Overclocking Calculator
Choose your CPU or graphics card and cooler to see its published limits, whether it can be overclocked, whether your cooler has headroom, and the tuning steps that apply to it.
⚠️ Overclocking runs hardware outside its specifications and isn't covered by warranty. Every chip is different, so change one setting at a time and test after each change.
How This Overclocking Planner Works
Two chips of the same model can overclock very differently, so no calculator can tell you the exact clock or voltage yours will run. This tool tells you what can be known in advance: the chip's published limits, whether it can be overclocked at all, whether your cooler has room for more heat, and the tuning method and steps that suit that chip family.
Using the Planner
- Choose CPU or graphics card, then your model.
- Choose your cooler. For CPUs, it's compared with the chip's default power limit, which is roughly the heat it produces under all-core loads at stock settings.
- Follow the steps one change at a time, running the listed tests after each change, and keep notes so you can go back to the last stable setting.
Two examples
Ryzen 7 7800X3D with a 360mm AIO: reported as not overclockable, because AMD locks its multiplier and voltage. The plan instead covers a negative Curve Optimizer and memory tuning, which mainly lower temperature.
Core i9-14900K with a 360mm AIO: the cooler (about 300W) is close to the chip's 253W default limit, so the plan starts with Intel's microcode update and an undervolt, then 100 MHz multiplier steps, and doesn't suggest raising power limits.
Why Modern Overclocking Is Mostly Tuning
Current CPUs and graphics cards boost automatically: they raise clocks for as long as temperature, power and voltage allow. Out of the box they already run close to what the silicon can do, so the old approach of locking every core to a fixed, higher clock often loses single-core speed and adds a lot of heat for a small gain.
- AMD Ryzen: Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) lets the chip draw more power, and Curve Optimizer lowers the voltage at each clock, core by core. Less voltage means less heat, so the chip boosts higher for longer. Zen 4 and Zen 5 desktop chips are designed to run up to 95°C under heavy load, so seeing 95°C isn't a fault.
- Intel: unlocked K-series chips accept higher multipliers. Non-K Intel CPUs can't be overclocked by multiplier. For 13th and 14th gen, Intel confirmed that elevated voltage can make the CPU unstable over time, released microcode updates (0x12B is the latest in that series) and extended the warranty on affected processors. Update the BIOS before you tune.
- Graphics cards: NVIDIA and AMD cards boost within limits set in firmware. You can raise the power limit and add a clock offset, but you can't push voltage past what the card allows. Lowering voltage (undervolting) often gives similar performance with less heat and noise.
How to Tell If a Setting Is Stable
- Monitor while testing. HWiNFO shows temperatures, clocks, power and voltage, and counts WHEA errors: corrected hardware errors that are an early sign of instability even when nothing crashes.
- Use more than one test. A benchmark that finishes once isn't proof. Use a heavy all-core test, a test that checks results for errors (such as y-cruncher or OCCT), and normal use including idle, because Curve Optimizer settings that are too aggressive often crash at idle or light load.
- Check that it's faster. Compare scores with your stock baseline. If a higher setting scores the same or lower, the chip is hitting a limit or correcting errors, and the extra setting isn't helping.
- Back off at the first sign of trouble. Crashes, reboots, WHEA errors, artifacts in games or failed tests all mean going back one step.
Limitations
- The tool doesn't predict a clock speed, voltage, temperature or performance gain for your chip. Those depend on the individual chip and your system, and only testing shows them.
- Cooler capacities are rough figures for each type of cooler. Real performance depends on the model, fan speed, case airflow and room temperature.
- Board-partner graphics cards often ship with higher clocks and power limits than the reference specifications shown here.
- Memory overclocking (beyond enabling your RAM's XMP or EXPO profile) isn't covered.
- Your selections are sent to Orbit2x's server to build the plan and aren't saved. See the privacy policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is overclocking worth it?
For most current chips, gains are a few percent. Tuning is worth it if you enjoy it, or if an undervolt lets your system run cooler and quieter at the same speed. If you only want more frame rate, enabling your memory's XMP or EXPO profile is usually the easiest first step.
Can overclocking damage my CPU or graphics card?
Chips protect themselves from overheating by slowing down, so a crash from a too-high clock usually just means rebooting and going back a step. The lasting risk comes from running high voltage and high temperature for long periods, which can wear the chip faster. That's why the plans here avoid fixed high voltages.
Does overclocking void the warranty?
CPU and graphics card makers generally don't cover damage caused by running outside specifications. Check your manufacturer's terms before you start.
Why can't I overclock my Ryzen 7 7800X3D?
AMD locks the multiplier and voltage on the 5800X3D and 7000-series X3D chips to protect the stacked cache. You can still use a negative Curve Optimizer on a current BIOS. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is unlocked.
Do I need a better power supply?
Raising power limits increases how much the CPU or graphics card draws. Use the PSU calculator with some extra headroom to check.