overclocking

[mrchester]

what a great site this is, im really learning a lot just by reading these questions and answers, but i see this mentioned frequently, what is over clocking, can this be adjusted higher or lower, what does it do,  thanks for any help,

[neljan]

Found this:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2188777,00.asp

[Deerpark]

Overclocking is to increase the clock speed of a component beyond what the manufacturer intended, in order to increase the performance of the component. You usually overclock the CPU, graphics card and/or RAM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking

[neljan]

Are you an overclocker DeerPark?

[Deerpark]

I have been in the past... back when I was trying to squeeze every last FPS out of my machine.
But at some point I simply stopped caring whether a game runs at 90 or a 100 FPS...
And when you factor in the disadvantages of overclocking I just didn't find it worthwhile anymore.

[patio]

It's the best and shortest method to be in the market for a new rig sometimes...

 

[neljan]

I have no need to 

[Spoiler]

I agree....in the old days you got a lot more out things by overclocking. Now the hardware is so fast overclocking really isn't worth the time or effort.

[Calum]

My own opinion is that overclocking, when done properly, can save a ton of cash and/or significantly increase your performance.
Think: I am planning my new build.  I can choose a £40 CPU or a £120 CPU.  The £40 CPU can be overclocked to beat the £120 CPU, with no extra cooling requirements.  Yes, the £120 CPU can also be overclocked, but this way I save £80 and have the same performance.
It's not a cure-all solution, and it's certainly not for the inexperienced.  However, I disagree that modern hardware realises less benefits from overclocking, IMHO it's at least the same, if not more.  Are there any old CPUs that can manage over a 100% overclock?  I don't know of any, but several modern CPUs are capable of this.
Also, remember that the opposite, underclocking, can be great to extend battery life and/or reduce heat.

[WillyW]

what a great site this is,

It sure is.   

im really learning a lot just by reading these questions and answers,

I do too.
But -   don't forget that there is much more to CH than just these forums.
Lots of informative articles, etc.

Check out:
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/o/overcloc.htm
 

but i see this mentioned frequently, what is over clocking, can this be adjusted higher or lower, what does it do,  thanks for any help,

[Spoiler]

I did not mean to sound like overclocking can't get more out of cheaper hardware. It still has a place but in most cases today's hardware has come down in price and the speed has incresed so much that the need for overclocking has been greatly reduced.

[neljan]

I think that if you're overclocking, you're inviting the possibilty of problems & you have to ask yourself whether the risk is really worth it. Even a possibility of something going wrong for me is a no no.

Yes, it can be harmless, but is it worth the risk? overclocking could work fine for a long time (for some) fine all the time (for others) but go sadly wrong (for most).

So, you have to ask yourself one question, do you feel lucky?



Well..... do yu? PUNK?

[Calum]

That's why I would recommend that only advanced users delve into overclocking, and only after reading up as much as possible before starting.
It can cause a lot of problems, but there are two sides to every story.

[neljan]

And only people with cheap/slow components...

[Calum]

Again, I hate to disagree, but I am pretty sure you could see more benefit from overclocking, say, an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 than, say, an Intel Pentium 3.  The former can realise much higher clock speeds than the latter, and also a larger increase from stock speeds, therefore I would say that overclocking the newer, more expensive CPU has in this case led to a larger increase in performance.