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Creating a full, 34-page overclocking guide for this processor is a clear indication that we have tried each and every tweak, crank and shove to get the maximum possible performance from the technology. Unfortunately, it's the underlying technology that is now being asked to do too much.
At its stock speed of 3.6Ghz, AMD's new Black Edition does a reasonable job of standing up to Intel's Core i5 760 in tests like Cinebench 11.5 – but the Intel chip is purring along at just 2.8Ghz. So, even with an 800MHz disadvantage on core speed, Intel is still almost level. As you would expect, AMD's 1055T is already 20% ahead at stock speed.
But this is a Black Edition processor. Born to fight in the overclocking space. Using KitGuru's skill and experience, we managed to add 1Ghz to the AMD's core speed.
It's a clear indication of how the world has moved on since the original 955 Black Edition came to the market back in 2009. That chip shipped at 3.2Ghz and (with a bump to 1.45v on the core), most enthusiasts could add on around 700Mhz to give themselves a 3.9Ghz processor.
But that was then and this is now. We're living in the post Phenom II X6 world where AMD is shipping a full 6 cores at similar pricing to this quad core 975 processor.
After loads of work and endless tweaking of all available settings, what did KitGuru manage to achieve?
AMD's Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition can be overclocked by a full 1GHz and, at that point, it achieves exactly the same performance in Cinebench 11.5 as the 1055T processor does at stock speeds.
With only a smattering of knowledge, you could opt for Intel's Core i5 760 processor and nudge it to 4GHz. At that point, the Intel chip is breezing past the AMD 975 by more than 15%.
Intel has just launched the brand new, second generation Core processors as well – so the gap would now be bigger.
However, the coup de grace is actually served up by AMD's entry level 6 core processor.
Overclock the AMD Phenom II X6 1055T to 4Ghz and you get Cinebench 11.5 results that are almost 45% faster than AMD's new quad core.
KitGuru says: There is just one factor here which AMD can (and probably will) affect. That is price. AMD's quad core processor could find a place in the market if AMD can get the price much closer to £99. It's a mental milestone which might appeal to overclockers. We have no idea if AMD is able to sell this kind of processor into the channel at $110, but that's the kind of change that would be needed to help it find a place in the market. For now, AMD's Phenom II X6 1055T remains a significantly stronger choice.
These recent reviews seem to be all over the place tbh.
Would be a lot easier to compare and to read if you just collate all the 3.6, 4, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 data into one set of graphs and compare it to the i5 and the 1055T to more easily understand the benefits if any of cranking up the voltage and how it compares and/or where it becomes faster than the other CPUs at what clock speed. And just leave the BIOS twinkering articles at the top of the article more
I think it works well. You get a baseline figure for other CPU’s then the performance for the CPU at the reference speed, then intructions for each clock speed setting and comparisions. Its more a guide style, I like them.
4 cores from AMD is pointless now, they need 6 or nothing.
I think its an interesting way of doing it as these processors are so boring and just clocked ramped versions of older ones. This processor in particular is a complete waste of time.
Interesting to see the performance compared to the 1055T with more cores. Has a real hard time keeping up with anything. Not the best idea, AMD need a new design completely, especially with the new Core processors released yesterday.
Cant see anyone wanting this, even AMD followers. 6 cores, it has to be.
I dont agree with pineappleexpress. I bought a 1100T and I found the overclocking performance guide very helpful. sometimes with a page and 20 items on it, it gets confusing. with that article I was able to say ‘I want 4ghz’ and I went to the page, copied the bios settings, after looking at the performance gains. Its unusual style, but I like it for some articles. especially for new models with the same architecture as before.
Well ive kinda gone back on my own theory… Its because normally i just go view all pages so im not clicking next page every minute or so, and in view all theres no page headers so you’re completely lost, just re-read it through and it seems a lot more clear in single page mode
On real usage, it’s pointless to overclock a phenom II without touching CPU_NB speed and only aiming for CPU clock. You should point CPU_NB to the 2.8-3.0GHz range if you want to maximize your overclock because it will starve on bandwidth very soon, specially at >800MHz for ram. The BE gives you an unlocked multiplier and free voltage tweaking just for the CPU_NB, not only the unlocked cpu multiplier, so it should also be used. You might not get such high CPU clock due to the added heat, but the performance gain is worth it, sometimes being greater than a 200-400MHz CPU overclock.
I just don’t get how in most most am3 overclocking reviews CPU_NB is forgotten.