Overclocking

[PokerDegenerate]

OK so I am a beginner to computers and am trying to learn as much as possible about them.. So my newest question is about overclocking...From what I understand overclocking is getting your computer components to run faster then they are set for by the manufacturer. Does this increase total usage of your computer or is it more specific to certain areas such as gaming and or programs for like graphic design or editing movie clips and such? I mean i understand its making your computer faster but is it really noticeable in everyday operations or are the risks not worth the reward?

 

[tom-knox]

In most cases the difference is noticeable, i tweaked my dual 2.66ghz cpu up to 3ghz with the stock fan and then just increased the speed of the fan a little. I saw a nice increase in the speed of the PC and mainly it's the thought that i can push my programs that little bit further now.

I also OC'ed my GPU and say a better fps on my games.

I'd say when done right it'll certainly be beneficial and as far as doing it right goes, there's loads of help to get it done on here.

 

[Teny]

Overclocking are mainly for gamers and bragging rights, such as "i OCed my CPU to 4Ghz!" to someone that cant get past 3.5Ghz, and some just compare.

It speeds up your system, but you wont see much improvements for everyday use, while it helps quite a lot with gaming, though it depends on the game also since some are GPU intensive, while the other are CPU intensive.

The effects of OC takes a really long time before taking into effect, and most would have got a new computer/build by then. Unless you raised your Volts higher than recommended (CPU).
You cant really raise the volts on a graphics card, you can, but i dont know how, but if you OC the card too high, you will start seeing artifacts such as random spots appearing at places where there shouldnt be when playing a game.
Of course, the more you OC, the hotter the parts run, especially if you raise the volts.

Theres more knowledge behind it and stuff, but thats mostly what i learned about overclocking

I sometimes OC to see what my system can do, so when some games comes out, i could just OC instead of going out to buy new hardware.

 

[CrazyTiger]

OCing also saves you money. For example you can buy the lower end 2ghz model and overclock it to 3.0ghz and get the same performance as the higher end models.

 

[wol-va-rine]

OCing also saves you money. For example you can buy the lower end 2ghz model and overclock it to 3.0ghz and get the same performance as the higher end models.

indeed, here is an example, I got a core2duo E6600 (2.4ghz, 1066mhz FSB) a few years back for $100, the E8500 (3.16ghz, 1333mhz FSB) is currently $190, with my current ~30% overclock (my E6600 is running at 3.11ghz, with a 1380mhz FSB) I basically have a stock E8500 for half the price...

 

[CrazyTiger]

indeed, here is an example, I got a core2duo E6600 (2.4ghz, 1066mhz FSB) a few years back for $100, the E8500 (3.16ghz, 1333mhz FSB) is currently $190, with my current ~30% overclock (my E6600 is running at 3.11ghz, with a 1380mhz FSB) I basically have a stock E8500 for half the price...

The E8500 uses the wolfdale, the E6600 uses the conroe, you cant just compare there raw speeds anymore

A BMW going 60MPH is not slower than a Prius going 65mph

 

[JogaBonito1502]

Overclocking will simply increase the clock speed of you CPU/GPU. Most everyday programs don't need this to be so high. You will notice a cut in time while your desktop loads. If you game, you may notice a few increase if FPS. If you do a lot of multi-tasking, you may notice that now you can run more programs without lag.

 

[wol-va-rine]

The E8500 uses the wolfdale, the E6600 uses the conroe, you cant just compare there raw speeds anymore

A BMW going 60MPH is not slower than a Prius going 65mph

though the E8 series is definitely an improvement, this thread is mostly about overclocking which in most cases translates to "bang for the buck", I will quote a favorite Techspot review I read a while back when I thought about upgrading...

"If you already own an E6000 series processor, upgrading to the E8200, E8400, or even the E8500, is not going to provide you with noticeable performance gains, even more so if you have played the (fairly generous) overclocking card at 3.0GHz or beyond. Although the overclocking abilities of these new 45nm processors are superior to the older 65nm versions, remember that once you get past the 3.0GHz mark, there is little to be gained in gaming applications.

In the past we have found that a 3.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor is more than capable to keep up with not one, but two GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards. Therefore any performance gains obtained from higher clock rates will be more noticeable in business type applications as we saw in our CINEBENCH test, whereas even the most demanding games such as Crysis looked far less impressive, relatively speaking."

one of the biggest advantages to the E8 series (temps) is something my Xigmatek has well under control, that Prius is sailing along quite smoothly...

 

[worshipme]

In.

Highest so far at 4.1GHz 24/7 stable.

Can get some 4.3GHz pics up if you want.

 

[Jk]

Most people overclock to get the most out of their games, but I have seen minimal differences in games. About 1-3fps on an overclocked cpu, and about 5-8fps on an overclocked gpu. I see the most difference in encoding and compressing files (It can shave a some minutes off of these tasks).