What is overclocking

[StalkerIsComing]

Ok,I am just confused with this ''overclocking'' feature.I found that the intel i5 4690 ranges between 3.5ghz and 3.9 ghz,while the 4690k ranges between the same amounts.Does it mean that both CPUs can run at these speeds without overclocking and the ''k'' one can be overclocked to higher speeds?Thanks

 

[ninja85a]

when you overclock something it means you clock it higher then it was when you got it so you can overclock it to 5ghz if you are lucky enough to get a good overclock cpu

 

[Eximo]

Overclocking is running the chip, either CPU, GPU, or anything that operates on some type of frequency measured in Hertz beyond what the designers specified.

You are looking at the manufacturer's specs for Base Clock and Boost Clock. Modern CPUs will throttle themselves up and down depending on demand.

The K class chips indicate the the multiplier is unlocked. The system bus runs at 100Mhz, the multiplier is literally that. 100Mhz x 34 = 3.4Ghz. Having an unlocked multiplier means that you can multiply by any number that the CPU will run based on the input voltage. 100Mhz x 50 = 5.0Ghz as in the example above. Not very realistic with an Intel CPU.

That is the basics, but there is much more detail to getting a stable overclock on the top end.

 

[StalkerIsComing]

What I mean is that both of these CPUs say that the base clock mode is at 3.5Ghz and the Turbo mode is at 3.9Ghz.This means that the non-k CPU can run from 3.5 to 3.9Ghz,depending on the conditions and you can't overclock it,while the ''k'' can be overclocked higher than 3.9Ghz,right?

 

[Eximo]

Correct, to a point.

With the right motherboard you can overclock other parts of the system to achieve a similar result.

The system bus clock (also called Base Clock annoyingly) can be modified up to about 105Mhz. You can force a locked CPU to always run at its maximum boost multiplier. That gets you to approximately 4.1Ghz.

K series is simpler. You just set your target speed and see if it makes it. If not increase voltage, monitor temperature. You do this until you reach an equilibrium where voltage input increases temperature, but the increased voltage allows for greater clock frequencies.

It is common to see i5-4690k CPUs running at 4.5 - 4.6 Ghz.