youtuber scatter venture (opens in new tab) showed off a GPU-Z screenshot that hinted at the impressive graphics card overclocking work in progress. The OC expert, known for his HWBot handle MassMan, has turned a lethargic Intel Arc A380 graphics card into his slick 3.1 GHz performer. Its clock speeds represent a 55% uplift compared to stock, well above factory overclocked samples.
Talking about the 3.1 GHz Intel Arc A380 raises quite a few questions. First, why overclock the Arc A380 to the extreme? “Because it’s there” is probably the trope for climbing.question of how ScatterBencher didn’t reveal the technique for this feat, so we have to make some educated guesses.
ScatterBencher shared his results on Twitter, bemoaning his “two steps forward, one step back” technique. GPU tuning is about compromise and balance. Every GPU model and every individual GPU sample has an optimal setting that requires forwards and backwards to pinpoint.
The screenshot shows a 3.1 GHz overclock in the middle section, reported by the Sensors tab and HWInfo section. However, the same section also provides the most important clues to ScatterBencher’s methods. The reported board power consumption of 17.4W is meaningless. This leads to overclockers thinking they bolted on the Arc A380 PCB and the sysmon tool incorrectly reports this stat. After enabling the mod, the overclocker will no longer be limited by the power limit set by the manufacturer.
This feat ties in nicely with reports from mid-July that overclockers showed impressive performance gains by giving the A380 an extra 43-57% power. At that point, I concluded that the Arc A380’s power limit was hampering its performance. Admittedly, this little GPU likes to consume power, and it looks like it could get worthwhile performance with the extra energy, but Intel’s designers are concerned about market segmentation and similar issues. For practical reasons, we want 75W in stock.
Hopefully, scatter venture (opens in new tab) and other GPU overclocking enthusiasts reveal more about their methods. It’s also good to see how the 3.1 GHz Arc A380 boosts gaming performance. On the other hand, we expect Intel to significantly expand the Arc Alchemist lineup.
