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Posts: 1,559 | Thanked: 1,786 times | Joined on Oct 2009 @ Boston
#930
Originally Posted by bartekxyz View Post
Javispedro has some valid arguments I must admit Anyway, how long do you estimate overclocked N900 to work being moderately used?
The answer to that is way beyond anybody here. It would require a model of the CPU and take operating temperatures, material properties, and voltage as inputs.

What we do have is the manufacturer's specifications for a similar processor as quoted a couple pages back.

I think anyone considering overclocking/volting any device should read about electromigration. I learned about it in class but the wikipedia article is really pretty good. See in particular this section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro...7s_equation.29

Note the exponential dependence on temperature and the (approximately) inverse square dependence on current density. You can make rough estimates as to how much raising CPU operational temperature will accelerate the process, and maybe make a rough guess as to the relative effects at different operating voltages based on the manufacturer stated lifetimes, but (1) this is only one mode of failure (2) doesn't capture the exact defects of your particular device edit: and (3) you can't really get at accurate on-chip temperature information, anyway.

So in other words, any estimate here would be only of academic interest.

Originally Posted by Rushmore View Post
Perhaps a better way would be to have two arrays of data (clock cycles and temperature). The point on the curve that has a significant spike (no longer linear) is the point most likely where the operational ceiling of the chipset is.

The Droid uses the 3430 chipset and most tests suggest that once you pass 1.1 ghz, the temps spike by up to ten degrees and apps begin to freeze. There are very few reports of issues at 900mhz to 1ghz and virtually no issues at 800mhz.

But as Flandry already mentioned, the design for heat dissipation is a caveat when comparing the Droid and N900.
Two different issues though, really. There's the immediate ability of the chip to run at a given frequency/voltage, and the lifespan of the chip. Running at elevated frequency/voltage/temperature reduces the lifespan of the chip (approximately) with the inverse square of current and exponentially with temperature. It's not linear at all. So while there is a linear scaling for temperature within a given range of frequencies, there's an exponential decline in lifetime.

Anyway, as i said, it's mostly a point of academic interest and not really of much value to this thread because those who buy a new $600 phone every six months (shocking statistic there from Javier) don't care, and those who do care are just not going to go crazy with the overclocking.
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Last edited by Flandry; 2010-04-05 at 13:32. Reason: Temperature sensors rather useless
 

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