While I agree that moderate overclocking is probably not going to cause quick death of the CPU, I would think that the bigger problem is reliability - there will be some range of frequencies where the processor works most of the time but will sometimes hang, sometimes just begin behaving erratically, etc. I would think that it would be difficult to determine a very reliable operating point yourself. I would think, too, that the manufacturer, since they test every single chip they produce, would have rated that chip close to its actual max frequency for reliable operation because they often "bin" processors according to how high the test can go in frequency before it starts to fail. Sean On Sun, Dec 11, 2011 at 4:41 PM, Herbert Graf wrote: > On Sun, 2011-12-11 at 15:28 -0500, V G wrote: >> People generally tend to spew a lot of crap on the Internet regarding >> overclocking CPUs, so I avoid reading answers on those forums. >> >> Q: From an engineering perspective, if I overclock my core i7 from 3.8GH= z >> to around 4.4GHz and increase the voltage to support the higher >> frequencies, what effect does it have on the lifespan of the CPU (assumi= ng >> I cool it adequately to under 55 degrees under full load)? Do the higher >> than standard voltages slowly damage the inside of the CPU? I don't real= ly >> know anything about the insides of ICs yet... > > The answer is yes, it does reduce the lifetime of the CPU. > > There are a few reasons for that, and it varies TREMENDOUSLY on the > particular piece of silcon involved. > > That said: CPUs are engineered to last a VERY VERY long time. It's not > surprising to hear a CPU that's 30 years old still running without > issue. > > So, you are taking a CPU, designed to run for decades, and probably > affecting it's life by at most a few years. Does that matter? > > Chances are, even in the WORST case, your CPU will still outlive, by > far, it's useful life (10 years from now it's very unlikely you'll care > if that particular chip fails). > > My experience with overclocking has been only positive. I say go for it. > The worst that happens in my experience is the particular piece of > silicon you get won't overclock as much as others. > > TTYL > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .