AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition Review – overclocking performance

Our review today focuses on the overclocking capability of the AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition processor and as we progress further we will explain our settings, before we reach the core limitations.

There is much debate online as to ‘how to overclock the quad core AMD processor’ and while these processors can require a little hand holding at times, the basic methodology is straightforward. I actually find them extremely simple to overclock and they like voltage, as long as you don’t get out of control.

Voltage limitations are also a constant topic of conversation and if you google online, you will see many overclocking forums have pages and pages of argument and counter argument as to how far you should really push the silicon.

My own findings may of course differ from other enthusiast users but I can honestly say that I have yet to kill any modern day processor by pushing it too hard. Perhaps I have ‘the luck of the Irish’ when overclocking.

So let me state it clearly for anyone reading this. With air cooling, regardless of how hardcore it is, never force more than 1.575 volts through an AMD Phenom II X4 or X6 processor. If your cooling is modest, then aim much, much lower. The only air cooler I would use for this level of voltage is the Noctua NH D14. More on this cooler on the next page … but that is my own rule of thumb condensed into a paragraph.

Today we are going to review the processor with a multitude of settings and for each section I will detail the bios settings I used. This, in theory should mean that a quick perusal of settings should be easy for our readers, rather than scrolling down a single page with 5 or 6 sets of detailed bios configurations.

While many reviews will build up to an ‘overclocking’ page near the end of the review, as I said earlier, the point of this article is to publish an analysis of the 975 Black Edition in various configurations of overclocked states.

So how far did we manage to push the 975 Black Edition?

System Validation is available over here.

I managed to get 4.4ghz at 1.59 volts, however from my own experiences with AMD processors this could be rather fatal long term and while it would look great on paper, I am not recommending our readers to attempt this, even with the stunning Noctua NH D14 cooler. Sure. if you are trying to break records with LN2, go for it, but for 24/7 real world use at the heart of an enthusiast system, forget it.

AMD rate the maximum voltage for these processors as 1.4 volts, but this is a very safe rating to ensure that failure rate is not an issue from them. As with all overclocking ventures, I don’t want to be held responsible for any fried hardware. I recommend my own settings then show you those settings in action, but there is always a risk with overclocking any hardware, you are after all pushing it beyond manufacturer specification.

Getting the X4 975 Black Edition to 4.4ghz might not be that easy, but 4ghz, or higher proves little issue, as long as you have a good motherboard and decent cooling.

Much depends on your motherboard, choice of cooler, and level of expertise (patience?), but it really isn’t such a dark art.

Our review systems of choice are as follows. Special thanks to Intel, AMD and all the other companies involved for supplying the hardware. We have included the X6 1055T and Intel Core i5 760 as main competitors, as they all share a similar £140-150 inc vat price point. Intel Core i7 950 and AMD Phenom II X6 1100T are included to show potential performance gains when moving up to the next price bracket.

Main Review system:
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition
Processor: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB 1600Mhz Kit
Motherboard: MSI 890GXM-G65 (MS-7642)
Graphics Card: HIS HD6870 Turbo Edition
Power Supply: Thermaltake ToughPower Grand 750W
Chassis: Antec Dark Fleet DF-85
Cooler: Noctua NH D14
Drive: Intel 80GB SSD

Intel Review System 1:
Processor: Intel Core i5 760
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tracer 4GB 1600mhz
Motherboard: AsRock P55 Extreme4
Graphics Card: AMD HD6950
Power Supply: Thermaltake ToughPower Grand 750W
Chassis: Antec Dark Fleet DF-85
Cooler: Noctua NH D14
Drive: Kingston 128GB SSD

Intel Review System 2:
Processor: Intel Core i5 655k
Memory: Kingston 4GB DDR3 1600mhz
Motherboard: AsRock P55 Deluxe 3
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD6850
Power Supply: Thermaltake ToughPower Grand 750W
Chassis: Antec Dark Fleet DF-85
Cooler: Noctua NH D14
Drive: Kingston 128GB SSD

Software:
Windows 7 64 bit Enterprise Edition SP1 (fully updated)
FRAPS
PC Mark Vantage
SiSoft Sandra
Cinebench R11.5 64 bit
Cyberlink Media Espresso V6
3D Studio Max 2011
Super Pi Mod 1.5

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