Overclocking really necessary for Gaming?

Zerychon · Feb 11, 2015

Hey Tom's,
I am in the market for a homebuilt PC right now for mainly gaming, sound editing, (with FL studio and possibly Ableton in future) and daily tasks. I narrowed down to these two builds:
1:CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($258.32 @ TigerDirect Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.95 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290X 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX)
Case: BitFenix Neos Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Memory Express)

2:CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($218.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290X 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($339.99 @ NCIX)
Case: BitFenix Neos Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Memory Express)

Build #2 will save me about 100$, but from what I have heard it is not exactly good for overclocking, while build 1 can get me above 4 GHz overclock with the cooler.

I am quite new to overclocking (and PC building) and I was wondering if you guys think OC'ing is really necessary for gaming, especially to over 4 GHz.

Thanks!
Zerychon

rockie_ · Feb 11, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($243.32 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.19 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($379.00 @ Canada Computers)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BW ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($72.98 @ NCIX)
Total: $972.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-11 01:32 EST-0500

CAaronD · Feb 11, 2015

My CPU never gets bottlenecked. And it's not overclocked. Never goes above 50% usage, even when playing Crysis on max. Overclocking is not necessary, it's optional I would say.

CAaronD · Feb 11, 2015

rockie_ :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.93 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ B&H)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BW ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $792.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-11 01:19 EST-0500

I think he lives in Canada

volcanoscout · Feb 11, 2015

You won't be able to overclock with option#2, as neither the CPU nor the mobo support it. Overclocking is never "necessary" - it's just a way of eeking more performance out of a chip than it's rated standard. It can improve performance depending on the game and it's a nice option when game requirements start to exceed your CPU capacity - it can allow you to play new games that you might not be able to at stock settings, thereby delaying the point where you need to upgrade. Many people overclock just because they can, not because they need it. I have a 4790K and absolutely no need to overclock...and do it anyway because it's fun and challenging to see exactly how far you can push them.

Zerychon · Feb 11, 2015

CAaronD :

But do you think the 4460 could do that?

Zerychon · Feb 11, 2015

CAaronD :

rockie_ :

I think he lives in Canada :

I do live in canada. Build #2 is cheaper here.

rockie_ · Feb 11, 2015

i5 4590 and up
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intel-haswell-refresh_4.html

Zerychon · Feb 11, 2015

Well, anyway, to save money, you think I should go with build 2? I hope it will be adequate. I will most likely be using a 1440p monitor (the r290x is too overkill for 1080p).

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