Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice on whether I should overclock my Intel i7 6700K processor. I've been using this build for a while with a GTX 980 Ti and 16 GB of RAM, but I realize it's pretty outdated for today's standards. I've had some issues with my CPU temps hitting around 90 degrees Celsius under load when gaming. I play titles like For Honor, Valorant, and Battlefield 1, and I'm wondering if overclocking my CPU would help improve performance or if it would just raise my temperatures even higher. What do you all think? Thanks in advance for your help!
6 Answers
Honestly, overclocking isn’t going to give you much of a boost since your CPU already turbos on its own. With temps hitting 90 degrees, you should definitely think twice before pushing it.
If you’re hitting 90 degrees, it's likely already overclocked or your cooling setup is lacking. What cooler and motherboard are you using? If performance is what you need, consider upgrading your GPU instead; a used 1070 or 1080 could be a good option.
My GPU is holding back too; those micro stutters seem to come from the CPU temps. I have a Cooler Master and a Z170a PC Mate motherboard.
With temps that high, I'd say sort that out before anything else. You might not notice much difference with an overclock anyway. If you're getting around 60 FPS, a 10% OC might only net you like 6 more FPS, so not really worth it.
Definitely not worth it then, lol. Thanks for the insight!
You don't have any thermal headroom left at 90 degrees, so overclocking is a no-go. Focus on mitigating those temps first!
I think the micro stutters I’m experiencing are linked to those temps too. Time to apply some better thermal paste!
Why push it? If you're already at 90 degrees, overclocking will just make things run hotter. And remember, your CPU is pretty old by now; a modern i3 will beat it easily.
So you're saying if I overclock, it might just make things worse? I need to deal with what I have for now.
Honestly, you’re better off considering a new CPU, motherboard, and RAM. It’s about time for an upgrade!
I can't disagree with you there, thanks!
Thanks for the tip!