Google's Nexus 7 tablet overclocked to 2.0 GHz

Google's popular Nexus 7 tablet is at the bleeding edge of the consumer tablet market with its brand new OS (Android 4.1 Jelly Bean), NVIDIA's Tegra 3 quad-core processor and features like NFC. Now some clever developers over at XDA have pushed the device to its limits with the release of a new kernel (the core of the Android operating system) that is able to tweak the Nexus 7′s CPU and overclock it to 2.0GHz!

The stock Nexus 7 runs at 1.2GHz (and 1.3 GHz when using only a single core), so the push to 2.0 GHz means increasing the frequency by 800 MHz, a factor of 1.6. Overclocking can be a tricky business, as not only does the main CPU frequency need to be changed but the GPU frequency needs to be regulated as well. On top of this, there is the issue of the core CPU voltage (which generally needs to be increased) and the temperature of the CPU. What this means, in real terms, is that the right balance between frequency, voltage and stability needs to be found.

It looks as if the kernel developers clemsyn and simms22 have struck that balance as they have their tablets running at 2.0GHz. A standard Nexus 7 scores about 3570 on the Quadrant CPU, I/O and 3D graphics benchmarking program; for comparison, an HTC One X scores around 4500. Using the new tweaked kernel, simms22 managed to score 8000. This new record smashed the 7130 scored by the developer ‘Morfic' who overclocked his Nexus 7 to 1.64 GHz per core.

XDA

There are faster versions of the Tegra 3 on the market. The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity uses a 1.6 GHz clocked Tegra 3 T33, while the HTC One X, mentioned earlier, uses a Tegra 3 T30 which runs at 1.4Ghz when using all four cores. The main reason that the lower speed CPU is used in the Nexus 7 is battery life. More megahertz means more power consumption which, in turn, means less battery life.

However the efforts (and skills) of the XDA developers are to be applauded. Are the days of stock 2.0GHz tablets and phones just around the corner? Do you prefer speed over battery life? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Rumor: Android 4.3 and new Nexus 7 arriving in July

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by Chris Smith, 6 days ago

Following Google’s I/O 2013 keynote that lacked any new announcements of new Nexus-branded hardware or new Android OS versions, new reports suggest that the company will unveil such products at some point in the coming…

Comments

Will Stewart

Galaxy S2 – it really showed what Samsung & Android were capable of and it’s still a great phone even today.
- http://www.facebook.com/kate.perry.545849 Kate Perry
  
  Also consider the new Novo 8 Discovery, an 8″ mini iPad size Android tablet that surpasses most features of the new Acer Iconia A1 and runs only $155 and is one of the first tablets to work with the new low priced $35 Miracast HD wireless adapter – which lets you stream movies and video and play video games on to an HD TV — similar to Apple’s AirPlay system, but costs a lot less
  - disk Latvia
    
    Looks good on paper but generally these things are bug ridden and prone to break down
  - Will Stewart
    
    The problem is nobody have heard of them before. I’ve brought goods directly from China before and going through Chinese sites you get a feeling its fake, even though it might be real.
MasterMuffin

Galaxy Nexus with it’s huge screen at the time and wasn’t it the first HD smartphone? Only drawback was the camera, but otherwise I’ll put it as #1 because it’s the device I’ll always remember
- http://twitter.com/L33tMeister That’s me!
  
  Actually, Galaxy Note was released one month before Galaxy Nexus and it had, for its time. a huge HD screen.
  - MasterMuffin
    
    Yes, Note in October 2012 and GN in November, but Note was a phablet
    - disk Latvia
      
      2012? I think you mean 2011
      - MasterMuffin
        
        That’s what it says ;) Edited the typo out :D
    - districtjack
      
      LG Optimus LTE was the first HD screen on a phone back in 2011. In the U.S. it is called the LG Nitro HD. The most awesome phone I have ever owned. Came with gingerbread and was updated to ice cream sandwich.
http://www.thinkingbrian.com/ ThinkingBrian

I wish I could say that its my Galaxy Nexus that take everywhere, but I can’t. The battery not charging past 89% and draining fast is driving me nuts. But even if it was working right, I would actually have to say its my Nexus 7 over my MK808B. I use my Nexus 7 everyday for web, email, apps, games and more with the exception of watching movies or tv shows. It doesn’t work for tv shows and movies right…too white. Good devices.
osc707

GNote 2, best Android out, until GNote 3
- Guest
  
  Oh by the way — I got my Novo 8 Discovery through T a b l e t S p r i n t — which also adds in $25 in Bonus Apps — including Shadowgun and an MS Office Suite program
- Guest
  
  –
http://twitter.com/cheidt76 Christopher Heidt

Right now, it’s a toss between my Nexus 7 and my LG Optimus Vu (which is an awesome quad core, 5″ phone, once you get used to the 4:3 ratio!), but I’d have to say the N7 is my absolute favorite. Now if I could just get my hands on a Note 2, that might change…
Arthur Vincent Simon

Once you start using(and loving) the Note 2, you can never go back to smaller screens.
- http://www.facebook.com/johnphillip.saayman John-Phillip Saayman
  
  I actually think that’s what happens. Once you go big you never go back.
http://twitter.com/durn_antonio Antonio Durán

Hi! Hmmm very hard, I love all Android devices, but I’m fanatic to Samsung, in fact, I have a SGS3 GT I9300 and my next device going to be a SGS4 but, with Snapdragon processor, I don’t want to know about Exynos, because: Exynos bug, sudden died and does not support 4G network. Best regards and great article! ;)
http://www.facebook.com/chirabrata.bhattarjee Chirabrata Bhattarjee

Sony XperiaZ
http://www.facebook.com/mark.long.370177 Mark Long

Galaxy S4, and here in about 5 months, probably the Note3. Love everything about the S4. Never tried either Notes, I think they may be to big. I typically upgrade every year to the new Galaxy S series phone and haven’t been disappointed yet.
http://TabletAndroidBR.com/ Humberto R.

Galaxy Note 10.1

The display could be better, but it is fast as hell, light, battery life is outstanding( 11+ hours) and that s pen is fantastic (I’m a hard user of lecture notes). That multi window feature is also very very useful. This tablet has all features I think a tablet should have.
Mr Mop

HTC Status <3

/s

Anyway, to seriously answer the question, the Nexus 7 would be my pick because of the awesome screen, latest Android updates, great performance, comfortable to hold, and it's cheap (in price).

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Google’s Nexus 7 tablet overclocked to 2.0 GHz

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