Need to know some stuff about OC

[843]

I have never OC my PC before, and what really keeps me from doing so is that I'm only a full-time college student. Yet I'm trying to learn the pros and cons of OC, but I have a couple of things I need to know. Assume OCing a 920 to 3.4 GHz or whatever is the maximum stable speed.

1) How much faster do the components degrade?

2) How much extra power is required for the PSU?

3) Will the components still run at full force when I'm not gaming?

4) How powerful should the cooler be? Or rather, how hot should the component be? I've never bought one and I'm a total noob at this.

5) What are the cons of OC?

I hope someone can give a good answer to these, very much appreciated.

 

[mford66215]

I'm not going to answer your answers specifically, there are guides on this an other sites that give good explanations on questions 1-4. Instead I'll just discuss the answer to number 5.

You can fry stuff in your system that will cost money to replace. Having been a broke college student, a working computer would mean more to me than having learned the ability to overclock. IF you can find somebodies old crappy system, or the parts to build a machine for almost free - then I'd say clock away.

FYI - Yes, I overclock my own computers. Of course, I'm not in college anymore either. If I fry a component I'll go to the store and get another one, whining about it all the way there and back.

 

[sportsfanboy]

Overclocking is perfectly safe, provided you do the research. As said a zillion times in these forums- the computer will most likely be obsolete before overclocking kills it. I believe that as my system has been overclocked since day one. Almost two years later, there are no signs of wear.

Rule 1: Don't over volt anything... Meaning- keep the voltage at or below recommended operation specification.

Rule 2: Keep temperatures within specification

Rule 3: Test for stability using the appropriate tools, so no data corruption takes place, while observing rule 1 and 2.

Rule 4: Grab your favorite drink and do a triumphant dance around the place you live.