Project Hydra is developed specifically for the Zen 3 architecture, so owners of Zen and Zen 2 processors will have to make do with the current version of the tool, called the Clock Tuner. The Zen 3 processor family now includes AMD’s consumer processor series and APUs, but the Threadripper series is expected to be added later this summer (whether Hydra will be supported has yet to be confirmed, everything is said. ).
Project Hydra, the overclocking tool for AMD Zen 3 processors
The software is CTR-based, but has a new user interface and supports three default voltage curve values: under-voltage, normal and overclock. Now up to 9 profiles can be stored for specific tasks, and the Voltage Curve Optimizer now also allows much finer tuning as it can be configured for each of the individual processor cores.
The Hydra project offers much smaller voltage increases (1mV) compared to AMD’s Ryzen Master tool (which only allows 3mV), and new safeguards have also been implemented to increase safety. overclocking. The software also comes with a 24 × 7 monitoring feature that will automatically disable overclocking profiles if critical temperature or voltage situations are reached.
The tool communicates directly with the SMU (System Management Unit) via the PCIe bus, which prevents blocking or overwriting of the selected profile. The developer also made sure that the tool does not consume more than 100MB of RAM and only 1% CPU usage, so now this tool is much more secure and lighter than Ryzen Master. Here is a brief description of Project Hydra according to its creator:
“Hydra constantly communicates with the SMU via the PCIe bus without blocking it and depending on the data received, it changes frequency or changes profile. The resource requirements are also minimal as it only requires 100MB of RAM and 0-1% CPU usage. The possibility of damaging a processor with this program is less than with AMD’s Ryzen Master because it does not use a PCI mutex and it can be an ideal weapon for destroying processors.
“If the user finds out that his AMD processor has a low frequency margin, the standard version will be sufficient to get the maximum performance than the processor itself. Of course, the Pro version will get additional support and will first receive all the new features added through early access. Sounds like a fair policy to me, minimal restrictions, and everyone will have a chance to get it.
According to the developer, the tool will be launched at the end of this month of July. It is worth noting that the Pro version will guarantee better support, additional functions and early access to those that are added. However, we still have to listen to all the details of this Hydra project before entering to assess whether it is better or worse than Ryzen Master or Clock Tuner, and as they plan to launch it this month, we will have hard data soon. .
