Overclocking is the operation that allows you to increase the data processing speed of a processor, sending it to full power and therefore increasing the performance of the computer considerably. Overclocking is possible with almost any type of cPU or GPU (graphics processor) because the manufacturers of processors and chips sell their products with a certain limited power for reasons of security and stability. Once the processor is mounted in a computer, depending on how the PC is made and the hardware it is made of (mainly motherboard, power supply and cooling system), you can increase the CPU power to make it go more fast.
There are several ways to increase processor speed, mainly using the computer's BIOS settings, if the motherboard and CPU allow. Not all processors, in fact, can be unlocked with overclocking and speaking of Intel CPUs, it depends on the model and generation. The Intel CPUs that can improve speed through overclocking are the unlocked models marked with the letter K or the letter X or the word Extreme .
Intel also provides software to perform a controlled overclock, called Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU), which can be downloaded for free from the Intel website which also lists the processors that support overclocking, among Intel i3, i5, i7 generations. 8 and 9.
Before trying the overclocking it is important that the PC has a certain type of features such as: ATX case (the big one), liquid cooling system or with more robust fans (because by increasing the speed of the processor this heats up much more, at least 10 degrees) and then also a sufficiently powerful power supply (because overclocking consumes more energy).
Using the Intel XTU program is fairly simple, but requires testing and testing to find the maximum level at which the processor speed can be pushed. As already explained in an article on how to overclock the GPU with MSI Afterburner, we must proceed step by step with small increments and tests. You will therefore have to slightly increase the processor clock and electrical voltage and then make a stress test with the benchmark programs that push the processor performance to the maximum. If all goes well and the computer does not crash, then you can try to make another small increase and test it, repeating this operation to an acceptable level, which does not crash the PC and does not raise the temperature of the computer too much.
In this procedure, it is advisable to increase the CPU clock by 50 MHz at a time, then increasing the voltage by 5-10 mV when the clock exceeds 100-200 MHz. After each increase, a performance test must always be done to see if the system remains stable.
In 2019, Intel made overclocking its latest processors even easier, with a one-click program, where all the stability control is automatic and you can try to push the speed to the maximum without risking malfunctions.
This is the Performance Maximizer program for Windows which, at the moment, only works with 9th generation Intel cPUs (all of the Coffee Lake family): Core i9-9900K, Core i9-9900KF, Core i7-9700K, Core i7-9700KF, Core i5-9600K and Core i5-9600KF.
Once you enter the program, Performance Maximizer will inform you if overclocking is supported and to pay attention to the risk of burning the processor if it gets too hot. The tool will then perform some tests on the system to customize the overclocking with some computer restarts. The whole process may not work if the settings in the BIOS relating to the performance of the motherboard had been changed and if an overclock was already performed with different programs.
At the end of the tests, you will get an Intel CPU speed increase that can be more or less than 10%. Again, however, it is important to have an adequate cooling system to prevent the CPU from getting too hot (see how to measure CPU temperature here).
READ ALSO: Programs for Overclocking of CPU processor and video card
There are several ways to increase processor speed, mainly using the computer's BIOS settings, if the motherboard and CPU allow. Not all processors, in fact, can be unlocked with overclocking and speaking of Intel CPUs, it depends on the model and generation. The Intel CPUs that can improve speed through overclocking are the unlocked models marked with the letter K or the letter X or the word Extreme .
Intel also provides software to perform a controlled overclock, called Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU), which can be downloaded for free from the Intel website which also lists the processors that support overclocking, among Intel i3, i5, i7 generations. 8 and 9.
Before trying the overclocking it is important that the PC has a certain type of features such as: ATX case (the big one), liquid cooling system or with more robust fans (because by increasing the speed of the processor this heats up much more, at least 10 degrees) and then also a sufficiently powerful power supply (because overclocking consumes more energy).
Using the Intel XTU program is fairly simple, but requires testing and testing to find the maximum level at which the processor speed can be pushed. As already explained in an article on how to overclock the GPU with MSI Afterburner, we must proceed step by step with small increments and tests. You will therefore have to slightly increase the processor clock and electrical voltage and then make a stress test with the benchmark programs that push the processor performance to the maximum. If all goes well and the computer does not crash, then you can try to make another small increase and test it, repeating this operation to an acceptable level, which does not crash the PC and does not raise the temperature of the computer too much.
In this procedure, it is advisable to increase the CPU clock by 50 MHz at a time, then increasing the voltage by 5-10 mV when the clock exceeds 100-200 MHz. After each increase, a performance test must always be done to see if the system remains stable.
In 2019, Intel made overclocking its latest processors even easier, with a one-click program, where all the stability control is automatic and you can try to push the speed to the maximum without risking malfunctions.
This is the Performance Maximizer program for Windows which, at the moment, only works with 9th generation Intel cPUs (all of the Coffee Lake family): Core i9-9900K, Core i9-9900KF, Core i7-9700K, Core i7-9700KF, Core i5-9600K and Core i5-9600KF.
Once you enter the program, Performance Maximizer will inform you if overclocking is supported and to pay attention to the risk of burning the processor if it gets too hot. The tool will then perform some tests on the system to customize the overclocking with some computer restarts. The whole process may not work if the settings in the BIOS relating to the performance of the motherboard had been changed and if an overclock was already performed with different programs.
At the end of the tests, you will get an Intel CPU speed increase that can be more or less than 10%. Again, however, it is important to have an adequate cooling system to prevent the CPU from getting too hot (see how to measure CPU temperature here).
READ ALSO: Programs for Overclocking of CPU processor and video card
