If you are someone like me who wants the best possible performance for the hardware you bought, this article is for you. We have all heard about overclocking, but what do we really know about its impact on hardware?
Since the CPU is one of the most critical components of your computer, I am writing this guide in which I will answer whether overclocking damages your CPU.
On one side, you have people screaming about OC being so bad that you should completely stay away from it. On the other hand, others will tell you that there is no danger whatsoever.
So, who is right?
After collecting and analyzing numerous reports from dozens of people, I concluded the following:
Overclocking generally doesn’t damage the CPU provided if it’s done in small increments. Most modern motherboards and CPUs have mechanisms to prevent you from destroying them. However, your CPU lifespan may be reduced since OC produces more heat.
Do not go yet, as we have a lot more to unpack. Next, we will explain the process of OC and analyze what truly happens when you overclock your CPU.
Without further ado, let’s jump straight in!
Overclocking CPU simply explained
Overclocking the CPU is the technique of getting it to run at a higher speed than its factory-set clock frequency (the speed at which the processor can do a particular task).
For instance, a 2.4GHz processor may be overclocked to 2.5GHz or 2.6GHz, and it is underclocked if the clock frequency is less than 2.4GHz.
The increased speed causes the CPU and/or memory to accomplish more work in a given time period, enhancing the computer’s overall processing performance.
The most apparent reason to overclock a computer system is to get more performance at little or no expense. In addition, overclocking the CPU and system RAM may substantially improve gaming performance, benchmark results, and even simple desktop tasks.
Overclocking aims to enhance the operating speed of a particular piece of hardware. The trade-offs are increased power consumption and fan noise, the possibility of the system becoming unstable if the equipment is overclocked excessively, and the risk of damage due to excessive overvoltage or heat buildup.
Underclocking, on the other hand, trades off slower operation in order to minimize power consumption and temperature, cooling requirements, and, where applicable, enhance battery life per charge. Several manufacturers underclock components of battery-powered equipment to extend battery life or apply mechanisms that reduce frequency when working on a battery.
Can OC really damage your CPU?
CPU failures do occur from time to time due to manufacturing flaws that become exacerbated beyond repair after a few months or years of use. Still, they are exceptionally rare – you’re far more likely to damage your CPU by dropping it than by using it, even if you run it a couple of percent faster than its specification.
Many computers that are several decades old still work, and when they don’t, it’s usually due to hard drive failure, capacitor bursts, or solder cracking.
The latter can occur in CPUs, but it is far more likely to occur in motherboard components because the CPU’s solder connection has an underfill that normally prevents the solder from being destroyed.
Every current motherboard and CPU have failsafes that prevent you from performing overclocks that will permanently destroy your CPU.
A modern CPU is built to “thermal throttle” and automatically slow itself down if it gets too hot. Under normal conditions, it will do this if there is insufficient cooling, a fan breaks, or there is another defect in the system, and it will also do so if you apply an overclock that your system cannot manage.
And, because all overclocking is now handled by software, if a harmful voltage or multiplier is used, the system will simply fail to start rather than function with these risky settings.
Voltages, clock rates, and multipliers were changed directly at a hardware level in the early days of overclocking and could rapidly burn out a CPU if powered on with these settings, but this is no longer possible.
While heat is a CPU’s adversary, the truth is that most of us have operated CPUs in systems that we know will thermally throttle, and no one cares; they just trust the CPU to do what it was supposed to do and slow down if it gets too hot.
This is what happens when you apply an overclock with insufficient cooling. Of course, you want adequate cooling and a stable overclock; otherwise, you’ll lose all the extra performance you gained by overclocking the moment it thermal throttles.
However, permanently harming your system isn’t anything you need to be concerned about while dialing in your overclock, provided you do not apply too much voltage.
In the worst-case scenario, you apply too much voltage and ultimately destroy your CPU. This is why technicians and enthusiasts progressively raise the voltage. Then, when the CPU becomes too hot or unstable, they reduce the overclock to a more stable voltage and clock speed.
Look, the processor is always gradually damaging itself in time. The only question is how much. Note that both AMD and Intel have determined in their research and development that keeping the CPU below a specific operating temperature threshold should keep the processor working during the warranty period.
They provide sufficient packaged CPU cooling to keep the processors working within their set thresholds. Let’s call this somewhere between 70 and 90 degrees Celsius. CPU should be substantially “happier” if we can maintain it closer to ambient room temperature.
Putting a “date stamp or expiration date” on semiconductors, on the other hand, is far more complicated. They will always be in a condition of degraded performance from the first day of operation.
The point is the CPU has already been damaged by the time it has been tested from the factory and even before it has been put on your motherboard.
Does overclocking reduce CPU lifespan?
During my research, I ran onto one computer engineer. When discussing CPU life-span, he said:
“ Can OC reduce the lifespan of the CPU? Yes.
However, I’ve been making computers since the 1990s and have never had a CPU die. I replaced them with new processors that were faster than the old ones. A gaming PC nowadays has a lifespan of roughly four years. It is a waste of money to replace it before that. And this computer can be utilized for different purposes for many years. ”
A consumer CPU’s silicon transistors typically have a lifespan of fifteen to twenty-five years. The problem is that it varies greatly amongst CPUs—even those of the same model. This is primarily due to manufacturing discrepancies.
The difference between fifteen and twenty-five years isn’t that significant because the CPU will be obsolete by that time in either case. CPU manufacturers often strive to ensure that their products last at least this long.
In my opinion, a slight overclock with sufficient cooling/voltage settings may reduce the CPUs lifespan by a few months. Still, you will likely only notice if the processor has died anyway.
If you think you’ll damage it, you’ve been duped by the lies and propaganda of firms like AMD and Intel, who don’t want you to gain free performance out of your computer. This is why they utilize misinformation to suggest that overclocking your CPU is extremely harmful and drastically shortens the lifespan of your components, both of which are false.
Now, let’s summarize:
Overclocking reduces the CPU’s life, but it’s negligible since most people will have replaced the CPU by then.
Here are a few tips before you OC your CPU
- Confirm that your CPU can be overclocked. Check here for Intel processors and here for AMD processors.
- Clean your PC. Removing dust that is built over time will help your machine run more efficiently and will overall the temperatures down.
- Check usage and current temperature stats before OC.
- Get a tower CPU cooler or liquid cooling.
- DO NOT EXCEED 1.4 VOLTS ON YOUR CPU UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
- Do your best to keep your overclocked CPU under 80° C when under load or benchmarking.
- Only increase the clock speed by 25 MHz at a time.
- Don’t be shocked if your machine displays a blue screen of death; you will encounter at least one blue screen of death when attempting to overclock your CPU, as you are forcing your computer to perform in ways that the manufacturer never intended.
Finally, here is a good video on how to overclock your CPU safely:
So, should you overclock your CPU?
From my point of view, there are two ways of looking at CPU overclocking:
First is that OC is a fun thing to do as you can get better performance without paying more money. The other is that the gains from aggressive overclocking are a little, so why risk it? Remember that overclockers should always be prepared to pay the price if something goes wrong.
That being said, if you are one of those who are replacing computers every couple of years, this is probably not a concern. However, if money is a concern, and you need your machine to last five years or more, then you can either do a slight overclocking or don’t do anything at all.