AMD FX6300 OC to 4.4GHz or 4.5GHz

[L0WB4TTERY]

I'm able to overclock my FX6300 to both 4.4GHz and 4.5GHz, but I've not got the best bit of silicon and as a result I have to push my voltages up to 1.5000 for it to run Prime95 without crashing or a core failing at 4.5GHz. I've looked around and there's no definitive guide that says not to go over 1.5v although some have said that its probably not the best idea to go above that threshold and I feel as though it would be risking the processor too much if I kept it there. 4.4GHz is stable at 1.425v, which still isn't great but seems safer to me than 1.5v.
So, any suggestions whether to push to 4.5GHz permanently or play it safe (despite there being no real "safe" with OC'ing) with 4.4GHz. I have a CM Hyper 212 EVO cooler so all my temps are acceptable.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jak_Sparra]

I would suggest getting some CPU usage monitoring software and have that running over a week or so and see how often you are hitting 100% CPU usage. If it is often and you think it is holding back your enjoyment of something then consider overclocking further. If you are never really hitting more then 90% then just leave it as it is.

 

[WH1T3LIGHT]

Rather play it safe and stay at 4.4 ghz at 1.425 volts, as pushing more voltage could cause some stability issues and the risks are not worth it as a 0.1 ghz overclock isn't really noticeable

 

[L0WB4TTERY]

I monitored my CPU activity for a few days and never noticed it get to a particuarly high level unless I had load of programs open that were all doing something, which I never normally do anyway. So I'll keep it at the lower clock and voltage so hopefully it is more stable, and I am unlikely to notice much of a difference between the two options as you guys said.
Thanks for you answers

 

[Jak_Sparra]

I monitored my CPU activity for a few days and never noticed it get to a particuarly high level unless I had load of programs open that were all doing something, which I never normally do anyway. So I'll keep it at the lower clock and voltage so hopefully it is more stable, and I am unlikely to notice much of a difference between the two options as you guys said.
Thanks for you answers

Good,

I think overclocking is getting out of hand these days to be honest. Back in the day you could get, as an example, a cpu a couple of hundred £'s cheaper then the 'enthusiast level' ones, yet be able to overclock it to the same clock frequency (or higher) as the top end one. But as time has gone by the gains from overclocking have become smaller and people become blinded with the whole overclocking trend and feel obliged to try it. It has got to the point where people are spending over £500 on custom water cooling to gain only a 10% increase in clock rate! When they could just buy a good £60 air cooler and save the rest of the money for a new motherboard and CPU in a couple of years.

The best advice I have for you is that if your PC is a hobby then have a savings plan for it (or savings account), stick all your spare change in a pot and about £5 a week in the bank. Then every 3 years you should have at least £780 for a very nice CPU, MoBO, and graphics card.. Assuming you researched and spent well earlier you could even have a PC case that can last a good 20 year+ and a PSU that could last 10 years+

But it's horses for courses.

 

[L0WB4TTERY]

I would agree with you on that, although this is my first try at overclocking so I wouldn't know much about how it was before. But I was considering getting a close liquid cooler for a while, but after looking around for a while I saw no real advantage over getting a good air cooler which is what I did with my CM Hyper 212 Evo. Much queiter and cooler than before
TBH, I haven't seen much of a difference from when the CPU was running at stock, but I have noticed a couple of improvements due to OC'ing. I'm thinking of maybe moving over to an i5 either this refresh (Broadwell) or the next (Skylake). As you said, one of those would easily last me three years, and by then there may be a new bit of kit that tickles my fancy.