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Overclockingis a hallowed tradition among PC enthusiasts to get the best from their silicon.
However, with advances in manufacturing and automated performance management, is there any point in overclocking your gear?
If overclocking isn’t dead, who is it for?
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Often the only difference between two CPUs, for example, is the frequency.
Yet the CPU with the higher clock speed number costs more.
Related:What Is Overclocking?
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Assuming you find a stable overclock, you get the most possible performance for your money.
Overclocking is possible in the first place due to inconsistencies in the chip manufacturing process.
Two seemingly identical microchips will tolerate different voltages and frequencies.
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This variation is usually more pronounced early in the manufacturing life of a new microprocessor.
Sometimes locking down cheaper chips to prevent tech-savvy customers from getting “free” performance.
Related:How Fast Should My Computer’s CPU Be?
Modern processors dynamically increase their performance within the power and cooling limits of the computer.
Give a modern Intel or AMD CPU enough headroom and push itself up to the edge of performance.
Related:Should You Overclock Your Gaming Laptop?
Some processors can operate at lower voltages in the silicon lottery without becoming unstable.
Enthusiast overclockers want the most performance out of their computer regardless of the time and effort involved.
In this way, they have a lot in common with car tuner culture.
Competitive extreme overclockers are another example of overclocking that’s not likely to go away.
These folks are smearing motherboards in vaseline and pouring liquid nitrogen (LN2) onto their CPUs.
Related:How to See What CPU Is In Your PC (and How Fast It Is)
