Phenom : better o/c with the SB750 ?

According to AMD, their new southbridge, the SB750, which will be officially launched next week and accompanies the 790FX and 790GX, is supposed to improve the overclocking of the Phenom by 200 MHz or more with a technology called «Advanced Clock Calibration» (ACC).

Our colleagues at AnandTech were able to get their hands on a motherboard equipped with an SB750 and take a look at performances. In terms of the technology itself, we only know that the SB750 is relayed to an AM2+ via 6 pins which puts it into direct communication with the CPU. Combined with a an up to date bios, it enables modifying internal CPU settings, ACC, which has an influence on a CPU’s o/c potential.

In practice, AnandTech obtained good results from ACC. For example, their Phenom 9850BE went from 3.1 to 3.4 GHz thanks to ACC or 300 MHz higher! However, the result varies greatly from one CPU to another as their Phenom 9950 «only» went from 3.4 to 3.5 GHz, although we should point out that the initial 3.4 GHz is rather impressive.

In short, Advanced Clock Calibration, which remains a mystery in terms of its exact functioning, seems to be bearing its fruits. It should enable AMD to stress the platform aspect as its latest chipsets are an absolute requirement in order to make these modifications.