6. Rock The Clock: Overdrive

Overdrive is the name given to the automatic overclocking feature of the MR9600. "Automatic," because the user has no influence on the clock speed increase of the graphics core. The system adjusts the frequency based on readings taken from its thermal sensor. If the temperature remains below 108° Celsius, the GPU frequency is automatically increased. Of course, this only happens when additional 3D power is needed (see below, Power on Demand).

It is practically impossible to measure whether this technique actually works and if it really boosts frame rates noticeably. Besides, whether it makes sense to overclock a mobile device such as a notebook at all is a different matter altogether. After all, higher clock speeds also mean increased power consumption and, consequently, shorter battery life. Personally, I see "Overdrive" as more of a "marketing feature" than a key feature for gamers. In other words, while it's nice to have, it is definitely not a must.