Loading ...When fast just isn’t fast enough!
What do you get when you cross extreme engineering with extreme overclockability?
You get an AMD TWKR CPU.
**WARNING: Extreme overclocking is an activity that should be carried out only by experts, using expert tools in a safe and secure environment. Use of extreme cooling methods and materials, including but not limited to liquid nitrogen, can be extremely hazardous. Extreme overclocking is not for everyone – AMD urges caution and disclaims all liability for any damages, of any type or character (including without limitation, system damage, loss of data or personal injury) caused as a result of or while engaged in engaging in extreme overclocking activities.
AMD’s product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when enabled via AMD software.
As they say, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
Matt Davis aka @dattymavis
@dattymavis and I ventured over to AMD’s “AREA 64″ with a newly minted AMD TWKR CPU to give it a testdrive under some extreme Ln2, and what ensued was pure overclocking awesomeness!
First, let me introduce to you the AMD TWKR:
AMD created a small number of limited edition AMD PhenomTM II TWKR Black Edition processors expressly for the purpose of commemorating the record performance feats with the AMD platform technology codenamed “Dragon” and AMD PhenomTM II processors. These processors are designed to reach the utmost performance barriers of the AMD Phenom II processor and operate beyond the specifications of typical production level processors.
Called the AMD PhenomTM II X4 42 Black Edition TWKR processor, it is not currently for sale, and not covered by AMD’s product warranty. This processor is provided “as is” and AMD disclaims any and all liable for any damages, of any type or character (including without limitation, system damage, loss of data or personal injury), caused as a result of or in connection with the use of this processor.
These processors demonstrate the sound engineering and superior process technology that is in each AMD Phenom II processor.
With our TWKR in hand and a solid warning from our buildings management staff, we headed across Austin to AMD’s Secret Lab – AREA 64.
The lab is fully stocked with all the hardware an overclocker could ever imagine or dream of, shopping made easy! Did I mention the 9,000 gallon Liquid Nitrogen tank outside with direct piping into the AREA 64 lab, yup, doesn’t get much better than that!
The motherboard of choice was a Gigabyte 790X.
4G of Corsair memory,
An ATI RadeonTM HD 4870 X2 GPU.
And a TWKR CPU.
Hmmm, why is it not posting???
After 20 minutes of no posting at all, we finally realized that the DIMMS had been previously whacked and were no good… Step 1: Always make sure you have working hardware!
Once we had working hardware, we fired it up and started the “slow pour” of Ln2.
The steps we followed are detailed in this blog.
Ln2 engaged! First thermos of Ln2 got us to -120C, time for thermos #2. The second pour brought us down to -139C! Time for more!
The third thermos of Ln2 brought our TWKR part down to -186.6C – Ah, overclocking bliss!
At this point in time, I let @dattymavis take over as he is the obvious safer one between the two of us…
@dattymavis jokingly dons full protective gear and looks like something out of an alien movie…
Now time to see what this badboy can do! We pushed the proc to a single core overclock of 6.42Ghz at a voltage of 1.725volts. This was accomplished just having Windows at idle. We will leave it up to the professional overclockers to push the proc’s with a heavy workload.
As for a 4-core OC, we achieved 6.2Ghz at 1.8 volts. Again, this was at a temp of -182F with a light workload.
All in all, we achieved significant frequency for a couple of hacks with unlimited Ln2.
The TWKR is not currently for sale, but is designed to make a statement to the OC community: Thank you to each and every enthusiast who continues to support AMD and fights the good fight!
Ah, the sweat smell of Ln2...
If I’m lucky, I may be able to give away some of the TWKR processors via Twitter in the coming weeks. I’m not making any promises, but follow me if you are on Twitter and you just might be lucky enough to become a proud owner of a TWKR yourself someday.
Also follow @AMDDesktop…they have some goodies for the community too!
Cheers!
Ian “Cabrtosr” McNaughton
Ian McNaughton is senior manager of advanced marketing at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
(4.65 out of 5)
#1 by Lily Pham - July 9th, 2009 at 15:21
Very interesting!!!
Houston Divorce Lawyer Blog
#2 by GreekGeek - July 9th, 2009 at 17:52
It is very nice to see young people, still over clocking.
Why, it does not seem like yesterday, I purchased my AMD K6III+, from AMDZone and had it glowing red, in my FIC-VA-503 motherboard. Oh yes.
You have all done very well!
GreekGeek
#3 by Surya - July 9th, 2009 at 20:02
Hmm, I think it is ideal for AMD to give this prized products to the most active member in AMD Processor forum. There area many member that voluntarily support another user to use AMD products.
#4 by Nate Supplee - July 9th, 2009 at 21:37
Oohh… TWKR! Amazing processors!
#5 by Trooper - July 10th, 2009 at 00:30
Very impressive!!! Wonder what this would do to my fps in CS: Source… AMD rocks because AMD dares go beyond what the “other guys” consider an acceptable performance level!
Grats!
#6 by xfloggingkylex - July 10th, 2009 at 13:39
@Trooper, yes the core I7s are still the fastest consumer CPUs? Don’t get me wrong, I’m an AMD fan but to say that AMD goes beyond the other guys in performance is a bit silly. It took AMD years just to catch the C2D (as in the last few months).
#7 by Nate Supplee - July 11th, 2009 at 09:37
@xfloggingkylex, I could be mistaken, but I think the highest 3DMark Vantage score is held by a Phenom 2 CPU.
But, besides the point… Yes, the i7 is technically the fastest CPU available. But, the question becomes… is the i7 platform the best value? Performance/price, AMD seems to have an upper hand. A nice Phenom 2 paired with a good GPU is still going to play all the games out there just as good as an i7, yet you can get a system around it for less.
#8 by xfloggingkylex - August 5th, 2009 at 09:21
@Nate Supplee, At the time of your writing this was true, but it is now an intel chip holding the record.
The problem with CPU reviews is they review based on price, so you’ll see the phenom II 955 compared to the Intel I7 920. While this works just fine for pricing, it really makes intel look better than they are doing because you are comparing a 3.2ghz AMD to a 2.66 intel. Since almost no one who has the mind to buy an I7 leaves it at stock clocks (especially the 920), it would be more fair to compare the phenom II’s with I7s in the 3ghz range.
Either way, Phenom II is plenty of power at an unmatched price right now, so you have to decide if an extra 40% cost is worth an extra 5% performance gain… for me it wasn’t.
#9 by PrimeR - July 11th, 2009 at 14:24
Looks like an Asus M4A79T board to me. Very nice OC!
#10 by helpdesk software - September 22nd, 2009 at 01:46
It’s an awesome processor. Really good work done by you people. Hey is it dangerous?? Because I read the warning “Don’t try at home.” What precautions you take before doing it?? share with us.