AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition Review – overclocking performance

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.

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