What will overclocking my cpu do

As long as you buy a highly rated power supply from a reputable company of around watts or higher, you should be good for most builds. Thermal compound, also called thermal paste, is basically just a grey paste that you put between the CPU cooler and the CPU itself, allowing for more efficient heat transfers.

Most CPU coolers come with thermal paste pre-applied, but the quality can be dubious depending on what brand the cooler is.

Overclocking is great, but it does come with a few risks. Heat is the main concern of CPUs, and too much heat can lead to a shorter lifespan for the chip. Not many people nowadays plan on having their computer last for 10 years and up, but it could be something to be worried about if you do want to hold onto the computer for awhile.

Heat will only outright kill a CPU when it exceeds around degrees Celsius, though your CPU should automatically shut off at that point. The other main risk is voltage. As previously mentioned, in order to achieve higher overclocks you also need to increase the voltage provided to the CPU.

Heat is one byproduct of this which is a problem, but the voltage itself could also be a problem. Too high voltage on your CPU can actually fry the chip, killing it. With high-end components, moderate overclocks produce marginal performance gains in most cases.

Furthermore, if you play a lot of CPU-intensive games or use applications like HandBrake, overclocking can give you a significant performance uplift, even at moderate settings.

It may void your warranty, too. Some manufacturers, such as EVGA, cover overclocking under the standard warranty. Others, such as Intel, offer optional protection plans that cover overclocking. DIY overclocking pushes processors past their spec, so the sky is really the limit when it comes to how much faster you can make your CPU. Given ideal circumstances, that is. Heat is the enemy, and as you push your clock speed higher, your CPU will get hotter.

Pushing the 2. However, the improvements should be marginal if you plan on using the overclock every day. In most cases, that usually means between Hz to Hz faster with adequate cooling. What sort of overclocking do you want to try? How in-depth are you willing to go? Here are some important tools so you can judge the work level for yourself. Most importantly, the overclocking process depends on how much time you are willing to spend to do it correctly.

You can do a quick and janky overclock procedure just by downloading the right software and changing a few settings. A proper and safe overclock requires research beforehand. You should also ensure your computer has adequate cooling equipment.

Your CPU should have a heavy duty heatsink and large cooling fans. You might even want to use a liquid cooling system to deal with the extra heat generated by your faster CPU. These startup screens vary dramatically from one manufacturer to another, so you'll need to look for the overclocking controls. It's a good idea to increase the multiplier by a small amount, reboot the computer and test it. You can increase the clock speed in increments to get to the speed you are interested in.

Every time you increase the clock speed, spend a few hours "stress testing" the computer. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts.

Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. You get the idea. When it comes to laptops on the whole overclocking is usually disabled. You can do it with some models. On top of that, a lot of components nowadays auto-overclock anyway. All of the GeForce cards, have something known as GPU Boost, which will auto-apply additional voltage and clock speed, to a power or temperature target.

Even outside of the performance increases, it brings you closer to the hobby and gives you a good insight as to just how everything works in your system. Get the best gaming deals, reviews, product advice, competitions, unmissable gaming news and more!