Does Overclocking Reduce CPU Lifespan? Proven Guide 2023

This leads us to the question, Does Overclocking Reduce CPU Lifespan? No one likes a slow computer. One that starts to slow down when you give it a little more to do than usual.

Instead of getting a better processor, many people try overclocking their CPU to catch up with all the jobs quickly. This is fine, but taking the easy way out like this always has a downside.

Key Takeaways

• By overclocking, you can make your CPU run faster.
• Your CPU may not last as long if you overclock it.
• There are some good things about boosting, along with the bad things.

There are a lot of people who are very against it. On the other hand, you might hear from some people that you should do it. So, we will give you a guide to clear up your doubts.

The Impact Of Overclocking Reduce CPU Lifespan

When you overclock your CPU, you run a higher power through it to make it work faster. This speed is a lot faster than the one it usually runs at.

Putting a higher power through the CPU makes a lot of heat, which could be better. Ultimately, this makes your CPU get hot much faster than usual. Your PC’s parts already have trouble with heat.

So, the more the CPU heats up, the less time it will last. Now, how much the lifespan shortens could rely on a few things.

The Stress Of Thermal Cycling

We already know that the temperature goes up more than usual when you overclock. When your PC is turned off, a sudden drop from a high temperature to room temperature or vice versa can stress your CPU. The more often this is done, the worse it is for the CPU’s life span.

The Cooler Installed Inside Your PC

It would be best to get away from the CPU’s heat. If the heat stays in for a long time, the CPU is more likely to get hurt. The better airflow and heat control, something will likely last longer. Check out our guide on AIO vs Air Cooler to learn more.

Temperature Absorbed By The Heat Sink

The heat sink should work quickly and well when your CPU gets hot from boosting. Your CPU will only last briefly if you do a terrible, useless, or slow job.

How much you boost your CPU can also change how long it will last. If the change in voltage is manageable, it will only affect how long your CPU will last. This is something your CPU can handle.

If you only do a bit of boosting, the CPU temperature should only go up by 10C to 20C. But if the overclocking is done by letting a lot of extra power through, the CPU’s life will be shortened.

The heat will rise too much, which is terrible for your CPU. An excellent cooling solution can do great things for your CPU. The better the heat is released, the more likely the item will last longer.

Benefits Of Overclocking CPU

Even though boosting can shorten the life of a CPU, the benefits may make many people choose to do it. For example, performance is getting better. Your processor has enough space to do many things at once.

Follow our guide to fixing How to Fix CPU Cooler Not Screwing In

Apps that used to be slow to react to commands might speed up. Your CPU can handle more work than it could before. For instance, video editors will only take a short time to do something easy.

The good news for gamers is that they can choose a better fps rate. If they have a good GPU and a lot of RAM, increasing their CPU can improve how they play games. You can speed up both the GPU and the RAM. You should look at our post “How to overclock RAM?”

Also, boosting your CPU may not cost you much money. It’s a better choice for people who don’t want to spend money on a new CPU with better speed.

Drawbacks Of Overclocking CPU

There are some scary problems with speeding up your CPU. In the same way that it can hurt the GPU, it could also hurt the CPU.

• If your CPU’s protection is still valid, it will no longer be valid.
• A lot of power will be used by your CPU. The CPU needs more power when it is overclocked.
• As your CPU heats up, the socket on the motherboard is more likely to get broken. This is because the motherboard slot is where your CPU goes.
• When more voltage flows through the CPU, the machine may be more likely to short out.

Also, check out our separate post on CPU Overheating

• If your PC’s cooling system is based on fans, you may notice more noise.
• A reliable cooling system is essential for overclocking. If your cooling system is poor, the possibility exists that the entire system will get corrupted.
• Last but not least, the heat will cut down on the life of your CPU.

Is Overclocking CPU A Good Idea?

The first thing you should know about boosting your PC is that it only works with desktop builds. No one should ever try to speed up a laptop’s CPU. This is because computers don’t have a cooling system to handle overclocking. Most laptops don’t even let you change the speed of the CPU.

Go through our epic guide on Should I Overclock My CPU

The fact that speeding is possible is not enough to make it happen. You need to make sure that your CPU can even handle boosting without putting it at risk. If you want to speed up, consider the information below.

• Your gear needs to be strong enough to be able to handle overclocking. Most store-bought PCs need hardware that is powerful enough to overclock. You can go ahead if you have a PC built just for you.
• When you boost your CPU, fans usually don’t do a good job. You could choose a liquid cooling device to deal with the heat.
• When you speed up your CPU, your gear should be able to handle it. For example, when you overclock AMD parts, they are very stable. Still, it would help to study ahead of time to be safe.
• If you want to speed up your CPU, you need the right power source.
• The thermal paste should be of a very high quality.

Once you are done with a check of these facts, you may download third-party tools to test your CPU. The test will gradually stress your computer’s CPU to see how it reacts. You can boost your CPU if it passes the test and stays stable under all the stress.

Conclusion

This was all you needed to know about whether or not boosting shortens the life of a CPU. Despite the overclocking, your CPU will last a while, enough until you decide to change it if you are a gamer. If you want their CPU to last longer than six years, you might not want to boost it.

You may have learned that boosting can make your CPU last less long, but it still gets the most out. The enhanced speed of the PC is enough to make one forget about the damage sometimes.

Also, we’d like to discuss some things that have nothing to do with technology but may affect how long your CPU lasts.

• Where you put your computer case. It should be big enough to let the heat out of the computer case but not let it back in.
• How hot or cold the room is where your computer case is. If it gets hot in the summer, you need an air conditioner to keep things cool.
• How long is the computer on? If you use your PC for hours and hours without stopping, it will get hot.
• How often should the PC’s dust be cleaned or not? Dust will cover the CPU if it is not cleaned off occasionally. This causes the heat to trap inside, dramatically increasing the CPU’s temperature.

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