to clarify key BIOS settings and help you understand whether adjustments are necessary.

Assessing Your Current System Performance

You’ve observed that your CPU boost values, as displayed in the Steam Overlay, rarely exceed 100%, even during intensive gaming sessions like Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 2042. Despite running these titles at low graphical settings, your CPU utilization caps around 90% with about 300 FPS, and GPU usage hovers around 50%. Temperatures remain within safe limits during gameplay.

These observations suggest your system is performing efficiently, but questions about BIOS settings such as Game Boost, Precision Boost, and Gaming Mode are valid. Let’s explore what these options do and whether you should modify them.

Understanding Key BIOS Settings

1. Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO):
   PBO enables AMD’s dynamic overclocking technology, allowing the CPU to automatically increase clock speeds beyond the standard limits when thermal and power conditions permit. Enabling PBO can improve performance in CPU-intensive tasks or gaming.

2. Game Mode:
   On some motherboards, Game Mode optimizes system performance for gaming, potentially tweaking CPU and memory settings to reduce latency and improve responsiveness.

3. Boost Settings (such as Boost Clock and related options):
   These settings influence how aggressively the processor increases clock speeds under load. Some BIOS configurations allow manual or automatic adjustments.

Should You Adjust These Settings?

Based on your current performance metrics and temperature readings, your system appears to be operating within optimal parameters. High CPU utilization during gaming indicates your CPU is effectively handling workload without bottlenecks. Unless you’re aiming for overclocking or additional performance gains, it’s often best to leave BIOS settings at default or “Auto” modes, especially if you’re unfamiliar with manual tuning.

Recommendations:

• Ensure PBO is enabled if you want your CPU to boost more aggressively.
• Disable or enable Gaming Mode based on your preference;