A Closer Look:
Our Test Rig:
Asus Crosshair IV Formula Motherboard
4GB of OCZ DDR3
OCZ Solid State Drive (Solid 2 Series 60GB
Tuniq 1200 Watt PSU
NZXT – Hades Crafted Series Case
Geforce GTX 280
Domino ALC Liquid Cooling by CoolIT Systems
Software Parameters
Windows 7 X64 Home Premium N
Geforce driver 8.17.12.5896
All Updates
ASUS ROG Connect
Benchmark and Informational Software Used:
SiSoft Sandra
Whetstone
ScienceMark
PassMark
CPU-Z
Overclocking:
We overclocked the Athlon II X3 450 using our Asus Crosshair IV Formula Motherboard which has a RoG connect port that allows us to adjust the voltages of the processor and motherboard in order to control the clock cycles of the processor. This tool also allows us to monitor the temperature of the CPU, North bridge, and South bridge etc. We have found this tool to be priceless when it comes to overclocking since it allows us to take a quick snapshot of the voltages when the PC locked up. Since the ROG Connect is controlled via a second PC the overclocked PC’s vitals are adjusted and monitored remotely. Then once a sweet spot is found for setup of your rig, the settings can be saved to the remote PC’s RoG console to quick retrieval later.
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| Stock settings | Over clocked to 4.01GHz |
Click on the Thumbnail for a Larger Image
Just like the Athlon II X2 265 we could not over clock the processors past 4.01GHz and any attempt would result in the machine BSOD and rebooting. The Athlon II X3 450 is a processor is a performer at the stock settings which in our opinion is just fine.
I’ve been reading alot of articles on the Athlon II 450 X3 Rana 45nm Technology which I have in my computer. Most of them say you can unlock the 4th core and get advantages of more speed. I am running 8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 669MHz, with a BIOSTAR Group N68S3+ (CPU 1) motherboard and 256MB GeForce 8400 GS (XFX Pine Group) video card and Creative xfi sound card. Do you think its a good idea to re-set my CPU configeration to “auto” and unlock the forth core?
I would appreciate your advise, I’m leary of others I have read.
There is a lot of talk about this and from what I know, it is not as simple as a BIOS change. In the manufacturing process AMD has disabled a core on the die of the processor itself. There is talk (if you permit the expression of “around the water cooler)” that some people have used a single strand of wire to connect the core or that they used a pencil eraser to enable this physical disconnection. Honestly, until I see this first hand, I won’t believe it till I see it myself. I would chalk this talk of changing a BIOS or using a wire to jumper the core as none sense. The physical disconnect of a single core on the processor die is a fraction of a nanometer. No one with a home soldering kit would not be able to reconnect this disabled core or use a BIOS change to enable it.
Hi,
Your motherboard does not support core unlocking.
This one is cheap and does support core unlocking http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A78L-M-Motherboard-Socket-Unlocker/dp/B004ZOH1I6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pdT1_S_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I7CHDHJ2OAHEA&colid=269MO0OHK392Y
Hi there, my name is Kristeen Depriest and I have to point out that AMD Athlon II X3 450 Reviewed | TechwareLabs is really a remarkable piece of writing.
i unlocked the 4th core and got a windows 7 score of 7.3 from previous 6.9 with 3 cores.