The Asus Transformer Prime is probably the most powerful Android tablet out there right now, with its quad-core Cortex A9 processor running at 1.3 GHz, powered by the Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset. But of course, no one ever said you have to stick to the default speeds. Those looking to extract a little more power out of their Transformer Prime can do so thanks to XDA modder _motley who has provided a stock kernel that runs at 1.7 GHz instead of 1.3.

The kernel changes the CPU settings on the Prime to the following:

  • Power saver mode: 1.0 GHz
  • Balanced mode: 1.3 GHz
  • Performance mode: 1.7 GHz

As you can see, the tablet will not always run at 1.7 GHz, instead only ramping up all the way when you’re doing CPU intensive tasks that require high performance.

Of course, overclocking is a dangerous thing and can increase the risk of your device getting damaged, so it’s only recommended for experienced users to try out. Read on to find out how to overclock your Transformer Prime, with instructions to go back to the default speeds included as well.

Compatibility

This hack and the guide below are compatible only and only with the Asus Transformer Prime, model number TF201. It’s not compatible with any other device. Check your device model in Settings » About Tablet.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know exactly what you are doing. If any damage occurs to you or your device, including a bricked, non-functional device, we won’t be held liable. You have been forewarned!

Requirements

  1. Important!A bootloader-unlocked Transformer Prime running on stock official Ice Cream Sandwich firmware, with stock recovery. Do not try this on custom ROMs.
  2. Root access with busybox installed (if you’re rooted, you probably have busybox).

How to Overclock Asus Transformer Prime to 1.7 GHz.

  1. Download the overclocked kernel.
    Download Link  |  Filename: boot.img.zip
  2. Extract the boot.img.zip file to obtain the boot.img file. Transfer this boot.img file to the root of your SD card on the tablet.
  3. Download the Terminal Emulator app from the Android Market on your phone or from → here.
  4. Run Terminal Emulator.
  5. Type “su” (without the quotes) then press Enter. Press the “Allow” button to allow root access to Terminal Emulator.
  6. Then type in the following command and press Enter, which will backup your current kernel. 
    dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=/sdcard/stock_boot.img bs=4096 skip=3968 count=2048
  7. Now we need to flash the overclocked kernel. Enter the following commands, pressing Enter after each: 
    dd if=/sdcard/boot.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0 seek=3968 bs=4096 count=2048
reboot
  8. After the tablet reboost, run Terminal Emulator again, perform step 5 again to gain root access, then enter the following commands (pressing Enter after each): 
    cp /system/etc/cpu3.sh /system/etc/orig_cpu3.sh
rm /system/etc/cpu3.sh
cp /system/etc/cpu5.sh /system/etc/cpu3.sh
  9. That’s it, your Prime is now overclocked.

Restoring Original Kernel to Remove Overclocking

  1. Open Terminal Emulator, grant it root access by typing in “su” and pressing Enter.
  2. Then enter the following commands to reflash the stock kernel: 
    dd if=/sdcard/stock_boot.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0 seek=3968 bs=4096 count=2048
reboot
  3. After the tablet reboots, you’ll be back to the stock kernel with default frequencies.

Following the above procedures, you can overclock your Asus Transformer Prime to get that extra bit of performance, and also remove the overclocking. Do let us know in the comments how it went for you and whether you notice any improvements after overclocking your Transformer Prime.