Intel i7 920 overclocking? Safe??

Faradayxy

Reputable
Nov 28, 2014
24
0
4,520
Hi, new to pc world (well not really but not a pro)
Spec:
PSU: Antec HCG 850m 850W
GPU: powercolor HD 7970 3gb
Ram: 12gb 1333
HDD: 750gb
Motherboard: Asus p6t Deluxe
Case: Azza s 1000 (5 fans cools really really well)
Cpu: i7 920 with fan and heatsink (original)
my question is:
Should I overclock? I have overclocked my gpu before not this one though. But since I have a pretty decent gpu would it be a waste if I don't OC my CPU? or no big difference?
Thanks!
 
Solution
I must sound like a broken record to people here but this is how I answer questions... I'll start off by briefly describing each of the processors to spur discussion...

The Intel® Core™ i7-920 Processor has a base frequency of 2.66 GHz and a turbo boost frequency of 2.93 GHz. It is a quad-core processor with an 8MB cache and is hyperthreaded to 8 logical cores.

The Intel® Core™ i7-3770K Processor has a base frequency of 3.5 GHz and a turbo boost frequency of 3.9 GHz. It is a quad-core processor with an 8MB cache and is hyperthreaded to 8 logical cores. If you care, this processor is unlocked (you can easily modify the clock multiplier for better performance, assuming your cooling can handle that).

I'm assuming you meant, when you...

LogicalCaveman

Reputable
Nov 7, 2014
35
0
4,540
You definitely want to overclock your CPU or it will become your bottleneck (limiter of performance) in any game you play, seeing as the Intel® Core™ i7-920 has a max frequency of 2.93 GHz. You will get a significant performance increase from overclocking the CPU in this system in most games. However, if you try to use the original heatsink and overclock you will run into overheating problems. See what you can do about getting a good aftermarket heatsink or a liquid cooling system.
 

Faradayxy

Reputable
Nov 28, 2014
24
0
4,520
What would be an ideal price for a decent fan? I should probably get liquid cooling, but not sure if I can just buy one that fits it? Like are there like different fans for the cpu's or one will fit all? Thanks
 

LogicalCaveman

Reputable
Nov 7, 2014
35
0
4,540
I'll let someone with more expertise in desktop cooling systems help you there, seeing as I only game on my gaming laptop. However, I wouldn't expect to pay more than $50 for an aftermarket heatsink or maybe around $75 for a liquid cooling system, which are smaller than you probably think they are.
 

manez

Honorable
Feb 12, 2014
352
0
10,960
Unless you plan to invest some serious buck, air cooling is better.

The cooler master hyper 212 evo is keeping my 920 at 4ghz at very low temps, so i guess i can recommend that one, it's only about 30 bucks.

The Noctua nh d15 beats most liquid coolers in both temp and noice, but it's a little expensive, though not as much as a liquid cooler. It's also huge.

 

Faradayxy

Reputable
Nov 28, 2014
24
0
4,520
Hey would you recommend to upgrade my cpu to i7 3770k for extra 150? or i5 2700k for 100 extra or amd fx 8350 for no extra money? I want to sell the machine, which one would sell faster? I don't care about the money.
 

LogicalCaveman

Reputable
Nov 7, 2014
35
0
4,540
I must sound like a broken record to people here but this is how I answer questions... I'll start off by briefly describing each of the processors to spur discussion...

The Intel® Core™ i7-920 Processor has a base frequency of 2.66 GHz and a turbo boost frequency of 2.93 GHz. It is a quad-core processor with an 8MB cache and is hyperthreaded to 8 logical cores.

The Intel® Core™ i7-3770K Processor has a base frequency of 3.5 GHz and a turbo boost frequency of 3.9 GHz. It is a quad-core processor with an 8MB cache and is hyperthreaded to 8 logical cores. If you care, this processor is unlocked (you can easily modify the clock multiplier for better performance, assuming your cooling can handle that).

I'm assuming you meant, when you said "i5 2700k", the Intel® Core™ i7-2700K. The only important differences between this processor and the Intel® Core™ i7-3770K Processor is the fact that this processor is slightly slower in both single- and multi-threaded tasks and uses a little more power.

Okay, now we've hit troubling waters. I'm going to briefly describe the AMD Processor you listed but keep in mind this fact most people don't understand: clock speeds in Intel Processors and AMD Processors CANNOT be directly compared. For example, if we had two processors of the exact same specs and a 3 GHz clock speed but one was from Intel and one was from AMD, the Intel Processor would significantly outperform the AMD Processor. The pro that usually comes with many AMD Processors to compensate for this speed disadvantage is more cores.

The AMD FX-8350 Processor has a base frequency of 4.0 GHz and a turbo boost frequency of 4.2 Ghz. It is an octa-core processor with an 8MB L3 cache and a 4x2MB L2 cache and is not hyperthreaded so it has 8 logical cores.

Now let's analyze all this information to answer the question...

These are all great CPUs, however a "best" CPU for this system can only be chosen when it is known what it is going to be used for. For example, if the system is going to be used to do general tasks, such as school related tasks, with some moderate to heavy gaming, the best option would be to pay $100 to upgrade to the Intel® Core™ i7-2700K. The extra $50 to upgrade to the Intel® Core™ i7-3770K is not worth is, seeing as the Intel® Core™ i7-3770K only sees an average of a 3% performance increase over the Intel® Core™ i7-2700K.

If the system was to be used mainly for hardcore gaming, the best choice would be the switch to the AMD FX-8350 Processor. If you are playing hardcore games such as Battlefield 4 (games of this kind are able to utilize 8 cores) on higher settings, the 8 cores in the AMD FX-8350 Processor will increase performance over the 4 cores in the Intel Processors we had to choose from.

Final verdict...

Seeing as the AMD FX-8350 is at no extra charge to you, that is the processor I personally would go with because I game a lot.
 
Solution

Faradayxy

Reputable
Nov 28, 2014
24
0
4,520
All answers were good, specially logicalcaveman's :D I didn't know which one to pick till noticed you answered the best 2 answers. I'm going to get the fx 8350, and probably overclock it if the customer asks! :) Thanks!