Overclock without adjusting voltage bad?

[Djmasterman]

I have searched Google and haven't really been satisfied with my answers so just as they title says, does just overclocking do damage to your cpu of is the real killer overvolting?

 

[CountMike]

Overvolting but with to much heat is real killer. All newer CPUs have set maximum voltage but also mechanisms built in to lower clock speed and voltage when close to overheating. It's very rare to kill modern CPUs, you'd have to work real hard to manage to do that, it's mostly MBs and their VRM sections that would die first.
Moderate OC with proper cooling in no way can damage or even shorten CPU life even with moderate voltage raise.

 

[refillable]

Yeah, I knew those old kids playing on K7s... They literally have no integrated heat spreader and they burn pretty quickly if something goes wrong.

I think Overvolting and Overclocking do 'similar damage' to your components, just that Voltage adjustments generate much more heat and simple overclocking (without Voltage adjustments) will create instability. Safety motherboard features are excellent these days on most boards.

 

[Djmasterman]

Well that's good know, gave me a bit more confidence in overclocking. Thanks for the response

 

[Ecky]

A combination of voltage and heat is what causes degradation. Increasing clockspeed causes a linear increase in heat output, whereas voltage causes an exponential increase, so raising voltge has a much larger impact than clockspeed in terms of effect on CPU lifespan. However, there are some generally agreed-upon "safe" voltage limits for various CPUs, and if you stay under them, it'll likely long outlive its usefulness.

For example: An i7 4790K probably shouldn't go above 1.30v. At stock clocks and voltage, it will last for probably decades, even at close to 100c, but as you increase voltage, it's wise to lower temperature with more cooling. Someone with a water chiller or liquid nitrogen could run above 1.30v with much less effect on longevity.