Editing Overclocking (section)

==Disadvantages==

=== General ===

{{Original research|section|date=December 2011}}
* Higher [[clock rate]]s and voltages increase '''power consumption''', also increasing '''electricity cost''' and '''heat production'''. The additional heat increases the ambient air temperature within the system case, which may affect other components. The hot air blown out of the case heats the room it's in.
* Fan '''noise''': High-performance fans running at maximum speed used for the required degree of cooling of an overclocked machine can be noisy, some producing 50&nbsp;[[Decibel#Acoustics|dB]] or more of noise. When maximum cooling is not required, in any equipment, fan speeds can be reduced below the maximum: fan noise has been found to be roughly proportional to the fifth power of fan speed; halving speed reduces noise by about 15&nbsp;dB.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/top10noise.pdf|title=UK Health and Safety Executive: Top 10 noise control techniques|access-date=2011-12-30|archive-date=2019-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126163348/http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/top10noise.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Fan noise can be reduced by design improvements, e.g. with aerodynamically optimized blades for smoother airflow, reducing noise to around 20&nbsp;dB at approximately 1 metre{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} or larger fans rotating more slowly, which produce less noise than smaller, faster fans with the same airflow. Acoustical insulation inside the case e.g. acoustic foam can reduce noise. Additional cooling methods which do not use fans can be used, such as liquid and phase-change cooling.
* An overclocked computer may become '''unreliable'''. For example: [[Microsoft Windows]] may appear to work with no problems, but when it is re-installed or upgraded, error messages may be received such as a "file copy error" during Windows Setup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310064/en-us|title=Article ID: 310064 – Last Review: May 7, 2007 – Revision: 6.2 How to troubleshoot problems during installation when you upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP|access-date=September 4, 2008|archive-date=May 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515131653/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310064/EN-US|url-status=live}}</ref> Because installing an [[operating system]] is very memory-intensive, decoding errors may occur when files are extracted.
* The '''lifespan''' of semiconductor components may be reduced by increased voltages and heat.
* Warranties may be voided by overclocking.

=== Risks of overclocking ===

* Increasing the operation frequency of a component will usually increase its thermal output in a linear fashion, while an increase in voltage usually causes thermal power to increase quadratically.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Darche |first=Philippe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XeQGEAAAQBAJ&dq=power+wall+&pg=PA128 |title=Microprocessor 3: Core Concepts – Hardware Aspects |date=2020-11-02 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-78800-3 |language=en}}</ref> Excessive voltages or improper cooling may cause chip temperatures to rise to dangerous levels, causing the chip to be damaged or destroyed.
* Exotic cooling methods used to facilitate overclocking such as water cooling are more likely to cause damage if they malfunction. Sub-ambient cooling methods such as [[Computer cooling#Phase-change cooling|phase-change cooling]] or [[liquid nitrogen]] will cause water [[condensation]], which will cause electrical damage unless controlled; some methods include using kneaded erasers or shop towels to catch the condensation.

=== Limitations ===

Overclocking components can only be of noticeable benefit if the component is on the [[Critical path method|critical path]] for a process, if it is a bottleneck. If disk access or the speed of an [[Internet]] connection limit the speed of a process, a 20% increase in processor speed is unlikely to be noticed, however there are some scenarios where increasing the clock speed of a processor actually allows an SSD to be read and written to faster. Overclocking a CPU will not noticeably benefit a game when a graphics card's performance is the "bottleneck" of the game.

=== Adaptive Management in Overclocking ===

Similar to dynamic adjustments critical in network management for handling data flow and preventing bottlenecks, overclocking computer hardware requires ongoing monitoring and adaptations to maintain system stability and performance. In high-performance network systems, researchers like Åkerblom et al. (2023) have developed adaptive methods such as Thompson Sampling to optimize system responses under varying conditions, analogous to technologies used in overclocking like real-time voltage adjustments and adaptive cooling systems. These technologies are crucial in managing the additional heat and power demands imposed by overclocked components, ensuring that the hardware operates within safe temperature and voltage limits to prevent damage and prolong the lifespan of the components[1].