Does O/C-ing.....

[xSkyDrAx]

does it shorten the lifespan of your cpu and video card? and if so, usually by how much?

 

[stardust]

It does shorten life theoretically, but i never used a cpu or video card long enough to witness its demise. If you replace your equipment in regular 1-2 year intervals and don't overclock over 10-15% of default speed or voltage (less %) then it should last you until your next upgrade.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: xSkyDrAx
does it shorten the lifespan of your cpu and video card? and if so, usually by how much?

CPU's usually last 10-20 + years. I have no idea about current GPU's/video cards, but I'd guess at least 10 years. Under most normal overclocking situations the component should still last double digit years. The only worry is when you push the part way beyond it's spec'ed voltages, ie running a P4 at over 1.7V, an AMD Athlon Tbred over ~1.75V, DDR memory at over 2.9V, etc. You can still get huge overclocks out of most parts, just keep the voltage within ~15% of the stock voltage as a general rule of thumb.

The other factor in decreasing electronics' life is heat - keep your parts cool. This means keeping the CPU under, say 55C (pulling a number out of my arse on this one, but you get the picture - dont let it get too hot).

 

[DivideBYZero]

Not enough that you will ever notice.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Not enough that you will ever notice.

Unless you run your PC 24/7 for 10 years. What was the hot chip 10 years ago? 386?

 

[topcat903]

my oc'ed celery 300 is still kick strong after many many years.

 

[Echo3]

I am not sure about shortening life span - although most people think of the law of thermal dynamics when relating to cpu's and memory and excessive heat over specific amount of time (actually just about anything)- Silicon is a pretty stable element -
It would have to take gross negligence to burn out something - As long as thermal paste is reapplied 3-4 times a year max and the cooler is secured tight and your fan is producing good CFM (dust is usually the culprit for low rpm's), anyone should be golden for a long time - However, like most people have said don't go to far on the voltage as the FSB goes up - like anything - to much of anything can be bad (even money) - see what other people are maxing your cpu at - and go from there and learn baby learn...

whew-
dan

 

[fredtam]

The voltage is the bad guy. Don't raise it to far. As for heat the components are designed to last a long time at temperatures much higher than you will probably reach OCing your system.

 

[0roo0roo]

company spec 15yrs at spec.

even if its quartered, who gives a f*ck, it will be worth a happy meal when it dies.

i've been oc'ing for quite a while now sometimes with really lousy cooling, never had a cpu blow.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
company spec 15yrs at spec.

even if its quartered, who gives a f*ck, it will be worth a happy meal when it dies.

i've been oc'ing for quite a while now sometimes with really lousy cooling, never had a cpu blow.

I've had a few CPU's that blew. The Celeron 400 kinda blew. That Williamette 1.5 blew. That P3 667 was good for it's time, but it blows now.

As a matter of fact, many of my older CPU's blow now.

(do realize the sarcasm in my post. I didn't even own a Williamette chip btw.)

 

[aka1nas]

I blew my k6-2 350@380Mhz. Ran for maybe a year and a half until it fried itself one hot summer day. Found a little tiny scorch mark on the bottomof the cpu.