Overclocking is the practice of making components run at clock speeds higher than the manufacturer's specifications. The idea is to increase performance or exceed current performance limits for free, but this may come at the cost of stability.
Heavy overclocking can lead to hardware damage, so make sure you cool it properly before overclocking.
Overclocking is like driving a car: it's not necessary if you just want to get to your destination. But it's fun and educational, and can provide you with a machine whose performance is disproportionate to its cost.
Think of 4 GHz on the new 4 GHz Core i7 as requiring a broken speed limit. A number of other components in your computer can also be overclocked, including RAM and your video card in many cases. Overclocking is possible due to the way electronic components, especially VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit) chips, are manufactured and sold. All processors in a given line (e.g. i7) are used in the same way, on large chips cut into individual processors, which are then tested and rated for speed, the best chip will be labeled 4 GHz Over time and with improvements in production processes and masks, even chips with lower ratings may have faster speeds, especially if drastic cooling is implemented.
It's important to note that not every chip can be overclocked; it's really the luck of the draw. Some companies that sell "factory overclocked" systems engage in a practice called "crating", where they buy a number of processors, test them for overclocking potential, and resell the ones that aren't overclocked by throwing them at their rated speeds. Even if the processors had a reputation for overclocking, some components would not exceed their rating.
That said, effective heat dissipation can improve the overclocking ability of the chip. Luckily, you will be able to get the extra performance of the components for free. With luck and skill, you can get performance that is not possible even with top-end components. Sometimes you can buy cheaper parts and reduce them to the clock speeds of the higher-end components, but the cost of the extra cooling can hurt any money you might save, not to mention warranty and part life issues.
WARNING: Excesses may void the warranty on components out of warranty. Be sure you know what you are doing, as overlocking may also cause system instability and may also result in damage to components and data. Remember the 3 "C'S" when overweighting: Careful, Conservative and Fun.null
Something that can't be overclocked
While it is possible to overclock many components of a computer (such as the CPU, FSB frequency, and video card), it is not possible to overclock all of them. For example, it is not possible to overclock a hard disk drive or an optical disk drive (e.g., a CD-ROM drive). For such devices, other solutions exist, starting with the use of faster filesystems and/or faster components; additionally, in the special case of hard disk drives, updating the driver (with optimized code); remapping blocks with high latency to low-latency blocks (using a tool such as mhdd), and, in the presence of a RAID, changing the configuration, driver and/or software and/or settings. However, these techniques and procedures are beyond the scope of this document.
Central Processing Unit/CPU
While the CPU is usually the best component for overclocking, most CPUs are currently locked, meaning that the multiplier cannot be changed from its default clock. Previously (up to the Distance Bridge), users addressed this limitation by adjusting the CPU's base clock when in the Distance Bridge until the Broadwell microarchitecture (2 tosecondlyup to 5 date), attempting to do so at a few megahertz will usually result in a system crash, even if the CPU itself is stable. This is because increasing the base clock affects other system components as well.
This means that in the best case scenario of a 5 MHz increase over the usual 100 MHz base clock, the i3-4370 (3.8 GHz) can only be overclocked by 38 * 5 = 190 MHz, which would increase the clock speed to just 3.99 GHz.
If you want to overclock, this will limit the Intel CPU selection to the following:
- CPUs are marked with a K at the end of the model number (e.g. - i5-4690K)
- Supreme Edition processors (X-Series). An example is the octa-core i7-5960X.
- Pentium G3258 (more on this later)
- C (high-end graphics) line.
Most (if not all) AMD Ryzen CPUs are overclockable; it'sfaultIt's necessary to buy the top-end model (aka X-variant) exclusively for overclocking, although this variant may include a better cooler instead.
For Intel chips, these overclocked chips typically cost 5-15% more than non-overclockable CPUs.
Now about the Intel Pentium G3258. this chip generated a lot of hype when it was first released in 2014 as it was the cheapest, lowest-end Pentium chip Intel released to commemorate its 20th anniversary. However, the main steal is that this CPU is highly overclocked, which makes all the difference. Still, the overclocking won't reach i5 levels; its dual-core no-hyperthreading design could seriously hurt it now that it's over 4 years old. If you really need to build an ultra-budget PC, then a Ryzen 3 or a non-overclocked Pentium Gold processor would be a better choice.
The integrated graphics on the chip (if present) can usually be overclocked, even on non-overclocked CPUs.
How to Overclock
For older computers, you can change the CPU clock speed in the BIOS. The same is true for newer computers, but if you want to use it in Windows itself, you can usually use Intel'sExtreme Tuning Utility(XTU) or AMD's Wattman. this method, while possibly safer, is not the best way to overclock.
Assuming you have a multiplier-unlocked CPU, go to the BIOS, look for the CPU modification option in the BIOS (depending on the manufacturer), and bump up the all-core multiplier by one notch (e.g., if you have a 3.5 GHz chip with a 35x multiplier, bump it up to 36x.
Then boot back into Windows and run something likePrime95Stress tools like this. Running it for a while (like an hour) is a good idea, but not too long as it may end up damaging your CPU. keep a close eye on the CPU temperature; you shouldn't go over 85C. if you do, you may need a better CPU cooler. If you overclock, don't use a stock cooler!
If it passes, return to BIOS and increase the multiplier by one notch again. If it fails, return to BIOS and increase the CPU voltage slightly. Then repeat the stress test.
Continue this process until
- The stress test has failed and you have applied enough voltage, or
- The CPU is running too hot.
- CPU limited (reduced speed)
It is important not to apply too much CPU voltage as it may eventually damage the CPU. also remember to maintain any adaptive voltage settings as they will reduce the voltage and extend the life of the CPU when it is idle.
display card (computer)
Two different parts of the video card may be overclocked[In addition, pipelines disabled on a video card may also be enabled through third-party drivers, third-party software, or direct hardware modifications, depending on the type of video card you have. Overclocking a video card is usually done through third-party or proprietary software.
The recent AMD proprietary Catalyst driver has an interface called Overdrive that allows dynamic GPU frequency adjustment based on its temperature and load. Increase the load and the clock rate will increase due to performance, but it will equalize as the temperature increases. You can't improve performance by simply increasing the overall performance, which requires overclocking the memory. For this, you will need a third-party application or driver.
An example application is ATITool.The program has many options, including GPU and memory overclocking, temperature monitoring and fan control, providing a more complete solution for overclocking ATI-based video cards. There are many third-party drivers, omegadrivers.net, such as the host ATI and nVidia drivers. Both include integrated overclocking and many unlocked features, including enhanced image quality for nVidia-based cards.
nVidia users can overclock their GPUs using one of the many overclocking tools available, such as MSI Afterburner. many of these also include built-in stress testing tools to verify the stability of the overclock.
For Intel integrated graphics, one can use Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility to overclock the card, just as one would an overclocked processor.
The most important thing about overclocking video cards is cooling. This is not emphasized enough. Just as a CPU can be damaged or have its life shortened by overclocking or excessive and prolonged heat, so can a video card. Over the past year, many inexpensive and easy-to-install options have emerged for cooling video cards, ranging from adhesive plunger heatsinks attached to uncooled plunger chips to fairly expensive water cooling solutions. A good midpoint (cost and efficiency) solution is to purchase and install a direct exhaust "sandwich" cooling solution. Direct exhaust means that all the air from the cooling fan is blown over the video card and directly out of the computer case, usually using an open PCI slot below the AGP (or PCIe) slot. This allows for significantly lower GPU temperatures.
Sandwich coolers are two aluminum or copper heat sinks, shaped for a particular video card, that "sandwich" the video card between them and are usually connected by some sort of copper heat pipe that allows the hotter side to transport heat to the dissipative side of the cooler. GPUs shouldn't go above 80 degrees Celsius for optimal performance and to avoid damaging the card. Most of the latest video cards are rated for temperatures up to 90 degrees Celsius, but this is not recommended by anyone. The optimal temperature for the card itself is 55-70 degrees Celsius (GPU temperatures vary depending on you), but the lower you can get it, the better.
Software can also be used to change fan speeds on certain cards. Replacing the fan to run at full speed can cool the card better, depending on your card and the speed of the fan in the first place.Software such as Rivatuner is available for Nvidia-based cards.
A few extra MHz from the chip
cool off
When increasing the speed of any computer component, you are making the component work harder, and in doing so you are generating more heat. The heat can cause the system to become unstable, so cooling is needed to help keep the components stable at higher speeds. Without good cooling you may damage or shorten the life of your system. You can usually check the CPU temperature in the BIOS. However, these are inaccurate because your CPU is barely loaded. Temperatures can be checked in Windows using SiSoftware Sandra. This should be done while the CPU is under heavy load for some time to get the best results.
There are three types of cooling that can usually be used for overclocking: air, water, and Perten.
With air and water cooling, some type of transfer material is needed to move energy away from sensitive electronic equipment. The devices used for this purpose are heat sinks. The two most popular heat sink materials are aluminum and copper. The heat sinks that major manufacturers (Dell, Gateway, IBM) stock on factory computers are usually made of aluminum and have satisfactory heat transfer characteristics. However, when overclocking, increased power consumption generates more heat. To obtain lower temperatures, materials with better heat transfer properties are important, and copper is the material that offers the best price/performance ratio.
exercise
Higher speed chips may require more power. Increasing the vcore voltage on the CPU may make it slightly faster, but by doing so more heat output can be added from the CPU.V cruxThe processor voltage is the voltage that the chip is set to run at stock speed. This voltage may need to be changed when the multiplier goes up, otherwise the transistors in the chip won't switch fast enough - the transistors switch faster at higher supply voltages. Without enough voltage, the chip will become unstable and crash randomly. Good cooling is needed to keep the system stable at higher speeds. Over boosting the vcore may damage or shorten the life of the system. Boosting the vcore can also greatly affect the stability of the system. This is where a high quality PSU will come into play. While many cheap, no-name brand PSUs will crash and die with more v cruxA quality person will serve you for a long time. For most modern Intel and AMD processors, it is highly recommended not to exceed 1.45V on the vcore, but even 1.45V can significantly shorten the life of the CPU.
Note: Increasing the speed (multiplier or fsb) without changing the voltage will also increase the heat output, but not the voltage. That said, increasing the multiplier or FSB without adjusting the voltage may make the system unstable (undervoltage).
Undervolting
Instead of boosting V during overclocking cruxYou can also simplyminimize V cruxAnd maintain stock clock speeds. This is possible because modern CPUs are often set at higher voltages than they actually need in order to account for manufacturing differences. The disadvantages include
- Reduced heat output and power consumption
- Performance may be higher (because the CPU can be boosted for longer and doesn't hit the TDP limit as often)
- It works with any CPU; no need to overclock the CPU.
Laptops can benefit the most from low voltage; their thin chassis means power and temperature are more important than on a desktop. However, only Intel laptops may be underestimated; the AMD Ryzen Master Configuration Tool doesn't run on Ryzen Mobile, nor are there any third-party tools available (ThrottleStop is Intel-only).
Similar to overclocking, one can undervolt the CPU using tools like Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, ThrottleStop or in the BIOS.
Recall that just like when overclocking, you should start slowly and test the stability of the CPU undervoltage (e.g. running Prime95).
