Safe overclocking for Sandy and Ivy bridge processor owners running everyday

[Rajminder]

I need some help here to safely overclock and and Ivy bridge processors. My friends are just crazy about gaming. All of them own high end systems with dedicated video memory. Now at the time of upgrade it was my suggestion to go for Sandy Bridge cpu. There are ample of other people also who are using Ivy Bridge. So I just need a set of plain tips that I can suggest them for overclocking process. First thing I suggested is to keep a good cpu cooler in the system. That will keep the heat away and offer overclocking.

[Beatrix]

There is no specific method available for overclocking for each different cpu. They are almost the same. To stay on the safer side always overclock under limit. Different processors are based on different hardware config and so their overclocking limits changes. So it is recommended that you must test the cpu's here whether they are capable of handling the actual clock rate and then move ahead with overclocking.

[SinarB]

Overclocking can only be riskier if not performed well. That means you are not following a proper method and maintaining all the precautions. So first make a checklist. Like your system must have a good amount of psu. If it has a lower psu then there will be problem with power output. At the time of overclocking the system drags a huge amount of power. And maximum is consumed by the cpu. If your system is low on power then there can be serious hardware damage. As per the usage today I think that minimum psu in your system must not be lower than 700w. The second thing you have to do is to ensure that there is proper heatsink on the processor. Heatsink simply allows the cpu to remain cooler to some extent by making a proper contact between the cpu fan and cpu. Buy a good one from the market, don't go with cheaper one here. The second thing you can do is keep your system clean by removing all the dust from it. I when overclock open the right panel of cpu case so that more airflow can reduce the internal temperature. While if you are planing for extreme overclocking then it is recommended to go for liquid cooling. Which another costly setup but really effective.

[TonyaSingh]

If you keep your processor at reasonable rate then nothing will happen. It is essential that you must not cross your limit while overclocking. Or else your cpu can be dead forever and it does not also comes under the warranty. Just move ahead with proper clock rates.

[prem11]

What is your cpu actual model. Sandy Bridge cpu's are having issue of heating. While Ivy bridge can be overclocked to certain limits only. The best thing to try is performing overclocking via bios. Many latest motherboard that specifically supports overclocking comes with a integrated overclocking utility in the bios itself. Where you just have to manage the clock ratio that's all. I had seen in boards by Asus there is a automated utility through which you can choose a set of profiles for overclocking. When you select a gamer profile then all clock rates are automatically configured. There is no need to modify them manually. That is the safest way of keeping your system safe from damages. Also ample of msi boards comes with turbo boost technology. Turbo boost is not really overclocking but to some extent near to that. You have to simply turn it on. Turbo boost increases the cpu clock rate on the basis of requirement. While in overclocking we put the cpu to work hardware all the time. When not needed Turbo Boost simply restores the old clock rate back. So that your cpu is only pressurized when needed.

[Loverface]

Turbo boost is the safest way of getting good system output. It works fine with reasonable output. The settings for the same is also really common. Going through bios is the safest and easiest way. Do no try to use third party applications like Riva Tuner unless and until you are 100% sure.

[Ves]

Overclocking does not really much here. It just boost your system performance to some extent only. I had seen there is no major changes here. It just boost around 20% of the existing system output. It is necessary that you must simply go with simple overclocking procedure. Now there are some set of tools available that can help you to simply go with safe overclocking. Through that tools you can just run a test that will tell you whether your system is capable of handling overclocking pressure or not. If not then your pc will crash in the between the test. The tools that can help you to find the same is OCCT and Prime95. They are free and using them is really simply. Just run the tool. They will create a virtual overclocking platform which will at the end give you vital information about your system stability. To some extent it also depends on the motherboard. Do not go for overclocking on old boards. On new model the same works really better.

[Arima]

I am using AMD Overdrive here. This is a great app for overclocking. It works great for amd processor. I am not sure about intel. But I use it for overclocking at the time of playing games and it goes well. The output is simply more better here. In overclocking it is essential to find the right voltage or the output is affected.