Why is my CPU clock fluctuating in Horizon Online?
While hitting top speeds in the open world, my CPU temps would suddenly rocket from 65℃ to 92℃, causing the clock to bounce violently between 3.8GHz and 5.1GHz. The default fan response on the RT500 TC ARGB was just too sluggish, letting heat build up before the fins could even react. I first tried locking the fans at 100% in the BIOS, but the 45dB whine was unbearable and only dropped temps by 2℃, which felt like a total waste of time. I eventually manually tightened the PWM response time from 0.7s down to 0.1s and applied a -0.05V voltage offset. Monitoring via HWInfo showed the temp swings compressed from 15℃ to a tight 4-7℃ range, and the frame pacing finally smoothed out. I did hit a Blue Screen of Death during the first voltage tweak when entering the game, but bumping it back up by 0.01V fixed the instability. With fans humming between 1400-1700 RPM, the thermal efficiency is night and day. Stress tests confirm the clock is no longer jumping, and the system feels snappy again.
