You’ve probably seen this term being tossed around in PC discussion boards, so it makes sense if you’re curious about what it means. Overclocking is when you set specific computer components at higher clock speeds to tune out better performance. Simply put, it takes the regular clock speed of these components and pushes them past their normal limits for more power.
To overclock, you’ll need a specific software program, or you can access your PC’s BIOS. After following a guide, you’ll need to change the clock speeds to something a bit higher.
The following are two significant advantages of overclocking:
#1. Overclocking can maximize the performance of your gaming PC
When you purchase a computer, the manufacturer sets the pace your processor chips may run. The “clock speed” is a term for this. Higher clock speeds allow a CPU to do more tasks per second. Because of this, your computer’s processing speed will increase.
For gamers, this directly translates to better performance, especially in modern gaming titles that are extremely CPU intensive. If you’re playing an open-world tag with lots of NPCs in an area, the CPU clock speed is what helps render those NPCs, and having an overclocked CPU will help you maintain stable frames and avoid FPS drops.
Overclocking your computer might result in up to a 20% gain in performance. Overclocking your GPU also aids in visually heavy operations like loading multimedia files in video games and editing programs. It would result in a more pleasant overall experience.
#2. The cost savings from overclocking are considerable
Overclocking also saves you quite a bit of money as it extends the life of a PC, allowing you to enjoy the newest titles even years after buying your computer. You can even optimize your overall system performance overclock as their manufacturers have bottlenecked some setups. Overclocking puts the control over your PC’s performance back in your hands, giving you the freedom to unlock the potential of your components.
Apart from that, there are two points to bear in mind while overclocking:
#1. A safe overclock requires extensive research or expert help
If you’re already getting excited about the prospect of overclocking, it’s important to note that it is a time-consuming endeavor that can be costly even with its rewards. As someone new to this, there’s a lot to digest, such as adjusting your multiplier, voltage settings, fan rotation speeds, and other critical and delicate maneuvers that keep your PC working.
It’s perfectly fine to be unsure about how to do things yourself, so employing the help of a PC building pro is a perfect choice to make.
#2. Take extra precautions on cooling when overclocking your PC
Choosing to overclock your computer simultaneously makes the overclocked component(s) run hotter. This means that overclocking is often plagued by overheating issues. However, there are several ways to keep a PC cool, so this problem doesn’t need to be as big as it seems.
When overclocking, as a rule of thumb, you should try to maintain temperatures at 75°C and a Vcore (CPU voltage) that doesn’t exceed 30% of your default operating voltage while stress testing your PC to see if it can handle the overclock settings under high loads. A stress test is super helpful because it runs your computer to a “worst-case scenario” and allows you to stay assured that it will run well even when the overclocked component is under a heavy load.
A CPU has a different operating voltage than the Vcore voltage, so ensure that you don’t mix them up. This is especially important as overclocking increases the power consumption from your PC. Therefore, you’ll also need to ensure that your power supply is reliable enough to handle an overclock.
Conclusion
Now that we’ve established the inner workings of an overclock, you should understand that overclocking your PC is generally safe when you know what you’re doing. It’s almost a no-brainer as it helps to improve your CPU/GPU performance across the board, from installed programs to video games and benchmark scores.
Overheating is a possibility to bear in mind, but you can prevent this if you’ve devised a solid cooling system. You can read more about overheating here (link). Remember, heat is one thing that can kill all electronics.
If you want a heat-proof PC, you should check out the pre-built PC models available from VOLTA. All pre-built PC models from VOLTA have been overclocked and tested by experienced technicians to ensure they can run under any possible condition.