Deep down, we know that this shouldn't work. Normally, a processor operating under extreme temperature conditions will activate its "thermal shutdown" mechanism to protect itself and other components, but the 4000U series of Ryzen portable APUs (also known as "Renoir") is in another category. YouTube user FritzchensFritz published on his account a video of the Ryzen 3 4300U running without a heatsink... while running the Crysis benchmark.
The Ryzen 4000U series: a new benchmark
The new Ryzen 4000U processors based on the Zen 2 architecture debuted between mid-March and the first days of May. Multiple hardware channels and forums managed to obtain these models through various OEMs, and overall, the conclusion is unanimous: They are the best chips for portable systems AMD has made to date, and Intel faces serious competitive problems.
But the Ryzen 4000U also surprises with its tweaking potential. By optimizing timings, raising or lowering frequencies and modifying factory thermal parameters, some enthusiasts are achieving notable things. One of the most recent examples takes us to the FritzchensFritz channel on YouTube, who took a Ryzen 3 4300U (4C/4T, 3.7 GHz Turbo, Vega 5 module at 1400 MHz), removed its heatsink, aimed a thermal camera at the processor, and began running benchmarks... including Crysis:
How did it survive?
No, the chip didn't end up in orbit. With the help of a small open-source application called Renoir Mobile Tuning, FritzchensFritz managed to set the thermal limit for the Ryzen 3 4300U at 90 degrees Celsius. The only 'cooling' element during the experiment was a 120-millimeter fan running at 5 volts, tasked with circulating fresh air over the processor area.
The thermal image is just a visual reference, since it can't accurately measure what's happening inside the silicon... but the changes on the surface look great, and at times we can observe when the activity moves from the graphics module to the CPU cores.
Of course, that doesn't mean the Ryzen 4000U are ready to give up cooling. In fact, I think the vast majority prefers a good solution in that regard, even if it adds a little extra weight or thickness to the laptop. But in another era, that processor would have become an Olympic torch. We've come a long way.
