What is the real benifit from CPU overclocking?

[Meaning_Raptor]

I have an i5 4690k and I'm getting a cryorig h7 to replace the stock cooler. I just want to know what the main benifits are from overclocking my CPU because I've heard that it doesn't make a big difference in games. I wasn't planning on overclocking in the first place but then I learned that since I bought a K processor, it was made for overclocking. So I just said what the heck, I paid extra for something I should use.

 

[Undying89]

Overclocking is for enthusiasts who wants every bit of power from their hardware. Also, overclocking is for people who knows what they are doing.

I'll give you an example : I bought my 2500k 3 years ago and it runs at 4.8ghz from then. At those clocks it beats your 4690k stock at anything, you see where i am going with this?

 

[Sergeant_Sneaky]

If your CPU isn't bottlenecking your GPU, overclocking your CPU will generally bring your minimum FPS up in games.

 

[Meaning_Raptor]

Overclocking is for enthusiasts who wants every bit of power from their hardware. Also, overclocking is for people who knows what they are doing.

I'll give you an example : I bought my 2500k 3 years ago and it runs at 4.8ghz from then. At those clocks it beats your 4690k stock at anything, you see where i am going with this?

4.8ghz is a really big overclock! at least I think. I don't know if the stock clocks on that card were 3.5 or 4ghz. I know my 4690k's stock clock is 3.5ghz. What kind of CPU cooler did you use for that kind of overclock and what difference did that overclock make? (like what apps/games or what had better performance)

 

[USAFRet]

Overclocking is for enthusiasts who wants every bit of power from their hardware. Also, overclocking is for people who knows what they are doing.

I'll give you an example : I bought my 2500k 3 years ago and it runs at 4.8ghz from then. At those clocks it beats your 4690k stock at anything, you see where i am going with this?

Not quite so simple.
Beats at what, is the question...
An OC CPU is faster at some/most tasks, at the expense of heat/noise/power. You can get rid of that heat and (maybe) noise, at the expense of money.

I am NOT saying overclocking is bad or useless. Just that you don't get something for nothing.

 

[Undying89]

Its on air (212 Evo in push-pull). Sandy is cool compered to you Ivy and Haswell and on average overclock higher. You should start slowly, read some guides before you start. On your 4690k and good aftermarket cooler you should be able to get close to 4.5ghz.

When it comes to games, really depends what you play. Games insanely heavy on the CPU like Arma, Day-z, Planetside 2...well any MMO will bring quite few more fps. Like i said, overclocking really does extends hardware capability GPU or CPU.

 

[Meaning_Raptor]

Its on air (212 Evo in push-pull). Sandy is cool compered to you Ivy and Haswell and on average overclock higher. You should start slowly, read some guides before you start. On your 4690k and good aftermarket cooler you should be able to get close to 4.5ghz.

When it comes to games, really depends what you play. Games insanely heavy on the CPU like Arma, Day-z, Planetside 2...well any MMO will bring quite few more fps. Like i said, overclocking really does extends hardware capability GPU or CPU.

yeah my case (Corsair spec 01) won't fit a 212 evo. If it would that's what I would get but i have to get the cryorig h7. But i've heard good things about the cryorig h7. I know battlefield 4 is a pretty CPU heavy game, so I should see a few extra frames from that game. And there are a lot of CPU overclocking guides, so I should be set on that.

 

[MasterMace]

I've heard that it doesn't make a big difference in games.

Stop listening to whomever told you this. "Overclock" means making it run faster than its default settings. Your i5-4690k is a 4-core 3.5ghz CPU. You can make it run faster (3.6ghz/3.7/3.8 etc) by telling your motherboard to run it faster. You do this either with software in Windows (bad), or in your BIOS (good).

Your CPU clock speed is calculated. 3.5ghz = 100mhz Front Side Bus speed (FSB) x 35 (multiplier).

CPU Speed = FSB x Multiplier

When you saw that the K series meant it was built for overclocking, it was a bit overstated. K series means the multiplier is "unlocked". Normally, CPUs are made with a maximum multiplier (locked), and this is the speed your CPU normally runs.

TLDR: You can give your CPU a free upgrade by overclocking it.