Hello there,
I (and many other NZXT CAM users) had already reported about the problem(s) (https://cam-ideas.nzxt.com/ideas/CAM-I-455) that my Ryzen 9 5950x (and other Ryzens) has very high temperatures in idle (60 - 70 °C) and gaming (70 - 80 °C) caused by NZXT CAM when it is running (also when NZXT CAM is running minimized in the background). The Software also causes high clockspeed and triggers the Core Performance Boost (CPB). The clockspeed never goes lower than 1500 Mhz in idle if NZXT CAM is active. NZXT CAM still also shows a wrong clockspeed and temperature compared to AMD Ryzen Master. This makes it all the more surprising that the ticket CAM-I-455 was marked as "Shipped". Since the last updates of the cam software, however, nothing has happened, which is why I went on troubleshooting by myself.
Uninstall and Reinstall NZXT CAM or delete the NZXT folder in %appdata%, as suggested by the NZXT support, to reset NZXT CAM does not work.
However, I had noticed the following problems/bugs (also in connection with the high clock speed and the memory leak of NZXT CAM):
Problem/Bug 1: If I use one of the infographics for my Kraken Z73 AIO at "LCD Display" (Dual Infographic, CPU Temperature, Liquid Temperature, GPU Temperature, CPU Load, GPU Load, CPU Clock Speed and GPU Clockspeed), the processor no longer clocks down. The core boost (Core Performance Boost [CPB]) is triggered again and again. The core boost is even partially permanently active. Thus, no downclocking (core sleep state) is possible, because the processor clocks up again and again in a strange way and/or triggers the core boost. So the cores wake up immediately, boost up clock speed and cause the high temperatures (and temperature spikes). So the fans will ramp up and immediately down.
Problem/Bug 2: I also noticed that by using the infographics (Dual Infographic, CPU Temperature, Liquid Temperature, GPU Temperature, CPU Load, GPU Load, CPU Clock Speed and GPU Clockspeed) a high memory leak in the RAM arises.
Temporary solution for Problem/Bug 1 and Problem/Bug 2: However, if I set in the "LCD Display" of my Kraken Z73, for example at "GIF", the processor clocks down, runs in idle at about 50 - 55 °C and in gaming at about 70 ° C. The core boost is still triggered from time to time but not as much as when I use the Infographics (Dual Infographic, CPU Temperature, Liquid Temperature, GPU Temperature, CPU Load, GPU Load, CPU Clock Speed and GPU Clockspeed). Also, the memory leak has (almost) disappeared.
If I deactivate the Core Performance Boost (CPB) in the BIOS settings, the core will no longer boost -> no temperature spikes, lower temperatures about 40 - 50 °C in idle and about 60 - 65 °C in gaming.
If I deactivate/ uninstall NZXT CAM the (unnecessary) triggered core boost is (almost completely) disappeared -> still temperature spikes (not so much and high), but lower temperatures about 42 - 55 °C in idle and about 60 - 65 °C. Thats maybe a bug, too. The Processor`s clockspeed goes under 500 Mhz in idle!
So the problem cannot be with the AMD Ryzen processor and its energy management, but with the resource management of NZXT CAM. To support my thesis, I installed the Ryzen 9 5950x for fun in my other PC with a third-party AIO (AIO has about the same performance) and third-party software (both not NZXT) and read out the values.
The same processor does not clocks up pointlessly with the third-party software. Also the core boost is not triggered unnecessarily -> still temperature spikes (not so much and high), but lower temperatures about 42 - 55 °C in idle and about 60 - 65 °C (same as deactivating/uninstalling NZXT CAM).
In addition to ticket CAM-I-455: NZXT CAM still displays incorrect clockspeeds and temperatures. While in Ryzen Master the clock speed is 1000 MHz and the temperature is 52 °C, in NZXT CAM the clock speed is 4600 MHz and the temperature is 63 °C. Also in NZXT CAM the displayed clockspeed never going lower than 3600 Mhz.
Why has the problem still not been fixed or why does NZXT CAM not use the same readout values of AMD Ryzen Master? For example the GPU clockspeed and temperatures of my AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT match the values of the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.
Conclusion: However, disabling Core Performance Boost (CPB) in BIOS settings cannot be the solution to the problem(s), as it is associated with performance degradation. Also deactivating/uninstalling the NZXT CAM Software is no the solution to the problem(s). It is all the more annoying that NZXT is not able to fix a problem that has existed for years, which has already been reported several times here and announced on reddit and on the NZXT Discord server. Because of the Kraken Z73 AIO, the AER RGB 2 fans and the NZXT Fan Controller, I am dependent on NZXT CAM in order to use all the features or to be able to make fan curve and RGB settings.
And to get software for the money invested in NZXT components (maybe about 400 - 500 €) that is still quite buggy and resource-consuming in many places and NZXT is not able to fix the software correctly is just annoying and also laughable. With third-party softwares/devices, everything works perfectly. In Germany we say: "ein Armutszeugnis (a sign of poverty)"!
I spent a lot of time searching for the cause of the problems, now it is up to you to finally fix the software. It would be a blessing for any Ryzen owner if the software worked properly.
Thank you very much.
Greetings from Germany
Joshua Maximilian Lehmann
