AMD Ryzen 3000 CPUs’ new eco-mode could help cut your energy bills

(Image credit: Future)

Ryzen 3000 processors are soon to get a new ‘eco-mode’ which enables the lowering of TDP so the CPU can run cooler and quieter, using less power (and saving a little on your electricity bill as a result, of course).

The mode is coming across the board to all Ryzen 3rd-gen CPUs (but not APUs) and you’ll be able to switch it on via AMD’s Ryzen Master app.

The new Ryzen 9 3950X runs at 105W out-of-the-box, but when put in eco-mode, consumes 65W. AMD claims it’s using something like 44% less power, which is not a trivial amount for those who have their PC switched on the majority of the time (or even constantly).

Your chip will also run something like (up to) 7 degrees cooler, AMD says, but obviously you will lose some performance while constraining power usage like this. Apparently, you’ll still get the majority of the 3950X’s horsepower coming through, though – AMD reckons users get 77% of normal performance in eco-mode.

So when you don’t need to stretch the legs of the chip, this could be a good option to plump for.

Hot hot heat

More to the point, for those whose chips are running hot, or PC builders who are perhaps trying to cram a Ryzen CPU into a small case or similar temperature-challenged environment, this could be a massive boon that allows for the use of a powerful processor where it otherwise wouldn’t be viable (because it’s not possible to fit in a good enough cooling solution).

Furthermore, in eco-mode, the CPU fan won’t need to spin up as much, and therefore your PC will be running slightly quieter.

105W processors are reduced to 65W in eco-mode, with 65W chips being dropped to 45W when the eco-friendly switch is flicked. And it really will be as simple as clicking an option to turn on eco-mode within the Ryzen Master software.

All this was announced alongside the launch of the new Ryzen 9 3950X flagship CPU and 3rd-generation Ryzen Threadrippers.

Via PC GamesN

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).