OC'ing i7-8700k. Is it worth it?

[Lynx At0Mic]

Hey, I got a new rig last month and I am thinking about overclocking the CPU (i7-8700k). I have read that overclocking can reduce the lifespan of the CPU so I am wondering is it worth it for me. I have had to save for a long time for this rig and at the moment, I am very happy with its performance so if overclocking will reduce its life significantly then I don't think I would want to do it. So I would like to know is will overclocking reduce the life of my CPU so it might break within the next few years and if so is the performance benefit actually worth it?

Thanks.

 

PS: I use this rig for gaming and as I render farm when I am away. When rendering only the CPU is used so I would benefit from more power

 

Specs of my rig:

i7-8700k

Fractal Design - Kelvin S36 62.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

800w be quiet! PSU

GTX 1080ti

[Howitz]

if it's not bottlenecking your gtx1080ti, which it isnt, and if you don't need more performance, which you probably don't. then don't OC it.

 

now let's say for example that you have a 75hz monitor and want to play at 75 fps to match it. But unfortunately you experience drops to 55 fps, you notice your cpu is the culprit going at 100% during these drops while your gpu still have some headroom, it's in this situation you'll want to overclock.

[Judd]

I only recommend overclocking a CPU if it is bottlenecking the graphics card. If it is bottlenecking it, which I highly doubt it, then I would give it a slight overclock. When people say it will reduce the lifespan is when it is getting very hot or there is too much voltage going through it. So, if you are careful and watch the temps it should be fine.

[Lynx At0Mic]

Just now, Judd said:

I only recommend overclocking a CPU if it is bottlenecking the graphics card. If it is bottlenecking it, which I highly doubt it, then I would give it a slight overclock. When people say it will reduce the lifespan is when it is getting very hot or there is too much voltage going through it. So, if you are careful and watch the temps it should be fine.

so if I keep the temps low then the lifespan won't be reduced?

[Howitz]

Just now, Lynx At0Mic said:

so if I keep the temps low then the lifespan won't be reduced?

yeah if you keep voltage low and keep it at safe temps then there's no reason it would reduce the lifespan, it does'nt mean there's a reason to overclock it either lol.

[bimmerman]

Will you notice ~5% faster performance without staring at an FPS counter?

 

In other words, are you going to be doing actual work that can take advantage of faster run/compile/render times? If so, and a paycheck isn't on the line, sure.

 

If not, and all you're going to do is game, and you're not competing for money in tournaments, then no.

 

If a paycheck is on the line, i.e. if your computer is unstable or fails due to ineptitude or hardware failure then you don't pay rent, then absolutely do not overclock.

 

If you recognize the performance difference will be minimal, and have a strong urge to tinker and see how much performance you can get from the hardware, then sure.

[Damascus]

Changing the voltage will reduce lifespan, anything under 1.4v should be totally safe.

[Lynx At0Mic]

3 minutes ago, Howitz said:

yeah if you keep voltage low and keep it at safe temps then there's no reason it would reduce the lifespan, it does'nt mean there's a reason to overclock it either lol.

I use the machine for gaming and rendering so I'm glad I can improve render times without damaging it.Thanks!

[Howitz]

9 minutes ago, Lynx At0Mic said:

I use the machine for gaming and rendering so I'm glad I can improve render times without damaging it.Thanks!

good to know, mind telling us the rendering time improvement you gain trought overclocking when it's done?

[Bhav]

I say over clock to whatever it can manage on stock volts.