Overclocking

When we began our overclock testing with the ECS A990FXM-A, we were left quite disappointed. We found that although we were able to adjust voltages on the CPU proper, there were no options for the CPU_NB voltage, which greatly limited our memory clocking. Also, there is no option for adjusting the CPU_NB multiplier, either, which prevented us from getting the best possible results that we knew our CPU was capable of. We also found that under load, the ECS A990FXM-A provided any installed CPU with 1.5V, substantially higher than is really needed, even for our CPU, which isn't the best out there by any means.
Unfortunately, the problems didn't stop there, as we noted that the memory divider options were not working fully, which prevented us from getting the maximum memory speed out of our DIMMs, which, of course, also affected the overclocked results scoring. Once we realized the extent of the issues, we went back to our performance compares, and noted that things like the CPU load voltage issue were present even while running stock speeds. While we were able to maximize the CPU frequency, the additional voltage did affect the power consumed, even at stock, and an additional 50 W being pushed through our CPUs is not something that can be ignored.

Overclocked Performance Summary

Cinebench provided a substantial performance increase when over clocked, something that resounds true through the entire series of Phenom II-based products.


Likewise, SuperPi 32m results proved the same as Cinebench, with substantial performance increases that are noticed on previous AMD platforms. Of course, because of the lack of memory clocking, this specific result was a fair bit lower than we had hoped for.


WPrime 1024M numbers further the results, showing that there is true power available when overclocking the ECS A990FXM-A.


For a bit of 3D action we fired up CodeMaster's F1 2010 to be impressed with the performance boost offered compared to the other products. This does highlight the weakness of the Phenom II platform, but at the same time, also shows that when overclocked, the platform itself really begins to shine. Of course, CodeMasters games have always been highly memory-dependant, so again, the gains noticed here are far from what they could be if the ECS A990FXM-A had better BIOS support.