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Thread: Overclocking - Does anyone still bother?

  1. #1
    Ultimate Member richard_cocks's Avatar
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    Overclocking - Does anyone still bother?

    Processors are no longer getting increasingly higher clock speeds to get faster and faster. These days to get a real performance increase manufacturers have to double the number of cores in a processor to get any increase in performance.

    4Gz processors have been commonplace for several years, there's no sign this has really been increasing. Newer processors have greater cache sizes, more pipelines, better instruction sets, but they haven't been clocked higher and higher.

    Is there any point in overclocking processors, does it give you real-world gains and given the processor is nearly the cheapest thing inside the PC does it make sense to overclock to save the $20 it would cost you to get the "next size up".

    Overclocking RAM and video cards are widely accepted as giving good gains because they still are bottlenecks in systems. Processors are not unless you routinely rip and re-encode DVDs or regulary re-compile software (gentoo anyone ?)

    Given the hassle and potentially fatal (very rarely but increased stress can cause a shorter life-span over all rather than an immediate failure) results is it worth all the extra noise and fuss doing it?

  2. #2
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    I believe that OCing a CPU is pointless. There are 2 reasons why I will not OC.
    1. It voids warranty
    2. Some of these CPU's are not cheap!!!

  3. #3
    Senior Member rockinup1231's Avatar
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    It's still good for those that can't afford the more expensive processors.
    MSI 870S-G46 | AMD Phenom II X4 965 @ 3.8ghz | Gigabyte Radeon 7870 Ghz Edition | 1 x 128GB Kingston HyperX SSD | 2 x WD 500GB Blue HDD | Arch Linux x64 | BFG Tech LS SERIES LS-550 550W | 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM, 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM (12 GB)

  4. #4
    Registered User BadDriver's Avatar
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    I OC. None of my parts are cheap. The real deal is an overclocked part is most likely still going to outlive it's useful life.

    I will retire this machine as my main rig in about another year maximum.

    Yes there are "real" performance gains to be had.

    Now, let me ask a question. Where are these commonplace 4 ghz processors? Model numbers don't count.

  5. #5
    Ultimate Member Imperion1's Avatar
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    I have an AMD x2 3800+ (65w) 2GHz (2000Mhz) cpu paid $109. for it, overclocked to 2600Mhz (2.6GHz) or to what a 5000+ runs at, which at the time that I paid for the 3800+, the 5000+ was about $219.
    The 3800+ is now $82.99 and the 5000+ is now $165.99. Thats still more than a $20 difference.

  6. #6
    Ultimate Member Imperion1's Avatar
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    And by the way, the cpu will overclock to 2800MHz (2.8GHz). I just don't want to run my cpu vcore high enough to keep that overclock.

  7. #7
    Ultimate Member mobo57's Avatar
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    I think overclocking is a matter of an informed decision. If you know what you are doing and are cognizant of the possible outcomes, you weigh the benefits to the detriments. I had a couple of Barton 2500's overclocked to 3200 speed. Bought them brand new when they first came out. A friend now has them, still running 24/7 at 3200 as servers.
    Today I am running on my main rig a E6600 I paid about 320$ for. It's oc'd 35%, 24/7, about 10% faster than the stock 6800 Extreme. Seeing as I bumped the vcore by about 8%, I think the life of the chip should not be significantly reduced. Counting the extra cooling, I saved over 600$ had I bought the 68.
    The motherboard manufacturers know cpu's have a designed envelope for voltage and heat. Many of them now incorporate some sort of automatic overclocking tool, whether in the BIOS or a software tool, that can obtain a decent bump in performance, but still remain within the heat and voltage specifications.
    The issue occurs either in extreme voltages and or un-managed heat. This is usually those people that have to get every last hertz out of their system. The ones that do a reasonable overclock and manage the heat properly should see a decent return for their efforts. I can hit over 50% stable overclock on my system. But that would require a significant boost in vcore. This would put me in the first category. Fun to do once in a while, but not 24/7.
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  8. #8
    Senior Member frank5's Avatar
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    <<

    I usually overclock for the fun of it, then after I get a successful overclock, I test the system for days and will keep ithe system overclocked at this level only if it runs completely stable. If not stable, I come down to the point of complete stability and leave it there. I have been doing this for years, and have never run into any significant problems over the years. Never had to replace a processor or component due to overclocking, only have had to replace when the system becomes obsolete.

    Why not get the most bang for your buck? I have my 2.0 gig dual core Toledo stable at 2.5 for 24 hours now, why not keep it that way for another year or two if it remains stable until I get the urge to replace the board?

  9. #9
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    Easy ansure....not only does overclocking tell you how stable your system realy is but you can gain an overall system performance boost with a mild overclock and still get a normal life out of the system (as long as you keep it cool)...
    I had a 1.4ghz Athlon overclocked between 1580 and 1622 for over 5 years and it still runs great, right now I'm running a 2.4ghz at 2.76...I can run it over 3ghz but that's pushing it, It's rock stable at 2.7....even at 2.88...
    The kick you can get out of a few MHZ on the front side bus with today's CPU's is wonderfull, not to mention I have a mobo that allows me to adjust my PCI Express speed also???
    I just looked at my CPU....102f and my mobo is 96f...I think that's a clue to a very normal lifespan!!!!!!!!!!!

    p.s. I have very good CPU cooler and a 120mm inlet fan (front) and 2 80mm outlet fans.... works for me!!

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