Can overclocking damage a computer?

Captain Kirk

Captain Kirk

Member
Hi computer people!

Can overclocking damage a computer?


If my computer was overclocked --

What would happen to a computer if you overclocked it to the maximum setting?

Could this be harmful?
 
Over clocking can seriously damage your computer, if not done with care that is why manufacturers do not cover overclocking in there warranty.

The best way to start is to research other peoples overclocking results and settings using the same hardware you have, there are lots of tutorial videos on youtube etc.

A simple rule to follow is go in stages of clock up slightly then test stability, then go a bit higher etc.

Dont just go for one big jump say 3 ghz straight up to 4 ghz.

You can also get a lot of tools that will overclock your system for you.
 
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Yes you can damage your hardware by overclocking. Before we get more into how to do it safely, what hardware do you have? CPU, Motherboard, CPU Cooler, PSU?
 
It's not just severe overclocking that can damage your computer. Even moderate OCing can shorten the lifespan of your CPU due to increased heat. When you decide to OC, you are making a decision that faster performance is of higher priority to you than reliability or longevity.
 
is it a "fire hazard" to overclock your computer?

Laquer Head,
Hey Dude!

Wow -- Nine inch nails is rad. I've got some of their songs!!

You know, it is rather cold in my room. It would be nice to warm things up a bit.
Thanks for your helpful hint!!!
Now I don't have to wear my gloves: I can warm my hands.
Bonfires are always cool to look at:
That's a PLUS+:D

Your reply made me laugh.
But seriously, is it a "fire hazard" to overclock your computer?:eek:

jamesd1981,
Nice to meet Ya!

Hey, I'm scottish. That's cool. Only a smiggin' though. Does that still count?

Scottland, I like your strategy. That's a great idea.
I didn't know that they had software that could do this!!!
Thanks for the info bro!

Be careful:
jamesd1981
Over clocking can seriously damage your computer
Click to expand...

Thanks James!!

salvage-this,
Hello!!

So you chose the name that you have because you like to try and salvage computers?
Or you just like it as a good handle?

Model
Dell Inspiron 5000e

Motherboard:
Compal Electronics, Inc. 440BX Desktop Reference Platform

CPU:
Intel Pentium III E
Coppermine 0.18um Technology

CPU Cooler
Fan (Manufacturer's default that comes with the laptop)

Isn't PSU and CPU the same thing?
I know GPU and CPU is different.
So all computers have 3 chips: a GPU, CPU, and PSU?

strollin,
What's up Man?
Nice to see you again.

Interesting -- so "heat" is the cause of a shorter lifespan?

What do you mean by reliability?
Why won't your computer be reliable if you OC it?

I didn't know this:
strollin
Even moderate OCing can shorten the lifespan
Click to expand...

Captain Kirk
 
You cannot overclock laptops Kirk. Really not a good idea. I seriously doubt overclocking is the cause of your dying laptop.

And the PSU and CPU are not the same thing. The CPU is another name for your processor, and PSU is short for power supply unit. Completely different components.
 
When I signed up here I wanted to turn an old Dell P4 PC into a mid level gaming PC. That is the reason for Salvage-This. I have been meaning to change it to what my Steam account is.

On topic.

I completely agree with Spirit. No overclocking on a laptop. Laptops do not have the proper cooling that is needed to deal with the increased temperatures.

Most likely your system does not have the controls in the BIOS to overclock anyway.
 
In this thread http://www.computerforum.com/222197-shut-off-suddenly-blue-screen-bad.html Kirk said he had a laptop which was experiencing problems, and I think we came to the conclusion that the motherboard was dying or something. So I don't think Kirk is interested in overclocking this laptop, I think he's just wondering if it might have been overclocked and if the overclock, had there been one, might have damaged the board.

In which case, the answer is 'unlikely'.

And yeah like Salvage said laptops shouldn't be overclocked because they don't have the appropriate cooling or airflow to cope.
 
That makes sense. I would guess that the laptop is just old and dying. I would bet most of us would agree that P3s are more likely to be used as art than a processor now days :P :D

@Captain Kirk

Are you looking to OC another PC or just looking for info on it?
 
spirit,
Hello there!

First of all, yes, it is true that I did think that OC'ing "was" a possibility.
What I read about diagnostics was that they specified a technique to use:
Figuring out what is wrong with a computer is like the game of "clue".
Eliminate all the possibilities and you can narrow down the search!

So a laptop's hardware is not built to ALLOW oc'ing?
I read that years ago, there was no such thing as being ABLE to oc a computer.
Then computers were later built to be able to do it.
What your saying is:
All laptops cannot be oc'ed?

Thanks for the clarification about the CPU/PSU thing.
I thought it was the same thing!
Though, after I thought about it later, I considered that maybe they were in fact different.
I never knew they abreviated the word "power supply" as PSU: guess that is why I was confused.
Obviously I have heard of a "power supply" and know what that means.
The abreviation threw me.

So ALL laptops "can" be OC'ed?
However, the laptop case does not offer enough space to be able provide the extra cooling capabilities.

salvage-this,
What's up bro!

So what ever happened to the P4 PC?
Did you ever turn it into a mid level gaming PC, or did you just give up?
And did your plans for it involve OC'ing it?
You have a different computer now?

You think that only >PIII's are ABLE to "be" OC'ed (for laptops)?

I fully agree with you about the artwork because that's what happened to my last computer that died.
You just hang it from the wall like a painting.
And, after several dead computers, your room soon turns into an art museum!!

Even though, as Spirit indicated, there IS a very real possibility that the laptop had been OC'ed before I had gotten it.
Which would mean that its problems could be due to it having been OC'ed.
I wanted to eliminate all possibilities.

However, at the same time, Spirit is wrong. Because my purpose here is twofold:
Years ago, my friend told me about how if you OC'ed a computer that you could nearly double its power!!!
This sounded like a really exciting idea. I thought about it for a long time.
At the time, I was not confident that I knew enough about computers/OC'ing that I could be able to complete such a thing!

So, sadly, I must admit, I know very little about OC'ing; however, in the back of mind I have always been interested in doing this.
I just never knew how. And then just recently, I found out that there could be a possibility of harm brought on by OC.
I could not believe it. So, before giving up on this idea, and to never try this technique, I thought that I should at least first talk with people who know about it and who might have actually done it themselves, and experimented on their computer with OC'ing.

It is very intriguing.
But I must weigh the harmful side effects
(which I don't know what these are, but would like to know)
As soon as I find out what harm can be caused by OC'ing, then I will later ask how to OC a computer:cool:
So yes, I am interested in OC'ing a computer in the future when I get a desktop to experiement on.
Or I could pull a junker desktop out of storage and experiement on that if I wanted.

A) What harm can be caused by OC'ing?

B) But just for starters, do you know how to look and see whether a computer is OC'ed or not?

Captain Kirk
USS Enterprise
 
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Most laptops can't be overclocked because the BIOS doesn't allow it, for obviously reasons (cooling).

What harm can be caused by overclocking? Depends what you're overclocking, In most cases, if the power supply isn't up to the overclock, then you can potentially damage the power supply which can then lead to a lot of other stuff getting damaged.

If you're overclocking the CPU without sufficient cooling, or you're using too high a voltage, then the lifespan of the CPU can be reduced because of too much voltage and heat (but even still, by the time the CPU is dead it will be time to upgrade) but more importantly the motherboard can be damaged, as can the power supply.

If you're overclocking graphics cards, the same thing applies but GPUs tend to die an awful lot quicker than CPUs. If you have an unstable overclock on a graphics card, you can get weird screen artefacts such as tearing or lots of lines, or crashes in applications such as games which are dependent on the graphics card.

If you're overclocking RAM, again, you can shorten the lifespan if you use too much voltage and the RAM gets too hot.

Almost all unstable overclocks (whether it be CPU, RAM or GPUs) almost always result in system crashes and blue screens.

It's easy to tell if something has been overclocked or not. Just Google the stock speed of the part you're trying to determine has been overclocked or not, and then download CPU-Z or GPU-Z. CPU-Z will tell you the actual frequency of your CPU and RAM, and GPU-Z will tell you the actual frequency of your CPU and RAM.

Open up CPU-Z and GPU-Z, and then see what the frequencies are. If they are higher, then yeah stuff has been overclocked - possibly. Note though that on most modern Intel CPUs, a technology called Turbo Boost or Speed Step (I forget which now) will *safely* overclock the processor to slightly higher clockspeed/frequency when the CPU is nearing 100% usage. Usually it overclocks to around 500MHz-700MHz higher than the stock speed. AMD might have something like this too.

Another method for determining if the CPU and RAM are overclocked is to look in the BIOS and see what the bus speed (I think? Not done any OC'ing in a while!) and multiplier are set to. If the multiplier is quite high, then there's a good chance something has been overclocked.
 
parts that can be damaged by overclocking:
- cpu
- mobo
- psu
- gpu (if you're overclocking the gpu)
- ram (if you're overclocking ram)

I'll explain you how even my grandma would understand.
If you're overclocking your cpu, it will draw more power then when it is not overclocked --> the psu can only handle a limit on power, if you go over the limit, you'll get laggs, freezes, blue screens,... and sometimes even kaboum (all parts will be damaged then...)
So be sure your psu can handle it.
Then there's the mobo, motherboards have different ways to provide the power to the cpu. With more expensive boards, you'll have more channels to provide power, so not all the power has to go through the same channel which would cause overhitting --> damage.
So be careful with that, you must have a decent mobo to do some overclocking, my motherboards is a bit crappy, so I don't overclock to high.
Then you got the cpu, he'll require more voltage to run on an higher speed. So you need to find the best voltage according to your overclock, if you provide less then needed, you'll get blue screens and such.
If you provide more then needed, this will not directly cause much damage, but will surely shorten the lifespan of your cpu.
A mild overclock will need no or only a bit more voltage --> no damage
An higher overclock will need more --> lifespan from the cpu reduces from 10 years to 8
Every cpu has a safe zone, in this safe zone you won't cause much damage, if you use more voltage and run your cpu daily on this voltage, this will cause more damage.
--> The lifespan from your cpu will reduce very much

You can compare the voltage providing the cpu power with water, water will corrode its environment faster as it flows harder. More voltage --> faster damage --> less lifespan.

The gpu is the same principe as the cpu.

ram like spirit explained

You will not be able to oc laptop processor in normal laptops. (the most)
 
spirit,
Hi, good to see you!

That's interesting that the power supply can be damaged.
The reason is, is that I thought that they were made SPECIFICALLY to be able to allot the needed power to all the different parts in your computer...

Wow!! -- you can overclock RAM?
Never heard about that!
Does this mean that you can increase your RAM's capabilities by 25%?

So its "safer" to have an UNSTABLE system when you OC instead of having too much voltage.


A) How much can you overclock your RAM (in percentage or numbers (mb/gig's from original))?

B) What type of message on the blue screen crash would you expect to see (what would it say the "error" was)?

C) If you need more voltage for an OC, how do you provide this for the computer (another power supply with a higher capacity/cord)?

D) If you don't care about the computer and prefer to have the most high end ability that you can, what is the range for performance that you might expect from the maximum setting of OC (safety is turned off, and performance is maxed all the way up)? (150% of it original MHz)?

SmileMan :)
Howdy partner, its nice to make your acquintance.

laggs, freezes?
Never heard of that. Wow.

ALL YOUR PARTS ARE DAMAGED?????????
what?
This does not sound good!!
HIGH VOLTAGE, DO NOT TOUCH

SmileMan
More voltage --> faster damage --> less lifespan.
Click to expand...
I like your example.
That really helps me to understand it better.

Which means that heat/voltage is the cause of computer hardware damage!!!

1) The better the board that you have, the more (%) that you can overclock it?

2) Since most of the newer GPU's have fans built stock into the card, then this means that its alright to max out the OC of your GPU right, if done in slow increments to the maximum setting?

3) What type of performance upgrade would you expect (in %) that a GPU could provide if OC'ed to its maximum setting?

4) It is not safe to OC "any" laptop, even the newer ones?

Captain Kirk
USS Enterprise
 
No by having an unstable overclocking, not all of your parts are damaged - BUT, if your power supply gets damaged, there is a chance that can damage other components too.

To answer your questions:

A) You can't overclock RAM as much as you can overclock graphics cards and processors, so I rarely bother doing it. My latest RAM overclock is only 48MHz above stock speeds. Whoopy-doo.

B) It depends on what overclock the blue screen is relating to. Hard question to answer. Basically though, if you get blue screens whilst you have stuff overclocked, you can almost be assured that the blue screen is related to your overclocks.

C) Kind of a hard question to answer. I'll answer it as if you had low-end components and wanted to overclock:

Firstly, if your power supply is a low quality one or doesn't quite have enough watts, upgrade your power supply. Also make sure you get a power supply with overcurrent and surge protection, just in case bad things were to happen.

Secondly, if your motherboard isn't great for overclocking and doesn't have great power phases, get one with more/better power phases, meaning the motherboard will be able to handle higher voltages much easier.

Thirdly, if your CPU cooling is not up to the job, get a better cooler so you can use more volts whilst keeping the temperature down.

All of that stuff applies to overclocking any components.

Remember not to go too crazy on the voltages regardless of how good your PSU, board and cooling are.

D) Depends entirely on what you're overclocking and how you're cooling it. CPU: you can easily get more than a gigahertz overclock these days on most modern CPUs which can really boost performance. RAM: not so much, maybe 100MHz if you're lucky (not sure though), GPU: again, not so much.

Right, to answer the questions you asked smileMan:

1) Yes.

2) No. You still need to have good cooling on your graphics card. A single fan is not good enough. Preferably you want aftermarket cooling on your card. Some manufacturers sell cards with aftermarket cooling already installed, the best examples are probably MSI's Twin Frozr cards.

3) Maybe 10-20%, depending on what cooling you have and what the GPU is. Never done it though so that's just a rough guess.

4) Definitely not safe to overclock any laptop and I'm pretty sure I've said before that most laptops cannot even be overclocked anyway because the options for overclocking in the BIOS are not there.

More voltage = the ability to overclock higher, BUT also = more heat which = more damage and possibly = more crashes and instabilities.
 
Man you write some crazy long posts :P

What Spirit is trying to get across is that the features that are needed to OC a system from the BIOS are usually not included with laptops. This is by design by the manufacturer because they do not want users messing with the clock speed/voltages of their system, possibly breaking it.

OEM desktops (HP, Dell, etc...) are in the same category even though there are better cooling options that can be used in desktops. The manufacturers do not want the average end user messing with the advanced features necessary to OC.

Custom built PCs are generally more open to mess with. Overclocking has become far more attainable for the average user in the past few generations, so motherboard manufacturers are leaving more boards open for overclocking rather than just having those features on the top tier boards only.


My P4 system was not converted to a gaming rig. When I had the old Dell I did not know that overclocking was possible. If I did I wouldn't be able to do it anyway. It did not have the BIOS features necessary to OC. I ended up giving it to a buddy that needed a home system for school work. With the help of the users here, I built my own. Most everything has been replaced in my current system, but I still have a few original parts left over.


I do no think that laptops are overclockable unless they have been designed to do so.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/ASUS-C90P-Overclockable-Gaming-Laptop/510/1

Your P3 system is not in that category. What makes you think that it has been OCed? If there are instabilities I can say with a fair amount of confidence that the system is just old and dying. Frankly, I am surprised to see it last this long.



I have OCed CPU, GPU and RAM before in my system. I'll go through each.

**These numbers are from my experience in OCing systems. This will change between generations and systems (Cooling, Power, Design)**

CPU: easiest to OC, biggest performance jump when OCed- most users get 600MHz to 1GHz OC. Can be pushed further if there is proper cooling

GPU: Harder to OC and stability test. Can be easier to damage after adding extra voltage for stability- most GPUs will see 50MHz to 100MHz without voltage tuning, 100MHz to +150MHz with voltage tuning.

RAM: OCing is hit or miss. More based on Silicon Lottery than other chips. Easier to damage if not in the recommended ranges for voltage. Least performance benefit- might be able to change one setting up from what stock is. 1600 -> 1866 or CAS 9 -> CAS 8 or 7. This is far more dependent on how good the module is.

Most users will OC their CPU first, then GPU for better gaming performance (usually less than 10 fps benefit when OCed. Depends on the game.) If they really want to tune their system, RAM can be pushed higher in clock speed, lower the timings, or a combination of both.


On to your last questions

1. yes and no. You are kinda getting into better power design and cleaner power delivery. With a better board and PSU you are more likely to hit a certain clock speed at a lower voltage than with lower grade equipment. Think about it in 2 ways, with a lower voltage (because of the better equipment) I could either...

a. have cooler temperatures and not have to spend as much on high end cooling

b. Have more headroom when trying to max out my CPU.

lower grade motherboards and PSUs will force you to bloat the voltages necessary to attain a clock speed. Think Peaks and dips in the power delivery.

2. NO! Always keep within heat and voltage specifications. Generally you can OC to the top of stability at stock voltage and still be fine, but once you add overvolting to the mix a whole new set of dangers come into play.

Look at the differences between these two cards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127693
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134154

ECS is on the stock Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and has one blower fan cooler.

MSI Lightening has a big twin fan cooler with heatpipes and a new PCB with better power design and cooling. Made with overclocking in mind.

The settings that might be attainable for the MSI card not only are out of the range of the ECS card, but it might also damage it. The design will change the stability of those 2 cards drastically.

3. Depends on the card and how hard you push it. There is no clear answer to it.

4. It is my opinion that no laptop should be overclocked. Ever.
 
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spirit,
Howdy!

power supply! So that's the key.

A) doesn't seem worth it to OC RAM!!!!!!!!

B) example: blue screen error. Error caused by power supply.

C) power supply is the most importaint thing for an OC?

D) 1 Gig isn't bad really. But if you have a 4 Gig computer, how many games are there that require a 5 Gig system for their system requirements? None...

spirit
More voltage = the ability to overclock higher, BUT also = more heat which = more damage and possibly = more crashes and instabilities.
Click to expand...
I thought more crashes and instabilities was from "lack" of voltage to OC increase?

salvage-this,
Hi, Good to hear from you!!

Yes, I already figured out how to tell if a laptop is overclocked, as well as the technique to look on another computer.
Because of this, I have given up on the whole laptop diagnostics at this point in figuring out anymore about it.

At this moment, I am now considering what is involved in the overclocking process so that I use it when I get a desktop to practice on.

What does OEM mean? I have never heard of that type of abreviation. I may actually know what it is, if I heard it, but sometimes this abreviation thing gets me.
For example, the first time that someone said "OC", I said, "what?" and was about to ask them what OC meant -- then I figured it out.

Building your own computer is cheaper than buying a new one of the same caliber, but more expensive than a used one?

Your saying a P4 can't be overclocked? I thought that only P3's and below could not be OC'ed...

salvage-this
I ended up giving it to a buddy that needed a home system for school work.
Click to expand...
That's cool. For someone that planned on "salvaging" his computer, that was mighty kind of you!!!

Someday I want to build my own computer from scratch (not a laptop, though it would be good practice, and some fun -- but only after building a desktop first)!!

Asus cp90p: OC'ing at the touch of a button? Holy macarol! Are you serious? That's outrageous!!
What potential. CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE THAT!!!!!

salvage-this
What makes you think that it has been OCed?
Click to expand...
Computer Diagnostics is like a game of "clue": narrow down the possibilities, and you will pinpoint the problem.
You know, "deductive reasoning"? That sort of thing...

2. I heard that if a game requires higher performance, then OC'ing will not help because your CPU is far beyond capacity and can't help anyway; but if the GPU is OC'ed, then NOW your gaming experience can be increased...

Captain Kirk
USS Enterprise
 
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. PCs that come from companies like HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Asus, etc... are all OEM systems.

Building a PC has a bunch of benefits but it kinda depends on what kind of user you are and what your budget you are working with. If you are planning on OCing, building is the only way to go. Remember that OCing is taking a perfectly stable system and running it outside of spec in hopes that you can stabilize it with higher performance. Pick your parts carefully and plan for the hardware requirements for overclocking.

In general building will offer a few more benefits

better quality components
warranty on each component individually
customization

It might be lower cost but I usually think that the break even point is ~$500 for the tower. Other users will have their view on where that line is but for me that is about where I see it.

There are tons of other benefits, those are just the ones that came to mind

Whether or not a CPU can be overclocked is more defined by the motherboard, not the CPU. The features that you need to OC are in the BIOS; think of it as the operating system of the motherboard. I could take an i7 930 and toss it in one of the Dell Optiplexes at work as well as the EVGA FTW board that I have here at home. The Dell motherboard will not allow for any overclocking while the EVGA board not only allows for overclocking, but has high end features that will enhance my chances of a high level OC on the chip.


Deciding between CPU and GPU Overclocking when gaming is another area that does not have a clear answer. Bottlenecks are different on each system. Both CPU and GPU need to compliment each other.
 
Captain Kirk said:
spirit,
Howdy!

power supply! So that's the key.

A) doesn't seem worth it to OC RAM!!!!!!!!

B) example: blue screen error. Error caused by power supply.

C) power supply is the most importaint thing for an OC?

D) 1 Gig isn't bad really. But if you have a 4 Gig computer, how many games are there that require a 5 Gig system for their system requirements? None...

spirit

I thought more crashes and instabilities was from "lack" of voltage to OC increase?
Click to expand...
Yes, you need a good power supply for overclocking. The power supply is one of the most important components for overclocking along with the motherboard/PCB and cooling, of course - oh and a CPU which is preferably multiplier unlocked and overclocks well. ;)

Lack of power when overclocking can cause blue screens, yes.

When I said 'you can get a gigahertz overclock easily' I was talking about overclocking the CPU. For example, my i5 2500K was stock clocked at 3.3GHz, but I overclocked it to 4.3GHz which is a gigahertz overclock. You can usually go further than that too with the 2500K.

Crashes and instabilities can be caused by either having too little voltage OR too much voltage.
 
About Power Supply, never buying mult rail as overclock tool. It is your risk of blue screen or shut down. It can damage bios if shut down improper often, not so many happened. Overclock laptop? not worth it, unless it is highly custom laptop or something. I have seem laptop overclock but not the better cooling. I would only do that with desktop. I made mistake that I bought triple rail power supply while I overclocked my old i3 540 to 5 GHz. I know, i'm insane :D

btw my old family from scotland. :)
 
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