How to Overclock Your PC

So you put together your gaming PC, and it works great. But now you're wondering: "What if I could eke out a bit more FPS in Fortnite or Cyberpunk without breaking the bank?"

That's where overclocking is involved. Essentially, it's like giving your CPU or GPU a Red Bull kick — getting it to do things faster than it was originally rated for.

But caveat: do it incorrectly and your PC will become a space heater. Do it correctly, and you have free performance. Let's deconstruct.

Step 1: Know What You're Overclocking

• CPU Overclock: Increased performance in games that take advantage of your processor (such as Minecraft with mods).

• GPU Overclock: Increased FPS and better graphics in most contemporary games.

Most teenagers begin with overclocking the GPU, as it is the simplest and provides immediate results.

Step 2: Tools You'll Need

• For GPU: MSI Afterburner (free program, easy to use).

• For CPU: Your motherboard BIOS (the menu you use when your PC starts up).

• For Testing: Cinebench (CPU), 3DMark or Heaven Benchmark (GPU), and HWMonitor (for temps).

Step 3: Watch the Heat

Overclocking = more speed = more heat.

Keep temperatures:

• CPU: below around 85°C while gaming.

• GPU: below around 80°C.

If it's hotter than your mom's cooking, reduce the overclock.

Step 4: The Overclocking Moves

For GPU:

• Open MSI Afterburner.

• Gradually raise Core Clock by +50 MHz.

• Run a benchmark or game for 10–15 minutes.

• If no crashes or strange visuals occur, increment again.

• If it crashes, drop back a bit.

• Repeat the same again with Memory Clock.

That's how you wrestle out free FPS.

For CPU:

• Enter BIOS (press DEL or F2 at boot).

• Search for "CPU Multiplier" or "Overclocking" tab.

• Increase clock speed gradually (e.g., +100 MHz).

• Stress test in Cinebench.

• If stable, increase again. Otherwise, reduce or adjust voltage carefully.

Step 5: Stability Check

Perform stress tests for a minimum of 30–60 minutes. If your PC makes it without crashing, well done — you just overclocked.

The Big Warnings:

• Don't do too much with voltage. That's how you burn parts.

• Invest in good cooling. Stock coolers are rarely good enough for extreme overclocking.

• Each chip is unique. Your friend's Ryzen may over clock above your own — that's just the way it is.

Conclusion

Overclocking is analogous to tweaking a car. You may not always see a huge speedup, but it's free speed if you do it right. Be conservative, test frequently, and don't be greedy.

Simply put: Download MSI Afterburner, increase numbers gradually, test, repeat. Done.