Anybody else buy OC-tested CPUs?

[Kayin]

I'm currently buying myself a new CPU (The Bat is on hold, RMA hell) and I'm picking up one that's tested for 4.7GHz. I checked the validation, it checks out.

Does anyone besides me worry about this if buying used? I've payed full retail price for known overclockers, and I've considered that money well spent. Am I the only one that worries about what a CPU is capable of?

[trinity]

well you know it will work and if your buying it from an actual retailer you would have a warranty still (unless you lap and polish) but otherwise i cant see a downside to it.

i personally have more fun attempting to overclock the chip i want as it comes in, however i guess thats the advantage of working at a store that sells them.

however like i said, aslong as it comes from a retailer (meaning you paid taxes/have a valid receipt) then your warranty is still 100% intact. i know overclocking isnt technically covered under the warranty but how would they know anyways (not that chips die very often)

[Trace]

Kayin....what will we do with you? Trying to cheat your way to winning?

I personally take it luck of the draw unless it was some absolutely incredible overclocker. Like one that could hit 4.7 at 1.25vcore...

[crenn]

My friend bought a Core i7 920 that was like what you describe. The temp of the CPU at load (according to the seller, I convinced him to not attempt to overclock it) was over 80c. In my honest opinion, overclocking isn't really necessary any more as the performance of stock CPUs are suffecient. There are rare advantages moving to a higher clock speed, but in terms of games, if you've got a top of the line GPU, the higher clock speed might be able to help to a degree but sometimes, it's still a GPU limitation. It all depends on variables.

Would I buy an 'pre-overclocked' CPU? No. I don't feel it's worth the money you pay for it, as the CPU may have been damaged when overclocking.

[BuzzKillington]

I've only overclocked for benchmarking/fun but I always set it back to default because as Crenn pointed out, it's usually the GPU that's limiting the performance. It's kind of like a temporary obsession for me. I get stuck on benchmark scores and suddenly I'm overclocking, undervolting, routing airflow, etc to try and get the best benchmark scores and the lowest temperatures... then I snap out of it and realize it doesn't really matter as long as the rig isn't running hot and it's running my game seamlessly.

[Kayin]

Eh, deal fell through but the concept is still there.

I do run OCed 24/7 for a lot of tasks, like rendering. I also run the wee out of my VGAs as well (got a pair of 4870x2s that will run up to the limit in overdrive without breaking a sweat, need liquid to get them further with PowerStrip) if for no other reason than to see if I can.

Besides, I enjoy being the fastest. Don't you?

[Trace]

Yup.

[Kayin]

BTW, Trace, it's officially i7 vs i7. Retail box.

[crenn]

Besides, I enjoy being the fastest. Don't you?

Being the fastest is expensive, I can't afford to be the fastest.

[mtekk]

In my honest opinion, overclocking isn't really necessary any more as the performance of stock CPUs are suffecient...

Says he who has a over clocked q6600

Anyways, I always see these on Ebay and have learned to automatically ignore them (just like ads on many websites).