Over Clocking CPU -- Worth the effort?

[Sam DeathWalker]

I say no.

If you want a faster processor go buy a faster processor ......

Imho you want a faster clock speed regardless of number of cores. I run 2 cores at 3.2Ghz (amd), I think thats better then say 4 cores at 2.8 Ghz, for wow, not 100percent sure though.

[Sajuuk]

I say no.

If you want a faster processor go buy a faster processor ......

Imho you want a faster clock speed regardless of number of cores. I run 2 cores at 3.2Ghz (amd), I think thats better then say 4 cores at 2.8 Ghz, for wow, not 100percent sure though.

Sooooo. I take it you don't like free performance? What's the deal with taking a 2.66Ghz CPU and then making it run at 3.8 for absolutely free (well, aside from slightly higher power draw, depending on your voltage). a 920/930 is the best bang for the buck currently available from intel. I think the 950 is the same price as a 930, and I've heard at times (not often, haven't payed much attention to it) that it doesn't overclock nearly as well as a 920/930. And then there's the huge bump in price for any processors over that for MINIMAL (.16Ghz) bumps in speed.

I took my i7-920 from 2.66Ghz to 3.8Ghz for almost a year before I decided to switch form factors and cooling solutions. My computer ran like a champ during that time. I just haven't taken the time to OC it recently.

Sooo. Above i7-960/970/975/965 performance for the price of a 920? Hell yeah.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

Sooooo. I take it you don't like free performance? What's the deal with taking a 2.66Ghz CPU and then making it run at 3.8 for absolutely free (well, aside from slightly higher power draw, depending on your voltage). a 920/930 is the best bang for the buck currently available from intel. I think the 950 is the same price as a 930, and I've heard at times (not often, haven't payed much attention to it) that it doesn't overclock nearly as well as a 920/930. And then there's the huge bump in price for any processors over that for MINIMAL (.16Ghz) bumps in speed.

I took my i7-920 from 2.66Ghz to 3.8Ghz for almost a year before I decided to switch form factors and cooling solutions. My computer ran like a champ during that time. I just haven't taken the time to OC it recently.

Sooo. Above i7-960/970/975/965 performance for the price of a 920? Hell yeah.

/agree

For some processors and back before the Intel Core2 series CPUs became available, I would have said no, definitely not worth the pain. Nowadays, the Core2 CPUs overclock so easy and with so little additional heat generation, it's almost a no brainer. Caveat is that if you're buying bargain brands for your motherboard and RAM, you may have issues.

[ZorbaTheGeek]

I've overclocked every CPU I've owned since pushing my IBM Blue Lightning (a 486 DX4 clone) from 75 to 100Mhz and with silicon yield rates getting ever better the chances of getting a "poor" chip are less than they used to be.

I love free speed.

It is very likely that overclocking will reduce the lifespan of your processor. But it will be obsolete long before the end of its "natural", un-overclocked life. Besides... I can buy two cheap CPUs for less than the price of a top of the range one, who cares if it dies.

[Sam DeathWalker]

I agree that the 920 is the best bang / buck for sure.

If you are stable at the higher speed then thats great, I really prefer stable systems to OC systems.

But because the cpu is almost never the bottleneck in wow (of course more cpu speed is good for other applications), I don't see much reason to overclock for wow. But if its stable then you have nothing to lose (ya your cpu might wear out in 5 years instead of 10 .... big deal).

[Sajuuk]

I agree that the 920 is the best bang / buck for sure.

If you are stable at the higher speed then thats great, I really prefer stable systems to OC systems.

But because the cpu is almost never the bottleneck in wow (of course more cpu speed is good for other applications), I don't see much reason to overclock for wow. But if its stable then you have nothing to lose (ya your cpu might wear out in 5 years instead of 10 .... big deal).

Ever hear of stress testing?

I really prefer stable systems to OC systems.

So you mean you prefer stock stable systems to potentially unstable OC systems? That's what stress testing is for. You test your system to the extreme to find if it's stable JUST so instability doesn't come up during normal use. World of Warcraft, even five instances doesn't create a bottleneck, but overclocking can create more headroom for other applications.

As far as system life degradation from overclocking it's implied but UNPROVEN (far as I know). Think about the binning process. You have 25 chips from one wafer. 17 of those chips are binned as 920 chips based on how they perform compared to various specs. 3 are binned as 950s, and 5 are binned as 965s.

25 chips, all from the same wafer, with some of them sold as different sub-chips.

Overclocking involves: running at higher than stock speeds and voltages. Not much else. Even IF overclocking could be proven to reduce processor life by even 50% (BULLSHIT), then, say that chip with a 10 year life would be reduced to 5 years. In five years there could be two new generations of processors out, along with motherboard chipsets, and 3-5 new generations of graphics cards. Assuming your system stays static, five years is a great lifetime for a system.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

If you are stable at the higher speed then thats great, I really prefer stable systems to OC systems.

False dichotomy. Has been for several years now.

[Sam DeathWalker]

Everything Sajuuk says the post before last is correct.

Ya the only possible disadvantage of overclocking (if its stable) is increased heat reducing the life of the cpu but like he correctly states its going to be obsolete by the time it dies anyway.