Overclocking
pcThe process of increasing the clock rate of a computer's CPU or GPU beyond the manufacturer's specifications.
expanded
Overclocking involves running a CPU or GPU at a clock speed higher than specified by the manufacturer to improve performance. This is commonly done to enhance computational speed for gaming or computationally intensive tasks. Care must be taken to ensure that the additional heat and power requirements are managed to prevent damage.
examples
An Intel Core i7-11700K CPU can be overclocked from its base clock rate of 3.6 GHz to 5.0 GHz using enhanced cooling solutions.
Commonly used by gamers and video editors to boost performance in demanding applications.
A NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU typically overclocked from a boost clock of 1.71 GHz to 2.0 GHz, achieving higher frame rates in games.
Utilized in high-end gaming rigs and workstations to improve graphical rendering performance.