Can and should i overclock my cpu?
Can and should i overclock my cpu?
Hello everyone! I was looking for help online and found this forum. I bought my PC in a package (meaning no parts were chosen by me) and put it together back in January. I know about computers but not as an expert person. Some people say that pushing your CPU to higher speeds makes the computer faster, but they also warn that doing this breaks the warranty and shortens how long the parts last.
My PC is used every day for playing video games, watching YouTube, listening to music, and studying. The games I play include: Call of Duty MW, GTA 5, Fortnite, CSGO, Minecraft, and PUBG. I am only seventeen years old and got this PC as a birthday gift without choosing the parts myself. I want to make sure the computer lasts a long time and not get damaged or broken by me. So can and should I overclock my CPU based on what is written here? Below is an exact list of all my parts:
CPU Intel Core i7-9700K Processor Socket-LGA1151, 8-Core, 8-Thread, 3.60GHz, Coffee Lake, OEM/Tray, PSU Corsair TX650M, 650W PSU ATX 12V v2-4, 80 PLUS Gold, Semi Modular, 6+2-pin PCIe, MB ASUS ROG Strix Z390-F GAMING, S-1151 Motherboard, ATX, Z390, DDR4, 2x PCIe-x16, 2x M.2, SupremeFX, Aura Sync, RAM HyperX Fury RGB DDR4 2666MHz 16GB 2x8GB 2666MHz (PC4-21300) DDR4 CL16, XMP 2.0. black, CASE Phanteks Eclipse P400A RGB Black Fans: 3x120mm RGB, m-ITX, m-ATX, ATX, E-ATX, Tempered Glass, SSD Kingston A2000 250GB NVMe M.2 SSD M.2 2280, PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe, 3D NAND, up to 2000/1100MB/s, 150TBW, GPU ASUS GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER DUAL EVO Grafikkort, PCI-Express 3.0, 8GB GDDR6, Turing, HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" HDD SATA 6.0Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB cache, 3.5", CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edt 115x/2011/2011-3/2066, AM2/AM3/AM4, 650~2000 RPM,65 CFM, 8-30 dBA
That is where the work starts. You need to dig into details and specs, check reviews, look at stress test results too. For most people if you play it safe, start slow (no heavy overclocking) and then gradually increase limits that are allowed by the docs. This way you can see how performance and heat go up. Stick with one setting for a few days to make sure everything stays stable. Next step: go up another level slowly. Keep writing down what happens and when things break down, like crashes or high temperatures. Then turn back down and stop. Don't change anything else or install new software or even skip updates. If you do this, you'll be pretty sure any problem is caused by overclocking and not some buggy program or other issues.
That is where the real work starts. You need to check the specs, read reviews, and look at stress test results. For most people, start slow if you can be careful. Do very little overclocking first, then slowly increase it up within what is allowed. You should see how your computer performs and gets hot over time. Stick with just one set of numbers for a few days to make sure everything stays stable. Then try another step at a slower pace. Keep writing down all the changes you make. If something goes wrong, like if the computer crashes or gets too hot, go back and turn it off without doing anything else. Don't install new software or pause your updates. By stopping any other work, you can be pretty sure that problems are from overclocking and not from buggy programs or bad settings.
The 9700K and almost all K CPUs are built for overclocking, which is actually quite easy to do with many helpful guides online. With the Z390 Strix motherboard, your 9700K should be able to reach a 4.8GHz rating for every single core just by switching to a multiplayer mode called 48... you could go even higher, but getting hot will start happening and getting worse. You are right about whether your cooler is strong enough on this front. The Hyper 212 is a decent cooler, but it probably won't work well if you want to push above 4.8GHz. What matters most is testing how the temps change while you are overclocking. Use Prime95 version 26.6 and Cinebench R20 to check stability and see what the temperatures look like. As I mentioned, there are some great articles and the overclockers forum where you can find very specific help that matches your motherboard and CPU to get you through... As Ralston18 has said, take your time and work step by step... it can be really satisfying to unlock all your potential and learn a lot.