Overclocking - all the cool kids are doing it... but should you?
It can be dangerous if done incorrectly...but really freakin’ awesome if done right!
Let’s break it down. This is DIY in 5!
Hey everyone, welcome to DIY in 5.
I’m Trisha Hershberger and today, we’re talking all about overclocking.
What is it, why might you want to do it and how to do it safely.
If you find the tips in today’s video useful,
feel free to like this video, subscribe to this channel and ring that bell so you don’t miss out on any future tech tips.
Overclocking is a catch-all term adjusting of the standard specs on memory modules, CPUs and GPUs to get better performance.
For PC enthusiasts and overclocking aficionados, it’s an art form and has its own subculture.
Overclockers compete for work records and bragging rights by tweaking voltage, latency and frequency,
and use custom cooling apparatus and liquid nitrogen
to keep the components from melting under the extreme heat produced.
But those are the big leagues.
Since there is a delicate balance between pushing your components to their limits
and causing damage how can you safely overclock to get better performance without going too far?
In the mid-2000s, Intel, AMD and NVidia came up with methods to allow simple overclocking through
the use of profiles programmed onto the DIMM which defined clock speed, voltage and latencies.
An ecosystem of checks and balances developed between the component manufacturers,
motherboard manufacturers and memory companies to provide a stable landscape for users.
This made it safer and easier than ever before to push the performance of your components
without having to manually tune settings.
Intel’s solution to memory overclocking on their platforms is called XMP
or Extreme Memory Profile - and it supports preset overclock settings programmed into the DIMMs at the factory.
In the case of DDR3 and DDR4 each DIMM will have two overclocking profiles
one is aggressive and the other is slightly less aggressive.
For DDR5 up to 5 profiles are available, with three set at the factory and two available for users to create their own.
This is a great solution if you’ are working on an Intel platform and can easily be enabled within the BIOS
or through Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility, XTU, which can be downloaded from Intel’s website.
Intel’s XTU can provide all the tools you might need for overclocking your other components as well
benchmarking, modifying settings, and testing system stability.
Monitoring both power consumption and heat are critical to a successful overclock.
Especially when adjusting settings manually and not going through pre-set profiles like we discussed earlier,
you’ll want to know your components upper temperature limits
and stay well below them or else risk damaging your components.
Most gaming motherboard manufacturers also feature utilities like the XTU
to customize memory timings and monitor system stability.
Things to note whenever you are attempting any overclocking,
you’ll want to make sure you have a robust cooling solution in place.
Higher performance means higher temps and you’ll need to be able to counter that.
Also, while certainly less risky than it used to be and even supported by major component manufacturers,
overclocking is done at your own risk and may void your warranty or compromise stability.
That being said, for those who like to push the limits, it’s incredibly exciting and rewarding when done correctly.
Most overclockers build their own systems which allows them to select components
based on their budget and performance needs.
However, if you’re not comfortable building your own rig, big PC manufacturers also make gaming systems,
but overlocking on big name PCs can be challenging,
as many prevent you from adjusting memory timings or engaging profiles.
Especially challenging is overlocking on gaming laptops
where raising voltage can increase the heat and more quickly drain the battery.
Kingston pioneered a solution to this problem with their Plug N Play concept.
Featured on the FURY Beast and Impact product lines, kits that feature Plug N Play automatically overclock
with presets that are configured by engineers at the factory, no profile selection required.
If you’d like us to do an overclocking step by step walkthrough on this channel in the future,
let us know in the comments.
And if you have any overclocking stories of your own to share, we’d love to hear them.
Alright, thanks so much for watching everyone and I’ll see you next time with more DIY in 5!