Core i7 overclock

[you878]

 My computer came with a stock speed core i7 920. It also came with an Intel Extreme Tuning program which claims it can auto-clock my processor to a safe speed. The option I am looking at specifically says: "Staying within manufacturer's limits".

 My question is: Will I notice a difference in performance when overclocking, and will it really be safe to overclock the processor? (I want this rig to last for at least five years, hopefully more...)

[patio]

Why the heck anyone would want to attempt overclocking 1 of the fastest CPU's on the market is beyond me...
That pretty much disqualifies me from this.

[you878]

Core i7 920 is only 2.66 GHZ. I don't know about you, but compared to the core i7-980X with 3.33 GHZ, that is pretty paltry in comparison. The reason I want to know about overclocking is because my system is running pretty cool, and I want the most performance while still having a long lifespan.

[Salmon Trout]

that is pretty paltry in comparison.

You sound like a teen boy. You won't notice much difference. Overclocking won't make your RAM, hard drive or display card any faster.

[gregory]

I'll differ from the crowd and say go for it. If you ever use heavy CPU intensive apps, such as video renderers, some games, etc., then you certainly could see a benefit. It's free performance, and if you know what you're doing, it's a fairly quick process.

1) Read-up and understand what you are doing. You should be able to do this manually or not at all. Understand the risk. Make sure you have sufficient cooling.
2) I would recommend against voltage increases. If at all, do an overclock using the stock voltage. Voltage increases can shorten the life of the CPU.
3) IntelBurnTest is the best thing I know to check that your max temps will always be within a safe range. If you don't have adequate cooling and if you don't know what your safe range is, then you should repeat #1.

[BC_Programmer]

(I want this rig to last for at least five years, hopefully more...)

Overclocking is a great way to <not> reach this goal.

but compared to the core i7-980X with 3.33 GHZ, that is pretty paltry in comparison.

If you want a 3.33Ghz i7, BUY a 3.33 Ghz i7.

And don't believe the nonsense that the longer you have a CPU overclocked, the more "used to" being overclocked it becomes. While it's logical to say that for a sentient entity last time a checked a CPU was not sentient and it doesn't get "used" to being overclocked, and the chance of failure doesn't decrease the longer it's overclocked, it increases.

The only reason Overclocking is even possible is because the CPU(and, for GPU overclocking, the GPU) chips are made in batches- and they test a select sample of processors from that batch to determine the maximum stable speed. If you get a chip that they used in the test overclocking in any usable amount will fail and cause stability problems and even processor failure in a rather short time. If you're not unlucky and got a processor that wasn't tested, there is a chance it can handle the new specifications. But the chances go down considerably the higher you overclock, after all, the samples they tested in that batch could only work properly at a given speed, so the other processors in the batch aren't going to differ by much.

[Calum]

Adding to gregory's helpful post:

It also came with an Intel Extreme Tuning program which claims it can auto-clock my processor to a safe speed. The option I am looking at specifically says: "Staying within manufacturer's limits".

An overclocking program?  Stay away from those.

Will I notice a difference in performance when overclocking

In some situations, yes.  In others, no.

and will it really be safe to overclock the processor?

If you ensure you know what you are doing and you stay within manufacturer's guidelines regarding voltages and temperatures, yes.

Before you begin overclocking, my golden rule is "never change anything unless you know exactly what it does, what else it affects, and what to set it to".  If you don't know, research it, never change things you are at all unsure about.  Research on the web first, and then ask someone that knows.  I'm a lot more cautious than most when it comes to overclocking so you will get different advice from others.
No offence to anyone posting in this thread, or the forum in general, but overclocking tends to be frowned upon by many (not myself) here, for various reasons, so you may not find this forum all that much help to be honest.
Do feel free to ask for help with it though once you have researched further, I for one will be happy to help and there are others around too, such as gregory.

[patio]

Burn it up i say....go for the Gusto...

[Cityscape]

Overclocking is a great way to <not> reach this goal.

I fully agree with BC. Overclocking can (no will but can) decrease the lifespan of your CPU significantly. Maybe so it won't last 5 years. But you i7 should still be a decent speed CPU in 5 years anyway. My current PC has a Pentium 4 CPU from 2005 and it still preforms well.

[Geek-9pm]

Intel Extreme Tuning program which claims it can auto-clock my processor to a safe speed.

Can you identify this program?
Are you sure it recommends overclocking? One place says it  does some things to make it possible to overclock with lessor chance of something going real ad. Now that is not same as saying  overclocking is safe.

It is kind of like the radar detector some people used to put in their automobiles. Did not make speeding safer, just less likely to get caught.

[Tim_Cdy]

technically, it is hard to argue angainst any of the above. Would add one thing about temps and ways to minimise as possible these operating temps. Airflow. Get this right, and you aid yourself in any type of build. In an OC'ed Rig, this is one of the things that is first on the list before Case choice.

Anyway, not convinced that you are comfy with the idea of overclocking. That Intel app would only add a modest OC I would think. If you want to join the Dark Arts, BIOS OC is the way. Just an opinion here. Would hate to see you fry an I7.