There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Overclocking. A general sense of fear is associated with overclocking, which makes most users shy away from even attempting to OC their components. In this article, we will try to cover the ground-level basic definitions, bust some stereotypical myths, and prepare the ground for our next article, which will be the basic steps to start overclocking.
What is Overclocking?
Overclocking is the process by which the user tries to make a component perform over and above the rated specification by the manufacturer. Let us explain this in a bit more detail with an example. Suppose you have a processor X rated to run at a speed of 3.2 GHz; then, in simple terms, the processor is rated to run 3.2 Billion instructions in a second. Now let us assume a CPU Y (a higher tier, higher priced processor in comparison to X) clocked at 4.8 GHz, this means that the CPU is guaranteed to run 4.8 billion instructions in a second. What if I say you can attempt to achieve the same performance on processor X simply by overclocking it? Sounds too good to be true, right? It is not, you can do so if you can figure out the perfect mixture of a few critical parameters. This might not be much different on paper. Also, the 67% difference we see on paper in the figure is not reflected as-is in the performance difference. This means that, although we are seeing a 67% difference in speed, it doesn’t mean that there will be a 67 percent increase in performance. You might ask, “Why doesn’t the manufacturer sell the CPU pre-overclocked?”
and that would be a very valid question. The thing is, they know the actual hardware limits of the exact silicon, but the number is always undercut to ensure greater confidence in the claimed figure. This is because the standards followed in the testing labs are very difficult if not impossible to replicate in homes and offices.
Other Factors Affecting Processor Performance
Reading the previous paragraph, many will conclude that the speed of the processor is the only factor that affects its performance; let me bust that bubble for you right here. Although speed has a considerable contribution to the performance of a CPU, other factors impact the performance; let us take a look at some of the critical parameters:-
- Core count of the CPU- Cores are separate processing units integrated under a CPU. Higher the core count, better the performance depending on your workload. Let us know if you want a better idea about Cores and CPUs; generally, we will try to make a different article addressing it.
- Cache Storage Size- CPUs have a limited storage unit, generally limited to MBs and graded in a hierarchy of three. L1, L2 & L3. L1 is blazing fast to access and is built on the CPU itself, this is also the smallest physical storage, ranging from 8-64kb in size. Next comes the L2 and L3 caches, they are a bit slower to access, and the l2 cache might or might not be built onto the CPU and might be shared between the CPU and the RAM. If we have to draw concise information from this jargon, it would be that the larger the L2 and L3 caches, the faster will be the processor, to be specific, and the computer in general.
- Energy consumption- It can almost always be considered a rule of thumb that a faster processor will consume more energy, whether overclocked or otherwise.
Other Things to Consider
The processor isn’t the only component that is responsible for the overall snappiness of the system.
- Storage Type:- Systems with SSDs are assured of performing better than their counterparts with HDDs. Even at that comes what kind of SSD you are using. Here is a flowchart showing the hierarchy of speeds of different storage devices.
GEN4 PCI-E NVME > GEN3 PCI-E NVME > SATA SSD > HARD DISKS
- Amount and frequency of available RAM:- The amount and frequency of RAM also play a very important role in the overall rapidness of the system.
MYTHS Associated with OverClocking
1. There is a HUGE Possibility That You Will TOAST Your System
In the current day, it is quite impossible to damage your components simply by overclocking your components. Today almost all of the components come with integrated safety mechanisms in place to prevent this. The worst-case scenario in a botched overclocking attempt would be your system’s inability to POST (Power On Self Test). You can fix this by simply resetting your bios, jumping the allotted pins, or removing the battery from your mobo.
2. You Need to Be a Hardware Guru and Juggle Complicated Jargon to be Able To Overclock Your System
If somebody told me that a decade ago, I would have believed him, but in today’s date, all you have to do is change a few numbers in the BIOS to overclock your CPU and move around a few sliders in the software of your choice to overclock your GPU. To say it’s a child’s play would be an understatement.
3. You Need the Most Bonkers of a Cooling Setup to be able to Overclock.
Absolutely false. Changing the multipliers without much or no change in voltage would make no significant difference in the temperature. Most people would keep these settings anyways; however, in case of extreme OC sessions, you do need some exceptional cooling equipment and infrastructure. However, this article targets beginners, so we won’t get into much detail about the extreme OC. We shall cover that under the enthusiast section at a later date.
4. There is Some One Size Fits All OC Setting
The fourth and the last myth, in our opinion, is that there is a rumor of a one size fits all kind of equation for overclocking your system. It is absolute BS. All components are built differently even two processors of the same model number are unique. We refer to this as “SILICON LOTTERY” this phrase means that what kind of silicon you will get on ordering a processor is completely up to luck. Some of them scale exceptionally well, while others do not. Overclocking is a trial and error method, and you get a groove of it with experience.
In our next article, we will be talking about the very basics of OC and pre-requisites for overclocking your CPU. Thanks for sticking to the end. As always, see you in the next one.