Go to search at the top and search for thread titles "Why Overclock". This question has been asked year after year. Some of them are pretty funny looking back.
The threads you see regarding stability issues are the vocal minority who can't move on to doing more fun stuff with their time until they get the OC straightened out, so they have time to expend on the matter, hence the threads.
OC'ing is easy to do, which means it is easy to get yourself up a creek without a paddle.
OC'ing seems simple enough... but there is always more to it than meets the eye.
This and being systematic and methodical, eg. for the i7, figuring out the max stable mem, then fsb / uncore, core, etc.The most critical thing to a new OC'ers effort is to find someone who has your exact same mobo and then learn from them as no two mobo's bios options are labeled the same. Eliminate the communications barrier and walk in someone elses shoes down a path they already marked out with their own trial and error.
I don't know. It's pretty damn hard to kill a CPU nowadays. If it gets too hot or draws too much power it'll downclock or shut off. The only thing I could see killing a CPU is running some crazy voltage through it. But if you're well informed and only looking for a modest OC that shouldn't be a problem.If you need the extra Performance, it's great. However, there are risks involved. Personally I don't bother because my current system runs everything I want sufficiently at Stock speed and in the past Overclocks have wreaked havoc on various bits of Hardware I had.
Ah, no. My first overclock as a 4.77 8088 to 7.2 mhz, then a 6 mhz 80286 to 9.13 mhz, and then a AMD K6-2 166 to 200, etc..
I forget all the systems I have overclocked. And someone here probably has be beat with an even older system they overclocked.
Not as macho, but I remember overclocking my trusty old Adaptec 2940UW by replacing the clock crystalMy dad used to overclock the vacuum tubes on ENIAC when John mauchly wasn't looking...
I don't know. It's pretty damn hard to kill a CPU nowadays. If it gets too hot or draws too much power it'll downclock or shut off. The only thing I could see killing a CPU is running some crazy voltage through it. But if you're well informed and only looking for a modest OC that shouldn't be a problem.
Really I don't see how overclocking could wreak havoc on your hardware unless you were doing something you shouldn't have or running substandard or defective hardware.
'Fun' to me is a stable system that will last 5 years without the BSOD or system lockups...
Compared to my old desktop (a Pentium D Dell) my new system is a superhero...
Good question... for the same reason I bought a V-10 in my pickup. I don't drive around with my foot on the floor, but the power is there if I need it. I bought the 2500K for the versatility.
The thing is that a 2400 all the way up to the 2700K is the same piece of silicon (with different features enabled or disabled). Processors also have speed step, meaning they only run at full speed when needed. So when you over clock you basically just enable extra performance when needed. When you just browse the web you don't run with "the foot on the floor" stressing all the cores, but when you game or do some video editing then you get some extra performance free.
Voltage coupled with frequency is basically a sliding scale.
'Fun' to me is a stable system that will last 5 years without the BSOD or system lockups...
Compared to my old desktop (a Pentium D Dell) my new system is a superhero...
I mean, if I had a billion $, I wouldn't be wasting my time earning more (unless I had a goal to conquer space or something like that).
Running an E2200 (2.2ghz factory) @ 3.2ghz for 4.5 years solid with zero BSODs. I think I have the last of the functional ABIT IP35e's out there . That's fun. And I paid about $75 for the chip back in what seems like 1948. But...the damned thing is still pretty quick with a vertex 2 SSD, so I haven't upgraded yet. Next in line will likely be a 2600k/Asus combo. I used to upgrade every years, but haven't felt the itch.
Ah, no. My first overclock as a 4.77 8088 to 7.2 mhz, then a 6 mhz 80286 to 9.13 mhz, and then a AMD K6-2 166 to 200, etc..
I forget all the systems I have overclocked. And someone here probably has be beat with an even older system they overclocked.
TRS-80 Color Computer
POKE 65535,0
would overclock from 0.895 MHz to 1.79 MHz.