Are you wondering, how do video cards work? When a video card is created, manufacturers purposefully don’t set it to the maximum speed for a variety of reasons. While most people are satisfied with out-of-the-box performance, serious computer users and gamers seek to run the maximum speeds on their video cards. The process of manipulating that un-accessed speed is called overclocking. However, there is a fine balance between uleashing blazing speed and expecting too much from the overclocked video card.

Hardware Temperature
Because the manufacturers set the video card to a safe level, there is no danger of too much heat being generated that will damage internal hardware. When you overclock a video card, it runs hotter; too much of that heat can increase the internal temperatures inside the computer to dangerous levels.

Find out what your system’s maximum internal hardware temperature is from your owner’s manual. If you raise the clock speed too dramatically, you can burn out various pieces of hardware. In general, a CPU should not exceed 60 degrees C. There are cooling systems that can be installed in the computer to compensate for the excessive heat output, but depending on the levels, it may not be able to keep up with an overclocked video card.

Instability
When overclocking a video card, there will be a certain point where the system can become unstable. Between the factory default and the maximum ability is a happy medium. Forcing the MHz up in small increments is recommended to test exactly where the sweet spot is. If you reach the point where system instability occurs, back it down to an operable level. As a good rule of thumb, the faster the video card is set, the more often and likely the system is to crash.

How Much Is Too Much?
Overclocking is a way to increase the speed of a video card, and incremental raises can result in a noticeable improvement. However, pushing the limits of speed will almost always result in problems with the computer and cause more headaches in terms of repair or replacement. Do research on your particular card and computer to find the point where speed meets stability to get the most out of your system.