A developer launched an overclocking application KonaBess on Kuan, which allows the previous generation flagship processor Snapdragon 865 to achieve GPU overclocking. This application quickly aroused heated discussion on the Internet. Many users have done actual tests. The game performance has also been improved in addition to the higher running scores of the overclocked Snapdragon 865 models.
So, can the overclocked Snapdragon 865 model really achieve the rumoured “Snaapragon 888”? For ordinary users, is it necessary to overclock their mobile phones?
With these questions, we actually tested it and came to some conclusions.
Preparation and instructions for overclocking
It should be noted that manually changing the GPU operating frequency of a mobile phone requires higher authority, and most mobile phone manufacturers will not actively open it. In practice, you must first root your phone and flash into the third-party Recovery to make this KonaBess software useful.
At present, among domestic manufacturers that open BL unlocking or Root brands are Xiaomi, OnePlus, Meizu, and OPPO (some models with quota restrictions). In other words, the Snapdragon 865 models that can use this overclocking software typically include Xiaomi 10 series, Redmi K30 series, OnePlus 8 series, Meizu 17 series and so on.
Also, Root is approximately equal to the highest authority of the mobile phone system. Unreasonable use may cause a series of serious consequences. This should be paid extra attention.
The primary function of KonaBess is to modify the GPU frequency and voltage parameters to achieve the purpose of overclocking and enhancing graphics performance. CPU overclocking is not involved for the time being. Therefore, in some games sensitive to CPU performance and insensitive to GPU performance, the actual performance improvement after overclocking may not be noticeable.
The operation interface of KonaBess is not complicated, and the specific settings are actually relatively simple. In general, change the GPU frequency to a higher value and modify the voltage simultaneously.
Specific steps are as follows:
In the first step, click “Backup Old Image”. Back up the original settings of the mirror to save yourself a bit of regret medicine, so that the phone can be restored to the non-overclocked state later (the specific method is to restart the phone to enter the Recovery interface, and then find the previously saved image file and flash it to boot).
The second step, click “GPU frequency table”-select the CPU model. Then, click the “New” option, and a new “865MHz” will be added to the list, click to enter and then click “Frequency” to enter the specific value manually, and then click “Save GPU Frequency Table Modification”, the software will write the highest value in the list The frequency value.
After modifying the GPU frequency, the third step is to click “Edit GPU Voltage Meter” to correspond to the frequency. Then click “Save GPU Voltage Meter Modification”.
Finally, package and flash the new image, and restart the phone. If the operation is unstable, you can refresh the old photo, restore the default settings, and then fine-tune the value repeatedly to achieve a stable overclocking state.
First, let’s look at the running points.
After the GPU was overclocked to 865MHz, the AnTuTu score of Xiaomi Mi 10 increased from 560,000 to 620,000, and the graphics performance improved significantly. Before overclocking, Xiaomi Mi 10 scored 3034 in OpenCL mode in GeekBench 5, 2954 in Vulkan mode, and 3DMark scored 3761.
After overclocking, the OpenCL running score increased to 4282, Vulkan was 3929, and the 3DMark running score soared to 4995. In general, after overclocking the Xiaomi Mi 10 GPU, the overall theoretical performance has increased by about 30%.
For reference, Xiaomi Mi 11’s AnTuTu running score is about 700,000, and all GPU performance benchmarks are even better than the overclocked version of Mi 10.
In the 3DMak stress test, the stability of the overclocked version of Mi 10 in my hand reached 99%, so long-term use should not be a big problem.
Will there be surprises in the game?
After running the score, let’s take a look at the measured performance of the game. Considering that both the Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 888 have flagship-level understanding, mobile games such as King Glory and even Eat Chicken cannot thoroughly squeeze their performance. This time we chose the original god who has extremely high-performance requirements as the test method.
During the test, all the quality options of Yuanshen were turned on to the highest, and the time was about 14 minutes.
The specific results are shown in the figure below:
It can be seen that in the last three results, the average number of frames is not much different. However, after the overclocking of Mi 10, game frames’ performance became more balanced, and the feeling of stuttering during the game was significantly reduced. More importantly, even if the GPU is overclocked, the performance output is still quite durable under high load.
The performance of Xiaomi Mi 11 is undoubtedly surprising. From the frame rate chart, the Snapdragon 888 in the first few minutes is still quite good, obviously smoother than the overclocked Snapdragon 865. However, after persisting for about ten minutes, Snapdragon 888 experienced heat and frequency reduction problems, the frame number curve fluctuated sharply, and the game experience declined.
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Verdict
Through the above tests, we can draw a preliminary conclusion: Snapdragon 865 has good overclocking potential; after overclocking, users can get more robust GPU performance and better gaming experience.
Of course, the Xiaomi Mi 10 that participated in the test has a very luxurious heat sink, which provides better conditions for overclocking the Snapdragon 865. Whether other Snapdragon 865 models can achieve the same effect, more people need to test further.
For users who are using the Snapdragon 865 model, if you have the strong hands-on ability and have higher requirements for game performance, you can try to overclock this software. It is worth mentioning that KonaBess has already added support for Snapdragon 855. If you are interested, you can also try it.
Interestingly, the launch of KonaBess’s software is largely due to the developer’s complaint about the unsustainable peak performance of the Snapdragon 888 GPU.
According to the official statement, compared with the Snapdragon 865, the Snapdragon 888 process has been upgraded from 7nm to 5nm, and the GPU performance has increased by 35%. The running test shows that the theoretical understanding of the Snapdragon 888 GPU has indeed been greatly improved.
However, as far as the actual situation is concerned, the Snapdragon 888 model does not solve power consumption under high load. The real reason behind it is that Adreno 660 does not have an updated architecture or Samsung’s 5nm is not healthy, I am afraid only Qualcomm knows.
However, we cannot completely deny the Snapdragon 888 chip. In addition to the problems mentioned above, compared to the Snapdragon 865, the Snapdragon 888 has significant upgrades in terms of memory frequency, CPU performance, and 5G baseband.
Moreover, when most people buy a new machine and the processor, they will also consider upgrading the camera, screen, and charging. For Xiaomi Mi 11, in addition to the Snapdragon 888, 2K 120Hz screen, 50W wireless charging, etc., are all bright spots. What’s more, Snapdragon 888 can only be regarded as underperforming at present, not a complete rollover. And the Snapdragon 865, after withstanding the extended test, is indeed a god U.