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| Der Raspberry Pi Pico |
In the world of PC hardware, overclocking has become a game of diminishing returns. If you are lucky, you might squeeze an extra 200-300MHz out of a modern Intel or AMD flagship chip, often requiring liquid nitrogen and a small nuclear power plant’s worth of power delivery. It is exciting, sure, but in terms of raw percentage gains, desktop enthusiasts are usually fighting over scraps in the single digits.
To find a truly mind-bending overclocking success story right now, you have to look at the other end of the spectrum: the microcontroller.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has been making waves in the maker community with its new RP2350 chip. Found on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2, this microcontroller is the successor to the beloved RP2040. While it is a significant step up for embedded systems, it is important to contextualize what this chip actually is. We aren't talking about a processor designed to run Windows or Cyberpunk 2077.
The RP2350 is a different breed of animal. Its official stock speed is just 150MHz. It is designed to sip power, control sensors, blink LEDs, and run lightweight code for robotics and automation. It doesn't even usually output video. Compared to a modern desktop Ryzen or Core processor, the RP2350 is moving at a snail's pace—and that is by design.
However, thanks to some daring experimentation by the hardware community, that "snail" has suddenly learned to sprint.
Pushing Silicon to the Breaking Point
According to a report via Liliputing, hobbyists and engineers have discovered that the RP2350 is an absolute beast when it comes to overclocking headroom. While your $500 desktop CPU might crash if you push the voltage too far, this tiny $5 chip appears to be built differently.
The results are staggering. At the default voltage and without any additional cooling, enthusiasts have managed to push the RP2350 well past its 150MHz rating, with reports of stable operation exceeding 500MHz. That is more than a 200% increase using the stock air (or lack thereof) setup.
But the community didn't stop there. As you introduce active cooling—such as a small heatsink or fan—the numbers go up even further. By increasing the core voltage to a relatively modest 1.9V, the processor can blow past the 600MHz mark.
This level of performance from such a low-power chip has sparked massive discussions in the development community. For those interested in the technical deep-dive or the specific benchmarking methods used to achieve these clocks, a detailed thread on Hacker News is breaking down the community testing. You can view the ongoing discussion and benchmark results here.
The 5x Overclock: Is 800MHz Possible?
The headline figures, however, are reserved for the truly brave. Reports indicate that if you are willing to feed the RP2350 a core voltage of 3.05V, the chip can scream along at speeds north of 800MHz.
Let's put that in perspective: that is a 5x overclock.
In the desktop world, a 5x overclock is pure fantasy. It would require exotic cooling and would likely destroy the silicon in seconds. The fact that a tiny microcontroller designed for embedded tasks can reach these speeds—even momentarily—is a testament to the ARM architecture and the specific fabrication process used by Raspberry Pi.
The Reality Check: Should You Do It?
Just because you can, doesn't always mean you should. The Liliputing report, along with the commentary from developers, raises a serious question about the longevity of such extreme operation.
Running the RP2350 at 800MHz+ with the voltage pushed to 3.05V generates immense thermal and electrical stress on the chip. While it is impressive to see the benchmark scores spike, running a production device at this speed for extended periods is ill-advised.
Engineers warn of two main risks:
- Electromigration: At higher voltages and temperatures, the atoms in the metal conductors within the chip can start to move, eventually creating breaks or shorts. This permanently destroys the processor.
- Heat Dissipation: Even if the chip is stable at 800MHz, the heat generated needs to go somewhere. Without significant cooling upgrades, the core temperature will skyrocket, accelerating the wear and tear mentioned above.
Conclusion
While the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 won't be replacing your desktop gaming rig anytime soon, this overclocking feat proves that innovation in silicon isn't just about making high-end chips faster. It is about finding the hidden potential in the tiny, efficient processors that power our smart devices.
For makers and hobbyists, this opens up a fascinating possibility: the ability to temporarily boost performance for burst computing tasks without needing a full Linux single-board computer. It is a wild west of voltage tweaking, and for now, the RP2350 is the new sheriff in town.
Image: Vishnu Mohanan on Unsplash