Overclocking GPU, worth it?

quina123

Member
Sep 30, 2015
139
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Hi!

I was thinking of overclocking my gpu ( hoping to be faster) but I don't know how to use it. my card is AMD Radeon HD 5450.
Is it safe to overclock if I don't know what I'm doing?
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,204
126
No and No.

No point in overclocking a 5450. It's too slow to bother.

No, you shouldn't OC anything if you don't know what you're doing. That's a fast and easy way to burn out hardware.
 

FX2000

Member
Jul 23, 2014
67
0
0
No and No.

No point in overclocking a 5450. It's too slow to bother.

No, you shouldn't OC anything if you don't know what you're doing. That's a fast and easy way to burn out hardware.

Worst thing that can happen with overclocking.
1: It shuts off.
2: It throttles, giving you worse peformance.
-
Overvolting. That's another story.
 

NTMBK

Lifer
Nov 14, 2011
10,403
5,645
136
The HD5450 has a tiny passive heatsink on it- if you start overclocking it, it's going to overheat.

It's also a slower GPU than the one that comes built into a modern CPU. What CPU are you using? You might be better off removing the 5450.
 

quina123

Member
Sep 30, 2015
139
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so, my clueless ass should turn off overclocking before I start a fire, huh?

The video card before 5450 was a nvidia, something. I think it was older than the 5450 because it only had a vga port and that's it. and I got the 5450, because two reason: (1. it said HD) 2. Don't know a think about gpus. just was told the guy at microcenter it would work. and it had an hdmi port.

don't know what cpu i is using. didn't know it had a name.
 

NTMBK

Lifer
Nov 14, 2011
10,403
5,645
136
so, my clueless ass should turn off overclocking before I start a fire, huh?

The video card before 5450 was a nvidia, something. I think it was older than the 5450 because it only had a vga port and that's it. and I got the 5450, because two reason: (1. it said HD) 2. Don't know a think about gpus. just was told the guy at microcenter it would work. and it had an hdmi port.

don't know what cpu i is using. didn't know it had a name.

Overclocking can definitely be worth it, didn't mean to be patronising, sorry!

Sounds like Microcenter sold you a turkey though. If you're still in the refund period, I'd take it back and get your money back. The 5450 is absolutely ancient. It was slow when it came out 5 years ago, and it's incredibly slow now. Keep saving up until you can buy something like this: http://www.microcenter.com/product/434683/GeForce_GT_730_1GB_GDDR5_PCIe_Low-Profile_Video_Card I know it's twice the price, but it is literally about 5 times faster than that 5450.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,204
126
so, my clueless ass should turn off overclocking before I start a fire, huh?

It probably won't start a fire, but:
1) Most 5450 cards are passively cooled. Most passively cooled cards are engineered to cool the card at stock speeds, and can overheat when stressed or overclocked. It's not like you can just crank the fan to 100%, because there is no fan.

2) 5450 cards are the bottom-of-the-barrel, when it comes to performance. They are pretty-much the slowest card on the market that is still being made (?). So even if you manage a 5-10% core clock increase, they will still be dog slow.

Sorry.
 

quina123

Member
Sep 30, 2015
139
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0
that rat-ass. seller. properly knew I did't know a think about gpus and just wanted me to get out the door!
Yeah, I see now I need a better one. Though I was just going to get a whole new pc equipped with a better gpu because this current pc (Dell Insprion 531) is a drag. it really takes a stress on me. (being so slow). Not for me. I crave one those super pcs. One that's insanely fast and do anything.