How does OC effect your cpu's life span

I have a P4 2.8E 1mb cache running at 3.37 ghz. Havent even maxed it out yet.. but I think this clock speed is great. About how many years does it knock of your cpu ? Btw I have a great 773 gram copper heatsink for my cpu which holds the temp very nicely, plus 7 fans in my case.

In the case of the scotties, it is more a question of the mobo vregs frying, and taking out the chip. The prescott chips put an extra strain on the v-regs even at normal fsb. Overclocking can lead to a pre-mature v-reg failure, which will most often take the chip with it. The abit boards monitor v-reg temps, which is a very good thing for the newer chips.

I think it's just a matter of physics just like cars. If you always push your car to the limit, of coz, it's going to need repair quicker.

But for the case of CPUs, the upgrade cycle is around 2-4 years? maybe? So I don't believe it's too much of a concern. But then, I wouldn't O/C the CPU to the max. Just my 2 cents. ;-)

Use the <A HREF="http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm#download" target="_new">Prime 95</A> torture test and check the temp simultaneously from Windows, perhaps with MBM5, for wich I don't have the link. If they seem fine, its OK, if they get to 60C or above, it still survives, If it's close to 80C, it might fry instantly.