Do you want to enable boost mode on your Nintendo Switch to make your console run better and reduce loading times? You’re in luck! As I’ve researched the internet finding the easiest way to enable boost mode on your Switch.
If you have the Firmware 8.0 installed you already have boost mode for your Switch as it is always enabled Nintendo updated the Switches software with various features and one of them was a hidden boost mode.
Boost mode affects the CPU of the Switch and the normal pace of the Switch is 1GHz but boost mode increases this to 1.75GHz irregularly.
Now I will go into a lot more detail in what boost mode is, and even explain how. you can hack your Switch to enable boost mode all the time to improve performance! Read on to see more.
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What Is The Nintendo Switch Boost Mode?
The Boost mode is the process Nintendo is doing to speed up the Switches loading times and reduce in-game lag to give you the best gaming experience. To understand why Nintendo is making changes it’s important to know the history of the Switch.
The Switch was released in 2017 with a Tegra X1 mobile processor making it’s processing power far slower than the Xbox and PlayStation consoles currently in the gaming market. The Switch has proven itself in recent years but as games become more demanding it will harder and harder for the Switch to keep up.
Nintendo was highly rumoured to be releasing a Nintendo Switch Pro in 2020 in order to keep up with the increasingly higher demands of video games but in January 2020 Shuntaro Furukawa the president of Nintendo said the following
“Regarding Nintendo Switch, we believe that it is important to continue to communicate the appeal of both Nintendo Switch systems and expand the installed base,” “Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020.”
Shuntaro Furukawa
Despite the Presidents comments, I believe we will eventually see a Nintendo Switch Pro but in the meantime, game/home developers are attempting to find ways to speed up the Switches processor to keep the console cool so it can last longer without using as much energy.
To understand what developers are doing to the Switch is it improved to know the specs of the Switch, which were found by Digitial Foundry.
Nintendo Switch Specs
| Docked | Undocked | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU clock speed | 1020MHz | 1020MHz |
| GPU clock speed | 768MHz | 307.2MHz |
| Memory clock | 1600MHz | 1331MHz |
What Exactly Does The Nintendo Switches Boost Mode Do?
The Switch has created a lot of fascination with home developers, and certain developers have enabled the console to occasionally reach speeds of 1785Mhz CPU speed whilst docked, far faster than the normal 1020 MHz docked speed.
This impressive temporary speed increase puts the Switch around the same speed as the PS4 and Xbox One S, still not as quick as the powerhouses the Xbox One X or the PS4 Pro but the difference is crazy.
How about if you play your Switch exclusively in handheld mode? No problem as Digitial foundry has found a way to raise the undocked GPU clock speed to 460MHz which his a 50% temporary increase over the normal 307. Mhz handheld clock speed!
In normal English, this means less lag, better frame rates, quicker loading speeds and less waiting time to play your favourite Switch games on the move!
Digital Foundry has found out that the speed games will play unclocked vary on the game itself and how the game developers designed the game to load. Results will vary drastically but you should see SOME improvement on all Switch games.
For a far more sophisticated analysis check out the best in the business Digitial Foundry’s explanation
How Can You Overclock The Nintendo Switch?
Now overclocking the Nintendo Switch requires a technical understanding of the consoles physical materials and software, but it isn’t too difficult and can be done via an SD Card
Remember, any modification to the Switch steps your warranty and Nintendo have said they will ban online users if they can see that a Switch has been modded, so bear that in mind when modding your Switch
So remember if you know what you’re doing and don’t mind the potential risks, by all means, clock your Nintendo Switch, but hopefully, Nintendo will improve the Switch will newer firmware updates so you don’t have to.
Nintendo Switch Overclocking Guide
Now I’ve gotten this information from this post and the team who did the method is called RetroNX and they released a sys-clk which is a system-wide overclock and underclock module which allows you to both overclock and underclock your Nintendo Switch
Key Features Of sys-clk
- Automatic overclock and underclock depending on the running title and docked state
- Reads presets for titles from the SD card
- Hot reload allows you to change your preset while the game is running with sys-ftpd
- Presets database for a quick and easy overclock on popular games
How does the sys-ftpd work?
The sysmodule both overclocks & underclocks the CPU, GPU and RAM of your Switch depending on the game running and if it’s docked or in handheld. When a game is run sys-clk will read it’s preset settings and automatically overclock/underclock your Switch to best suit the game.
All frequencies can be set for both docked and handheld mode,
Nintendo Switch CPU, GPU & RAM Caps
- CPU (capped at 1785MHz)
- GPU (capped at 460MHz without a charger, clocks up to 768MHz require a charger, clocks higher than 768MHz require the official charger)
- RAM (capped at 1600MHz)
Installation is quite simple just copy the config and atmosphere folders at the root of your SD card and reboot your console. The sysmodule will work create away.
Installation is pretty straightforward – just copy the config and atmosphere folders at the root of your SD card and reboot your console.
The sysmodule will be active and running out of the box.
In order to create a new preset just edit the /config/sys-clk/config.ini on your SD Card and add the template and is contained in this link. Happy overclocking!
FAQ
Does the switch Dock increase performance?
No, the Switches dock does not improve performance, rather the Switch itself will improve it’s performance when it detects the dock, to take advantage of the larger resolution display of the TV.
This boost will vary game to game just like the 8.0 Switch firmware boost feature. As when docked the Switch can reply on the TV to process the video output, and when undocked the Switch only has the battery so it must make this last. Which is why when handheld the Switch has worse performance than when docked.
How Powerful Is The Nintendo Switches GPU
The Switch Nvidia Tegra x1 has a rough powerful consumption of 15W and is roughly between the PS3/Xbox 360 and the PS4/Xbox One.
Games like Witcher 3 and Super Mario Odyssey are playable because of how fantastic developers have been with completing optimising the Nintendo Switches software. just look at how often Witcher 3 has been updated to get the very best performance from Nintendos powerful hybrid console/handheld.
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