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Is it worth overclocking over 4ghz?

P

pcslookout

Lifer
I have a i5 2500k at 4 Ghz.

Is it worth going any higher as a gamer ?

Current system specs are:

i5 2500k
8 GB of ddr3 ram
1680x1050 resolution
GTX 770 4 GB
 
yes. next question.

(obviously I mean in games where you're CPU limited. 😉 )
 
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1) benchmark game at current cpu speed

2) benchmark game at moar overclocked cpu speed

If you get a better frame rate you were cpu limited.


If you're happy with the frame rate in all your games at the moment then don't bother.

edit:

And at that resolution with a 770 it's unlikely you'll be gpu limited so you probably will eke out a better frame rate.
 
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For the most part, no it really isn't. There are a few games that may benefit a little but by in large, no appreciable benefit.
 
2is said:
I game plenty. I also have the distinct advantage of knowing what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...

I used to think it was all about the GPU out of tech-ignorance. Then I discovered Process Explorer, and found that 90% of my games were CPU limited. And it just so happens I have an i5-2500, and most modern games I own get framedrops cause the CPU can't keep up, and I found that the CPU usage also scaled with graphics settings, i.e. higher settings demanded higher CPU usage. I'd give anything to go back in time and buy the overclockable 'k' version instead.
It's really about how powerful the GPU is relatively, with a GTX 770 he's most often going to be CPU limited unless he overclocks.
 
I do overclock the question when does overclocking not make such a huge diffence where it is not worth it ?

Do you wish you could go back in time and get a i7 instead too ?
 
pong lenis said:
I used to think it was all about the GPU out of tech-ignorance. Then I discovered Process Explorer, and found that 90% of my games were CPU limited. And it just so happens I have an i5-2500, and most modern games I own get framedrops cause the CPU can't keep up, and I found that the CPU usage also scaled with graphics settings, i.e. higher settings demanded higher CPU usage. I'd give anything to go back in time and buy the overclockable 'k' version instead.
It's really about how powerful the GPU is relatively, with a GTX 770 he's most often going to be CPU limited unless he overclocks.
Click to expand...

This isn't about "where is my bottleneck" this is about if there's much point in overclocking past 4ghz for gaming. And for MOST games, there isn't. I've setup a test bed just for testing these scenarios and I know this for a fact. Sure you can see higher fps numbers when you log it through Fraps, but an appreciable difference in gameplay there was not. There are some exceptions, but they are not common.
 
Here are some of my games that get framedrops below 60fps for being limited by an i5-2500 @3.4Ghz:
Alan Wake (2012)
Arma 2 (2009)
Black Mesa (2012)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (2009)
Rome: Total War (2004)
Skyrim (2011)
Starcraft 2 (2010)

These make up half the games I own, so they're certainly not uncommon. I'd like to know which games you tested.
 
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pcslookout said:
I do overclock the question when does overclocking not make such a huge diffence where it is not worth it ?

Do you wish you could go back in time and get a i7 instead too ?
Click to expand...
Depends on the game you want.
I don't know much about i7s today, but when I bought my CPU the i7 was just an i5 with hyperthreading.
 
pong lenis said:
Here are some of my games that get framedrops below 60fps for being limited by an i5-2500 @3.4Ghz:
Alan Wake (2012)
Arma 2 (2009)
Black Mesa (2012)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (2009)
Rome: Total War (2004)
Skyrim (2011)
Starcraft 2 (2010)

These make up half the games I own, so they're certainly not uncommon. I'd like to know which games you tested.
Click to expand...

Thanks good list!
 
pcslookout said:
I do overclock the question when does overclocking not make such a huge diffence where it is not worth it ?

Do you wish you could go back in time and get a i7 instead too ?
Click to expand...

This is different for EVERYONE. For example, I'm GPU limited in Tomb Raider with my HD 7950 because I haven't OCed it at all. I could OC it and run Ultimate, but I just DONT care. TressFX is not a huge difference to me so it's not worth it.

In fact, no OCing to me is generally worth it because I'll just turn down the settings.

However, I started fiddling with Handbrake today as I have a Ceton InfiniTV4 tuner. I'm done worrying about torrenting and newsgrouping shiit and just will do my own encodes. Since I am a TV WHORE, I record a LOT of TV. So now CPU OCing matters greatly because I want all my encodes done when I wake up so I can get rid of my large .WTV files and have room for my new recordings (My 26 shows I recorded for my cousin is aroudn 100 GB .wtv files but 8 GB total once compressed).

So it's worth it for me to go out and purchase a cooler for my 4770k (I'm using stock, I know, I really do waste money sometimes), when instead I had it running stock clocks and just didn't care.

In all reality, though I probably won't OC just because I'm extremely lazy.
 
The i7 is a little more than that. More cache and 100mhz faster at stock speeds.

As far as the games I tested, none of those, although I do have about 100 on steam alone. BF3 would be the only one with anything even resembling an appreciable difference, and even then, unlikely the majority of people would have been able to spot the performance difference without Fraps helping them.
 
pcslookout said:
I have a i5 2500k at 4 Ghz.

Is it worth going any higher as a gamer ?

Current system specs are:

i5 2500k
8 GB of ddr3 ram
1680x1050 resolution
GTX 770 4 GB
Click to expand...

What cooling do you have? Do you have a ssd for your OS?
When I had a 2500k I found my "sweet spot" to be 4.4 to 4.5 Ghz. It gave the best balance of benchmarks , feel and "pop".

BTW what mb?
 
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