Percentage of Overclocked PCs

Higher or Lower than 0.46%

  • Higher

  • Lower


Results are only viewable after voting.

borisvodofsky

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2010
3,606
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Steam (game client) statistics say 0.46% of CPUs are 3.7ghz and above.

Do you think the number is HIGHER than this or LOWER?

What would you think the percentage of overclocked computers are?

I'm only talking about USA. btw.


And i think it's Lower, i voted higher by mistake, wh00ps, in my own thread. LOL
 
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fastamdman

Golden Member
Nov 18, 2011
1,335
70
91
Just because a cpu is under 3.7ghz though doesn't mean it's not overclocked. I think more than 0.46% of cpu's are overclocked yes, but I doubt more than that are over that clock speed. Steam has no reason to lie about there stats.
 

ninaholic37

Golden Member
Apr 13, 2012
1,883
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I'd say lower. Steam users are gamers in general (right?), who probably overclock more because they need/want the extra power for their high-end games on high settings their home machines to compete with others / show off / get the best entertainment value. I can't see regular business users/web surfers (non steam users) overclocking as much... someone can feel free to correct me if they do regularly overclock in their line of business though.
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,408
39
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This would be a question of if the proportion of OC'ed CPUs that's under 3.7GHz from Steam's stats is greater or less than the proportion of CPUs over 3.7GHz that goes on steam vs all PCs.

It seems a lot more likely that the latter would be much greater, and hence I say LOWER.
 

pantsaregood

Senior member
Feb 13, 2011
993
37
91
Using the knowledge that the Phenom II X4 has the highest clock speed (3.7 GHz) at stock settings, then only statement you can conclusively make is that at least 0.46% of Steam users have overclocked CPUs.

It is safe to assume that the percentage of overclocked PCs is lower for the entire population, and it is also safe to assume that of Steam users, more than 0.46% have overclocked CPUs.
 

borisvodofsky

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2010
3,606
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Using the knowledge that the Phenom II X4 has the highest clock speed (3.7 GHz) at stock settings, then only statement you can conclusively make is that at least 0.46% of Steam users have overclocked CPUs.

It is safe to assume that the percentage of overclocked PCs is lower for the entire population, and it is also safe to assume that of Steam users, more than 0.46% have overclocked CPUs.

Since there are at least 25 million accounts. @ 0.46%, that's 115,000 computers.

But this is spread out across many countries. Damn you steam, give better statistics, I want to know.... :D

Probably they keep these things as Industry secrets though.
 
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T_Yamamoto

Lifer
Jul 6, 2011
15,007
795
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I think its higher but not by that much considering people may just do mild over clocks and others may have a slow CPU but did a 100% over clock but still doesn't read the 3.7 GHz mark
 

Lpjz50

Junior Member
Jul 5, 2012
1
0
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That number is way lower. All my friends are 4.5+. The know how of over locking has been so dumbed down that people are more prone to do it regardless of gaming or not.
 

Zardnok

Senior member
Sep 21, 2004
670
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I'm not so sure it would..

Just because you like cakes, doesn't mean everyone else does.

Many people are actually reluctant to try cake. :D
Look at Overclocking as the icing on the cake and the computer itself as the cake. Everyone going to Steam already has a computer, so they have their cake. The question is do they want it with icing or without. I have overclocked every computer I built for myself over the past twenty years. If I am spending the money, I want the icing and the extra performance that comes with it!!
 

Smoblikat

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2011
5,184
107
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I think its higher but not by that much considering people may just do mild over clocks and others may have a slow CPU but did a 100% over clock but still doesn't read the 3.7 GHz mark

I overclocked to exactly 3.7ghz.
 

Smoblikat

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2011
5,184
107
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Im overclocked to 3.7ghz.

Look at Overclocking as the icing on the cake and the computer itself as the cake. Everyone going to Steam already has a computer, so they have their cake. The question is do they want it with icing or without. I have overclocked every computer I built for myself over the past twenty years. If I am spending the money, I want the icing and the extra performance that comes with it!!

With all due respect, sir, you are a liar and a coward. THE CAKE IS A LIE!
 

T_Yamamoto

Lifer
Jul 6, 2011
15,007
795
126
Look at Overclocking as the icing on the cake and the computer itself as the cake. Everyone going to Steam already has a computer, so they have their cake. The question is do they want it with icing or without. I have overclocked every computer I built for myself over the past twenty years. If I am spending the money, I want the icing and the extra performance that comes with it!!

Cake is a lie
 

hoorah

Senior member
Dec 8, 2005
755
18
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... someone can feel free to correct me if they do regularly overclock in their line of business though.

I can't speak for every industry, but in my line of work, it just is not done, period. For reference, before we can even use a computer system to solve a simulation (I do finite element), we have to run a test model and get the correct answer out to 16 decimal places. There are tiny differences in some hardware/software combinations between AMD and intel systems that can generate different results. The differences are absolutely miniscule, but in this industry (aerospace) thats the way its done. Nuclear is similar I believe.

Anyway, with standards like that, we don't even think about overclocking. We either make do with what we have, or we pound on some accounting people to buy us faster chips.

Stability issues aside, I don't see any benefit from overclocking. The longer the model takes to solve, the longer I get to cruise the internet waiting for my results :)
 

pantsaregood

Senior member
Feb 13, 2011
993
37
91
To those who think the actual number of overclocked x86-based PCs in the market is greater than 0.46%:

No. It can't be conclusively quantified from the data provided, but it is certainly NOT reasonable to assume the actual number is above 0.46%.

Large numbers of x86-based computers are found in corporate and academic settings. These units are never overclocked.

At least 44.7% of worldwide x86-based PC sales from 2006-2011 were from major OEMs that certainly do not support overclocking. Assuming that all other PCs are not OEM (the list of "major" OEMs used for the period only included the top 5 per year), that leaves no more than 55.3% of the market at potential for overclocking. Assuming all of those units are capable of overclocking (given that a significant majority are likely OEMs, they aren't), then one may say that at least 0.83% of presumably overclockable PCs are overclocked.

This, of course, still tells you nothing more than "at least 0.46% of Steam users overclocked their PCs."
 

exar333

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2004
8,518
8
91
I answered 'higher' but that was only applicable to the population on steam. In general, for all computers, the number is certainly lower than ~.5% for those overclocking.
 

fastamdman

Golden Member
Nov 18, 2011
1,335
70
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Here is the thing though. I don't think steam takes into account the ACTUAL speed of the cpu and instead takes into account the advertised speed.

For example my 2600k is 3.4ghz and thats what windows says and what steam shows, however the actual clock is 4.5ghz. So I would be "under 3.7ghz" in steams eyes, but in reality I am well above it.
 

borisvodofsky

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2010
3,606
0
0
Here is the thing though. I don't think steam takes into account the ACTUAL speed of the cpu and instead takes into account the advertised speed.

For example my 2600k is 3.4ghz and thats what windows says and what steam shows, however the actual clock is 4.5ghz. So I would be "under 3.7ghz" in steams eyes, but in reality I am well above it.

Oh hmmm.. revelation.... here!

Steam doesn't even know if your cpu is overclocked?

I guess we aught to throw the whole number out. :D
 

birthdaymonkey

Golden Member
Oct 4, 2010
1,176
3
81
Here is the thing though. I don't think steam takes into account the ACTUAL speed of the cpu and instead takes into account the advertised speed.

For example my 2600k is 3.4ghz and thats what windows says and what steam shows, however the actual clock is 4.5ghz. So I would be "under 3.7ghz" in steams eyes, but in reality I am well above it.

This is what I was going to say. Many applications will just accept the clockspeed value that Windows reports, which is usually just the official number associated with your processor model.