Does overclocking make a difference? Can you see the results?
Does overclocking make a difference? Can you see the results?
I’d like to share my thoughts on overclocking for gaming. Is it beneficial? Will you see the results? Focusing on the CPU and GPU. Thank you.
varies based on your system specs, the extent of the overclock, and the specific game. A mild overclock (around 100Mhz) usually doesn’t show much improvement in most titles, whereas a significant boost comes from upgrading to a more powerful GPU. A solid overclock above 600Mhz can noticeably enhance performance, though the effect depends on the game's CPU usage. Still, moving to a stronger GPU generally provides the greatest improvement you’ll see.
Yes, both the CPU OC will show limited gains soon in games. Share your specs and we can suggest effective optimization options.
It depends on your hardware, how much you overclock, and the game you're playing. Mild overclocking (around 100Mhz) usually doesn’t show much improvement in most games, while a bigger GPU can significantly boost performance. A solid overclock above 600Mhz will start to make a difference, though the extent varies depending on the game's CPU usage. Upgrading to a stronger GPU is likely to give the biggest gains, but if you already have the best GPU and can only overclock, results depend on the specific game and how much you push it. A 100Mhz overclock won’t be noticeable, but 800+Mhz will improve performance, though not dramatically unless the game is very CPU-intensive. Generally, CPU overclocking tends to offer smaller gains compared to GPU upgrades, though both can increase performance if pushed hard enough. Once you hit heavy overclock levels, cooling becomes important, and the value for money depends on what you get in return.
Yes to both... the CPU OC will show limited gains soon in games. Share your specs and we can suggest effective targets.
Link: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/user/k1z/saved/3HWxFT
This build is what I’m aiming for, planning to get the 1070 once it’s released, though the one listed there is just a placeholder. Thanks!
the i7 6700k can easily be overclocked to 4.6Ghz, but it appears that beyond 4.7-4.8GHz the gains diminish significantly depending on your chip quality and how much you can push it. From a gaming perspective, the differences between 4.6, 4.7, and 4.8GHz won’t be noticeable, so don’t worry too much about those numbers. Only when you move to higher overclocking levels like 4.6GHz or above will you start to see improvements, but then you enter uncertain territory—your luck with the chip matters.
There’s a chance someone might get a chip that reaches 5.2GHz on air cooling, but that’s unlikely. 😉
From a gaming perspective and considering the build you're planning, no, overclocking isn't worth it. It's most useful when you have a CPU bottleneck, which isn't the case with you.
Overclocking does give your PC a boost in non-gaming tasks, such as video rendering.
It's impressive when you push it to certain limits. Beyond that, the gains in clock speed don't affect gaming performance much. Saying there won't be any FPS difference when you boost your i7 6700k above 4.5mhz is accurate. Playing at 2k and 4k won't improve FPS, but rendering and compute speeds might change based on what you're using.
Yes, it's definitely worth every penny. My machine is an i7-960 with an overclock from 3.2 to 4.2, and it makes a big difference. I just need a decent cooler so I can keep the temperature under 70 degrees full load, haha.