The Nintendo Switch, now a veteran in the gaming landscape after seven years, remains a popular choice among gamers, even as anticipation builds for its successor. While an official announcement for the second-generation handheld is expected within the fiscal year, the buzz is that it might not possess groundbreaking power. Meanwhile, the original Switch’s aging hardware is losing ground against contemporary contenders like the ROG Ally and Legion Go. Yet, the aging Nvidia Tegra X1 chip still holds untapped potential.
Enter YouTuber Naga, who has taken this classic console to new heights by harnessing the power of overclocking. In previous experiments, Naga demonstrated that with the right tweaks, the Switch’s performance could be elevated significantly. Now, in a fresh series of tests, the YouTuber has pushed the system’s limits even further.
Naga’s extreme overclocking has seen the CPU speed soar to 2,805 MHz, the GPU to 1,420 MHz, and memory to 3,200 MHz. To put things in perspective, the original clock speeds stand at 2,397 MHz, 1,228 MHz, and 2,133 MHz, respectively. Enhancements don’t stop there—the RAM has been doubled from 4 GB to 8 GB. Although tested on the OLED model, the results would mirror those on a non-OLED system, as both share the same core hardware.
The performance gains are noticeable. In Geekbench 6, the overclocked Switch scored 446 in single-core and 1,409 in multi-core tests, a substantial leap from the stock scores of 374 and 1,098. Similarly, Glmark2 results soared to 4,723 from 3,115. In GravityMark, overclocking brought the score up to an impressive 5,170 compared to the stock’s 3,770. Other benchmarks, including Cuda95 and Membench, also reflected these improved scores.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects revealed in Naga’s video is the enhancement in emulating GameCube titles. Using the Dolphin emulator, Mario Kart—which typically hovers around 30 FPS in its original configuration—hit smoother 60 FPS post-overclock. This illustrates not just the potential improvements but also expands the Switch’s utility beyond its standard offerings.
For tech enthusiasts and gamers keen on squeezing every ounce of power from their devices, these findings offer an intriguing glimpse into what the Nintendo Switch is capable of when allowed to push its boundaries. While the full details and visual proof are available in Naga’s video, the developments promise a compelling narrative about the enduring capabilities of the beloved console.
