MOST of their motherboards are overclock-enabled, but once again you’re going to want to look at the manufacturer’s websites for whatever board you’re considering.Īnother thing to consider is the actual overclocking-related features of the motherboard you get. For Intel chips, you’ll need to pick up a motherboard that has a “Z” in the chipset name, such as the Z170 and Z270 motherboards which are both compatible with the previously mentioned i7-7700k. Always check the specific SKU that you’re looking at on the manufacturer’s website, so you can be sure it’s unlocked! AMD has slightly different rules, with many more of their CPUs being unlocked for overclockers to tinker with. For Intel computers, any CPU with a “K” on the end of it’s name, such as the recently released i7-7700k, will be able to overclock. The most important thing to consider is whether or not your CPU and Motherboard even support overclocking. For most cases, only computers that you put together yourself will really be able to overclock, as pre-built ones will rarely have the necessary hardware, unless you’re buying from a custom PC builder. Overclocking is pretty simple nowadays, however, there are some required supplies and specifications to consider before you’ll be able to do it. A good, successful overclock can grant as much as a 20% performance increase or more, as long as you’re willing to put in the effort. Overclocking allows you to basically get ‘free’ value from your hardware, potentially letting the CPU last longer before it needs an upgrade, as well as just generally increasing performance in high demand applications like gaming and video editing.

This comes at the cost of increased heat production, as well as potential reduction of lifespan, though for many people the benefits far outweigh the risks. Overclocking is, essentially, using the settings present on the motherboard in order to have the CPU run at higher speeds than what it’s set to run by default.

Benefits of overclocking ram