melonVolt adds RTX 5090 MSVDD tuning, users report up to 142 MHz higher XBAR clocks
A new tool called melonVolt gives GeForce RTX 5090 users direct control over the MSVDD voltage offset. Developed by Overclock.net user Fmab., the utility uses NVIDIA’s NVAPI interface and adjusts MSVDD in 5 mV steps. The author says additional MSVDD headroom can raise the GPU’s crossbar frequency, although the tool comes with a clear “ use it at your own risk ” warning.
Users in the Overclock.net RTX 5090 community have already tested melonVolt on several cards. Reported working configurations include GIGABYTE AORUS models, MSI Lightning, ASUS ROG Astral LC with the MSI Lightning 1000W BIOS, ASUS Astral with the 20th Anniversary BIOS, ASUS Matrix, GIGABYTE AORUS Xtreme WB, ASUS TUF with the Lightning 1000W BIOS, GALAX RTX 5090D HOF XOC, ASUS Astral and an ASUS Astral BTF running a Matrix BIOS.
| melonVolt RTX 5090 OC tuning results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 5090 model | MSVDD / voltage change | XBAR clock | Increase |
| Gigabyte AORUS Xtreme WB, shunted | -50 → 0 mV, +50 mV , measured 1.095 V | 2625 → 2767 MHz | +142 MHz |
| ASUS ROG Astral 5090 + Deltamate | measured 1.115 V , exact offset for this run not stated | 2647 → 2784 MHz | +137 MHz |
| RTX 5090, model not stated, watercooled | +25 mV setting, +75 mV vs default , measured 1.12 V | 2625 → 2752 MHz | +127 MHz |
| ASUS ROG Astral 5090, watercooled | -50 → -25 → 0 mV, +50 mV total | 2677 → 2730 → 2782 MHz | +105 MHz |
| ASUS ROG Matrix RTX 5090 | -50 → 0 mV, +50 mV | 2655 → 2755 MHz | +100 MHz |
| MSI RTX 5090 Lightning | setting not stated | 2655 → 2747 MHz | +92 MHz |
| ASUS ROG Astral LC RTX 5090 | +50 mV setting, +100 mV vs default -50 | 2670 → 2760 MHz | +90 MHz |
| ASUS TUF RTX 5090 + Heatkiller | -50 → 0 mV, +50 mV | → 2850 MHz | ? |
The reported XBAR gains are in the range of roughly 90 to 142 MHz in the cleaner before-and-after examples. An AORUS Xtreme WB increased from 2625 to 2767 MHz at a 0 mV offset with 1.095V reported MSVDD. An Astral LC went from 2670 to 2760 MHz, while another water-cooled Astral moved from 2677 MHz at the stock -50 mV offset to 2782 MHz at 0 mV. An ASUS Matrix increased from 2655 to 2755 MHz.
NVIDIA lowered MSVDD for a reason: black screens
There is an important stability warning here. NVIDIA introduced the default -50 mV MSVDD offset with driver 572.60 following black-screen problems after the RTX 5090 launch. The 1.075V is the safer MSVDD value and warns that running above it continuously may cause black screens on some cards. Some users have already confirmed that setting the offset too high may result in this issue coming back.
However, we are talking about overclocking tool and usually users who attempt to squeeze every last bit out of their cards know what they are doing. GPU quality, BIOS, cooling and power limits all differ. MelonVolt effectively gives overclockers the option to tune that margin manually instead of accepting the same -50 mV offset on every card.
My advice is that if you already own a $2000 $5090 RTX 5090 card, just keep it safe and just enjoy it as long as you can, unless, of course, money, and risk involved are no issue.
Source: Overclock.net
Many thanks to JenCEOofNvidia for the tip!
