[SOLVED] Overclocking worth it?

sobakowa19

Reputable
Apr 20, 2019
177
11
4,615
I spent countless hours overclocking the CPU i have and the GPU... all for about a 16% performance upgrade in synthetic benchmarks (3dMark, cinnebench etc.). In practical applications (like playing modern warfare or project cars 2) that equates to like 2 to 3 fps lol. Is that really worth it? Putting everything on stock I don't notice any difference at all AND my computer is super quiet, the fans on the aio's barely spin up... temps on the cpu and gpu never touch 60 under load ("under load" equates to playing games for hours on end as i don't do any video editing/rendering, i have no job ha).

What, if any, is a real benefit of wasting all that time for an insignificant gain in performance?
 
Solution
The gains are not huge but you also have to look at other factors to put this in context. You say 2-3 FPS increase but then I notice you are running 4K. If for example you were getting 45fps before overclocking and you saw a 3 FPS increase that a 7% improvement.

Using a 2080 Super at 1440p and playing Modern Warefare I managed roughly 7-10 FPS increase from 120-125 into the low to mid 130’s which is roughly an 8% increase. I didn’t notice any audible difference in gpu fan noise and my cpu/case fans I cannot hear but the pc is under the desk.

As I am gpu limited in games I know overclocking the cpu isn’t going to help today. In the future as games become more demanding maybe. Overclocking my old 4670k definitely allowed it to stay...

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Perhaps you're doing it wrong? Might want to share your specs with the audience and how you set about to overclocking your system. There are a lot of folks who overclock in the wrong manner and then mention that it wasn't worth it.

Also, sig space specs can and will change over time, which will make this thread and any subsequent solutions irrelevant to the poor soul in the same boat as you(down the road). It's advised to include your specs in the body of the thread like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
 
OCing is mostly a hobby now, trying to get that last little bit out of hardware, etc.
But I would have to agree with you, modern hardware really does not benefit from OCing as much as years past, sometimes its worth it though (IE non "x" series Ryzen).
I personally would take the lower fan speeds and quieter system over 2-3 FPS.
 
  • Like
Reactions: King_V

sobakowa19

Reputable
Apr 20, 2019
177
11
4,615
Perhaps you're doing it wrong? Might want to share your specs with the audience and how you set about to overclocking your system. There are a lot of folks who overclock in the wrong manner and then mention that it wasn't worth it.

Also, sig space specs can and will change over time, which will make this thread and any subsequent solutions irrelevant to the poor soul in the same boat as you(down the road). It's advised to include your specs in the body of the thread like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Ryzen 5 3600x : ASUS ROG X570 : 16GB Corsair RGB Pro 3200 : EVGA RTX 2080 Hybrid EVGA 360mm AIO/CLC : 1TB Seagate M.2 : 2TB WD Blue HDD : 500GB Crucial SSD Lian Li PC011 Dynamic case : Acer Predator 4k Gsync monitor
Running windows 10 64 bit
Had the core volt @1.395, SoC @ 1.2, i had that 3600x on all cores 4.275 mhz cause playing around with voltages and frequencies that was the most stable of all the "scenarios" I played out... trust me, I spent HOURS tinkering around
 
i say depending on how much mhz u get per temp increase you get, i got a performance boost of overall 25% in cinebench after jumping from 3.5 to 4.5 on a 4770k, fps on monster hunter world wich is quite heavy bumped from 42 fps to about 55 (gpu was also overclocked to +125mhz on core), to me, a bargain.
 
The gains are not huge but you also have to look at other factors to put this in context. You say 2-3 FPS increase but then I notice you are running 4K. If for example you were getting 45fps before overclocking and you saw a 3 FPS increase that a 7% improvement.

Using a 2080 Super at 1440p and playing Modern Warefare I managed roughly 7-10 FPS increase from 120-125 into the low to mid 130’s which is roughly an 8% increase. I didn’t notice any audible difference in gpu fan noise and my cpu/case fans I cannot hear but the pc is under the desk.

As I am gpu limited in games I know overclocking the cpu isn’t going to help today. In the future as games become more demanding maybe. Overclocking my old 4670k definitely allowed it to stay useful a year or more longer. It is hard to justify paying Intel tax on overclocking hardware for the performance gained, in retrospect should I have gone i7 4770 instead of a 4670k, probably. At the time though i7’s were generally overkill for gaming. Now with AMD where a cheap motherboard like the B450 Tomahawk Max can easily run a 3700X with PBO or overclocking the only extra to pay for is a mid range cooler

I’m not saying overclocking is worthwhile but it’s also depends on other factors.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crosslhs82x2
Solution

sobakowa19

Reputable
Apr 20, 2019
177
11
4,615
Out of curiosity
Did you run a cb r20? What was your m/c and s/c score.

Heres my 3600x on a Asus Rog Strix x470 F Gaming @4.325 @1.30v
Honestly i think i was scoring like 3640? If i can remember i think that was my best score. Like 3580 is what i for sure remember, i got 3853 like 3 tests in a row (which getting exactly the same score 3 times in a row is "rememorable")... Ram oc'ed to 3600, cpu ratio set at 42.75 (x100), soc at 1.2, core volt at 1.395, gpu +120 core +950 memory.
 

sobakowa19

Reputable
Apr 20, 2019
177
11
4,615
Honestly i think i was scoring like 3640? If i can remember i think that was my best score. Like 3580 is what i for sure remember, i got 3853 like 3 tests in a row (which getting exactly the same score 3 times in a row is "rememorable")... Ram oc'ed to 3600, cpu ratio set at 42.75 (x100), soc at 1.2, core volt at 1.395, gpu +120 core +950 memory.
Single core score was prolly like 540 something i think? I cant find my notebook (yes i had pages of overclocking info written in a notbook somewhere, kinda pissed i cant find it), wish i could.
 

sobakowa19

Reputable
Apr 20, 2019
177
11
4,615
Honestly i think i was scoring like 3640? If i can remember i think that was my best score. Like 3580 is what i for sure remember, i got 3853 like 3 tests in a row (which getting exactly the same score 3 times in a row is "rememorable")... Ram oc'ed to 3600, cpu ratio set at 42.75 (x100), soc at 1.2, core volt at 1.395, gpu +120 core +950 memory.
*Found it *
Best score was a 3744
**with no overclock i just scored a 3599... Aparently the pbo option boosting up the chip by itself is just as good if not better than what i was doing. Im going to see if i can lower the voltages for better thermals/accoustics
 
I spent countless hours overclocking the CPU i have and the GPU... all for about a 16% performance upgrade in synthetic benchmarks (3dMark, cinnebench etc.). In practical applications (like playing modern warfare or project cars 2) that equates to like 2 to 3 fps lol. Is that really worth it? Putting everything on stock I don't notice any difference at all AND my computer is super quiet, the fans on the aio's barely spin up... temps on the cpu and gpu never touch 60 under load ("under load" equates to playing games for hours on end as i don't do any video editing/rendering, i have no job ha).

What, if any, is a real benefit of wasting all that time for an insignificant gain in performance?
Your experience seems to be very common, and that's among many 'veteran' overclockers.

With Ryzen, it's especially important to measure performance in all use-age scenarios...single threaded, light loaded and as well heavy multi-threaded...to determine success of your overclocking to measure performance. Most of the reports I'm reading from people find improved performance in one scenario only, usually heavy multi-threaded, and declare victory while completely ignoring how it killed performance in light threaded applications.

Also still being learned is how locking down Zen2 to one fixed voltage will fair in long-term use. Many overclockers are already finding their CPU's degrading, which is surprising to them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crosslhs82x2