Posted on: 12.10.2011 03:06:21
The A-Series APUs may be targeting a mainstream audience but that doesn't mean it can not be overclocked. Though caution is recommended, this is not something you can increase the multiplier on and say hello to 4.6GHz. Like the 1155 platform with the Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs, the base clock is tied to many other system components including the northbridge, the GPU, memory, storage, USB and PCI-E. However, unlike the 1155 platform, when increasing the baseclock there are automatic multipliers changing in the background allowing an increase in the baseclock affecting the CPU, resulting in a higher speed.
The A6-3650 with Cool & Quiet enabled.
Hitting the stock 2.6GHz
Finding a stable OC @ 142 x 26 to give 3.69GHz
Finding a stable clock at first can be hit and miss as you never know when the hidden system multiplier will change. Many have pointed to around 133 baseclock. You will find that if you try to boot, for example, at 125 baseclock, you may find that your system will not boot or even recognise your storage drive, but loading in at 135 will resume system stability. I managed to get a stable 3.69GHZ (linX and MSI Kombustor simultainiously) though I only benched the CPU in the results. The A-3650 APU looks like it could offer pleasing rewards for those with enough time to spend overclocking it to the perfect settings. It has a strong, 1866MHz capable IMC, (some have been able to get DDR3 memory stable at 2500MHz) as well as scalable GPU improvement with increased memory bandwidth. Die-Hard overclockers will find a lot to like about overclocking this platform. Aiming for highest clock I managed to get 4GHz validated alas it was not stable. Note in the validation, for some reason it doubled the base clock speed (154 x 26-4004). Another issue with overclocking, is that I have found no reliable way of measuring temperatures accurately. Good Luck!
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