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System overclock less stable with time?

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OneOfTheseDays

Diamond Member
I've been running an OC'd Core 2 Duo (1.8Ghz - 3Ghz) for about 2 years now without problem. Just recently I've begun to see system hangups, crashes, and general instability. I found that when I set the system back to its default clockspeeds everything is stable.

I haven't yet identified which component is failing me, but it got me thinking just how stable overclocks are with time. Is this normal, 2 years and then things progressively get worse? I always assumed it would be 5-10 years before I would notice anything significant or meaningful.
 
Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
Depends on a lot of things. Temps, voltages, and the motherboard capacitors all play a role.
Click to expand...

Also the PSU can also be affected, especially if your on the limits of the PSU. What are the specs. of the system??
 
Is the heatsink perhaps clogged and in need of a thorough cleaning?

Plus, it could be something unrelated to the OC, such a system patch that is bad but is exacerbated by the potential instability of the OCed hardware.
 
Here's some food for thought:

Have you had any sort of power fluctuations in your town/city/neighbor recently? I ask because quite recently when I moved back into the dorms, that my computer (at stock settings) was having stability issues. A friend of mine, who's an overclocker, also experienced instability with his system and whatnot. It wasn't until he connected an APC UPS to his computer and he noticed the battery was kicking in quite frequently. Turns out the building (that I've been living in for the last 2 years) likes to fluctuate between 113v to 91v. Long story short, the power source (i.e. the building's electrical system) was to blame. If you have an UPS or something of the sorts, I would use that for a while and see if you continue to have any problems.
 
Originally posted by: somethingsketchy
Here's some food for thought:

Have you had any sort of power fluctuations in your town/city/neighbor recently? I ask because quite recently when I moved back into the dorms, that my computer (at stock settings) was having stability issues. A friend of mine, who's an overclocker, also experienced instability with his system and whatnot. It wasn't until he connected an APC UPS to his computer and he noticed the battery was kicking in quite frequently. Turns out the building (that I've been living in for the last 2 years) likes to fluctuate between 113v to 91v. Long story short, the power source (i.e. the building's electrical system) was to blame. If you have an UPS or something of the sorts, I would use that for a while and see if you continue to have any problems.
Click to expand...

91?!? Yikes. It'll get expensive replacing those batteries as often as he may have to.
 
For a while I had my tower hooked up to a power conditioner, that was very nice for my OC, a steady 120V constantly delivered to my PSU... mmm.

The UPS is a good idea since those are usual easier to find/cheaper
 
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