Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s tempting to buy a cheaper CPU and overclock it for better performance, but overclocking comes with its issues. You can easily overclock a CPU with little effort, but it takes a more experienced user to know the signs of overheating that eventually reduce the lifespan of the component. Here are some pros and cons of overclocking your CPU, so you can make an educated decision if it’s the right choice for you.

What is Overclocking?

Before discussing the pros and cons, you should know what overclocking means. Overclocking is a method of obtaining more performance out of your CPU than what the manufacturer intended. By sending more volts to the CPU, it expands its performance capabilities. You can overclock a CPU directly in the computer BIOS, so it doesn’t take any extra hardware or software to gain more performance from the machine.

Overclocking isn’t necessary when the machine is used for just simple applications such as office suites, Internet browsing, or other basic applications. However, for gamers and people who like to benchmark applications, it’s a legitimate way to get more speed from computer hardware.

Pros of Overclocking

There is actually only one pro for overclocking: performance. It’s why gamers and PC enthusiasts overclock a CPU and a GPU (graphics processor unit). When you send more voltage to either the CPU or GPU, the graphics increase, response times within applications are reduced, and benchmarks can identify peak performance for complex software.

Cons of Overclocking

The biggest issue with overclocking is the reduction in a component’s lifespan. You can overclock a CPU, GPU, motherboard or RAM, but sending increased volts gradually damages these components. Damage is caused by heat generated from increased power. Additional heat doesn’t usually ruin a circuit immediately, so the damage is seen gradually over time.

View Full Article