Overclocking Nvidia Geforce GTX 950m and Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.60 GHz

[KickFreak]

First of all I have a laptop named MSI GE70 2QD Apache.

So I have a few questions about overclocking that I wish to get answered here:

What is overclocking?

What do I get for overclocking?

Does overclocking harm my computer?

Are there any side effects when overclocking?

Why would I overclock my computer?

How do I overclock my computer?

I have a Nvidia Geforce GTX 950m GPU and an Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.60 GHz CPU.

The computer name is MSI GE70 2QD Apache.

If I overclock my computer, does it then make my computer better in games?

 

[Calculagator]

Overclocking uses software to adjust how fast your hardware runs. It forces CPUs and GPUs to run faster than their stock speed. This generates extra heat and can lead to system instability. If you have a desktop with lots of airflow/cooling ability, it's a way to get a "free" performance boost.
If you have a laptop, it's an easy way to cause premature failure. The thing that limits performance in most laptops is heat. Unless you have a way to keep your laptop cool, overclocking will not increase performance and it will cause overheating. Laptops are not designed to be overclocked.

 

[Eximo]

A lot of your questions are duplicates, so I will answer in general.

Overclocking is the act of configuring your system to run at faster clocks then the manufacturer specifies. This involves increasing the frequency, and sometimes voltages to achieve said frequencies. Increasing voltage and frequency results in a rise in power consumption and thus heat generation.

In a laptop, this is not a very good thing as cooling is limited and specified for the parts in place at stock settings.

You can damage or destroy components through overclocking. Generally if the system is close to overheating the hard limits in the processor or GPU will force a system shutdown before harm is possible. Higher voltage settings due tend to reduce the lifespan of computer components (however, that lifespan can be measured in decades, usually other components fail before the dense integrated circuits)

The overall effect can be an increased frames per second output on games. However, if that is the goal, it is simpler to reduce graphics settings for smoother gameplay.

The "How" is a bit more difficult. As this is a laptop you will likely be limited on options. The CPU itself is locked so while you can set the maximum boost multiplier to the max and always run that, it wouldn't make for a very effective laptop (battery life would suffer). Coupled with the thermal limitations it just isn't a good idea.

GPU overclocking is a little more straightforward. As long as you don't attempt to adjust voltage (too much at least) you might be able to gain a few FPS.

The program MSI Afterburner is popular (and applies to all GPUs, not just MSI)

 

[KickFreak]

A lot of your questions are duplicates, so I will answer in general.

Overclocking is the act of configuring your system to run at faster clocks then the manufacturer specifies. This involves increasing the frequency, and sometimes voltages to achieve said frequencies. Increasing voltage and frequency results in a rise in power consumption and thus heat generation.

In a laptop, this is not a very good thing as cooling is limited and specified for the parts in place at stock settings.

You can damage or destroy components through overclocking. Generally if the system is close to overheating the hard limits in the processor or GPU will force a system shutdown before harm is possible. Higher voltage settings due tend to reduce the lifespan of computer components (however, that lifespan can be measured in decades, usually other components fail before the dense integrated circuits)

The overall effect can be an increased frames per second output on games. However, if that is the goal, it is simpler to reduce graphics settings for smoother gameplay.

The "How" is a bit more difficult. As this is a laptop you will likely be limited on options. The CPU itself is locked so while you can set the maximum boost multiplier to the max and always run that, it wouldn't make for a very effective laptop (battery life would suffer). Coupled with the thermal limitations it just isn't a good idea.

GPU overclocking is a little more straightforward. As long as you don't attempt to adjust voltage (too much at least) you might be able to gain a few FPS.

The program MSI Afterburner is popular (and applies to all GPUs, not just MSI)

Okay i won't overclock my laptop then. Thanks a lot!

 

[Beetlebox]

FWIW I have an older Laptop with C2D HW overclocked from 2 cores @2.26GHz to @3.0GHz, RAM and NB overclocked too. It provided a nice boost for 5 years before upgrading to HSW and is still working fine today after 6 years of permanent overclock with some ~17,000 hours use last time I looked.

Overclocking whether a laptop or desktop, depends on how much thermal headroom and power delivery is available as well as how much the chip will overclock.