Overclocked CPU's, estimated life? say E6400 at 3ghz?

Computer Hardware
#1

ok so wats a Overclocked CPU’s, estimated life??? say E6400 at 3ghz?

or if u want to take extream overclocking a E6400 at 3.8ghz (this is for

example)so pretty much overclocked to the max while still stable how long do u

think they’ll last before they jst die(years,months,days?)?

so jst generally 2 questions kinda

  1. ok so wats a Overclocked CPU’s, estimated life for a modirate overclock say a

E6400 at 3ghz

  1. and second a Overclocked CPU’s, estimated life for a extreame overclock max

until unstable say somewhere between 3.4ghz-3.8ghz(depending on ur cpu)

#2

Well there are two enemies to OC’ing, high temps, and high voltages. Also, the CPU isn’t the only thing prone to fail, its also the RAM and the MB. Some newer MB’s come with ALL solid capacitors that are rated to sustain higher temperatures, so they are more stable and less susceptable to fail.

If planning on overclocking heavily, one has to plan on a suitable cooling solution for the cpu/NB/SB/RAM. What comes with the MB and CPU are for general use and light OC’ing.

Since the conroe chips are new, I don’t think people can put a real time on their lifespan. In the past heavily OC’ed systems would last from 6mo to 2yr, depending on the equipment and experience of the user.

RAM nowadays can handle very high voltages, and the MB’s are able to pump them up, but then they will become unstable and eventually overheat/fail, so again keeping the voltage minimized and using a fan (bigger is better) to blow directly on them helps a lot.

With CPU’s you can upgrade to a big heatpipe setup (like the big typhoon, tuniq tower 120, and thermaltake makes a good one) which uses a 120mm fan, or use water cooling setup, and in extreme setups they use phase change cooling (basically an airconditioner).

Also the case needs to be capable of getting the hot air out, so one with multiple 120mm fans is best.

You can read more about OC’ing conroe chips at http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/
People there are pushing their systems to their limits and few are reporting failures, most problems are associated with the MB, so getting the right one is key.

good luck, and welcome to CDfreaks btw :slight_smile:

#3

CPU lifetime is dependent on a few factors.
1.) Voltage - Pumping too much voltage into a chip can cause it to die prematurely.
2.) Heat - Some CPU (mobile ones especially) can operate under very high temps. CPUs that are kept cooler should last longer than identical CPUs running @ higher temps.
3.) PSU issues - A bad PSU can kill a CPU and every other component of a PC, even if everything is running @ stock.

You may have already known these factors, but inorder to answer you questions better we need a bit more info. What are your complete system specs? PSU, cooling methods, and CPU voltage, and idle/load temps are the most important.

You can download CoreTemp which will give you your CPUs default VID as well as accurate temps.
http://www.thecoolest.zerobrains.com/CoreTemp/

Intel TAT will also give you very accurate CPU temps.
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/392/mirrors.php

The new C2D Intel chips have only been out for a short while so no one knows how they will react over time to high voltage/temps. I have seen individuals running very high voltages (IMO) (1.45-1.5) on these and have not reported any failures. But again, not enough time has passed.

#4

beat me to it Eric! Also to test if your overclock is truly stable. Run the various stress test in Orthos.

http://www.overclock.net/attachments/downloads/36840-orthos-v20060420-orthos_exe_20060420.zip?d=1165737486

Most people agree that if a system passes the Small FTTs test for 12 hours, your CPU is stable.

#5

I type fast :wink:

#6

I have run CPUs overclocked for years and never had one die. For a given CPU model there is no difference between the ones rated for higher speeds and ones rated at lower speeds. They are all tested at the factory and some are better suited to run faster than others. They are separated at the factory and sold according to the speed they are capable of running. As the manufacturing process improves for a specific model of CPU more are able to run at higher speeds. This means Intel and AMD will have to mark (and multiplier lock) the CPUs to run slower than they are capable of to have a low end unit to sell. If you get one of these underachievers then you can take advantage of overclocking.

When overclocking a processor you are just doing roughly the same thing Intel and AMD does, that is determining the maximum speed at which the chip will run stable. Since Intel and AMD doesn’t provide a shorter warranty for their faster chips as compared to their slower ones there is no reason to believe a chip you overclocked will have a shorter life span.

Where some people run into trouble is they will up the voltage to the CPU to get more speed. This can cause a problem if it is set too high. If the voltage is kept to recommended levels then, IMO, there is no downside to overclocking a CPU if it runs stable. My experience has shown that most CPUs will freeze before any damage results from overclocking.

BTW, I’m typing this on a computer that has an AMD 64 2.2ghz CPU overclocked to 2.75ghz. I paid $49 for the CPU and it runs faster than the top rated single core CPU that AMD currently sells. That’s what I call bang-for-the-buck.

#7

Well for the Conroe see here. Could be wrong but in talking with zevia he is running his at 3300 or 3400 mhz and has been since he posted the link I gave so he is close to 6 months.:wink: An E6400@3000 Mhz isn’t a real high overclock from what I have seen on the extremesystems.org forum that eric93se linked, but I do agree that heat and high voltage are the real culprits when OCing. My E6600 has been running @ 3600 Mhz for the past month with no issues, had it to 3800 but didn’t like the CPU temps I was seeing while running Orthos.:eek: Keep it cool, don’t overvolt and it will probably last longer than than you can hold out to do another uprgrade to some newer faster cpu. Mine is only about a month and half old and already want a quad core.:stuck_out_tongue:

Core @ 3600.JPG884×497 77.3 KB

#8

I also have an E6600, NOT OC’ed; however, my CPU temp is always at around 50º C.
Is this normal, or is it something I should be concerned about? I have no idea what the acceptable values for CPU temps are.

#9

I have a 6600 and it stays around 35 C. Occed to 3ghz it stays around 40. U shouldn’t worry too much about 5o C , this CPU can take it but it is advisable to have a better aired case.
I use the intel stock cooler. My chipset runs hotter though (around 45) , maybe you are reading the chipset temp. For 975x it is normal

#10

In regards to Cpu life expectancy if overclocked:
as long as you keep it at a decent voltage and temperature (a bit lower than maximum admitted) you shouldn’t worry. For example I have my barton occed ever since barton appeared and I’ve seen no malfunctions so far.
One advice though : always try to keep constant the temperatures this increase the life of all components. (U cannot believe what happens when an ac goes haywire in a server/rack room)

#11

My MB is a ASUS P5B Deluxe. I read the CPU temp as reported by ASUS PC Probe, the program seen in crossg’s pic in the post above my previous one, so I was comparing directly between his E6600 (OC’ed) and mine (not OC’ed).
However, my CPU is constantly at 50% or 100% usage, so that might explain the difference. But still, should I worry about it being at 50º C 24 hours a day?

#12

Ctrl+Alt+Del -> Processes

figure out whats eating up your cpu time. 50C via PC Probe isn’t too hot for these processors 24/7 but cooler would be better. To get a better idea of your actual CPU core temps you should use Intel’s TAT (I provided a link higher up in this thread).

#13

Guess I should have clarified, the picture I posted above is at idle. While running Orthos it runs at about 45 deg but that is through Asus probe which probably isn’t accurate. I use a little program called Core Temp and it totally disagrees with Asus probe. Asus probe says 25 degc and Core temp says 35 degc I also have an after market cooler (Zalman CNPS9500 AT) so I am not sure what the average temps for a stock cooler are, I also disabled Q fan or PWM in Bios and run my fan speeds manually. 50 deg C does seem somewhat warm but I don’t want to set off any alarms as it may be normal for the stock fan.:slight_smile:

#14

I’m sorry, I should have stated this: I do know what’s eating my CPU time, I’m running the Folding@Home client continuously. My concern was whether this could be bad for the CPU’s longevity, as I do not intend to upgrade it anytime soon. And by “anytime soon”, I mean in the next 3 to 4 years.

#15

I hope it’s for cdfreaks team# 13505. :wink:

#16

[OT] It wasn’t, but I’ve just entered 13505 in the “Team number” option of the Configure dialog. Nothing seems to have changed, though. [/OT]

#17

I don’t think anything will change until you finish a work unit and report it. Now your 50% CPU usage all the time makes sense!

If you are into DC projects, I started a world community grid team a few weeks ago. You could use your other CPU core for processing those work units if you are interested. Check out the link in my sig.

#18

welcome to the team Lateralus :cool:

you may want to consider an aftermarket cooler to keep your temps down, the arctic cooler 7 pro is the best bang for your buck intel cooler, the big typhoon is very good…but its BIG (so if your case is cramped its a no-go), the Thermalright ultra 120 and the Tuniq tower are considered to be the best air coolers, but both are expensive and you have to buy a fan separately

#19

I have just joined this forum a short while ago but I have been a visitor to many other forums over the past few years and I am always appalled by the poor English one encounters; Jaffar21 is no exception to this. He may be a foreigner but so am I. However, before I make a post I make sure that it is written in good English, what are spelling-checkers for anyway?

In fact, it seems that even many native English speakers can’t spell their own names properly or write a coherent statement, what a shame!

I am just trying to express my general disgust at the lowering of levels on the net, many of you may disagree with me but I hope that some of you may share my feelings.

Regards
George

#20

But is my CPU too hot, to the point of reducing its longevity?
I really don’t know much about hardware, and I’d really like to avoid adding components to my setup as much as possible, ie, I’d rather stop running F@H than having to add an extra fan.