Hey guys decided to try a benchmark run using 3dmark06 and using nvidia system tools to overclock the CPU and GPU. Here are results:
No overclock, 2.0Ghz Unibody MacBook, 4GB Ram 7200RPM HDD
Now using nvidia tools to overclock (and monitor temps) I overclocked the CPU from 266 * 7.5multiplier to 299*7.4 = ~2.3Ghz. At the same time I also overclocked the GPU core from 350Mhz to 525Mhz and the shader from 800Mhz to 1100Mhz. Here are the results:
this was my first time using 3Dmark06 and to me those numbers don't mean a whole lot, the gains are visible in the numbers but I tried it out using a game that really tests my system. I used Crysis Warhead.
I loaded up the same save multiple times using stock and overclocked profiles. I averaged around 25FPS on all min settings and 960*600 resolution using stock cpu/gpu settings. After overclocking, I saw atleast an average 5+FPS gain. This doesn't sound like much, but for an intensive game like this, it's a lot and very noticeable. Less hiccups etc b/c I saw frames jump up to 40ish and of course down to 20's at times but average was about 32FPS which I'm very happy with. Now with less intensive games, I can run settings at a higher setting and still get a good framerate.
Some of you may wonder about temperatures. Well, the nvidia system tools has a gpu/cpu temp gauge similar to iStat. The macbook fans ticked on when playing Crysis and the cpu temp after 15min of play stayed around 66C and GPU was about 68C. I was VERY pleased with these results. The fans did their job and the CPU/GPU was not overheating. Shoot, even in OSX my temps get that high so I'm not worried about it at all.
Just figured I'd give the heads up to any mac gamers out there. Disclaimer* Do at your own risk! I am sharing what I did but do not suggest you to go do this unless you know what you're doing.
No overclock, 2.0Ghz Unibody MacBook, 4GB Ram 7200RPM HDD
Now using nvidia tools to overclock (and monitor temps) I overclocked the CPU from 266 * 7.5multiplier to 299*7.4 = ~2.3Ghz. At the same time I also overclocked the GPU core from 350Mhz to 525Mhz and the shader from 800Mhz to 1100Mhz. Here are the results:
this was my first time using 3Dmark06 and to me those numbers don't mean a whole lot, the gains are visible in the numbers but I tried it out using a game that really tests my system. I used Crysis Warhead.
I loaded up the same save multiple times using stock and overclocked profiles. I averaged around 25FPS on all min settings and 960*600 resolution using stock cpu/gpu settings. After overclocking, I saw atleast an average 5+FPS gain. This doesn't sound like much, but for an intensive game like this, it's a lot and very noticeable. Less hiccups etc b/c I saw frames jump up to 40ish and of course down to 20's at times but average was about 32FPS which I'm very happy with. Now with less intensive games, I can run settings at a higher setting and still get a good framerate.
Some of you may wonder about temperatures. Well, the nvidia system tools has a gpu/cpu temp gauge similar to iStat. The macbook fans ticked on when playing Crysis and the cpu temp after 15min of play stayed around 66C and GPU was about 68C. I was VERY pleased with these results. The fans did their job and the CPU/GPU was not overheating. Shoot, even in OSX my temps get that high so I'm not worried about it at all.
Just figured I'd give the heads up to any mac gamers out there. Disclaimer* Do at your own risk! I am sharing what I did but do not suggest you to go do this unless you know what you're doing.