When is it time to overclock

[Sidekicknichola]

I built a new PC not to long ago and it is still able to do any/everything I want it to now without overlclocking anything... my question is when do most of you guys draw the line and start pushing the gear above and beyond?

I imagne overclocking stresses all the components much more than if left at stock (given I keep standard cooling) so do most of you guys wait to do it until you need to or do you just do it from day one?

Thanks!



Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Day two. I don't use stock cooling on cpu's ever though. Day one I run stock and if all is stable day two its overclocked.

 

[Soundmanred]

Day two. I don't use stock cooling on cpu's ever though. Day one I run stock and if all is stable day two its overclocked.

x2

 

[Sidekicknichola]

Then maybe it is time... anyone know of any studies done on life of CPU "A" at stock vs. CPU "B" overclocked and how they compare?

I'm happy with my performance now - the PC was built as HTPC first and foremost with the option to play some games... BF3 on ultra at 75+ FPS is happening now, so I am happy with that... but if it won't hurt anything might as well bump it all up.

 

[Keeper]

As I age...... less and less.
When I was younger. MAN day 2 like above.

Now, as I am more captivated by story line..... Not so much.

YES. I saw my son playing Skyrim on his rig. WOW. Drop deap AWESOME graphics.
But I am running XP and I hear that 9.0c (Or whatever) in Direct X cant compare to 10 or higher.
So I sit here with a $150 dollar gift card and debate for the LONGEST time
Should I upgrade to 7????

Sigh..... TOO many console games grab my OCD attention of late.

 

[thespyder]

As I age...... less and less.
When I was younger. MAN day 2 like above.

Now, as I am more captivated by story line..... Not so much.

YES. I saw my son playing Skyrim on his rig. WOW. Drop deap AWESOME graphics.
But I am running XP and I hear that 9.0c (Or whatever) in Direct X cant compare to 10 or higher.
So I sit here with a $150 dollar gift card and debate for the LONGEST time
Should I upgrade to 7????

Sigh..... TOO many console games grab my OCD attention of late.

it took me a long time to adopt to Win7. I have Vista at work and HATE it. But Win7 seems to have worked out almost all of the kinks, and I now recommend it. And not only do you get the boost to DX11, but you can break the 4Gig memory cap. And there are some other nice features.

As for the thread, I had always been given to understand that the only reason to OC was because you could. it was never about "Need" for the extra CPU, but simply "The Need for speed".

 

[gorcorps]

Not until I need to. What's the point? Driving your components closer to their instability limit when you weren't experiencing slowdowns is stupid. Not worth the heat, the potential failure, or the hassle of testing where the limit is. And now that I actually have money to keep up with it, I'm much more likely to upgrade than I am to try and squeeze out just a wee bit more power out of my box.

 

[stag3]

day 1, i buy my parts to overclock.

i'm sure overclocking shortens the lifespan of parts but by the time it fails, it will be X generations behind the curve anyways so you're not harming anything and getting free performance.

 

[skipsneeky2]

I used to overclock everything anytime i could but the only thing now in my system i can't overclock is the most overclockable part anyone knows of,the 2500k.

Got this damn chip sitting in a h67,only cause it replaced a i3 chip and i have been meaning to buy a quality motherboard like a z68 and match it with some 1600 memory...but my head is now up my ass if i will notice any performance increase in BF3 when overclocked,or if i should drop a i7 3770 in here for a hassle free performance boost.

 

[Red Storm]

When is the best time? When you start needing it. I run stock, and everything performs just fine.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I used to be opposed to overclocking, then I was somewhat cavalier about it, and now I do it to a small degree; it's free performance, and if I've taken the life of my chip from 10 years down to 9 years, when I generally build a new computer every 3, then it really doesn't matter much, does it? I have a modest OC on my 2500K right now (4.3 GHz), it never gets above 55C at full load thanks to a good HSF and good airflow in my case, and it only took a minor voltage bump. Win-win.

 

[BD231]

Day 1, mainly because whatever I buy is typically between $100 to $150 bucks so I could care less. CPU's with their low power states mean the OC is only in effect on high load situations, longevity is not really an issue as long as your volts are within reason.

My 480 is oc'd but under-volted so I've likely extended the lifespan of the card, not taken away from it. I buy chips to run them at their maximum safe potential though, however if I build something for someone and they're using a cheap motherboard I won't OC it. Definitely not a good idea to OC CPU's on low end boards.

 

[shortylickens]

When yur too poor or just dont feel like spending the money.
I got a 2.9 i3 and have been emulating PS2. I need faster individual cores, not multi-core. I can either buy a new setup, or overclock.
Since I was too cheap to buy another used PS2, I wont be buying new computer parts.
OC for me.

 

[Soccerman06]

Whats the point of having your cpu/gpu last 114 years (1000000hrs of 365 days a year 24hr usage), so putting a little more voltage to make it only last 10 years is well within reason if you ask me.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Day 0