Video: AMD's Phenom II X4 TWKR CPU for extreme overclocking lunatics
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted June 30th 2009 3:14PM
posted June 30th 2009 3:14PM
AMD has recently cooked up a little something they like to call the Phenom II X4 TWKR Black Edition, a hand-picked, limited edition processor that is designed to be overclocked "to the extreme." Currently labeled "Not for Sale," with no serial numbers and only one hundred of these bad boys in existence, just a few lucky folks have got their hands on one, so we've dug up some reviews (and previews) so you can see what the fuss is all about. According to the company, one of these guys could be pushed by 100MHz with air cooling, which doubles to about 200MHz with "extreme cooling." As far as impressions go, the reviewer at Neoseeker quickly decided that the units aren't meant to be overclocked on air only, and that dry ice isn't much better. Hot Hardware says pretty much the same thing. Though they weren't able to test with liquid nitrogen or liquid helium (the only way to get real speed) they did put a Koolance LN2 pot (and about 20lbs of dry ice) to the test for 4.73GHz. For best results, according to Tom's Hardware Guide, bench the processor at -190°C or cooler. But for the real overclocking experience you simply must check out the video of the "world renowned overclockers" K|ngp|n, chew*, and Gomeler as they run the gamut of "extreme overclocking techniques" after the break.
Read - AMD Phenom II TWKR Edition CPU Preview
Read - AMD's Phenom II X4 TWKR: We Give It The LN2 Treatment
Read - AMD Phenom II 42 TWKR Black Edition Processor
Read - AMD Phenom II TWKR Black Edition Processor
Read - AMD Phenom II TWKR Edition CPU Preview
Read - AMD's Phenom II X4 TWKR: We Give It The LN2 Treatment
Read - AMD Phenom II 42 TWKR Black Edition Processor
Read - AMD Phenom II TWKR Black Edition Processor
This is full of fail for one important reason: The people who overclock are not the same people who buy overpriced retail box processors.
Yes, I understand that there may be some overlap where the high-end OCers will pay whatever it takes to have the absolute latest and greatest rig, but most OCers are trying to extract the most performance out of the least (or at least most reasonable) cost.
Those willing to shell out big bucks for some fancy "black edition" processor will most likely be buying Alienware rigs instead. Yes, even now (especially now?) that they're owned by Dell.
Your comment fails for one important reason. None of these processors will ever make it to those consumers. Also Intel+Nvidia ftw anyways.
That's why they're only making 100 of them...
Engadget should spend less time pruning helpfully critical comments that could save them some embarrassment and more time correcting their post.
engadget fail.
Yes I was also thinking that the "100 and 200mhz" had to be a typo. Who would get excited about a bump in an extra 100 or 200mhz?