2500k constant switching between idle and overclock speed

[djyib]

Hi Guys

Bit of a noob question here but I'm wondering if constantly switching between the idle speed of 1.6ghz and my 4.2ghz overclock is bad for my i5 2500k???

I know most people say that idle speed is a good thing but when I'm playing d3 it literally shifts from 1.6 to 4.2 like every 5s or less. This just doesn't seem good for the CPU.

Should I just run the CPU at a fixed 4.2ghz? Would this be better for the CPU? Or is this idling jumping around all the time a good thing?

Thanks

 

[13thmonkey]

it doesn't care, its not an engine with mechanical parts.

 

[mastrom101]

I think it should be fine, because that's essentially what turbo boost does, however, i would increase the base from 1.6 to 2-3.3, that way the jump isn't so large.

Nonetheless, it should work fine, but better safe than sorry.

 

[13thmonkey]

I think it should be fine, because that's essentially what turbo boost does, however, i would increase the base from 1.6 to 2-3.3, that way the jump isn't so large.

Nonetheless, it should work fine, but better safe than sorry.

you can't set the lower multi, so you can't do that.

And its not a problem.

 

[sarinaide]

Its fine and won't do any harm...if it bugs you, then you can always turn off Turbo boost and power saving features and run a 24-7 overclock.

 

[bwrlane]

Switching between idle and turbo boost speeds is exactly what this CPU is supposed to do. It's probably not every 5 seconds, it will be much faster than that - your impression is probably created by the sampling rate of the monitoring software. The CPU is designed to clock up virtually instantly when there's a high demand on CPU resources.

You are right to ask the question - at least you would be if your CPU transistors were made of metal rather than silicon. When your CPU clocks up, it will also volt up, which results in a change in temperature. Rapid and frequent changes in temperature result in frequent expansion and contraction. If your CPU transistors were metallic, over time this would cause metal fatigue and eventually, a "dry joint" (the metal breaks and can no longer make a circuit). This is why some people advise leaving hifi equipment switched on all the time (although with modern, high quality materials it shouldn't make much difference).

This is not a problem for your CPU because it's made of silicon. Silicon is very rigid (meaning that it expands and contracts very little when its temperature changes), and it doesn't suffer from metal fatigue.

Leave your settings as they are. You could leave it at a constant clockspeed but this would significantly increase your system's power consumption at idle.