Overclocking
Overclocking
I increased my RAM speed from 2400MHz to 3600MHz, reaching full capacity. I’m wondering if I should manually boost the CPU and GPU clocks further or keep them at these settings. So far I haven’t seen any blue screens, but I want to know if this approach is safe for my hardware. Any guidance on optimal clock speeds would be greatly appreciated.
Key specs:
- Gigabyte P850GM Full Modular 850W PSU
- MSI MPG Z590 Gaming Force
- Intel Core i7 11700K 95W
- Aorus Waterforce X240 cooler
- Goodram RGB LED kit at 3600MHz
Thanks in advance for your advice!
supporting xmp is acceptable. It won't damage your PC. Besides that, you can marginally increase your CPU and GPU speeds. However, thermal issues on the CPU are possible. On the GPU side, power limits might appear. You can review a simple GPU overclocking manual using the MSI AFTER BURNER app.
XMP is typically the main way I boost performance now, with most work coming from fresh drivers.
Overclocking was popular in the 90s. Today you can boost performance by about 10% through CPU and GPU undervolting. It still depends on the quality of parts, but you don’t need costly gear—even a $50 motherboard can usually be undervolted. Cooling becomes less critical since undervolting often keeps components cooler naturally.
It's not as thrilling, but you still receive what you invest in. Basic enhancements and tweaks offer a 1-5% benefit—something even a 12-year-old could accomplish with a tutorial, especially for Ryzen processors.
They usually start with much higher voltages from the factory. With my 3070 boosting to 2010-2040MHz using undervolting compared to stock 1865-1915MHz, the overclocking is worse. It might spike to 2010 for a short time, then it gets hot and drops back to 1865 or lower afterward because of the heat. Even after cooling down, it won’t go higher since it remembers the previous overheating event.
Sure, that makes sense. Once it gets really hot—say above 80°C—it doesn’t gain much more power during that specific run. Restarting the PC or letting it cool completely and adjusting settings (like disabling overclock) brings it back to normal performance. It actually runs better than with any overclock, especially when boosting VRAM. The only impact comes from increasing VRAM overclocking, which doesn’t seem much affected by temperature. In short, keeping the GPU undervolt and using VRAM overclock is the way to go for optimal results. (And honestly, the gains are usually around 5-10%, so it’s not worth it unless you’re targeting a specific need.)