Support NeoGAF

[theman5141]

The purported clock speed increases would probably place the real world performance of the Wii U closer to the PS4/720 than the 360/ps3. Unprecedented, and likely improbable (not to mention unfeasible given the size of the heat sink and form factor)

 

[USC-fan]

Related http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/65338991

Disclaimer: please take with a grain of salt.

I dont believe it.

But someone just measure the damn power draw.

Wow....

I suspect this is a deliberate ruse by Nintendo, to "lower the bar" for Sony and Microsoft. Since they believe Wii U is still weak, they will create systems with hardware that seems to trump it but is not as strong as it could be. However, the overclock from Nintendo will result in a system that performs equally to the competition based on the leaked specs, if not better. Developers will have little excuse to port their games to Wii U, and even develop for Wii U first.

The purported clock speed increases would probably place the real world performance of the Wii U closer to the PS4/720 than the 360/ps3. Unprecedented, and likely improbable (not to mention unfeasible given the size of the heat sink and form factor)

Nope... Not evn close

 

[z0m3le]

Power draw does not scale linearly with clock speed.

it's just a loose estimation, you'd have to move up voltage to reach that sort of clock increase which would have a dramatic change to the power draw, still I don't believe this sort of overclock for what we think we know about the CPU is even possible. also moving exactly to 3.24GHz is suspect here as that is a full 2GHz overclock. Anyways I'm just pointing out some simple things about the realities here.

 

[Ryoku]

honestly it could easily disperse the extra heat, it is more a problem with the PSU, you'd have to move the power draw up by ~20watts putting the console's power draw just under 55watts... sort of reaching that limit there. The casing and heatsink I assume are designed to handle the full TDP of 75Watts.

Really? I don't know. They did talk up their cooling solution quite a bit in that Iwata Asks interview, so there's that. But I doubt they could make the CPU jump from 1.2 --> 3.2 GHz. The GPU seems kind of reasonable, at least. 1.2-->1.6 for the CPU would make more sense, honestly--if anything.

Also, wouldn't that CPU @ 3.2GHz be a beast?

EDIT: I believe that line of CPU is made for low clock speeds. I believe Nintendo did something custom with it to make it 1.2GHz, where it was 1.1GHz or something beforehand.

 

[VXLbeast]

This is absolutely fascinating, no matter the outcome.

 

[DreadPirateRoberts]

The Wii U runs pretty cool though. Still, no way they doubled it. If there was any clock boost, it at best would be to about 1.6Ghz.

It runs pretty cool, but unless the voltage was left intentionally high, there's no way to get that much of a overclock without a big voltage hike, which would create a lot of heat.

The GPU overclock could maybe be done, but the CPU overclock is just silly.

 

[Wishmaster92]

Related http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/65338991

Disclaimer: please take with a grain of salt.

I dont believe it.

But someone just measure the damn power draw.

"Hidden Reserves Of Power"

 

[megabytecr]

This is absolutely fascinating, no matter the outcome.

Yes probably not true.

Someone with knowledge, which of those is more probable?

I would guess the GPU.

 

[z0m3le]

Really? I don't know. They did talk up their cooling solution quite a bit in that Iwata Asks interview, so there's that. But I doubt they could make the CPU jump from 1.2 --> 3.2 GHz. The GPU seems kind of reasonable, at least. 1.2-->1.6 for the CPU would make more sense, honestly.

Also, wouldn't that CPU @ 3.2GHz be a beast?

I agree with you completely, it is what I'm saying, and yes it does sound like BS, as the CPU would likely push far beyond PS4/XB3 CPUs for most uses.

it could be a typo, but why should I try and make the rumor fit reality, a simple power draw will solve this, if it has moved up a few watts we can assume the CPU increased to 1.4-1.8GHz maybe the GPU jumped up 50-100MHz, but yeah lets just wait and see... I'm actually hoping they didn't because I have a theory why they went so low powered, and it doesn't work out if the new power draw is above 40watts.

 

[bomblord]

Point I'de like to make

This isn't unprecedented, Nintendo intentionally built the Nintendo 64 to be updated at a later time, doubling the ram through expansion slot.

They also built the SNES to allow for the use of the SuperFX chips.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

It's a tricky gambit, but seems like something Nintendo would do. They're essentially hiding their power level.

This Dragon Ball meme has gone too far

 

[btrboyev]

Point I'de like to make

This isn't unprecedented, Nintendo intentionally built the Nintendo 64 to be updated at a later time doubling the ram with the expansion slot.

They also built the SNES to allow for power boosts with the SuperFX chips.

No on SFx

 

[Smoothice65]

someone measure the power draw, if it is still ~33watts there was no clock speed change.

Someone just need to check the watt level before things goes out of hand !

 

[Ryoku]

I agree with you completely, it is what I'm saying, and yes it does sound like BS, as the CPU would likely push far beyond PS4/XB3 CPUs for most uses.

it could be a typo, but why should I try and make the rumor fit reality, a simple power draw will solve this, if it has moved up a few watts we can assume the CPU increased to 1.4-1.8GHz maybe the GPU jumped up 50-100MHz, but yeah lets just wait and see... I'm actually hoping they didn't because I have a theory why they went so low powered, and it doesn't work out if the new power draw is above 40watts.

Would it not be possible if the overclock was... err... "active" only with certain software that's made to take advantage of it (future games)? Not trying to push credibility here. Just curious, actually.

 

[bobeth]

Point I'de like to make

This isn't unprecedented, Nintendo intentionally built the Nintendo 64 to be updated at a later time, doubling the ram through expansion slot.

They also built the SNES to allow for power boosts with the SuperFX chips.

These required additional hardware..

 

[Kai Dracon]

Incoming Nintendo Direct: Iwata reveals Wii U now capable of downloading new Pikmin as needed.

Though really - even if there was a more modest bump to 1.4 or .6, I wonder why we wouldn't see any difference at all in game performance. 3DS games evidently didn't have any requirement to be locked to a specific clock speed.

 

[Nilaul]

Soo WiiU just transformed into Sayan WiiU?

 

[TheD]

Point I'de like to make

This isn't unprecedented, Nintendo intentionally built the Nintendo 64 to be updated at a later time doubling the ram with the expansion slot.

They also built the SNES to allow for power boosts with the SuperFX chips.

No and No.

A slot for more RAM is nothing like a large clockspeed increase nor is having extra hardware in a cart.

 

[japtor]

Yes, even if just for power consumption reasons alone, not to mention heat.

And the likely architectural limitations of the CPU design itself.

EDIT: I believe that line of CPU is made for low clock speeds. I believe Nintendo did something custom with it to make it 1.2GHz, where it was 1.1GHz or something beforehand.

Yeah that.

I have a Kill a Watt somewhere downstairs so I can check out the power draw if I can find it.

 

[tkscz]

Related http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/65338991

Disclaimer: please take with a grain of salt.

I dont believe it.

But someone just measure the damn power draw.

I"m taking it with the whole damn salt shaker. No way this is true. That boost is too damn high.

Now, I can believe in increasing the clock speeds, but a boost like that would be ridiculous. I mean, wasn't the WiiU having heating issues and that's why they underclocked it?

 

[bomblord]

No and No.

A slot for more RAM is nothing like a large clockspeed increase nor is having extra hardware in a cart.

The point is, Nintendo has designed systems to be upgraded at a later times for various reasons. The means they used to do so is irrelevant to my point.

 

[Ryoku]

The point is, Nintendo has designed systems to be upgraded at a later times for various reasons. The means they used to do so is irrelevant.

Except OC a CPU from 1.2 to 3.2 or whatever is ridiculous. Not to mention that that entire line of CPUs is made for low clock speeds. Unless Nintendo literally had some sort of crazy breakthrough, and they decided to (for some reason) hide it until that last update, I'm calling BS on it.

 

[DreadPirateRoberts]

The point is, Nintendo has designed systems to be upgraded at a later times for various reasons. The means they used to do so is irrelevant.

I feel like, if Nintendo did do an overclocking system update, it'd be more GPU focused than CPU focused considering how the PS4 and nextbox are designed.

Realistically, i think the most that could be expected is a slight overclock, and some unlocked RAM.

 

[bomblord]

Except OC a CPU from 1.2 to 3.2 or whatever is ridiculous. Not to mention that that entire line of CPUs is made for low clock speeds. Unless Nintendo literally had some sort of crazy breakthrough, and they decided to (for some reason) hide it until that last update, I'm calling BS on it.

I'm not arguing the rumor is true, the only point I'm trying to make is that an OC in some form is not entirely unfeasible.

 

[Silent_Ocarina]

I'm not arguing the rumor is true, the only point I'm trying to make is that an OC in some form is not entirely unfeasible.

It may be feasible, but likely not to the degree to which the rumor suggests.

 

[tkscz]

I'll admit something, it's probably just my imagination, but ever since the update my WiiU's fan is louder than my PC fan. Probably my imagination, or my PC's fans have gotten quitter.

 

[Trevelyan9999]

Not that I believe this rumor, but Iwata did just say in the investors meeting that Nintendo has to change the mind of developers who think the Wii U is not powerful enough.

 

[Nilaul]

Hmmm just to make sure.. If my Wii U burns down to hell will nintendo's warrently cover it?

 

[lwilliams3]

somebody on TV tropes seems to think that the clock speeds of the system were increased after the most recent update

Up to over 3GHz?!! Whoever made that up didn't bother trying to be realistic.

On a related note, I believe I did read that the DVD disc drive no longer constantly spins when you in certain menus after the update, so the system may at least be using some power-saving features now.

 

[Silent_Ocarina]

Up to over 3GHz?!! Whoever made that up didn't bother trying to be realistic.

On a related note, I believe I did read that the DVD disc drive no longer spin when you in certain menus now, so the system may at least be using some power-saving features now.

Yes, the drive stops spinning when you're in certain applications. That was one of my biggest problems with Wii U. I hated leaving discs inside the drive because it would spin constantly when I was just on Miiverse or playing an eShop title.

 

[Darryl]

this is a ridiculous rumor. they've said themselves that they're using a low power setup. the low power draw wasn't some freak accident from the start that they're just now fixing.

 

[jerd]

Related http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/65338991

Disclaimer: please take with a grain of salt.

I dont believe it.

But someone just measure the damn power draw.

We should probably mark this nsfw. I laughed loud enough to draw attention.

 

[DreadPirateRoberts]

So... How long before this is on "news" sites?

 

[z0m3le]

this is a ridiculous rumor. they've said themselves that they're using a low power setup. the low power draw wasn't some freak accident from the start that they're just now fixing.

it would be interesting to see if there was a small wattage increase, pointing at a SMALL overclock, say 1.4GHz CPU maybe 600MHz GPU

 

[japtor]

Just remembered, how much was the wattage of the CPU expected to be? Low enough and a geometric increase would still be within the console's power envelope, that said...

Anyway the Wii U is hovering around 33W at idle on the main menu without disc, just stuck NFSMWU in and now it's idling at 36W. In game it's now...35-37W. Browser and Miiverse and stuff is around 30W without disc. Tank^3 download version with no disc in is 32W. Basically all sounds within the ballpark of Eurogamer's numbers way back.

 

[TheD]

The point is, Nintendo has designed systems to be upgraded at a later times for various reasons. The means they used to do so is irrelevant to my point.

No!

This would be pointlessly crippling a system then uncrippling it, it is completely different from selling extra parts (like RAM) for a system or having a cart with it's own coprocessor!

 

[Nilaul]

Just remembered, how much was the wattage of the CPU expected to be? Low enough and a geometric increase would still be within the console's power envelope, that said...

Anyway the Wii U is hovering around 33W at idle on the main menu without disc, just stuck NFSMWU in and now it's idling at 36W. In game it's now...35-37W. Browser and Miiverse and stuff is around 30W without disc. Tank^3 download version with no disc in is 32W. Basically all sounds within the ballpark of Eurogamer's numbers way back.

"32 watts of power during gameplay" Still it seems to be a 3-5 wolt difference. So bogus? How much wolts do you need to overclock a mobile phone processor? Or perhaps could each game overclock the processor depending on the need?

 

[Schnozberry]

That troll thread on GameFAQs is pure comedy gold.

 

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Just remembered, how much was the wattage of the CPU expected to be? Low enough and a geometric increase would still be within the console's power envelope, that said...

Anyway the Wii U is hovering around 33W at idle on the main menu without disc, just stuck NFSMWU in and now it's idling at 36W. In game it's now...35-37W. Browser and Miiverse and stuff is around 30W without disc. Tank^3 download version with no disc in is 32W. Basically all sounds within the ballpark of Eurogamer's numbers way back.

Well, personally i kinda doubt they could get that much of an overclock within 3ish watts. Do you have a USB hard drive attached? It could be that, or using the disc based version of the game(not sure which one they used).

 

[Nilaul]

Well, personally i kinda doubt they could get that much of an overclock within 3ish watts. Do you have a USB hard drive attached?

It could game to game basis? It has to be triggered by a specific code perhaps. Not on a system wide level but a game level. So perhaps the update allowed this to be done, but no game has done it yet?

 

[DreadPirateRoberts]

It could game to game basis? It has to be triggered by a specific code perhaps. Not on a system wide level but a game level. So perhaps an update allowed this to be done, but no game has done it yet?

It's possible yeah, that's the way the PSP did it, but i'd think that extra processing power would be used to ease load times on the menu, since that's a pretty big concern right now.

 

[Ryoku]

It could game to game basis? It has to be triggered by a specific code perhaps. Not on a system wide level but a game level. So perhaps the update allowed this to be done, but no game has done it yet?

If there were indeed any overclocks, I'd expect this to be the case.

 

[japtor]

"32 watts of power during gameplay" Still it seems to be a 3-5 wolt difference. So bogus? How much wolts do you need to overclock a mobile phone processor? Or perhaps could each game overclock the processor depending on the need?

They were playing a downloaded game, my NFSMW was on disc so it's not a direct comparison there. Trying out the Zombi U demo (...kind of hard cause I don't have a TV attached*) and it's idling around 32-33W in the first room area or whatever.

*Been using off TV play to the fullest!

It could game to game basis? It has to be triggered by a specific code perhaps. Not on a system wide level but a game level. So perhaps the update allowed this to be done, but no game has done it yet?

Yeah I imagine it'd have to be enabled explicitly cause the games weren't tested for different hardware (that much of a speed increase would be a pretty major change even if it's technically still the same hardware).

...but I'm still going with the assumption that it's really unlikely simply for architectural reasons from what we know about the CPU already.

 

[Nilaul]

It's possible yeah, that's the way the PSP did it, but i'd think that extra processing power would be used to ease load times on the menu, since that's a pretty big concern right now.

So check the power while loading system apps, see if there is any spike. However If anything I think its per game bases. I dont think it would be constant, as it would go against Nintendo power saving mania.


Best case scenario: Broken telephone, one person told one person, who told another. Information gets screwed up in the process, but there is some truth to this overclocking and a perhaps a typo.

Worst case scenario: Its all a lie, form someone looking for attention or just trolling.

 

[japtor]

The power actually seems to drop to around 30W on the system and initial game load screens

 

[phosphor112]

Yeah me too, but that comment caught my attention.

I just don't even see how one can say "well, looking at the airflow..."

Really? =S

 

[StevieP]

3ghz PPC 750?

Hahahahahah, no.

 

[japtor]

3ghz PPC 750?

Hahahahahah, no.

Yeah that basically sums up the main issue for me.

 

[Earendil]

3ghz PPC 750?

Hahahahahah, no.

Exactly. I'm generally optimistic about the Wii U, but this is absurd.

 

[Ryoku]

3ghz PPC 750?

Hahahahahah, no.

Party-pooper.