RTX 4090 Sets World Overclocking Record While Running 3D Benchmark

 Although the RTX 4090 has already earned the title of "World's Most Powerful GPU", it can now add a second title - the highest clocked GPU for running a 3D benchmark. The intrepid overclocker recently set the world record for GPU overclocking in a 3D test, reaching 3.825 GHz on Colorful's RTX 4090. This is the highest clock rate ever recorded for a GPU when running a 3D benchmark, as no previous overclock was able to do. They couldn't withstand the load of the 3D test and instead ran only non-3D applications. Overclocking brings the GPU field closer than ever to reaching the magical 4 GHz limit, which seemed like a dream a generation ago with Ampere.

The 3D GPU overclocking record is now held by Cens, which hails from Germany. They posted their feat on Twitter with all the necessary recipes, including screenshots of all the related hardware clocks. The stunt was performed on an EVGA Z90 Dark Kingpin motherboard that is custom made for overclocking. Liquid nitrogen was used to cool the GPU to arctic levels, and screenshots show it running at -34°C during testing. The GPU was so cold that even the "hot spot" was -40C. The 3D test that was run is Unigine Superposition, which is designed to test GPU stability. The overclocked GPU is the Colorful RTX 4090 iGame LAB, a limited edition GPU built for overclocking. Only 300 were produced, making it one of the rarest GPUs in the world and similar to the now defunct EVGA Kingpin boards.

The 3.825 GHz overclock follows the previous RTX 4090 overclock record set by a person named OGS, according to Tom's Hardware. However, OGS could only get this speed when running a non-3D application because it was not stable in 3D tests. OGS made a test called GPUPI that measures GPU computation instead of 3D rendering, making it less stressful and easier to get higher clocks.

Despite OGS's record clock speed, Superposition's score was only good enough for second place in the benchmark rankings. In first place is the Gigabyte 4090 board, also cooled by LN2 and running at similar temperatures, but with an overclock of only 3.435 GHz. Back in the Ampere days it was remarkable to reach 3GHz on LN2, so it's a tribute to the Ada Lovelace architecture's ability to reach much higher clocks than its predecessors due to its superior efficiency. At this rate, we can only dream of what overclockers will be able to achieve with Blackwell.