Database Info

Mini Overclocking Guide

Mini Overclocking Guide​
NOTE: The Steps Below were Tested on Froyo Roms. I have found different and perhaps better ways to test stability with CM7 Roms so I added a section for that too.
You can still use Stability Test but I don't use it too often anymore for CM7.
Programs Required for testing:
#1 Stability Test
#2 Neocore (please note that some kernels are not FPS unlocked meaning that the frame rate will not go over 56fps so make sure to compare apples to apples when testing different kernels).
For overclocking/undervolting you can use either Pimp My CPU or Voltage Control
Intro:
I posted this Guide in ROM thread but decided it might help someone trying to get a head start overclocking...just a reference not a bible.
First of all, please realize that no two CPUs are created equal. Just like with PC Overclocking, there is the luck of the draw involved here so just because one person can do 1.4Ghz it does not mean you will be able to do so nor it means that my UV settings will work for you.
Achieving 1.2Ghz should be feasible for almost all users since most of the code for it was already done by Samsung themselves. After that point though, it is a matter of luck. Many users can do 1.3Ghz but getting into 1.4Ghz the chances of stability drop dramatically.
Please note that with CM7 Roms it seems a LOT more people is able to hit 1.4Ghz and even 1.5Ghz fully stable. 1.6Ghz is also working although not as common. It is easier to use it if you select 1.6Ghz as the ONLY frequency but of course battery life will be affected.
So, start at 1.2Ghz and try to achieve stability with the lowest possible UV settings you can get to improve your battery life then when fully stable, go for a bit more speed if you like until you find your limit.
Process:
The following is the process I use to get 100% stability. Of course, you can use your own or tweak as you like as this is hardly the ONLY TRUTH of overclocking…I just hope it gives you a good idea on how to achieve stability.
I normally use these settings for 1200Mhz:
1200Mhz @ -100
1120Mhz @ -100
1000Mhz @ -100
900Mhz @ -100
800Mhz @ -100
400Mhz @ -100
200Mhz @ -100
100Mhz @ -100
After setting those up , click the Apply Now button but do not save to the Boot settings until you are sure they are stable for you.
To check stability I first run the Stability Test program and let it loop about 30 times or at least 20 of the CORE (not the RAM).
If it fails give it another shot if it fails again then it is time to adjust the voltages for 1200Mhz.
My experience has been that Stability Test crashes to the home screen when it needs more voltage so if it crashes for you change the UV to -75 and test again.
When you are able to pass that test , you can go to Neocore and try looping Neocore and let it running for about 5 to 10 minutes.
If Neocore freezes, at least for my phone, it means that voltage is too high so I need to drop the UV.
Right there is where the whole trick is. Trying to find what UV voltage is enough for Stability Test to pass but still low enough so that Neocore does not freeze.
This takes a lot of trial and error specially when going for 1.4Ghz!
Another thing is that the UV setting for the frequency below the one you are going for, like 1120 and 1000 for example, do have an effect on the stability you are trying to achieve on 1200Mhz because the phone does not seem to like big voltage jumps .
Some times changing the voltage for the frequency below the one you are adjusting is a good way of achieving stability.
This becomes more important when for example you find out that changing 1.2Ghz to -50 gives you stability for Stability Test but then you need -75 in order to pass Neocore test. What do you do then? What I have done with relative success is , use -75 but then increase the voltage to the frequencies below 1200.
For example if I had
1200Mhz @ -75
1120Mhz @ -100
1000Mhz @ -100
I would change it to:
1200Mhz @ -75
1120Mhz @ -75
1000Mhz @ -75
then test Stability Test to see if those changes help you pass it without having to increase the voltage for 1.2Ghz directly thus avoiding the Neocore freezing issue.
Another process some users are doing is just run Neocore for about 30 minutes and it seems to be a good alternative for some. Guess it all depends on your particular phone.
So, as you can image, this means a LOT of trial and error and restarts of your phone. For 1.2Ghz it should be painless but if you want to go higher, prepare to do a lot of the steps above.
Another thing to consider is that some phones seem to work better with kernels that only have one top speed after 1Ghz as opposed to kernels that offer multiple speed options so this is yet another variable to work with.
Also, remember that to restart your phone, there is no need to pull out the battery. Just press and hold the Volume Up and Power button and it will restart.
I am sure this guide can be done a lot better and will be glad to add or edit with any recommendations you can offer.
I hope this helps some of you trying to push your phones to the limits and have fun!
UPDATE for CM7 Users
With CM7 what we considered THE holly grail of speeds, 1.4Ghz with Froyo Roms suddenly became a VERY common thing.
I have no explanation as to why but a LOT of users are able to get 1.4Ghz and even 1.5Ghz perfectly stable on CM7 and the phones just fly at those speeds. Some are also able to get 1.6Ghz stable but that is harder.
Setting only one speed like 1.6Ghz dramatically increased the stability as well. Just a hint for you guys wanting to do some benchmarks.
You can use a program like Pimp My CPU or Voltage Control to set the voltages and the Maximum and Minimum speed.
Now while the Steps at the beginning of the guide (for Froyo roms) should be fine for CM7 as well ...I have noticed, at least with my phone , that a video player called Moboplayer is VERY good for stability testing CM7. In fact, I do not even use Stability Test any more since I moved to CM7.
When the voltage is a bit low on my screen it creates some artifacts, usually green spots that come up and go in random areas until it freezes.
My actual favorite player for CM7 is Dice Player because for me it plays 720p files better but I like moboplayer a lot as well specially because of the artifacts it shows when I am not stable so it is a quick way to tell the settings are not going to work.
Another thing I love to use if the Riptide Game (tegra 2 game) with Chainfire 3D plugin to make it work on our phones. That game will just close without warning when my speed is unstable. So I just let it running the demo on its own for about 10 minutes.
So basically, I use Moboplayer and Riptide to test my stability and with those tests my system is ready to go and takes less time than the steps I used to do.
Of course you can come up with your own preferred tools since our phones are quite unique and seem to have their own personalities.
It seems some users are having luck with my settings so here are my settings for 1.6Ghz This is for GLITCH kernel (V10C VC). Remember that each kernel has different voltages so instead of giving you a minus value like -100 I will give you the actual voltage I am using for each speed.
1.6Ghz - 1425mV
1.5Ghz - 1400
1.44 - 1325
1.4Ghz - 1325
1.3Ghz - 1275
1.2Ghz - 1275
1.0Ghz - 1200
800Mhz - 1100
400Mhz - 950
200Mhz - 850
100Mhz - 850
For Governor I normally just have Smartass and the Scheduler is NOOP.
Not that while for 1.6Ghz my current setting is either -50 or -75, if I were to select only 1.6Ghz as my max and minimum speed, I am then able to lower the voltage to -100 perfectly stable. Just an interesting thing for you to play with.
Important Note for CM7 users getting many FCs like google service or android service.
CM7 has a much smaller data space for application installs and every time I get to that limit my phone gets crazy with FCs. You can check that by going to your applications and launching the TERMINAL application then type df (in lower case) and pressing Enter.
Look at the top table listed for /datadata and make sure you have some available space.
As long as I keep that from filling up (in fact I prefer to keep it around 60% max to give me some room) my phone works like a charm.
You can use an app like APP2SD to move application data to the SD card to free up space.
Have fun and enjoy your pumped up phone!
UPDATE 12/30/2011
CyanogenMod 9 (ICS) users with Glitch kernel using LiveOC you can use my settings as a starting point.
This is what I use for 1603Mhz
Voltages:
ARM voltage
from 1500 to 1200 = 1.5V ; 1000 = 1.375V ; 800 = 1.250V ; 400=1.100V ; 200=950mV ; 100=900mV
Int from 1400 to 1200 = 1.2V ; 1000 = 1.15V ; 800 = 1.125V ; 400=1.100V ; 200=1.100V ; 100=1.000V
Then 123% LiveOC using 1300MHz step (giving you 1.6GHz)
Governor I am still testing but usually Smartass V2
You can of course use it as a starting point for lower speeds if you like.

Nice man. Saves alot of frustration with this.

Awesome! Thank you!

You are the OC master, Shaolin.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

I wish I was a master indeed but I just have a lot of patience I guess to test ..and test...and crash..an test some more

I think I saw a post that said that any temperature below 56 degrees Celcius is fine for the captivate. I still start to worry though if it reaches 50 during a stability test, what's your opinion?

I noticed that mine when it its 50C or so for any reason (battery temp IIRC) it stops charging so that is where I normally draw the line. If I cannot keep it under that I dont feel comfortable.

That 50 is pretty high, at least for me. Even with stability test going for an hour or so at 1400, I only hit 46. Haven't seen anything higher
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Depends on ambient temp of course...you cannot compared devices temps without knowing the ambient temp. In any case, I saw that when I was using the first Trident kernel. That one even made my screen feel very hot...kinda scary lol
Right now, the only app I have that makes my phone stop charging, even when temp is low, is the Justin TV viewing app....weird. I even ran the phone at 600Mhz only to make sure.

AReynante said:
That 50 is pretty high, at least for me. Even with stability test going for an hour or so at 1400, I only hit 46. Haven't seen anything higher
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was testing out 1500 1400 is fine for me with -100 for each value. 1500 is a different story since I haven't managed to find a stable combination yet (that doesn't reach 50 degrees Celcius).

Sweet. Are you getting to 50C with a specific app? I only get there with some streaming apps but I really only use 1.5 for fpse emulator for example.

I don't have an app that tells me the temperature so the only time I know is if I do a stability test. I'm not sure if I really have a need for 1500MHz since I don't use emulators much but it's more of a "yea my phone can do it" kind of accomplishment - unless I'm missing out on some other benefits of 1500Mhz over 1400Mhz besides possibly more smoothness.

zuN! said:
I don't have an app that tells me the temperature so the only time I know is if I do a stability test. I'm not sure if I really have a need for 1500GHz since I don't use emulators much but it's more of a "yea my phone can do it" kind of accomplishment - unless I'm missing out on some other benefits of 1500Ghz over 1400Ghz besides possibly more smoothness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol 1.5 terahertz I want that phone!

studacris said:
Lol 1.5 terahertz I want that phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow didnt notice that....thats Fing awesome!

Stability Test question
Hey Shaolin,
Just a quick question here, when you mention running stability test through 30/50 runs, are you referencing the RAM runs or the core runs? Just checking, since the RAM runs complete within a few minutes whereas the core runs take closer to half an hour, etc.
Thanks for posting the guide, much appreciated!!!

Since the new version I am only doing 30 of the core runs since it seems to take longer than before.
You are welcome amigo

shaolin95 said:
Since the new version I am only doing 30 of the core runs since it seems to take longer than before.
You are welcome amigo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey mate, maybe you can add this to your guide as I thought before that stability test and several runs of new core, nenamark, etc...that after passing those tests you're probably stable but what I found out that I can pass those tests without problems and just recently those test are not enough for you to be sure if you are really stable what I have found is to run or record in your phone video cam in its highest resolution about 720p for 200mb worth of data if your phone won't freeze then it's pretty stable you can delete those files afterwards.

Indeed each phone and user can find specific things that work for them, for example with my phone I can just use mobo player and play some videos and I get artifacts when voltage is low or I had a game that with low voltage will always freeze at the same spot yet some user do not have the same effect.
I guess I can add a small list of other possible quick tests like that video one you mentioned as alternatives

I found out another way to test stability which is to do a batch operation of backing up apps with TiBu. I'm not sure what it implies if it crashes though

Hi shaolin95, can I link this post in my VoltageControl thread? (with credits ofc)

[Q] SetCPU vs. Voltage Control, and what are some recommended settings?

My understanding is most people prefer Voltage Control, but SetCPU allows for specific under/overclocking profiles that can increase performance without killing battery life.
If someone could direct me to popular, trusted settings, I'd appreciate it. I'm not a heavy user or power user, so I'm looking for something that just works well. I don't care about benchmarks and things of that nature.
I'm sure this has been discussed, but I was unable to find posts that didn't concern user-specific issues.
Thanks,
Wyatt
EDIT: 53 views and no replies. I guess I'll experiment for myself. Wish me luck!

gnarlynewport said:
EDIT: 53 views and no replies. I guess I'll experiment for myself. Wish me luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really all it comes down too...experimenting and finding out what works best on YOUR phone with YOUR configuration...
GOOD LUCK!
ps... have been very stable with OC'd to 1.4
-25 down too 200
-100 on 100
bfq and conservative

I use VControl myself...i like the UI.
For Performance: 100-1.4GHZ (1.5 works too, but is WAY overvolted, and 1.6 is extremely unstable), -100mV from 100-1000 MHZ, -75 for 1.1-1.4GHZ.
For "Battery Life": (i really don't see a difference...) 100-800 MHZ (anything below 800 is painfully slow), -100mV across the board.
I leave schedulers and governors at their stock settings, the only time I change anything is to set the gov. to Performance on Performance for max Quadrant scores.

kvswim said:
I use VControl myself...i like the UI.
For Performance: 100-1.4GHZ (1.5 works too, but is WAY overvolted, and 1.6 is extremely unstable), -100mV from 100-1000 MHZ, -75 for 1.1-1.4GHZ.
For "Battery Life": (i really don't see a difference...) 100-800 MHZ (anything below 800 is painfully slow), -100mV across the board.
I leave schedulers and governors at their stock settings, the only time I change anything is to set the gov. to Performance on Performance for max Quadrant scores.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How many Mhz levels are you selecting? In my experience anything above 5 and it WILL NOT clock up to the higher settings. Maybe thats why you notice no difference in battery life?
For instance if you had say 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 and 1400 you will reace 1000mhz only
if you had 100, 200, 400, 800, 1400 you would reach the 1400mhz. ive tried many combos and 5 or less was the max it would use (voltage control app, im sure setcpu would most likely be the same)

How many slots does the imnuts kernel support?
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

I started using SetCPU, and I think I prefer it.
Quick question, it seems like rebooting is unnecessary for the changes to take effect, is that true?
Overclocking definitely worked. I got 1853 @ 1200mhz in Quadrant, up from 1600.
Edit: now 2025 @ 1300mhz / 1300mhv
2nd Edit: Late last night, I was using a stability test in one of the apps, but I can't for the life of me remember which app or how I found it. Now I'm using StabilityTest from the market. What's a safe cpu temp for these phones? I'm getting 32 degrees under full load in an air conditioned environment.

gnarlynewport said:
I started using SetCPU, and I think I prefer it.
Quick question, it seems like rebooting is unnecessary for the changes to take effect, is that true?
Overclocking definitely worked. I got 1853 @ 1200mhz in Quadrant, up from 1600.
Edit: now 2025 @ 1300mhz / 1300mhv
2nd Edit: Late last night, I was using a stability test in one of the apps, but I can't for the life of me remember which app or how I found it. Now I'm using StabilityTest from the market. What's a safe cpu temp for these phones? I'm getting 32 degrees under full load in an air conditioned environment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just switched over to Setcpu as well. It seems to work better for me also. I can now select 6 levels instead of the 5 before in voltage control and I also noticed that the set on boot on voltage control did NOT work but it DOES work in setcpu!! Im happy!

Haven't tried Setcpu yet, but I preferred Pimp my CPU over VC when I was using Miui on the Fascinate.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App

[Q] Recommended undervolt settings (Clemsyn-blades)

I tried to search but was unsuccessful to find the information that I wanted.
Can someone tell me what are the recommended safe undervolt settings for the transformer?
I'm running prime 1.9 with clemsyn-blades 1.6a.
Thx
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

steve.garon said:
I tried to search but was unsuccessful to find the information that I wanted.
Can someone tell me what are the recommended safe undervolt settings for the transformer?
I'm running prime 1.9 with clemsyn-blades 1.6a.
Thx
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what the stock settings are but I can tell you the process I followed when I OCed my tablet. Install the custom kernel and rom you want. Then install an app to modify frequency and voltages. I use setCPU but pimpmycpu works also.
1. Find the highest clock you can attain with the provided overvolt from the kernel. To do this just start at the highest frequency and see if the tablet reboots or locks during a stress test. Some people play games to stress. I use the built in stress tester in SetCPU. Make sure to apply the higher frequency for testing but not to apply settings on reboot or you could get stuck in a reboot loop (or so I am assuming the kernel might reset to 1 GHz when a hard lock occurs).
2. Once you have the maximum Frequency (for me it was 1.644 MHz) then start lowering the voltage for that frequency only until you loose stability. I can undervolt 1.644 by -75 mV. If I go upto -100 then I get random reboots. I go in -25 mV increments but you could narrow it down even more by going with -10 or even -5 intervals.
3. Take the offset you got (in my case -75 mV)on the highest frequency and apply it to every frequency above 1 GHz and see if this is stable. If not then slowely increase voltage until you gain stability again.
4. (Optional) Then start undervolting stock frequencies from 216 MHz to 1 GHz. Every tablet is different but (I have heard) this could cause sleep issues. I undervolted all frequencies from above 216 to 1000 GHz by -25 Mv without any issues. I may bring it down slowely by increments of-5 or -10 until I run into some issues.
5. (Optional) Undervolt 216 MHz as low as possible to save standby battery power. I undervolted my 216 MHz to 725 mV (even though SetCPu goes lower the kernel is locked at this). Which helps keep my battery levels up when the tablet screen is off and not in use.
Hints: To test that a voltage is okay at a certain frequency then make sure to set your max to the frequency level you want to test. If you set the max at 1544 and undervolt 1 GHz you will never know if it is okay because when you stress it it will blow right past 1 GHz upto 1544 and the voltage for that will take over.
If you have any questions please let me know.

Bjd223 said:
I don't know what the stock settings are but I can tell you the process I followed when I OCed my tablet. Install the custom kernel and rom you want. Then install an app to modify frequency and voltages. I use setCPU but pimpmycpu works also.
1. Find the highest clock you can attain with the provided overvolt from the kernel. To do this just start at the highest frequency and see if the tablet reboots or locks during a stress test. Some people play games to stress. I use the built in stress tester in SetCPU. Make sure to apply the higher frequency for testing but not to apply settings on reboot or you could get stuck in a reboot loop (or so I am assuming the kernel might reset to 1 GHz when a hard lock occurs).
2. Once you have the maximum Frequency (for me it was 1.644 MHz) then start lowering the voltage for that frequency only until you loose stability. I can undervolt 1.644 by -75 mV. If I go upto -100 then I get random reboots. I go in -25 mV increments but you could narrow it down even more by going with -10 or even -5 intervals.
3. Take the offset you got (in my case -75 mV)on the highest frequency and apply it to every frequency above 1 GHz and see if this is stable. If not then slowely increase voltage until you gain stability again.
4. (Optional) Then start undervolting stock frequencies from 216 MHz to 1 GHz. Every tablet is different but (I have heard) this could cause sleep issues. I undervolted all frequencies from above 216 to 1000 GHz by -25 Mv without any issues. I may bring it down slowely by increments of-5 or -10 until I run into some issues.
5. (Optional) Undervolt 216 MHz as low as possible to save standby battery power. I undervolted my 216 MHz to 725 mV (even though SetCPu goes lower the kernel is locked at this). Which helps keep my battery levels up when the tablet screen is off and not in use.
Hints: To test that a voltage is okay at a certain frequency then make sure to set your max to the frequency level you want to test. If you set the max at 1544 and undervolt 1 GHz you will never know if it is okay because when you stress it it will blow right past 1 GHz upto 1544 and the voltage for that will take over.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. I'll give this a try.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

I get a stable undervolt at -50 on all cpu steps which is pretty good. This should save loads of battery.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

steve.garon said:
I get a stable undervolt at -50 on all cpu steps which is pretty good. This should save loads of battery.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I started at the top and went down every stepping from 1624 to 1000 and found out the lowest stable frequency and then added 10 to be safe to each one. I am currently at
1624 (-70)
1592 (-80)
1544 (-180)
1472 (-80)
1424 (-160)
1336 (-185)
1232 (-185)
1000 (- 110) which is 990 mV
I then set every stepping under 1 GHz frequency that was above 990 mV to 990 mV as if it can run at 1 GHz at that voltage then any speed under that will run fine at that voltage also. I have some more stability testing to do but I think I got it pretty much nailed down for my device. I may go through all the sub 1 GHz frequencies but it does take some time to run a stress test under each stepping.
Also I have never had any sleep issues but that is something to look out for. I also wonder how temperature affects stability as I have never gotten it above 40c. The pad might benefit from a 1 or 2mm thermal pad squeezed between the CPU and the back bezel (if it will fit).
Does anyone know that tjunction max for a Tegra2? I have a profile set up in SetCPU that sets the CPU frequency at 1 GHz if the CPU gets above 42 because I saw something similar in the Clemsyn rom but don't really know when the CPU will start to throttle itself at or shut off.
I am trying to find stock voltages for different devices because it seems like some mfgs are undervolting to save battery on some tablets.

Bjd223 said:
I started at the top and went down every stepping from 1624 to 1000 and found out the lowest stable frequency and then added 10 to be safe to each one. I am currently at
1624 (-70)
1592 (-80)
1544 (-180)
1472 (-80)
1424 (-160)
1336 (-185)
1232 (-185)
1000 (- 110) which is 990 mV
I then set every stepping under 1 GHz frequency that was above 990 mV to 990 mV as if it can run at 1 GHz at that voltage then any speed under that will run fine at that voltage also. I have some more stability testing to do but I think I got it pretty much nailed down for my device. I may go through all the sub 1 GHz frequencies but it does take some time to run a stress test under each stepping.
Also I have never had any sleep issues but that is something to look out for. I also wonder how temperature affects stability as I have never gotten it above 40c. The pad might benefit from a 1 or 2mm thermal pad squeezed between the CPU and the back bezel (if it will fit).
Does anyone know that tjunction max for a Tegra2? I have a profile set up in SetCPU that sets the CPU frequency at 1 GHz if the CPU gets above 42 because I saw something similar in the Clemsyn rom but don't really know when the CPU will start to throttle itself at or shut off.
I am trying to find stock voltages for different devices because it seems like some mfgs are undervolting to save battery on some tablets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-180 in some frequencies!! Thats just insane. I've got to try this.
FYI, you don't have to lower voltage for all upper 1ghz frequencies. If your running at 1544 for exemple. The cpu will never touch the frequencies between 1000 and 1544. After the 1000 its a direct step to whatever frequency your overclocking too. You can monitor this in setcpu.
I cannot undervolt as precise as you can. For some reason setcpu only let me do 25mv increment...
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

I have undervolted by -175 on all frequencies, obviously 216Mhz is locked but all seems pretty stable after some testing. No sleep death either so I'm going to carry on testing.

steve.garon said:
-180 in some frequencies!! Thats just insane. I've got to try this.
FYI, you don't have to lower voltage for all upper 1ghz frequencies. If your running at 1544 for exemple. The cpu will never touch the frequencies between 1000 and 1544. After the 1000 its a direct step to whatever frequency your overclocking too. You can monitor this in setcpu.
I cannot undervolt as precise as you can. For some reason setcpu only let me do 25mv increment...
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In SetCPU do not use the slider use the keyboard and type in the exact number you want.
I wanted to figure out every stepping in case I wanted to switch to a lower frequency but yeah most poeple don't have to do this.
The lowest stable I have gotten is -190 but feel like adding 10 padding will ensure stability.
I will probably do the sub 1 GHz frequencies today or tomorrow.

Bjd223 said:
In SetCPU do not use the slider use the keyboard and type in the exact number you want.
I wanted to figure out every stepping in case I wanted to switch to a lower frequency but yeah most poeple don't have to do this.
The lowest stable I have gotten is -190 but feel like adding 10 padding will ensure stability.
I will probably do the sub 1 GHz frequencies today or tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didnt even noticed I could use the keyboard...
I finally settled to -25 @216, -50 under 612 and -100 over 612. And everything is stable
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

I have tested each voltage. I am under the impression that 725 mV is the kernel minimum in the Clemsyn kernel so once I hit that I just set every frequency under that too 725. I will eventually go through and stress test every frequency @ 725 to make sure everything is a-okay but I am sure it is.
Here is my list incase anyone wants a place to start.
1680 MHz (-000) I can not overclock to this freuqency.
1624 MHz (-070) 1380 mV
1592 MHz (-080) 1345 mV
1544 MHz (-180) 1220 mV
1472 MHz (-080) 1220 mV
1424 MHz (-160) 1115 mV
1336 MHz (-185) 1065 mV
1232 MHz (-185) 990 mV
1000 MHz (-215) 885 mV
0912 MHz (-215) 835 mV
0816 MHz (-235) 790 mV
0760 MHz (-215) 760 mV
0608 MHz (-225) 725 mV
0456 MHz (-100) 725 mV
0312 MHz (-075) 725 mV
0216 MHz (-025) 725 mV
Clemsyn said the minimum mV in his kernel but I can't seem to find the thread, but I think it was 725. If I find out it is something lower I will go through the lower ones until I hit the minimum.
Also please note that everything above 1 GHz has +10 mV padding added to it above the lowest stable I could find. Everything below 1 GHz only has a +5 mV padding on it. So for example I actually hit a -240 w/o any issues @ 816 MHz.
I tested in +/-5 mV increments but if you wanted you could narrow it down even further.
EDIT: Also after some testing it looks like it does use frequencies between 1 GHz and your max. I have it set to 1644 and it does hit 1232 MHz occasionally.

Bjd223 said:
I don't know what the stock settings are but I can tell you the process I followed when I OCed my tablet. Install the custom kernel and rom you want. Then install an app to modify frequency and voltages. I use setCPU but pimpmycpu works also.
1. Find the highest clock you can attain with the provided overvolt from the kernel. To do this just start at the highest frequency and see if the tablet reboots or locks during a stress test. Some people play games to stress. I use the built in stress tester in SetCPU. Make sure to apply the higher frequency for testing but not to apply settings on reboot or you could get stuck in a reboot loop (or so I am assuming the kernel might reset to 1 GHz when a hard lock occurs).
2. Once you have the maximum Frequency (for me it was 1.644 MHz) then start lowering the voltage for that frequency only until you loose stability. I can undervolt 1.644 by -75 mV. If I go upto -100 then I get random reboots. I go in -25 mV increments but you could narrow it down even more by going with -10 or even -5 intervals.
3. Take the offset you got (in my case -75 mV)on the highest frequency and apply it to every frequency above 1 GHz and see if this is stable. If not then slowely increase voltage until you gain stability again.
4. (Optional) Then start undervolting stock frequencies from 216 MHz to 1 GHz. Every tablet is different but (I have heard) this could cause sleep issues. I undervolted all frequencies from above 216 to 1000 GHz by -25 Mv without any issues. I may bring it down slowely by increments of-5 or -10 until I run into some issues.
5. (Optional) Undervolt 216 MHz as low as possible to save standby battery power. I undervolted my 216 MHz to 725 mV (even though SetCPu goes lower the kernel is locked at this). Which helps keep my battery levels up when the tablet screen is off and not in use.
Hints: To test that a voltage is okay at a certain frequency then make sure to set your max to the frequency level you want to test. If you set the max at 1544 and undervolt 1 GHz you will never know if it is okay because when you stress it it will blow right past 1 GHz upto 1544 and the voltage for that will take over.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this mate. I followed your guide exactly and I'm using clems 16? Kernel completely stable at all frequencies including the undervolting!

Based on my testing you need ~ a +15 to +25 mV over stable CPU voltage to get stable 3D GPU.
I found that I could run hours of "Stress CPU" without any issues at a voltage but during stressful 3D games that are using CPU + GPU cores, at that same frequency, the machine would FC the app, reboot or lock. I have also noticed that the closer you are to the stable voltage different things will happen.
Far off - machine will usually reboot
Closer - machine will usually hard lock
Even closer - Apps will FC, widgets will act strange (like invert colors, black blocks for backgrounds, etc.)
So what I do now is I test with Dungeon Defenders at the main menu. Its seems that if you can last 1 hr at the Dungeon Defenders menu you are GTG. If you actually play the game then 1 stage is what I use to test.

Bjd223 said:
I don't know what the stock settings are but I can tell you the process I followed when I OCed my tablet. Install the custom kernel and rom you want. Then install an app to modify frequency and voltages. I use setCPU but pimpmycpu works also.
1. Find the highest clock you can attain with the provided overvolt from the kernel. To do this just start at the highest frequency and see if the tablet reboots or locks during a stress test. Some people play games to stress. I use the built in stress tester in SetCPU. Make sure to apply the higher frequency for testing but not to apply settings on reboot or you could get stuck in a reboot loop (or so I am assuming the kernel might reset to 1 GHz when a hard lock occurs).
2. Once you have the maximum Frequency (for me it was 1.644 MHz) then start lowering the voltage for that frequency only until you loose stability. I can undervolt 1.644 by -75 mV. If I go upto -100 then I get random reboots. I go in -25 mV increments but you could narrow it down even more by going with -10 or even -5 intervals.
3. Take the offset you got (in my case -75 mV)on the highest frequency and apply it to every frequency above 1 GHz and see if this is stable. If not then slowely increase voltage until you gain stability again.
4. (Optional) Then start undervolting stock frequencies from 216 MHz to 1 GHz. Every tablet is different but (I have heard) this could cause sleep issues. I undervolted all frequencies from above 216 to 1000 GHz by -25 Mv without any issues. I may bring it down slowely by increments of-5 or -10 until I run into some issues.
5. (Optional) Undervolt 216 MHz as low as possible to save standby battery power. I undervolted my 216 MHz to 725 mV (even though SetCPu goes lower the kernel is locked at this). Which helps keep my battery levels up when the tablet screen is off and not in use.
Hints: To test that a voltage is okay at a certain frequency then make sure to set your max to the frequency level you want to test. If you set the max at 1544 and undervolt 1 GHz you will never know if it is okay because when you stress it it will blow right past 1 GHz upto 1544 and the voltage for that will take over.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always wanted to learn more about the mV and CPU speed stuff. I always install rom, install kernel of the one I heard the better is and that's it. Never had touched the voltage measure in any of my android device. Yeah i know, so noob.
Thanks for this how to info, I think I will play around a bit later. Right now I'm struggling with my self on wish of the 3 roms available install and stay.

Had to remove undervolt this weekend since my camera wouldnt start anymore. I'll have to redo all the tests I was doing but test for camera too. The tablet would just freeze as soon as I opened the camera app
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

steve.garon said:
Had to remove undervolt this weekend since my camera wouldnt start anymore. I'll have to redo all the tests I was doing but test for camera too. The tablet would just freeze as soon as I opened the camera app
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My camera does not work either. I just figured it was Clemsyns kernel not the OC. I don't know anything about cameras but maybe they use a lot of voltage so the voltage to the CPU dips.
I never used the camera personally, but I will test it some and see what additional mV you need over stable to get the camera working.
Also I noticed the more you undervolt (it seems to me) the harder it is to undock with an app open. usually instead of reloading they FC or lock the device so i just make sure to hit the home key before I undock then alt tab right back into the app.

Bjd223 said:
My camera does not work either. I just figured it was Clemsyns kernel not the OC. I don't know anything about cameras but maybe they use a lot of voltage so the voltage to the CPU dips.
I never used the camera personally, but I will test it some and see what additional mV you need over stable to get the camera working.
Also I noticed the more you undervolt (it seems to me) the harder it is to undock with an app open. usually instead of reloading they FC or lock the device so i just make sure to hit the home key before I undock then alt tab right back into the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My camera did not work at 912 MHz at stock voltage on 17b but now on 18 I can do my normal undervolt settings and the camera works fine.

CPU Freq: How do you keep yours?

This is a question I've never seen asked, but it's an important one. What are you phones CPU Freqs? What Govs do they have, and what Profiles do you use?
Rom: PyroIce
Main: 192 Min, 918 Max. OnDemand.
Screen Off: 192 Min, 384 Max. PowerSave.
InCall: 192 Min, 540 Max. Interactive.
Time 11pm-7am: 192Min/Max Powersave.
Sent from my HTC myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk

that's cool, i might start using profiles again. from fiddling around i've noticed the difference between the ondemand and conservative governors- with ondemand, the processor seems to go from min. to all the way to max. and back down to min, and doesn't use the middle frequencies as much, while on conservative, the processor doesn't shoot up to max. as easily and seems to meander thru the middle frequencies a lot more. it makes sense too, because i've noticed that the phone seems snappier with ondemand.
i noticed you're using some of the others... i'll have to check them out as well.

ondemand
Available in most kernels, and the default governor in most kernels. When the CPU load reaches a certain point (see "up threshold" in Advanced Settings), ondemand will rapidly scale the CPU up to meet demand, then gradually scale the CPU down when it isn't needed. - SetCPU website
conservative
Available in some kernels. It is similar to the ondemand governor, but will scale the CPU up more gradually to better fit demand. Conservative provides a less responsive experience than ondemand, but can save battery. - SetCPU website
performance
Available in most kernels. It will keep the CPU running at the "max" set value at all times. This is a bit more efficient than simply setting "max" and "min" to the same value and using ondemand because the system will not waste resources scanning for the CPU load. This governor is recommended for stable benchmarking. - SetCPU website
powersave
Available in some kernels. It will keep the CPU running at the "min" set value at all times. - SetCPU website
userspace
A method for controlling the CPU speed that isn't currently used by SetCPU. For best results, do not use the userspace governor. - SetCPU website
Interactive
The 'interactive' governor has a different approach. Instead of sampling the cpu
at a specified rate, the governor will scale the cpu frequency up when coming
out of idle. When the cpu comes out of idle, a timer is configured to fire
within 1-2 ticks. If the cpu is 100% busy from exiting idle to when the timer
fires then we assume the cpu is underpowered and ramp to MAX speed.
If the cpu was not 100% busy, then the governor evaluates the cpu load over the
last 'min_sample_rate' (default 50000 uS) to determine the cpu speed to ramp down
to

so, I bought set cpu about 3 phones ago, but I never really saw a differnence, can it be used with the stock kernel?

yellowjacket1981 said:
so, I bought set cpu about 3 phones ago, but I never really saw a differnence, can it be used with the stock kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah Plus there's a huge difference with the Battery. I you use my CPU Settings, you should gain 3 hours Min on your phone. Also dropping the CPU in call is great, helps for longer calls and less overheating. If your S-Off you should use a custom kernel. UV Kernels are great.

AgentCherryColla said:
Yeah Plus there's a huge difference with the Battery. I you use my CPU Settings, you should gain 3 hours Min on your phone. Also dropping the CPU in call is great, helps for longer calls and less overheating. If your S-Off you should use a custom kernel. UV Kernels are great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually just got an uv kernel, I am about to flash it, I will use your settings too, thanks.

yellowjacket1981 said:
I actually just got an uv kernel, I am about to flash it, I will use your settings too, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you run a Sense 3.6 Rom, boost the CPU to 1Ghz. 918Mhz Lags.
Sent from my HTC myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk

yellowjacket1981 said:
so, I bought set cpu about 3 phones ago, but I never really saw a differnence, can it be used with the stock kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
You cannot use anything the kernel doesn't already serve as an option, though.
SetCPU doesn't create options - it allows you user-level access to the ones already existing.
Normally you have no control over your clock speed but with it you can...say... limit the maximum clock speed to only be two-thirds of the stock speed.
Since it doesn't ramp up all the way, it doesn't drain as much power.
If you are playing games and stuff that needs a lot of resources, then the slower clock speeds cost you battery since it takes more effort to get the same work done. But if you don't do much with your phone, and don't need a lot of high-end CPU ability, why let it run flat out?
You can also set it to be like that only sometimes, and maximize battery savings by telling your device to chill out when it doesn't have to be awesome.
Now, if you get into custom kernels where you or a dev has opened up more options, SetCPU will again give you user level control over them.
Especially once you get into overclocking beyond manufacturer(s) recommendations, not having some end-user level control over the processor like this is irresponsible.
If you think I run a 1.7 or 1.9 or 1.5+anything on the device flat-out balls-to-the-wall all the time, I would ask you if you drive your car with the gas pedal smashed to the floor all the time. (it's a fitting analogy)
No, again, that would be irresponsible abuse of the hardware for no good reason.
If not SetCPU, then there would be something else to use, but SetCPU is a great interface that not only works well but is maintaned within the XDA community by a member here.
I will always go for the XDA community member version of any app first - it's usually a problem solved from a perspective very near the way I am perceiving the issue, supports the community, and is always easier to find help on if necessary.
What's even cooler is SetCPU is given away free by the dev to XDA members.
I did go ahead and buy it anyway to support the dev. It is a fantastic tool at my disposal, and I have come to realize just how much time and energy goes into making this kind of stuff.
Beyond all that, though, there are a ton of crap apps and software out there slapped together by people who don't care or didn't put the right level of effort into their work. When I find something that actually works and works well after sifting through a sea of garbage, if there is a paid version of the app i'll usually buy it not only as a thank you but also to encourage that particular person to keep working. They - unlike many, many others (in my opinion) earned it.
I know i'm drifting off topic a bit, sorry for that - I just really appreciate quality work and SetCPU falls in with that crowd nicely.
Even without a custom kernel providing options beyond stock, there is still a lot of value this app can hold for anyone with root level access to their device.

Blue6IX said:
If you are playing games and stuff that needs a lot of resources, then the slower clock speeds cost you battery since it takes more effort to get the same work done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this true? in my mind, I feel like it will take longer/not be as smooth, but wouldn't necessarily be worse for battery than a higher clock speed.

On a one-for-one comparison it leans more towards an even playing field, until you add that it's a dual-core processor and it very heavily skews the results towards less battery at higher clock speeds for complex operations.
Faster CPU speeds process the actions more quickly, and when you have to crunch a lot of numbers real quick like you do for most games the higher clock speed (especially on the dual core we are using) will complete the act with less power used. It is able to keep up with and/or outpace the flow of data being thrown at it.
If you are just using a notepad or browsing some forums maybe...sending a few texts? Then the higher clock speeds show a negative return on battery usage - you don't need it and it's wasteful.
But when the data has to stay buffered because the CPU is taking it's time working with it, not only is there more electricity consumed by keeping the processor alive longer but also the juice spent on keeping the data buffered.
The data computed is the same data computed at any speed (unless you lose data along the way...) but the power spent on completing that operation is not equal - not by a long shot.
On single core older processors where you are talking about a couple hundred megahertz one way or another the equation is much different, significantly diminshed returns on electricity invested, but with higher quality and multi-core processors especially they can cut through the data with significant ease when sufficiently powered.
But this is on processor intensive activities, and gaming is the first thing that comes to mind. For most other use of the device it's worth underclocking it and you will see battery gains.

[Q] Overclocked at 1600mhz - not scaling at 1.4ghz and 1.5ghz

Hello!
as I finaly rooted my TF (after a year of stock ) I have already hit few obstacles while making it perfect. Now i have a question regarding overclocking.
My device: ARHD Rom with guevors kernel 21.4
I use my TF at 1,6ghz via SetCPU. In CPUStats it says it doesnt use 1,4ghz and 1.5ghz freqs at all as the time at those freqs is zero. But when I clock it up to 1.4 or 1.5, it does use them (note: when set to 1.5ghz, 1.4ghz freq is still not used). What could be the reason for that?
Thank you for your answers
miHah

Looking at cpu histories it usually defaults to the lower stuff except when you do complex calculations, in which it uses as much as it can until it's done. That's why it doesn't use those middle freqs as much, if that makes any sense.

I agree with Thing o Doom. A lot depends on what the processor/software decides it needs or wants.
I stopped using a wide range of frequency like 216-1200 and stuck with a straight 1200MHz only on the min and max.
Depending on the CPU load will determine whether it even hits a certain frequency and also based on the type of governor.
If you have a governor that is set for performance and your range is 1400 - 1600, the governor interacts with the rest of the system and may ramp straight up to 1600 without every hitting 1500.
Hope that expands on Doom's answer.

I use interactive gov. and usualy cpu clocks scale at every cpu freq described in kernels scaling. I use 216-1400 now and cpu uses all clocks in that range (depends on the need ofc). But if i use 216-1600 then not all of the freqs are used. I meant to say if u scale it to 216-1600 there should be some point where cpu would use 1400mhz freq, but mine doesnt at all. So the scaling goes from 1200 directly to 1600 and no in between resulting the cpu to be more time at higher clocks when not actualy needed (when it could just use 1400 or 1500mhz).
Anyway, i now use scale of 216-1400mhz and seems to be working great dunno why I even bothered with 1600, but this one thing not scaling at those two freqs did scare me as I thought there is smth wrong with my tf