It's recommended you do a completely clean install of Windows.
If you are on more modern hardware, it is highly recommended to go with Windows 11. Features are better, hardware scheduling is better and you'll be on a better supported platform. Do NOT use Windows 11, if you're on an unsupported system. Many anti-cheats require TPM and Secure Boot nowadays.
It is recommended to use an optimized Windows installation like ReviOS, which comes in both Windows 10 and 11 variants. If you don't care about anti-cheat and just need the utmost performance, you can try AtlasOS. Older systems benefit from such an optimized OS significantly more.
When creating the USB, make sure to make it a GPT installation, unless you are on an extremely old system like Core2Duo or first generation Core I series.
If your GPU supports it, disable CSM in the BIOS entirely. Most GPUs as far back as AMD's R9 series and Nvidia's 700 series should be capable of this.
You will need to try. Reset your CMOS (by removing the battery for 1 minute with the system disconnected from the wall) if this doesn't work.
If you have an older AMD GPU, like an RX 580 8GB, it is recommended to also update your BIOS to the latest version to also enable Resizeable Bar (Smart Access Memory). If you are on an older platform that does not officially support this, you can use ReBarUEFI to modify your BIOS. The results are well documented.
If you cannot disable CSM, it is recommended to set all settings to prioritize UEFI in the BIOS besides VGA (your GPU). This will lead to a UEFI install of Windows.
If you chose not to install an optimized version of Windows, it is recommended to at least use something like Windows10Debloater.
Download MSI Util v3 (not related to the company). Follow this guide and set your GPU as well as your network interfaces (ethernet and WiFI) to high priority while setting everything else to low priority. If you connect to the WiFi via USB, it's best to figure out which USB controller your WiFi stick is connected to.
If any devices in MSI Util v3 show "MsiX", it can sometimes help to use Microsoft Interrupt Affinity Tool and in the advanced settings, set the Policy to SpreadMessagesAcrossAllProcessors. You can find a a video guide here.
If you play a lot of DirectX12 games and your Windows Defender is activated, it is recommended to turn off Control Flow Guard. This disables a security feature in favor of performance. So don't go visiting any shady websites.
Some people have reported to have had quite a bit of success reducing stutters and memory managementusing Intelligent StandBy List Cleaner. You could benefit from this, if you're limited to 8 or even 4GB of RAM.
You can overclock your mouse, keyboard and controller. Any device connected via USB will allow you to overclock the polling rate. Please keep in mind, that while anti-cheat won't complain - if you're looking to compete seriously, this won't be available at LAN tournaments. This won't work on Windows 11 with Secure Boot, because it requires an unsigned driver installation.
This is usually helpful in more graphically demanding games. On weaker GPUs, the CoD games will benefit from this. Pretty much any graphically demanding single player title will also benefit from a GPU overclock. Games like Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, A Plague Tale: Requiem, etc are usually not limited by your CPU. If you're trying to reach higher FPS in optimized esports titles like CS:GO, Valorant or Fortnite (performance mode), you can most likely jump to the next section unless you have a very low end GPU.
This applies to ALL Nvidia GPUs. To Be Continued...
If you have an older HD 7000 or R9 series AMD GPU, I highly recommend not overclocking. Enable voltage control in MSI Afterburner, add 100Mhz to the video memory and then try to lower the core voltage as much as possible. These tend to run incredibly hot and you're better off lowering power draw and preserving their lifespan. I've seen too many of them die from thermal cycle cracking the solder joints. If the thermal paste on your card has never been replaced - now is the time.
To Be Continued...
Not all platforms and hardware combinations can be overclocked. For Intel, a CPU overclock is on possible on CPUs ending in "K" and only in combination with motherboards starting in (Z). If you have a Z series motherboard and a non-K CPu, it is still possible to overclock your RAM.
For AMD, all motherboards support RAM overclocking. For overclocking your CPU, you need either a B or X series motherboard. AsRock has a tendency to ignore those restrictions by AMD and sometimes enable at least PBO on A320 and A520 motherboards. It therefore makes sense to research your specific hardare.
The VRMs of your motherboard can and will also limit overclocks. A cheap A320, B450 motherboard may not have very good VRM cooling. When trying to overclock a chip that draws more power, like a Ryzen 7 or 9, you will likely run into power delivery or thermal limits. The same can happen when running an i7 or i9 CPU on a cheap H410, B460, B660, etc. Modding the VRMs by glueing cheap heatsinks to the MOSFETs are possible. If you observe throttling using HWInfo, you may do research on VRM cooling.
If you can't overclock your CPU but you're on low end hardware and are suffering from stutters, it is worth researching cheap CPU upgrades. Many sockets like LGA 1156, LGA 1155 and LGA 1150 offer cheap Xeon alternatives. If you currently have an i5 2400 or 3350, upgrading to a Xeon E3 1240 v2 should cost not much more than you'll make from selling your i5. For an i5 4440, the equivalent would be an E3 1240 v3. Even OEM systems like HP ProDesk and Dell Optiplex support these Xeons despite not officially listing them.
If you have overclocking capable hardware and don't overclock, you've effectively wasted your money. You already paid for the parts but aren't using them - why would you buy an i5 12600k and Z690 if you could have bought a 12700F and B660 for the same price? You owe it to yourself to get the most out of your hardware.
This generation does BCLK overclocking. Any CPU can be overclocking on a motherboard that supports it. OEM systems like the HP Z400 and Dell T3500 require a multiplier unlocked CPU like the W3680 and W3690. Lower end W35xx and W36xx CPUs are not unlocked. Overclocks are done in software, using ThrottleStop.
All CPUs still come with a feature that some AIBs named Multi Core Enhancement. It is possible to overclock any Xeon E3 12xx (v2) and i5 or i7 of the 2nd or 3rd generation to its maximum advertised turbo clock on all cores instead of having it clock down under load. This is a significant advantage if you don't have a "k" CPU and a Z motherboard for overclocks.
All Xeon E5 1650-1680 (v2) CPUs are multiplier unlocked. Multiplier overclocks are the only available option for this platform. All E5 26xx CPUs are completely locked and not recommended to be used outside of workstation scenarios. For OEM systems like the HP Z420, you can use an older version of Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) or ThrottleStop for a software overclock. You can find more info here.
These are still some of the best CPUs. The "k" series CPUs are multiplier unlocked and require a Z series motherboard to overclock. As Multi Core Enhancement was disabled during this generation, there are still some ways you can get it back. If you're comfortable tinkering, you can load your BIOS with an older microcode for these CPUs and then use your motherboard to raise the all core multiplier to the maximum your CPU supports (for a single core) either through your motherboard or software. You can read more about it here. There is no magic to overclocking. You push up to 1.4V into your CPU, raise core clocks as high as you can go. After confirming stability, you do the same for your cache/uncore. Once stability is confirmed, start overclocking your RAM and tuning the timings. This generation also responds very well to being delidded and having liquid metal applied under the IHS. A delidded i7 4790k with an air cooler and 2400+ DDR3 pushed to its limit will perform between an i3 10150 and i5 10400 in games.
These CPUs are especially common in their E5 26xx v3 variant. They are widespread in countries with access to AliExpress, as the Chinese re-created motherboards that support them natively. As former server CPUs, they still have the AVX2 instruction set and come with significant amounts of cache, making them feasible for gaming on a budget. Although Intel stopped allowing Multi Core Enhancement for this generation of CPUs, there is a common exploit enabling it for these in particular. You can read all about it here. Additionally, "Miyconst" on YouTube has great information.
The E5 1650 v3 and up are all multiplier unlocked and can be overclocked on any true X99 or C216 motherboard. However, their i7 counterparts are now so cheap, that the Xeons aren't worth buying for the most part. Most Chinese motherboards aren't recommended for overclocking and anything that comes with a Q, B or H series chipset can't physically do so.
All Xeon v4 CPUs are locked entirely. They cannot be overclocked in any way besides raising BCLK about 1-2 Mhz. The i7 6800k can sometimes be found cheap and can only be overclocked on any official X99 motherboard.
To Be Continued...
To Be Continued...
For DDR3, it is possible to to get almost all sticks to 1866 or 2133 Mhz by pumping 1.6-1.7V into them. You will need to tighten timings afterwards manually, as automatic timings are absolutely terrible on most boards. Tightening timings is possible on every motherboard, regardless of whether it supports overclocking the actual RAM frequency.
Tuning RAM timings will often have a similar effect to overclocking and is definitely worth it. Increasing your frame rates in CPU limited scenarios by a good 5-10% is not unheard of. In case of Ryzen 1000 and 2000, going from 2400 to 3200 Mhz and tightening timings may lead to 20-25% improvement in such scenarios.
It is best to follow this very comprehensive guide on DDR4 overclocking. All of the info also applies to DDR3.
DDR5 is not much different, but if you want specifics, I recommend checking out Actually Hardcore Overclocking on YouTube.