Is overclocking really worth it?

[Cobiee]

So I have been doing some overclocking with my current AMD Phenom II X4 965 black edition cpu and i have got it to 4.0Ghz and stable, so I had already done a bench mark before hand on Left 4 Dead 2 on stock speeds and collected my results, after overclocking I seen about a 5fps increase on avg min and max fps on the bench mark at the same point in the game and for the same length on the same settings, I know different cpus will over clock better and you will be able to push them further, but is it really worth over clocking to get a very minimal increase in performance? Bearing in mind im already getting about 110 fps avg on a asus hd 7770 on l4d2 and maxed settings and aax2 so 5fps really isn't noticeable in any way shape or form, Also that comes along with the increased voltages and temperatures, is it really worth those few extra frames? I personally don't think its worth overclocking at all as I have put my cpu back to stock speeds and see no noticeable difference in performance while playing a game or in this case L4D2, In my opinion I think if you want increased performance either buy a better cpu or get another graphics card if not one very good graphics card, what is your opinion on this guys? Thanks

[dchen12]

It depends what you're using your overclock for. If it's something like games, usually you won't benefit much or at all since most CPUs these days are capable of running games fine anyways. I personally don't think it's worth it to overclock just for games. There are many other applications that will benefit from an overclock, which would make overclocking worth it. Plus it's free performance if you need it.

[Cobiee]

It depends what you're using your overclock for. If it's something like games, usually you won't benefit much or at all since most CPUs these days are capable of running games fine anyways. I personally don't think it's worth it to overclock just for games. There are many other applications that will benefit from an overclock, which would make overclocking worth it. Plus it's free performance if you need it.

I agree and I was meaning over clocking solely for gaming purposes, but you are right in saying it may be worth it for other applications which is relevant

[Helltech]

It helps, even if it only helps a little, its free performance, its fun, its worth it.

[tacticalpanic]

It helps' date=' even if it only helps a little, its free performance, its fun, its worth it. [/quote']

its not free though because you need an aftermarket cooler to overclock.

[Cobiee]

It helps' date=' even if it only helps a little, its free performance, its fun, its worth it. [/quote']

its not free though because you need an aftermarket cooler to overclock.

And a new cpu or mobo if it all goes south

[xeks]

If you get a K-series CPU from Intel, they're meant for overclocking. You can still overclock on a stock cooler, but not much, and still have it be in reasonable temperatures...so in theory it's still free. Can't really say for AMD since I stopped using my Athlon 64 years ago but I'm sure its relatively safe to overclock, even if it's just going from 3.5 GHz to 3.6 GHz or something like that.

[killerx525]

I wouldn't dare to try overclock an FX chip on a stock cooler.

[Checkitman22]

It helps' date=' even if it only helps a little, its free performance, its fun, its worth it. [/quote']

its not free though because you need an aftermarket cooler to overclock.

Lol overclocking doesn't go south, and you can overclock on stock coolers, hell I did it for years, you just can't do it nearly as much. It should be noted that you can even overclock and drop voltages in some cases if you have a good chip, and then it really doesn't matter.

[TheCanadianGamer16]

I wouldn't dare to try overclock an FX chip on a stock cooler.

actually, i did it, ive got the 6100, and i got it to 3.7 from 3.3 on the stock cooler, but as long as game doesn't push it past 50% usage, the stock cooler it fine, but im running watercooling now, so i bumped it to 4Ghz

[killerx525]

I wouldn't dare to try overclock an FX chip on a stock cooler.

Yer but your meant to test it at load see how it is.