What exactly is overclocking
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4Ryan6
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To my wife; overclocking is setting her clock 15 minutes ahead to get to work on time! :lol:
That's actually not a joke, she really does do that.
What is overclocking?
Overclocking is simply running your hardware faster than it was spec'd to run.
There are various ways to accomplish this.
Hardware altering, (Not recommended because it requires extreme skills and is done at the expense of your warranty!)
BIOS Auto Overclocking, (Usually used by those too lazy to learn how to actually overclock or a newbie to overclocking!)
Operating System Auto Overclocking, ( ^ Same reasons as above ^)
BIOS Manual Overclocking, (The Chosen route for those that study up on overclocking and know what they're doing!)
Overclocking reasons vary from, "Because I can", (Usually an idiot response from someone without the ability to put why they do it into words!
Jking) ~ "I'm enjoying getting more than I actually paid for", (The Traditional answer for overclocking!).
Overclocking does require you having overclockable hardware, and how far someone gets overclocking is actually dependent on your hardwares overclockable capability.
Overclocking increases load temperatures and has to be accounted for usually by replacing a stock cooler with some type after market cooling, either air or water cooling, to keep the added overclocking load temperatures under control for the longevity of your hardware.
Any Questions? Ryan
That's actually not a joke, she really does do that.
What is overclocking?
Overclocking is simply running your hardware faster than it was spec'd to run.
There are various ways to accomplish this.
Hardware altering, (Not recommended because it requires extreme skills and is done at the expense of your warranty!)
BIOS Auto Overclocking, (Usually used by those too lazy to learn how to actually overclock or a newbie to overclocking!)
Operating System Auto Overclocking, ( ^ Same reasons as above ^)
BIOS Manual Overclocking, (The Chosen route for those that study up on overclocking and know what they're doing!)
Overclocking reasons vary from, "Because I can", (Usually an idiot response from someone without the ability to put why they do it into words!
Jking) ~ "I'm enjoying getting more than I actually paid for", (The Traditional answer for overclocking!). Overclocking does require you having overclockable hardware, and how far someone gets overclocking is actually dependent on your hardwares overclockable capability.
Overclocking increases load temperatures and has to be accounted for usually by replacing a stock cooler with some type after market cooling, either air or water cooling, to keep the added overclocking load temperatures under control for the longevity of your hardware.
Any Questions? Ryan
manofchalk
Glorious
- May 11, 2012
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Processors work at various speeds (represented by its frequency, measured in Ghz). Overclocking is just making your CPU (or GPU or even RAM) run faster than than its supposed too for extra performance.
Advantages to overclocking.
- Essentially a free(ish) performance boost
Disadvantages to Overclocking
- Greater heat output so you need aftermarket cooling to deal with this.
- Greater power draw.
- If you are overclocking quite hard, can affect the lifespan of the CPU negatively.
- If you do something stupid like apply way too much voltage, can kill your chip.
EDIT: Heres some good overclocking tutorials. Though if your on Intel, you need a "K" edition processor and a P67, Z68 or Z77 motherboard. All AMD systems are good for overclocking.
Ivy Bridge CPU overclocking guide, same basic rules for other chips though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCIWTX-jy9A
GPU overclocking guide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA_l5-HDel4
Advantages to overclocking.
- Essentially a free(ish) performance boost
Disadvantages to Overclocking
- Greater heat output so you need aftermarket cooling to deal with this.
- Greater power draw.
- If you are overclocking quite hard, can affect the lifespan of the CPU negatively.
- If you do something stupid like apply way too much voltage, can kill your chip.
EDIT: Heres some good overclocking tutorials. Though if your on Intel, you need a "K" edition processor and a P67, Z68 or Z77 motherboard. All AMD systems are good for overclocking.
Ivy Bridge CPU overclocking guide, same basic rules for other chips though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCIWTX-jy9A
GPU overclocking guide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA_l5-HDel4
envy14tpe
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- Mar 3, 2012
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Don't be afraid of overclocking. It's relatively easy. I did this for the first time a couple months ago, and my system runs fast (i5-2500k @ 4.4GHz) and excellent stability. I found a couple guides out there and tried them out, and found one guide that worked best for my system. Like I said, I never did overclocking before but highly recommend it if you want to get the most out of your system.
I can't see any disadvantages other than financial cost. "K" series CPU (+$10) + Special CPU cooler ($30) + extra fans ($5) = ~$50 more than if I went with a i5-2500.
I can't see any disadvantages other than financial cost. "K" series CPU (+$10) + Special CPU cooler ($30) + extra fans ($5) = ~$50 more than if I went with a i5-2500.
- Nov 24, 2012
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Thanks for the encouragement envy14tpe.
But you seem to have the i5 2500K which is unlocked. To my understanding CPUs that are not unlocked cannot be overclocked. So I would just like to know if the intel i7 3770 is locked or unlocked.
BTW is HTML enabled on this forum
------------------------------------------------
-intel i7 3770 8 CPUs
-Nvida GT640
-8 GB DDR3 RAM
-1TB SSD
But you seem to have the i5 2500K which is unlocked. To my understanding CPUs that are not unlocked cannot be overclocked. So I would just like to know if the intel i7 3770 is locked or unlocked.
BTW is HTML enabled on this forum
------------------------------------------------
-intel i7 3770 8 CPUs
-Nvida GT640
-8 GB DDR3 RAM
-1TB SSD
manofchalk
Glorious
- May 11, 2012
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Nup, needs to have K on the end of the model number for it to be unlocked. You can still overclock using the FSB (old method, before unlocked multipliers), but its a lot more complicated than using a multiplier and the quality of your RAM is a big factor in how far you can go.
You can bold and italicize things if thats what you mean. Beyond simple stuff like that I dont think you can.
You can bold and italicize things if thats what you mean. Beyond simple stuff like that I dont think you can.
bigcyco1
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- Feb 11, 2012
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Overclocking is the act of changing the clock speeds or frequencies of a certain component in a computer. It is usually done in the BIOS for CPUs/Memory, or using a specialized tool in Windows for video cards (such as MSI After Burner). Overclocking a component increases its speed, but if it is not done correctly, can make the computer run unstable, or can even damage components. Temperatures are the main thing to look out for while overclocking. If you do not have adequate cooling, the components will at some point overheat, which can cause failure. You also have to keep the voltages in check. Overclocking a component too far with stock voltage can cause instabilities. If the BIOS lets you, voltages can be changed for the CPU and other hardware. Increasing the voltages of a component will increase its heat output significantly.
Long story short, don't overclock if you are not comfortable doing so. Because doing something wrong can turn out to be very bad. Including giving a component far too much voltage, and literally frying said component.
Some manufactures have more lenient restrictions on their warranties when it comes to overclocking. Read your warranty well. For me overclocking is a hobby and very addictive i am so hooked i would not even use a computer that could not be overclocked seriously lol.If you have intel cpu you basically do it like this might be a little different.First off Download CPU-Z - Realtemp -Prime95 - just like any overclocking you will need to enter the bios. Depending on your motherboard I always recommend going to the Save/Exit section and select restore to Defaults just in case some settings were changed if you were adjusting things so we can start fresh.
Main BIOS Screen:
Save/Exit
One thing that I always recommend is disabling all the things you are not using such as eSata, USB 3.0 etc. After that depending on your motherboard you should have an Overclocking section so we need to go here next.
First go ahead and set your CPU Multiplier between 40 and 45. Since the Baseclock on most P67 motherboards should be 100mhz, 100mhz x 40=4ghz etc. This is the option that we will use because Sandy Bridge is very testy when it comes to adjusting the Baseclock.
Next go to VDroop and change this to without Vdroop. This will basically help reduce sagging while we run Prime95 or Linx and keep the voltage stable.
Next go to Internal PLL Voltage Override and set this to Enable- This is a very important step whenever you are using a multiplier of 40 and greater.
Next go to CPU VCore and set this to manual and then I would recommend starting at 1.300V for 4ghz and if you want 4.5 you will more than likely need about 1.325 but always remember to test in small increments in order to achieve a nice stable overclock. This may vary on your CPU whether or not you have the same identical one as someone else.
Next head over to the memory section of your BIOS and set the DIMM voltage to whatever the manufacturers specifications.
Now we need to configure some other very important features in our Bios which some are completely optional but I would highly recommend changing them for stability.
First go to EIST (Intel Speedstep Technology)and disable this feature. Basically this allows your CPU to throttle down below even the stock 3.4ghz when tasks are at a minimum so it is optional but I always disable it.
Next got to C1E Support and disable this feature. This is another power saving feature but enabling this might cause instability.
Next go to CPU C3 Support and set this to disable. I believe this is also called Sleep where the processor does not need to keep its cache coherent but maintains another state.
Next make sure you have Turbo Mode enabled. Most P67 -Z68 motherboards have this feature.
Next up, memory settings! Make sure to configure this per your memory specifications, or use the XMP function to use the built in SPD settings (if applicable)
Now you can go ahead and Save/Exit to Windows. I would definitely recommend having some Temperature software previsously installed on your system. I swear by Coretemp but there are many others out there. Make sure you keep a close eye on your temps after booting into windows.
Now that you are in windows check you clock settings with CPUZ and I recommend running a stability test such as Prime95. Another great one is LinX which is very intense. You can run it as long as you want and there are many different opinions as to how long you should run the tests to do some research online and make your decision.I usually run LinuX for two hours and then i run prime 95 for twelve hours so far those are what work best for me they might not for you.
That is basically it.
Long story short, don't overclock if you are not comfortable doing so. Because doing something wrong can turn out to be very bad. Including giving a component far too much voltage, and literally frying said component.
Some manufactures have more lenient restrictions on their warranties when it comes to overclocking. Read your warranty well. For me overclocking is a hobby and very addictive i am so hooked i would not even use a computer that could not be overclocked seriously lol.If you have intel cpu you basically do it like this might be a little different.First off Download CPU-Z - Realtemp -Prime95 - just like any overclocking you will need to enter the bios. Depending on your motherboard I always recommend going to the Save/Exit section and select restore to Defaults just in case some settings were changed if you were adjusting things so we can start fresh.
Main BIOS Screen:
Save/Exit
One thing that I always recommend is disabling all the things you are not using such as eSata, USB 3.0 etc. After that depending on your motherboard you should have an Overclocking section so we need to go here next.
First go ahead and set your CPU Multiplier between 40 and 45. Since the Baseclock on most P67 motherboards should be 100mhz, 100mhz x 40=4ghz etc. This is the option that we will use because Sandy Bridge is very testy when it comes to adjusting the Baseclock.
Next go to VDroop and change this to without Vdroop. This will basically help reduce sagging while we run Prime95 or Linx and keep the voltage stable.
Next go to Internal PLL Voltage Override and set this to Enable- This is a very important step whenever you are using a multiplier of 40 and greater.
Next go to CPU VCore and set this to manual and then I would recommend starting at 1.300V for 4ghz and if you want 4.5 you will more than likely need about 1.325 but always remember to test in small increments in order to achieve a nice stable overclock. This may vary on your CPU whether or not you have the same identical one as someone else.
Next head over to the memory section of your BIOS and set the DIMM voltage to whatever the manufacturers specifications.
Now we need to configure some other very important features in our Bios which some are completely optional but I would highly recommend changing them for stability.
First go to EIST (Intel Speedstep Technology)and disable this feature. Basically this allows your CPU to throttle down below even the stock 3.4ghz when tasks are at a minimum so it is optional but I always disable it.
Next got to C1E Support and disable this feature. This is another power saving feature but enabling this might cause instability.
Next go to CPU C3 Support and set this to disable. I believe this is also called Sleep where the processor does not need to keep its cache coherent but maintains another state.
Next make sure you have Turbo Mode enabled. Most P67 -Z68 motherboards have this feature.
Next up, memory settings! Make sure to configure this per your memory specifications, or use the XMP function to use the built in SPD settings (if applicable)
Now you can go ahead and Save/Exit to Windows. I would definitely recommend having some Temperature software previsously installed on your system. I swear by Coretemp but there are many others out there. Make sure you keep a close eye on your temps after booting into windows.
Now that you are in windows check you clock settings with CPUZ and I recommend running a stability test such as Prime95. Another great one is LinX which is very intense. You can run it as long as you want and there are many different opinions as to how long you should run the tests to do some research online and make your decision.I usually run LinuX for two hours and then i run prime 95 for twelve hours so far those are what work best for me they might not for you.
That is basically it.
captainblacko
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- May 21, 2012
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4Ryan6
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- Apr 14, 2002
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e-coli :
So bigcyo1,
Does this mean that if I overclock a component with too much voltage it will be broken forever?
Just want to clarify
Does this mean that if I overclock a component with too much voltage it will be broken forever?
Just want to clarify
Affirmative!
Affirmative!
Good advice and my guides are stickied above, but they may not apply to your hardware!
e-coli, You just learned what overclocking was this morning and you're already considering doing it, STOP!
You need to study overclocking guides first and learn what you're doing before you even consider actually overclocking, anything!
Learn First then Do!
assasin32
Distinguished
- Apr 23, 2008
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Highly advise studying up on what overclocking is before you mess with anything. If you want to have some hands on time overclocking and you have and old computer you don't care about that doesn't have a locked down BIO's I would start with that just to get your feet wet. Though I doubt most of us started out like that, I know I didn't have that luxury.
So the usual recomendation is to read up and learn everything you can and than try to OC and come back to us if you have any problems. As if you attempt this without knowing what you are doing there is very good potential you can screw up your hardware or do something weird to make the computer unstable. If you have more knowledge on what you have done though than that also means not only does the risk of this happening go down, but if something does go wrong you can more intelligently tell us what happened so we can better help you fix it.
So the usual recomendation is to read up and learn everything you can and than try to OC and come back to us if you have any problems. As if you attempt this without knowing what you are doing there is very good potential you can screw up your hardware or do something weird to make the computer unstable. If you have more knowledge on what you have done though than that also means not only does the risk of this happening go down, but if something does go wrong you can more intelligently tell us what happened so we can better help you fix it.
envy14tpe
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You can overclock a non "K" cpu but the benefit is almost nil.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273610-29-overclock-intel-2500-4ghz
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273610-29-overclock-intel-2500-4ghz
amuffin
Illustrious
- Jul 29, 2011
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The main reason why I push people to by the K unlocked CPU is because of this:
Every year they release a new CPU, that means it will be faster than your current one. Basically, just overclock till you match that performance of the next gens CPU. This will save you money from buying an entirely new system. IMO today's CPU's are plenty fast for everything already, there really isn't a point of OC on a current gen CPU.
Every year they release a new CPU, that means it will be faster than your current one. Basically, just overclock till you match that performance of the next gens CPU. This will save you money from buying an entirely new system. IMO today's CPU's are plenty fast for everything already, there really isn't a point of OC on a current gen CPU.
envy14tpe
Champion
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Two years ago my friends would swear by AMD, but now they all say....yeah buy Intel. For gamers and not cheap builds, Intel is hands down winning the battle. I would have bought a AMD CPU 6 months ago if there was a good one at my mid level build, but there wasn't and isn't really one now. It's sad. I'd like more competition in the market to drive down prices.
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