Overclocking RT-AC87U

[tommyv2]

I've got a stable overclock at 1200,800. Temps are mid-to-high 70s on the CPU, perhaps 80-81 at full load with USB and streaming.

Has anyone had any luck with 1300,800 or 1400,800 ? When I try these, the router reboots several times before it settles down, sometimes taking 10 minutes to actually function. The temps with these settings are the same as above, sometimes even lower (which makes sense when you think that the CPU is spending less time working).

Now, with 1300 and 1400, it seems to reboot randomly after an hour or so, making it useless for me.

Anyone been able to run theirs past 1200 stable?

 

[hackintoshsr]

I had mine at 1400,800 with a laptop cooler on the bottom. Temps were a stable 56 C. I would get a laptop cooler no matter what frequency even stock just for good measure.

 

[tommyv2]

Had, as in, you didn't leave it that way?

I have mine lifted up on rubber mounts. Didn't make a temp difference. In my case, I doubt temps are causing my overclocking instability over 1200 as they act up immediately as well as over time, even during times when the CPU temps reads in the 40s or 50s (router was shut off for some time).

 

[bigmag]

Hi

1400/800 usb cooler

 

[tommyv2]

Bigmag,

Your router uptime is suspicious for a stable overclock!

 

[hackintoshsr]

Had, as in I sold it. It was 1400,800 on firmware 27** now i forget and the latest 3885 firmwares. Never rebooted from overclock.

 

[hackintoshsr]

Had, as in, you didn't leave it that way?

I have mine lifted up on rubber mounts. Didn't make a temp difference. In my case, I doubt temps are causing my overclocking instability over 1200 as they act up immediately as well as over time, even during times when the CPU temps reads in the 40s or 50s (router was shut off for some time).

Also, lifted up on rubber mounts doesn't = laptop cooler with fans underneath.

 

[tommyv2]

Also, lifted up on rubber mounts doesn't = laptop cooler with fans underneath.

Well, of course not but it does lift up the sides which have the grates that expose the insides. Certainly no match for active cooling. I just don't personally think the temps are an issue for me, as those ARM chips can be run freakishly hot with no ventilation.

 

[hackintoshsr]

Well, of course not but it does lift up the sides which have the grates that expose the insides. Certainly no match for active cooling. I just don't personally think the temps are an issue for me, as those ARM chips can be run freakishly hot with no ventilation.

I think temps would be your first concern when overclocking and debugging why it restarts *runs away

 

[tommyv2]

I think temps would be your first concern when overclocking and debugging why it restarts *runs away

Oh, nonsense! Get your logic outta here!

As an anecdote, my AC68U overclocks to 1200 (from 800mhz base) without issue or any cooling considerations.

Just for fun, I'm going to actively cool my 87U and try 1400 again.

 

[DaveMishSr]

I've got a stable overclock at 1200,800. Temps are mid-to-high 70s on the CPU, perhaps 80-81 at full load with USB and streaming.

Has anyone had any luck with 1300,800 or 1400,800 ? When I try these, the router reboots several times before it settles down, sometimes taking 10 minutes to actually function. The temps with these settings are the same as above, sometimes even lower (which makes sense when you think that the CPU is spending less time working).

Now, with 1300 and 1400, it seems to reboot randomly after an hour or so, making it useless for me.

Anyone been able to run theirs past 1200 stable?

I have my AC87R at 1200/800 and it is stable as a rock. Going over 1200MHz though and the WiFi starts randomly dropping after a couple of hours, especially the 5GHz band. I never tried going over 1400MHz and quickly backed it down to 1200MHz when I tried 1400MHz, about 4 times or so.

 

[tommyv2]

I tried 1300/800 and 1400/800 last night with active cooling. Made no difference - both settings basically borked the router. Took 15 minutes to get running at all (multiple boot loops by the looks of it), and then I had to telnet in to change the settings - GUI wouldn't even load. Even the physical reset button won't work at this point. So that kinda concludes that experiment for me.

1200/800 continues to run perfectly and that's what I keep it at.

 

[ScorpionX]

How do you overclock on a AC87U? Is it the same as the AC68U?

 

[DaveMishSr]

How do you overclock on a AC87U? Is it the same as the AC68U?

Yes. Both are ARM routers so it is:

nvram get clkfreq (Tells you what the current clock setting are)

nvram set clkfreq=1200,800
nvram commit

Then reboot the router.

 

[hackintoshsr]

Yes. Both are ARM routers so it is:

nvram get clkfreq (Tells you what the current clock setting are)

nvram set clkfreq=1200,800
nvram commit

Then reboot the router.

You could also just type reboot and it will reboot also

 

[Spencer1990]

Yes. Both are ARM routers so it is:

nvram get clkfreq (Tells you what the current clock setting are)

nvram set clkfreq=1200,800
nvram commit

Then reboot the router.

Applied 1200,800 successfully but I didn't check what stock was is it 1000,800 or 1000,666. Thanks

 

[DaveMishSr]

I've got a stable overclock at 1200,800. Temps are mid-to-high 70s on the CPU, perhaps 80-81 at full load with USB and streaming.

Has anyone had any luck with 1300,800 or 1400,800 ? When I try these, the router reboots several times before it settles down, sometimes taking 10 minutes to actually function. The temps with these settings are the same as above, sometimes even lower (which makes sense when you think that the CPU is spending less time working).

Now, with 1300 and 1400, it seems to reboot randomly after an hour or so, making it useless for me.

Anyone been able to run theirs past 1200 stable?

I just installed an USB mini laptop cooler underneath my router and the results are amazing:

Temps with passive cooling (approx avg):

2.4 GHz: 48°C - 5 GHz: 58°C - CPU: 78°C

and my current temps with active cooling (approx avg):

2.4 GHz: 37°C - 5 GHz:43°C - CPU:53°C

So I was able to achieve temp reductions across the board as follows: 2.4 GHz band runs 11 degrees C cooler, 15 degrees C on the 5GHz band and the CPU's temp went down a whopping 25 degrees C!

 

[binggesoft]

Hello,CanRT-AC87R: Merlin version 3.0.0.4.378.52_alpha3thisfirmwareto me,thanks!e-mail: shaobing1992@163.com

I have my AC87R at 1200/800 and it is stable as a rock. Going over 1200MHz though and the WiFi starts randomly dropping after a couple of hours, especially the 5GHz band. I never tried going over 1400MHz and quickly backed it down to 1200MHz when I tried 1400MHz, about 4 times or so.

 

[DaveMishSr]

Hello,CanRT-AC87R: Merlin version 3.0.0.4.378.52_alpha3thisfirmwareto me,thanks!e-mail: shaobing1992@163.com

Try the link below. That post has a link to the firmware version of which you seek. It is running great for me! Good luck.

http://www.snbforums.com/threads/ps4-lag-with-test-results.23364/page-5#post-173587

 

[eaz]

Wanted to share my experience:

Before active cooling or overclocking:
CPU in the 70s, occasional reboot would sometimes occur, very rare though

With overclocking:
Running a speedtest (less than 80Mbps) causes router to reboot even with as low as 1050,800, CPU in late 70s

With overclocking and active cooling:
Stable on 1200,800, CPU in late 50s, tried 1250,800 but any heavy load causes reboots

Always running latest Merlin and for cooling I bought the laptop cooler master already mentioned and have the router sitting directly on top of it.

Conclusion: additional cooling is recommended even without overclocking for optimal stability if normal temps are in the mid 70s and is essential if you are planning to overclock, in which case don't bother going higher than 1200,800 as you will see instability regardless of how cool it is.