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My question may seem dumb, but, really, I want to think about it objectively.
Let's first say that I'm not expecting to hard overclock a computer (ie. doubling the clock of the CPU), but I'd go by successive steps.
Provided that:
- My BIOS has a temperature guard that automatically shuts the system off (Crosshair 2 Formula), applied to CPU and chipset
- My video card does the same (nVidia 8800GTX, expecting to buy a more recent one soon)
- I don't know many other implications than overheating and instability
Is overclocking safe with modern hardware? Could an overclock and/or an associated overvoltage cause physical damage to hardware, when talking about 20% increments?
In general, with modern hardware, what temperature ranges be safely reached by components? I'm lucky that my CPU fan keeps the processor 40°C cold when strongly stressed (not overclocked). Can I expect a physical damage at 90°C in a chipset? Or a video card?
Could someone explain who "we" are who are setting the below arbitrary rules? – Daniel R Hicks – 2012-08-01T22:07:10.187
For once I agree with the decision to close. – Daniel R Hicks – 2012-08-01T22:19:01.483
DanH: I think 20% is achievable and not very high overclock. Actually it's very realistic with today pc. – Gigamegs – 2012-08-01T22:40:10.793
@Chiyou: AMD and Intel grade their CPUs with certain clock speeds for a reason. – paradroid – 2012-08-01T23:14:06.077
1Thanks for all the great answers, but... Does anyone have a bare idea about typical critical temperatures with modern hardware? I mean, "I knew all the theory"... Is 90°C risky. Or is it 60°C risky already? – usr-local-ΕΨΗΕΛΩΝ – 2012-08-02T15:19:23.417