Introduction:-
Every tech-savvy and pro gamer knows one thing about the CPU is that it can be “overclock” and that is to increase the performance of the processor so that you can get every ounce of power and efficiency it is capable of providing.
Overclock in CPU explained
So in overclock the CPU all you do is just increase the company allotted clock speed and tweak it a little to increase it so that the CPU offers better performance and in turn better results whether it be in gaming or professional level content creation.
Now mostly, this process seems to be used by gamers or pro gamers to get smoother game plays of games with heavy graphics or multiplayer open world games, and they also stream these game plays, so it’s very effective at that point to use this handy feature in their CPU’s.
How to know if your CPU is unlocked for overclocking or not?
- Always know which company are you buying the CPU from as some companies offer a way to know if they are overclock able or not, for example: Intel has a K at the end of the name.
- Know which motherboard you are currently using or planning to buy and check to see if it’s overclock compatible or not.
- You can check the model and make of the processor and the motherboard in the control panel of your system.
Is there a chance that there might be some more important things to know before you start overclocking a processor?
Well yes, there is one more thing to remember before you increase the output of your components is that they are kept below the temperature that are recommended when overclocking a system because if the component is overheating and does not get cooled down soon, it can be worse there can be an electrical fire that can damage the whole system, or it can fry the component which is just as equally bad as a fire, so a good CPU cooler would go a long way with this process.
A few simple steps to check the make of your components
1) Click on the windows button and search for control panel.
2) Go to the main menu and select the option labelled as system
3) From there you can look at an option “devices and specs”
4) Go onto the page and search for processor and motherboard, and then you can figure out the rest of the details from there.
5) Once you have all the details cross-reference it with the info on the box of the components or by typing it in onto Google and that way you can also find if they are overclock compatible or even compatible for each other saving a lot of energy and money beforehand.
Some companies that allow you to know which processors are overclock able
1)Intel
As mentioned above, the Intel processor comes with an establishment of the letter “k” at the end of the model name as a sign to know that the processor you are planning to buy is in fact overclock compatible.
2)AMD
You’ve might have heard of AMD and how it’s dominating the processor market right now. With the upcoming and new upgrades in the AMD processor line all of their chips comes with the master ability to overclock Excluding older chips before zen3 architecture. Noticeably, some have noticed that the chips with “FX” can be overclocked too.
Does all the company provide a way to check the overclock ability of the processors?
Unfortunately, no there are only a few number of companies that provide an instructional number or a letter that tell the user about the overclocking ability. The rest of the things users has to find on their own, either by asking from the place they buy the component from or by looking it up on the internet.
How to check if your CPU Processor is overclock able?
1) Go to the window button, click on it and search for control panel. It’s usually there on the menu, if not you can search for it in the search field provided
2) Then secondly, go to the option named as “System”
3) Then head to another category labelled as system or devices and click on it.
4) Then find the processor option and click on it
5) Now, you have the full specs of your processor, along with its speed and model.
6) Now you can either check for the specs and overclock ability from the internet using the model name of the processor, or you can check with the speed provided there
7) If the speed of the base clock and turbo clock is higher than the recommended speed, then your CPU is overclocked
Is there a way that the processor can automatically use the overclocking function in themselves?
No, absolutely not, overclocking will only be activated or enabled when the user decides to do it other than that the component with the ability will work just as it was intended by the manufacturer.
Second way to check if the CPU is overclock able or is already overclocked if you changed the settings
1) Go to the start button again and search for task manager
2) After opening up the task manager head onto System performance tab and then look for Processor
3) After you find the category a menu will be displayed with all the important aspects of your components along with the important one as speed and Cores and threads.
Overclocking boost performance but how much boost do you actually get?
Some test have shown that after overclocking the processor you get up to 20% or even 30% more performance increase and as mentioned above it further aids in heavy rendering of graphics on game or video editing.
Now that we’ve established how to check whether your processor is overclock able or not. How does a user check if they were successful in overclocking the processor?
The first way:-
1) Go to the windows button and go to task manager
2) After it opens go to the tab named as performance
3) Open the CPU category and check on the speed of the clock provided (base clock, turbo clock)
4) Now you can run a stress test, use any software that you prefer for it.
5) After putting a load on the processor, match the speed with the speed provided by the manufacturer on the instruction manual that comes with the component or on the internet
6) If the speed is higher that the original factory speed (check the base clock and turbo clock if the number is higher in both then the processor is overclocked)
Second way:-
1) You can also whether the processor is successfully overclocked is through the system BIOS.
2) When you first turn on your system it’s going to take you directly to the BIOS screen and tell you to press a button on the keyboard as mentioned on the screen
3) After pressing the desired button, you will enter the BIOS mainframe
4) Head to the CPU settings and every BIOS is different so it can have different names but it will all lead to the same settings.
5) You will encounter stuff as “Clock speed”, Clock Multiplier, CPU voltage.
6) Now check the numbers provided by the manufacturer if they don’t match the on-screen values and are higher, than your processor is overclocked.
Are there any cons of using the overclock function?
There are certainly many aspects of the function that can downgrade your component and affect their longevity which in turn can affect the whole system which can cost a lot of money to replace or repair.
Some of the ways effects it has:-
Heating issues
Overclocking causes the components to expel a lot of heat because of the load you put on it and that is why you need a very good airflow heat sink or a water cooled one to deal with the issue.
Huge power requirements
Your cpu does the work and the more it works the more energy it needs and consumes. So the PSU unit you choose should be able to provide the power and to ensure that it’s high quality it should come with a certification of bronze, gold or platinum.
Longevity issues
Since these components come with a manufacturer set clock speeds and when you temper with it due to the load put on the processor it can be damaged very soon and thus can affect it’s longevity and also they can grow out of their manufacturer guarantee and thus not be repaired or exchanged after being overclocked which in turn cost you more money to buy a new one.
Conclusion
Overclocking can be really a powerful tool in your corner when you want to the highest output performance for your system whether it be low end and high end this would definitely allow you to work without limiting your system. Ensuring your work be flawless.
