Should you overclock right away?

[YeshYyyK]

This is a very hypothetical situation, but:

 

For example, say I was a person who didn't need a whole lot of processing power and would be content with an i3 6100 or i5 6400, but still got an i5 6600K(or even a i7 6700K), would it be a bad idea to overclock right away, as that would potentially reduce the lifespan of said processor?

[Ichi]

Once you start overclocking and see the performance gains, you would push it to the limit.

Will you take that route?

[YeshYyyK]

5 minutes ago, Ichi said:

Once you start overclocking and see the performance gains, you would push it to the limit.

Will you take that route?

No.....

[Ichi]

1 minute ago, YeshYyyK said:

No.....

If you can keep the temps in check, then it won't reduce the lifespan by much, heck you would be upgrading it before it dies out on you.

 

If you feel that a non-k is enough for your usage then just go for the cheaper platform.

[Vegetable]

My q6600 rig is at 3ghz (25% overclock) for 8 years. Still runs fine to this day at that speed. 

[SnowyMus]

37 minutes ago, YeshYyyK said:

This is a very hypothetical situation, but:

 

For example, say I was a person who didn't need a whole lot of processing power and would be content with an i3 6100 or i5 6400, but still got an i5 6600K(or even a i7 6700K), would it be a bad idea to overclock right away, as that would potentially reduce the lifespan of said processor?

I'd turn up the multiplier whenever possible. Even a modest overclock of, say, 4.4 GHz could go quite a long way, and the effect on your processor's lifespan is just not that significant, provided your temperatures are in check.

 

If you're just gaming, though, an unlocked CPU is simply not required, though if you're wanting to do SLI, you'll need Z170 or X99, anyway. Even an i7-6700 or i5-6500 at stock speeds will last you many years before you find a replacement is required. Anyone who says you need to buy something like a 6700K or a 6600K just to play games at max settings is misleading or otherwise misinformed. However, the option to overclock does add value to your purchase and can give you a significant performance edge over locked processors for many generations.

 

If you don't need a lot of processing power for whatever reason, get the i3. It's a good CPU for its price point.

[xgn]

35 minutes ago, YeshYyyK said:

 

 

say I was a person who didn't need a whole lot of processing power

would it be a bad idea to overclock right away, as that would potentially reduce the lifespan of said processor?

You kind of answer you're own question.