MSI's 'Kombo Strike' Feature Boosts the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's Performance

MSI is bringing out all the punches on AMD's non-overclockable Ryzen 7 5800X3D, with yet another BIOS update to improve the chip's performance on MSI motherboards. On this occasion, it comes as a feature inside the BIOS utility known as the Kombo Strike. The beta BIOS updates are available for select X570S, X570, and B550 MSI motherboards.

The new Kombo Strike utility remains a mystery. MSI didn't share any in-depth details of the feature. For example, the description for the BIOS says, "improved CPU performance of Ryzen 7 5800X3D." But, we know that it features four options: Disabled, 1, 2, and 3. The third level probably provides the most performance gains out of all three levels. It's uncertain how MSI managed to squeeze extra performance out of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, since AMD has locked down all CPU overclock parameters for the chip. It's plausible that MSI could have discovered a method to raise the power limit, allowing for better performance.

Suppose you care to install this beta BIOS update yourself. In that case, it's available for the X570S Unify, Ace, and X570 Godlike, as well as the B550 Unify X, Unify, Gaming Edge WiFi, B550I Gaming Edge MAX WiFi and the B550M Mortar. Once installed, you can access the Kombo Strike option in the "Overclocking/Advanced CPU Configuration" of the BIOS. But beware, these are beta BIOS updates, so additional bugs or instability can occur.

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The second BIOS update in under a week improves the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's performance with MSI motherboards. The previous BIOS update unlocked additional CPU offset, Precision Boost Overdrive, and the Curve Optimizer on the X570 Unify.

The new beta BIOS also comes with the "CPU Offset Voltage" option enabled for the brave to undervolt the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. However, it's essential to tread cautiously since too low of a voltage is terrible and will ultimately impact the processor functionality and your system's stability.

MSI isn't the only manufacturer to offer Ryzen 7 5800X3D tweaking as Asus also has several built-in custom overclocking functions which work on all Ryzen 5000 processors, including the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. We've already seen overclockers push the Ryzen 7 5800X3D beyond 5 GHz. So, MSI's latest BIOS will be a welcome addition for Ryzen 7 5800X3D owners that want to squeeze every bit of performance out of the processor.

Ryzen 7000 will arrive this summer, potentially in September. The 3D V-Cache variants should come shortly after, according to AMD's latest desktop client CPU roadmap.