Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU?

ryan29121 · 01-24-08, 09:11 AM

Im wondering if overclocking a CPU will it reduce the life of it. I overclocked my q6600 to 3.2 will that significantly decrease the life? Just wondering because I dont want to burn up my $280 part. I don't have that much money as it is. Thanks in advance for your help.

ryan29121 · 01-24-08, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zer0

just use a good cooler.

heat will reduce the lifespan of your processor.

I have a Zalman 9700. Its the biggest and best CPU fan that I could find. Do i have to worry with that attached?

DRen72 · 01-24-08, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan29121

Im wondering if overclocking a CPU will it reduce the life of it. I overclocked my q6600 to 3.2 will that significantly decrease the life? Just wondering because I dont want to burn up my $280 part. I don't have that much money as it is. Thanks in advance for your help.

Yes, but put it this way... It will reduce its life from 20 years down to 10. You planning on keeping that CPU that long?

Riptide · 01-24-08, 10:18 AM

This isn't an exact science. Noone knows, really, how long a given overclock will affect any individual part over x period of time. It's just a guess.

I've seen a video card that overclocked fine for six months begin to fail at what was once a stable set of clocks. Back to stock and it was OK. Heat was not an issue at all. It just up and decided one day that it had enough. This isn't necessarily a common occurrence - but it certainly does happen. And it can happen to any part that is pushed past specs.

LORD-eX-Bu · 01-24-08, 11:37 AM

yes it does, it is evil and it will push your grandma down the stairs as well

**nekrosoft13** · 01-24-08, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan29121

I have a Zalman 9700. Its the biggest and best CPU fan that I could find. Do i have to worry with that attached?

doesn't matter how big it is, temps matter.

CaptNKILL · 01-24-08, 01:00 PM

Never seen an overclocked CPU die. The only CPUs I've ever seen that failed were running at stock speeds and must have just been defective.

I'd say of all of the components out there, CPUs are the most reliable, long lasting and well tested for quality control. I wouldn't worry about ever losing one unless you plan on doing "extreme" overclocking that requires phase change cooling or voltage modding.

Madpistol · 01-24-08, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LORD-eX-Bu

yes it does, it is evil and it will push your grandma down the stairs as well

No.... that's your cat....

Overclocking will reduce the life of your processor, but what does it matter? As long as it's adequately cooled, you're going to get plenty of life out of it... 3-4 years minimum.

CaptNKILL · 01-24-08, 01:33 PM

I know everyone's probably heard it 500 times already, but my old Athlon XP 1700+ Thoroughbred B core CPU has been running at 2Ghz (533Mhz overclock) on a Thermalright SK-7, in an Abit NF7-S for a little over 5 years now. Almost 24\7 and always busy.

I really wouldn't worry about wearing out any CPU.

Slammin · 01-24-08, 01:51 PM

People that say overclocking reduces the life of a PC are just repeating what they've heard somewhere, but nobody has actually had it happen to them.

Now, electromigration, where a combination of excessive current AND heat, is very common, but is mostly due to using too much voltage to reach your overclock, and cooling won't really help. Even then, what usually happens is a certain overclock is no longer stable, but the component still works.

$n][pErMan · 01-24-08, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan29121

I have a Zalman 9700. Its the biggest and best CPU fan that I could find. Do i have to worry with that attached?

Thats a great HSF and exactly what I use. Assuming you have looked at your temps... its a very good air cooler and you should be fine

I try to keep my full load temps under 60C.

stncttr908 · 01-24-08, 08:55 PM

I wouldn't say the higher clocks reduce your components' lives, but voltage increases may.

01-24-08, 09:11 AM	#1
ryan29121 mmmkay Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: United States, WI Posts: 297	Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU? Im wondering if overclocking a CPU will it reduce the life of it. I overclocked my q6600 to 3.2 will that significantly decrease the life? Just wondering because I dont want to burn up my $280 part. I don't have that much money as it is. Thanks in advance for your help. __________________ \| Cooler Master Cosmos \| Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R (F13C BIOS)\| \|Core 2 Quad Q6600 GO @ 3.40GHz w/ Zalman CNPS9700 NT \| EVGA 8800GT 512MB @ 700, 1025 w/ AC Accelero S1 \| \|OCZ GameXStream 700W \| 8GB G.SKILL DDR2 800 @ 1066, 4-4-4-12\| Seagate 7200.10 320GB & 7200.11 1TB \| \| Creative X-FI Platinum Fatal1ty Pro PCI-E \| x2 Samsung 245BW 24" \| \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| \| Logitech G15 \| Logitech G5 Ver.2 \|Logitech z5500 5.1 \| \|\|3dMark 06: 15003\|\| \|\|Games I'm Playing: Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 dead 2, Dragon age, Borderlands\|\|

01-24-08, 10:18 AM	#4
Riptide Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Billings, MT Posts: 8,303	Re: Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU? This isn't an exact science. Noone knows, really, how long a given overclock will affect any individual part over x period of time. It's just a guess. I've seen a video card that overclocked fine for six months begin to fail at what was once a stable set of clocks. Back to stock and it was OK. Heat was not an issue at all. It just up and decided one day that it had enough. This isn't necessarily a common occurrence - but it certainly does happen. And it can happen to any part that is pushed past specs.

01-24-08, 11:37 AM	#5
LORD-eX-Bu Horus the pointy master Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 4,609	Re: Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU? yes it does, it is evil and it will push your grandma down the stairs as well __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

01-24-08, 01:00 PM	#7
CaptNKILL CUBE Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: PA, USA Posts: 18,844	Re: Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU? Never seen an overclocked CPU die. The only CPUs I've ever seen that failed were running at stock speeds and must have just been defective. I'd say of all of the components out there, CPUs are the most reliable, long lasting and well tested for quality control. I wouldn't worry about ever losing one unless you plan on doing "extreme" overclocking that requires phase change cooling or voltage modding. __________________ ---- Primary Rig ---- CoolerMaster 690 II Advance - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.0Ghz + Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 6GB DDR2 @ 942Mhz 5-5-5-20 1.9v (2x1Gb Wintec AMPX PC2-8500 & 2x2Gb G.Skill PC2-6400) - EVGA Geforce GTX 470 @ 750/1500/1850 (1.050v) Sparkle Geforce GTS 250 1Gb Low-Profile (Physx) - Crucial RealSSD C300 64Gb SSD - Seagate 7200.12 500Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA ASUS VW266H 25.5" LCD - OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU - ASUS Xonar DX - Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Surround - Windows 7 Professional x64 ---- HTPC ---- Asus M3A78-EM 780G - AMD Athlon X2 5050e 45W @ 2.6Ghz - 2x2GB Kingston PC2-6400 DDR2 - Sparkle 350W PSU Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 250Gb SATA - Athenatech A100BB.350 MicroATX Desktop - Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic

01-24-08, 01:33 PM	#9
CaptNKILL CUBE Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: PA, USA Posts: 18,844	Re: Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU? I know everyone's probably heard it 500 times already, but my old Athlon XP 1700+ Thoroughbred B core CPU has been running at 2Ghz (533Mhz overclock) on a Thermalright SK-7, in an Abit NF7-S for a little over 5 years now. Almost 24\7 and always busy. I really wouldn't worry about wearing out any CPU. __________________ ---- Primary Rig ---- CoolerMaster 690 II Advance - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.0Ghz + Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 6GB DDR2 @ 942Mhz 5-5-5-20 1.9v (2x1Gb Wintec AMPX PC2-8500 & 2x2Gb G.Skill PC2-6400) - EVGA Geforce GTX 470 @ 750/1500/1850 (1.050v) Sparkle Geforce GTS 250 1Gb Low-Profile (Physx) - Crucial RealSSD C300 64Gb SSD - Seagate 7200.12 500Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA ASUS VW266H 25.5" LCD - OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU - ASUS Xonar DX - Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Surround - Windows 7 Professional x64 ---- HTPC ---- Asus M3A78-EM 780G - AMD Athlon X2 5050e 45W @ 2.6Ghz - 2x2GB Kingston PC2-6400 DDR2 - Sparkle 350W PSU Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 250Gb SATA - Athenatech A100BB.350 MicroATX Desktop - Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic

01-24-08, 01:51 PM	#10
Slammin Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 1,123	Re: Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU? People that say overclocking reduces the life of a PC are just repeating what they've heard somewhere, but nobody has actually had it happen to them. Now, electromigration, where a combination of excessive current AND heat, is very common, but is mostly due to using too much voltage to reach your overclock, and cooling won't really help. Even then, what usually happens is a certain overclock is no longer stable, but the component still works. __________________ Abit IN9 32x MAX- Kentsfield QX6700 @3520 1.5 vcore watercooled D-Tek Fuzion/PA-160/MCR120/2x MCP655 2x2GB G-Skill 1066 5-5-5-15 2T@1.9vdimm 2x EVGA 580GTX 1.5GB Sli 2x 74GB Sata Raptor Raid0 2x 320GB Hitachi Sata II X-FI Elite Pro Dell U3011 Lian Li V2100B Corsair HX1000

01-24-08, 08:55 PM	#12
stncttr908 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: NJ, USA Posts: 4,496	Re: Does overclocking reduce the life of your CPU? I wouldn't say the higher clocks reduce your components' lives, but voltage increases may. __________________ PC - \| Core i7-2600K @ stock \| Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3 \| 4GB Patriot Sector 5 DDR3 \| Galaxy GTX 460 1GB @ stock \| Corsair Force 120GB SSD \| Seagate 1TB 7200RPM \| 320GB Seagate 7200.10 \| 2x Seagate 500GB USB 2.0 \| Lite-On 20x SATA DVD+RW \| Silverstone TJ-09 \| Corsair 620W PSU \| Logitech Z-5500s \| Sennheiser HD-570 headphones \| Samsung 2494LW \| Laptop - \| Dell Inspiron 1420 \| C2D T7300 (2.0GHz, 4MB cache) \| 2GB DDR2-667 \| 160GB 7200RPM HDD \| DVD +/- RW \| 14.1" WXGA+ (1440x900) \| Broadcom 802.11g \| NVIDIA 8400M GS 128MB \|

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