Planning new config - should I overclock?

[DanielJozsef]

I'm planning a new configuration, and given the small choice of Mini-ITX motherboards, I'm thinking of going with an ASUS P8Z77-I DELUXE/WD. Quite pricy just to have solid build quality and the sort of backpanel ports I need, but I'm prepared to drop the extra buck.
However, it got me thinking that as I'm getting this hardcore overclocker mobo, should I overclock or not? Last time I tried OC was years ago, and I introduced some hard-to-catch floating point errors to the system which resulted in weird build failures under Linux.
So the question is this... Is overclocking "worth it" to safely squeeze some extra juice out of a system, that would offset the price premium of a "K" series CPU and OC-friendly RAM, or should I leave it to the real enthusiasts, and go with cheaper RAM and a lower power consumption processor instead?

 

[ihog]

It is generally worth it, especially since Sandy/Ivy Bridge OCing is pretty simple. If you do, since you have would be getting a Mini-ITX board, I would make sure that the VRM temps don't get too high.

 

[DanielJozsef]

It is generally worth it, especially since Sandy/Ivy Bridge OCing is pretty simple. If you do, since you have would be getting a Mini-ITX board, I would make sure that the VRM temps don't get too high.

Thanks a lot. What kind of overclocking do you suggest, should I get a K processor, and raise the multiplier, or should I get >2000Ghz RAM and raise the base frequency? How far can I go without risking stability?

 

[ihog]

You want a K processor. BCLK can only go up so much, and it affects USB and PCIe lanes as well as the RAM.

You won't know how far you can go until you try. Every chip is different, and you'll need a good cooler especially in a Mini-ITX build.

 

[DanielJozsef]

Thanks. What is the maximum overclock that you can do without a voltage increase? Or there isn't one?

 

[ihog]

You won't know until you try; every chip is different.