How does frequency on a CPU impact performance? I.e. if I overclock a 2Ghz CPU to 4Ghz, is it +100% performance?
In: Technology
Woof, an ELI5 that I can finally answer.
At the most simplistic level, there is no concrete percentage of impact. Increasing the clock speed by %100 (besides being a very bad idea) will not increase the performance by %100. Different CPUs by different manufacturers will always be different in how much improvement you get from overclocking.
In a more in depth sense, there is a point of diminishing returns, which depends on the load you have, the manufacturer, all sorts of different factors. Eventually you’ll reach a point where the excess heat created is so much that your CPU will in fact slow down, as heat creates resistance to electricity. Usually, though, the CPU will have a component failure long before that.
I can go more in depth if you like about certain aspects, but this subreddit is about simplicity. I hope I answered your question!
Increasing the clock speed on a CPU increased the frequency with which it can process tasks. If you double its clock speed, that means it can send data through the bus twice as frequently.
This, however, does not translate to twice the overall speed of the computer. There are a number of other links to the chain that would bottleneck things (speed of your RAM, volume of RAM, speed of the other components within (GPU, SSD, etc), but in theory a task that relies 100% on the processing power of the CPU could be performed in half the time (think of highly complex mathematical calculations).
BUT! Increasing the clock speed is not without consequence. Faster clock speeds generate more heat, and without effectively dissipating that heat (with a more efficient heat sink/fan configuration, or liquid cooling) that resultant heat will slow the machine back down. (hot wires have higher electrical resistance). If the components get TOO hot they’ll actually stop working altogether, as the resistance gets too high for the circuit’s integrity to be maintained (or it could result in physically damaging/destroying internal components like resistors, capacitors, melting solder points, etc.)
Generally overclocking your CPU is limited to a 5-15% increase, and is only done by enthusiasts who have invested in good heat management (a high conductive heatsink with push/pull fan setup, or liquid cooling.)
In short: heat is the enemy of performance in a computer, and increased clock speed, while results in increased performance, also results in increased heat which is bad. So it’s a balancing act to get the most bang for your buck without shortening the life-span of the components themselves.
EDIT: I accidentally a word
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