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Overclocking: How many are doing it?
- Thread starter Ahender
- Start date
scrambler2
Leading Member
It all depends on the type of Cpu. With older Cpu, the process could be a bit complex, and running a processor always overclocked a waste.
Since the new Sandy Bridge generation of Intel processors, not only has the process become very simple, but the overclock takes place on the turbo boost functionnality, which means that your processor with still run at low poser for simple stuff, and only ramp up to the overclocked mode when pressed for full power.
That is definitely worth it
Since the new Sandy Bridge generation of Intel processors, not only has the process become very simple, but the overclock takes place on the turbo boost functionnality, which means that your processor with still run at low poser for simple stuff, and only ramp up to the overclocked mode when pressed for full power.
That is definitely worth it
Bob Collette
Veteran Member
I'm overclocking my i5-2500K from it's stock 3.3GHz to 4.7GHz using a $25 CPU cooler and without any problems. Needless to say, it is pretty fast.
While it's relatively easy to overclock with the "enthusiast" motherboards (Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.), most "name brand" computers (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) don't allow overclocking. They leave the options required to overclock out of the BIOS. While I can't say that your computer won't allow overclocking, don't be surprised if it doesn't.
While it's relatively easy to overclock with the "enthusiast" motherboards (Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.), most "name brand" computers (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) don't allow overclocking. They leave the options required to overclock out of the BIOS. While I can't say that your computer won't allow overclocking, don't be surprised if it doesn't.
As mentioned previously, I think you'll find that your Dell bios is not able to be accessed to tweaking for OCing. The Dell's I've had did not allow enough access. Also of concern is if the CPU cooler, if still stock, would be up for the task to make it a long lived adventure.
Bob Collette
Veteran Member
I wouldn't say that an aftermarket CPU cooler will increase performance, however it may increase stability (less tendency to crash) and the life of the CPU (although it's unlikely that the CPU will "burn out" with the stock cooler). You can download a small utility called Real Temp that will show you your CPU temperature. Be advised that the CPU temperature will increase when the CPU is under load (LinX is a good program to stress your CPU and check its speed in GFlops). You can download Real Temp from: http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/
caterpillar
Veteran Member
Compared to years ago, OCing is very easy nowadays. As others have said, just make sure you get a better cooling devices to support the increase in temp. And you may have to get a more powerful/efficient power supply to support the extra power needed to OC.
But you have to wonder if it's worth doing that nowadays. With turbo boost and the like, it's more practical to let the cpu do it automatically for you. Yes, I know you can exceed the spec'd rated speed if you OC, but you have to balance the real need for speed vs your actual usage. Do you really process hundreds or thousands of raw files a week to warrant OCing? How much time will you really save?
The reason I am raising these issues is you can get a false sense of "speed" in processing when in reality, the savings in time is really just in seconds or a few minutes. In our country, the cost of electricity eventually catches up on you. If you OC a computer, it will run full throttle or above minimum spec and you can find your electric bill U$15-25 higher per month. You now have to weigh in the time you saved vs the extra cost of electricity.
IMO, only who do video editing benefit greatly from OC'ing. It's not the editing process that will need a fast cpu. Even a dual core with a good NLE, especially with GPU support can be edited smoothly and easily with a modest non-OC'd cpu. It's the rendering that will kill you and that's where cpu power is important. If you have to make a 1 hour video final output, a 1:1 render will render it in 1 hour as well. So, if you can OC and get it down to 1:0.5, that will now make that render 30min. That is a lot of savings. In reality too, you will likely re-edit and then render again that same video maybe 2-3 more times, and then we are now talking hours.
In video editing, lots of video effect layers or corrections can add minutes to rendering time. If you also use a software image stabilization, that really piles a LOT of time to render. This is where the fastest cpu speed you can get out of your cpu is needed. In fact, getting the gpu to help is more than welcome in such cases.
But if you are not really talking of video editing, or will not process hundreds of raw files most of the time, and in batch mode, I'd rather operate on stock. Even if you process thousands of raw files, if you have to tweak them manually, a 1,000 ghz cpu will not make things better for you. YOU will be the slowest link. Personally, I rarely do batch raw processing simply because I realize that many of my shots need to be attended to on an individual basis and not many can be lumped as the same setting in a batch raw processing.
Bottom line is, OCing does bump power a lot. In fact, desktops eat a lot more electricity than notebooks. I'm not saying you mustn't OC, but make sure your real needs is in tune with the reality of the cost of OCing. FYI, I am using a i7 quad notebook to edit my videos, and I edit a lot of them per week. I get 1:1 or maybe 1:1.2 tops in rendering them. If I go desktop, my electricity bill goes up by an avg of U$15/month, even more really as our local electric company is jacking up the rates all the time. I am also on a photo album layout and I will likely process only 15 or 20 raw files for enlargements. So, OCing is overkill. Besides, I notice that if an Intel cpu is rated say at 2.0ghz, with 2.9ghz tops turbo boost in 1-2 cores, it's really running at 2.6ghz on 4 cores nominally. Another thing, I also realized that running at 4ghz in 4 cores and 8 threads does not mean utilizing that 4ghz fully in terms of cpu loading. That means, you can see 4ghz or whatever but if you are just utilizing 40-50% of that power, then there is just an illusion of speed. Surely the cpu is not tapped to the fullest.
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- Caterpillar
Glen Barrington
Veteran Member
But is it really necessary for anyone but hobbyists and people with special requirements? Ten years ago, just about everyone could have benefited from overclocking, but considering the extra heat (and shortened life of the PC), the noise of the fan, just how worth it is it any more considering Sandy Bridge quad core (even sextuplet core! see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Bridge ) systems. Stock seems pretty darned impressive!
I have a question for the REALLY knowledgeable based on the wikipedia link I just posted. I understand the higher performance processors generally generate more heat than lower performing processor. But is that consistently true? Will, say, an i7 2600S processor that draws 65 watts generate more heat than an i5 2400 model processor that needs 95 watts?
I just purchased an i7 2600s machine on the assumption that it would run cooler than an i5 2400 model. But in truth, I was guessing. Anyone know?
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I'm so bright, my father calls me son.
Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos
I have a question for the REALLY knowledgeable based on the wikipedia link I just posted. I understand the higher performance processors generally generate more heat than lower performing processor. But is that consistently true? Will, say, an i7 2600S processor that draws 65 watts generate more heat than an i5 2400 model processor that needs 95 watts?
I just purchased an i7 2600s machine on the assumption that it would run cooler than an i5 2400 model. But in truth, I was guessing. Anyone know?
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I'm so bright, my father calls me son.
Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos
Well now all of dem hens was a clocking so much for so long the time dat I puts it in anudder roster and den the overclocking it stop so is easy to fixing it with a roster.
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May the light be with you
Stop global whining
Stupid should hurt
Gear: My Lab Lara, cameras, lens, tripod, monopod, cars, MH, motorcycles (yah bought another), helmet, yacht, etc. too much stuff.
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May the light be with you
Stop global whining
Stupid should hurt
Gear: My Lab Lara, cameras, lens, tripod, monopod, cars, MH, motorcycles (yah bought another), helmet, yacht, etc. too much stuff.
Glen Barrington
Veteran Member
Are you in pain now? I've got some Tylenol. . .
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I'm so bright, my father calls me son.
Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos
herebefore
Veteran Member
I was oc'ing systems when Windows XP was a new operating system..
It was, at best, an interim cure for systems that needed to be faster.
I was "rendering" a lot of video in those days (prior to the multi-core chips).. it seemed to take FOREVER and oc'ing the computer got it done quicker.
These days, with fairly inexpensive motherboards and multicore chips like the i5 or i7 I dont think overclocking is justified except for "gamers" and "geeks" (no insult intended)..
To me, its just as easy to buy a new 'mobo, and a quicker chip (sometimes you dont even need to buy the board, just the chip).
For my money, I think putting in extra cooling, and then having to monitor board and chip temperatures isnt worth the effort, and is still just as likely to "cook" your system when you need it most... Like on a Sunday evening, when you cant run out and buy new parts...
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Larry Lynch
Mystic, Connecticut
Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does
In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.
Oscar Wilde
Asking a bunch of PC geeks if you should overclock is like asking a bunch of grease monkeys if you should put a performance camshaft in your car. Does the new camshaft help performance? Yes. Will it matter on your commute to work? No. Could you screw it up? Yes. Could it fry your car? Possibly.
Putting in the new camshaft can prove beneficial, but that doesn't make it a good idea for everyone.
Putting in the new camshaft can prove beneficial, but that doesn't make it a good idea for everyone.
Glen Barrington
Veteran Member
computer performance speed. Now that we have our choice of 32/64 bit operating systems and multi core processors that can handle 1 or 2 threads per core, figuring out optimal throughput for a specific need can get challenging and is probably still just a W.A.G.
--
I'm so bright, my father calls me son.
Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos
--
I'm so bright, my father calls me son.
Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos
My guess is among people who overclock, almost no-one has saved more time by having a faster computer than they have lost in selecting the parts, fiddling with the system, fixing reliability issues, etc..
It's a holdover from a previous era when you had to wait for computers to finish tasks.
It's a holdover from a previous era when you had to wait for computers to finish tasks.
P_e_t_e
Forum Enthusiast
Laws of physics suggest that the 65W CPU will run cooler than a 95W one. All the consumed energy must come out somehow, and unless your CPU glows, spins or whistles, the only other thing it may do is emit heat.
Higher performance does not equal generating more heat - not in all cases. But if you take a CPU that consumes 65W at its nominal clock rate, the same CPU when overclocked will consume more energy.
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Peter
caterpillar
Veteran Member
We were OC'ing systems in the days of 8086!
True. It took hours to render, and if you botch it or find out that something was amiss in the edit, you go over the 8-hour render again! This considering that the material was just DV or SD, not even HD video of today!
Actually, gamers mostly know that they put their money on the video card, than the cpu. A decent i5 with a strong gpu will give better gaming performance than a 4-core 8-thread powerful cpu that is OC'd.
True. Unfortunately, Intel tend to make new support chips to pair with the new cpu, thus requiring a new m'board. And with the increase in speed, old ddr2 rams, require ddr3. Without a doubt they'll require a ddr4 on the next iteration of cpus!
Actually, those monitors help a lot. It does tell you if your cooling system is faulty or has failed. AT times, the fans could stop or full of dust that cooling is less; or the thermal paste already is dry or a dud. I do have to service my system and the ability to see the temps without having to pry open the case is a big thing.
Also, unless for some reason you can disable or override the thermal protection, most cpu's today throttle down to prevent from "cooking" itself to death. If you start seeing your screen move like molasses, and you don't have a SF to monitor the temp, it's likely you are overheating and the cpu is throttling the cpu down.
Notebooks typically cannot be overriden. Some SF can override it, but better be careful because that would be the end of it. But normally, the NLE or appliactions gets its cue from the cpu or firmware. M'boards even can be programmed to sound an alarm or shut down if you exceed temps you specify.
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- Caterpillar
dmartin92
Veteran Member
I am running an old CPU (from 3 or so years ago), and I am not overclocking it, and I don't feel my PC runs too slow. It's fine enough for me.
Glen Barrington
Veteran Member
That was the reasoning I used when ordering the i7 over the i5. It's good to know there is at least one other person in the world whose logic works like mine.
If you find a source on a spinning, glowing, whistling CPUs let me know. I think I'd order one!
--
I'm so bright, my father calls me son.
Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos
If you find a source on a spinning, glowing, whistling CPUs let me know. I think I'd order one!
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I'm so bright, my father calls me son.
Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos
herebefore
Veteran Member
Now that you brought it up... so did I... I have often wondered how fast some of my old DOS stuff would be if run on a "modern" system...We were OC'ing systems in the days of 8086!
I gave up Overclocking for a while when Microsoft went beyond Windows 98 se...
With 98 se, I simply waited till I had the OS "crash-proofed" then oc'd it...
Windows 95, and Windows Vista never seemed to be stable enough for me to dare to add "one more thing to the mix"..
Windows 7 64 bit OTOH is a good solid stable platform for playing around...
I've got Windows 8 running on one of my systems, and it really boots up FAST.. if the final version of it is that quick to boot, I will upgrade when the time comes...
The beta of "8" that Im running seems oriented toward "touch screen" and tablet type computers... once you disable all of the "touch" stuff that it initially boots with, it seems "faster" out of the box..
You can imagine how thrilled I was when machines started to be able to render DvD quality video in less time than it took to shoot it...
Well, thats a good thing.. I've always noticed the "gamers" that I know seemed like pretty smart guys...
I've tried several different systems using AMD chips.
Some of them worked well, some of them didn't.
I have a couple of "bargain" computers I acquired, when a small business went under that came with 64 bit AMD chips in a mobo that cant do 64 bit... Marketing I guess.. I can think of no other reason for that configuration.
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Larry Lynch
Mystic, Connecticut
Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does
In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.
Oscar Wilde
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