Don't try this at home: AMD overclocks new Phenom II X4 to 7 GHz

By Eric Lai April 23, 2009

Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday introduced the latest member of its Phenom II X4 family of high-performance quad-core CPUs, which the No. 2 chip maker said it had run as fast as 7 GHz in extreme overclocking tests. Out of the box, the new X4 955 Black Edition, which is aimed at gamers and hobbyists, runs at 3.2 GHz, giving it similar performance to Intel's fastest desktop chips at lower cost, AMD says. However, AMD was able to more than double the CPU's speed during its tests, said Brent Barry, an AMD product manager. The Web site Ripping.org notes that hobbyists with early access to the X4 955 chip have been able to clock it at up to 6.7 GHz. At the International CES in January, AMD demonstrated its then top-of-the-line X4 940 running at 6.5 GHz. (Watch the YouTube video.) Key to achieving such speeds is the use of exotic cooling materials, primarily liquid nitrogen and liquid helium.

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