Is overclocking an i7 950 worth it?

G

gj73

Member
Hi,

I'm considering buying an overclocked i7 950 setup from PCS. The overclocked option is 49 GBP more expensive, so I thought why not.

However, by overclocking the processor losses its hyperthreading and turbo boost functionality. therefore is the overclock worth losing the hyperthreading for? Has anyone got links to performance comparisons?

Also, considering the extra stress the overclocked processor works under , is it worth overclocking whats already a high end cpu with hyerthreading (to 8 cores) and in built turbo boost (potentially to 3.6ghz i think??) ?

thanks for reading.
 
JSG10

JSG10

Expert
Imo, overclocking is only worth it if you're going for an extreme build and are doing it just to max out some figures or require some crazy performance.
I can't think of any situation that an "average" user would actually need to oc their CPU.
By OCing you 1) void any warranty (unless the OC is performed by PCS and not touched by the user) 2) lessen the life of the CPU and 3) Possibly create stability issues. So why bother for day to day use? Even for heavy gaming you won't need to OC. To my mind its more of a badge of honour type thing rather than providing any extra function.
 
Stappa

Stappa

Enthusiast
gj73 said:
Hi,

I'm considering buying an overclocked i7 950 setup from PCS. The overclocked option is 49 GBP more expensive, so I thought why not.

However, by overclocking the processor losses its hyperthreading and turbo boost functionality. therefore is the overclock worth losing the hyperthreading for? Has anyone got links to performance comparisons?

Also, considering the extra stress the overclocked processor works under , is it worth overclocking whats already a high end cpu with hyerthreading (to 8 cores) and in built turbo boost (potentially to 3.6ghz i think??) ?

thanks for reading.
Click to expand...

Hi
Firstly the I7 950 does not loose its hyperthreading when O/C. I opted for an O/C 950 the extra cost gets u a top CPU cooler/Bios Config(with saved O/C profile) mine runs very fast and very cool,I lost the O/C settings once after the PC went into Standby mode but I reinstaled the O/C settings that were saved in my Bios O/C profile which sorted the prob(I then disabled the Sleep/Standby mode) and have had no probs since?? If u do alot of HD Encodeing like me an O/C is useful,even with an 10-20% O/C CPU's are very Stable(its also worth noting that alot of programs/games now benifit from higher O/C clock speeds) and u could always reset the bios to the default speed if stability became a prob,but it's down to u m8?
 
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BAD SANTA

BAD SANTA

Well-known member
You don't loose hyperthreading it is still active don't know where you got that from, you only need turbo boost to get a mild overclock and it is not as good as a standard overclock that PCS will do and if you get it done by PCS your warranty is still fine. Overclocking is IMO a benchmarking thing really it's not a necessity it's just some people like to push their systems to the limit, like me lol. For the normal user you won't really notice if it is overclocked or not but it does make some difference if you get to the nitty gritty ie frames per second etc. Overclocked to 3.8 which is what PCS do will not drop the life expectancy or they wouldn't do it and still honour their warranty. Hope this helps.
 
Phoenix

Phoenix

Prolific Poster
Stappa said:
Hi
Firstly the I7 950 does not loose its hyperthreading when O/C(nor the 760). I opted for an O/C 950 the extra cost gets u a top CPU cooler/Bios Config(with saved O/C profile) mine runs very fast and very cool,I lost the O/C settings once after the PC went into Standby mode but I reinstaled the O/C settings that were saved in my Bios O/C profile which sorted the prob(I then disabled the Sleep/Standby mode) and have had no probs since?? If u do alot of HD Encodeing like me an O/C is useful,even with an 10-20% O/C CPU's are very Stable(its also worth noting that alot of programs/games now benifit from higher O/C clock speeds) and u could always reset the bios to the default speed if stability became a prob,but it's down to u m8?
Click to expand...

The i5-760 doesn't have hyperthreading but it is sometimes disabled on the i7-950 when overclocking to keep the temperatures down.
 
G

gj73

Member
Thanks guys for your replies.
I'm virtualising some servers onto this machine, so I'd like to keep the hyperthreading switched on. Is it possible for PCS to do the overclocking with hyperthreading switched on? If my individual processor does have issues below 3.8Ghz, then I'd rather have a lower figure and leave hyperthreading on. Can I request this?
thanks for helping, I'm looking to order before the VAt increase.
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
When overclocking we use our sewttings for stability. Once you receive the PC you're welcome to tinker with the settings, but bear in mind that this can result in your system crashing/having BSOD's.
 
G

gj73

Member
Hi PCS.
Do your settings include having hyperthreading switched on? Some people have said above that they did have hyperthreading on with this CPU.
thanks.
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
On the i7-950 hyperthreading is left enabled.

Also, just for your information, we don't change any extra for our overclocking service - it's free. If the system appears more expensive that's because we require you to order a different case/PSU/CPU fan and some better thermal compound.
 
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