As PC owners, we’re always on the lookout for ways to improve its performance by replacing its components from time to time and adjusting them to our changing user demands, whether as gamers or professionals.
Even so, it’s likely that many do not know that there is a technique called overclocking with which you can boost the performance of your CPU or GPU and thus obtain better results in the performance of the games and programs you have installed on your PC.
Want to find out more about CPU/GPU overclocking? Join us.
What is overclocking?
Overclocking is the process of increasing the clock speed of your computer’s processor or graphics card above its default settings. This can lead to a significant boost performance in games and other demanding tasks. However, it’s important to approach overclocking with caution, as poor implementation of this technique can damage hardware or cause system instability.
What is clock speed?
It’s an indicator measured in Hertz (Hz) that represents the number of cycles per second completed by the CPU. For example, a processor with a clock speed of 3.5 GHz means that it’s capable of executing 3.5 billion cycles per second. By increasing the clock speed you can make your CPU or GPU perform a greater number of operations in the same amount of time, thus improving the performance of the game you’re playing or the task you’re performing on your PC.
What should I consider before overclocking?
Before getting down to work and overclocking your CPU/GPU you need to consider these tips:
· Check hardware compatibility: Attention! Not all CPUs and GPUs are designed for overclocking. Therefore, we recommend you to investigate if the models of these components installed in your PC support this procedure.
· Update the BIOS and drivers: Make sure that the motherboard BIOS and GPU drivers are up to date. By doing so you can enable additional overclocking features.
· Create a system restore point: It’s important that you perform this action so that you can reverse any system failures that may occur due to overclocking and bring it back to the state it was before you performed the procedure.
How overclocking affects game performance
Game performance can be significantly improved by overclocking and its effects will depend on the hardware on which it’s applied. Here we tell you what happens when overclocking the CPU and GPU.
CPU overclocking
Overclocking the CPU can cause a considerable boost in game performance. For example, if you’re a Warzone player and do this procedure on a factory Ryzen 9 3900X processor at 4.4 GHz for all cores you’ll probably get a gain of 30 fps. So those games that use one or two cores will benefit from CPU overclocking.
If you’re a fan of strategy games, MMOs, and titles with complex AI you’ll be happy to know that their performance can be greatly improved by applying this technique to the CPU.
How to do CPU overclocking
To implement this technique on the CPU you must follow these steps:
· Restart the computer and press the designated key to enter the BIOS, which is usually Del or F2.
· Once inside, locate the option to adjust the CPU multiplier or ratio. We recommend doing this in increments of +1 (for example from 35x to 36x) so that you’re adding 100 MHz to the processor frequency.
· Later, you should run stability tests to verify the effectiveness of the CPU OC. Here you can take advantage of the features provided by programs such as Prime95 or AIDA64 to run stress tests on your CPU.
Do this for at least one hour so that you can check that the component is working as intended. When you have done this, repeat the process as far as your PC’s CPU will allow. Also, you can use software such as Core Temp or HWMonitor to monitor the CPU temperature. Make sure it always stays below 80°C under load.
GPU overclocking
Although the performance gains may not be as high (between 5-10%), GPU overclocking can help overcome certain framerate thresholds and improve overall game smoothness.
How to do GPU overclocking
Unlike the CPU, GPU overclocking requires the use of special software such as MSI Afterburner, which has an interface where you’ll have to increase the core clock in 10 MHz ranges.
Once you have made this adjustment, do the corresponding tests and repeat the steps until you’re sure that you have reached the maximum value allowed for this hardware. You can also use benchmarking tools such as 3DMark to check the performance and stability of the GPU with each adjustment you make.
Even so, you should know that the effects of overclocking vary greatly depending on the game you intend to favor with this method. It’s possible that with some titles the improvements will be substantial, while in others you’ll only obtain gains of a few fps. For those games that run on the GPU, they’ll not benefit much from overclocking the CPU.
Precautions when overclocking the CPU/GPU
If you’re not careful when overclocking the GPU or CPU, you may cause damage to it. So to avoid this tragedy we recommend you put these tips into practice:
· Keep an eye on temperatures during the overclocking process. In the case of the CPU, try to keep its temperature below 85 °C under load.
· Be careful when adjusting the voltage, as excessive voltage can damage your hardware. While increasing the voltage can provide stability, it also generates more heat.
· Make sure your PC has adequate cooling to withstand the effects of overclocking. This may involve upgrading the CPU heatsink, improving case airflow, or even considering liquid cooling for more extreme overclocks.
Common overclocking problems (and their solutions)
Here are some difficulties you may encounter when overclocking and how to solve them.
1. System crashes or freezes: This usually indicates an unstable overclock. To resolve this situation, reduce the clock speed or slightly increase the voltage (if it’s safe to do so).
2. Artifacts in games: An “artifact” is the name given to the situation where the graphics card experiences visual glitches or distortions on the screen. This is attributed to an unstable GPU overclock, which you can fix by reducing the core or memory speed of this hardware.
3. Failed stress tests: If after overclocking the CPU it fails in stress tests, then reduce the multiplier or slightly increase the voltage of this component if its temperature allows it.
When to reverse CPU/GPU overclocking?
If you experience persistent instability, excessive temperatures, or any signs of malfunction after overclocking the CPU/GPU, don’t hesitate and bring the hardware back to its default settings. It’s better to have a stable system at factory speeds than an unstable one with overclocking.
Overclocking 101: Final words
So, to safely boost the performance of your CPU or GPU, overclocking is a good alternative. However, you need to be very cautious when performing this procedure.
It’s not worth compromising the stability and security of your system to achieve higher clock speeds that favor the performance of your games or programs installed on your PC. Make small increments and test their effects with the suggested tools. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the temperatures of these components and make sure to keep them properly cooled.
Be careful with voltage settings and if any problems occur don’t hesitate to return the hardware to its initial values.