CPU transistor life

The standard P4 from 3 GHz (FSB800) is designed for a core voltage of 1.525 volts. The rule is that the signal quality within the CPU deteriorates as speed rises. By gradually increasing the voltage, the transistors' switching behavior improves and higher clock rates are possible. That, however, means that some transistors are run outside of specifications with the result that their life expectancy sinks dramatically.

-tomshardware

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I just wanted to inquire how much is this a problem and exectly by how much does this lower the life of the transistors? And in terms of life span are we talking shortening it from 10 years to 5 years or from 5 years to 8 months? What time frame are we looking at? (in reference to amd cpu's mostly, but I will gladly listen to intel numbers as well )

Depends what CPU, what voltage and what cooling is going to be used.
A slight overvoltage won't hurt your CPU much, but if you go with 2v+ on current 90nm CPUs w/o some phase change or the like you'll be getting a heavy hit on CPU life most likely.

As long as you don't run it at 2+ volts like The Coolest said, it will be fine as long as your temperature is reasonable. Nobody really know how long a cpu built today will last, and that is because it is a VERY long time. Even if you cut the lifespan by 4, most people will never notice it.

hitechjb1 has done extensive work on this topic; if I recalled the electronic engineering principles he used to explain it, I would explain it here. In general, there is an intimate and complex relationship between processor lifetime, rated frequency vs. uprated frequency, standard voltage vs. uprated voltage, and thermal situations. In general, lifetime is somewhat inversely related to the amount of overclocking you do--on paper and in theory.

A general rule exists for AthlonXPs (there's a thread entitled Overclocking Sandbox: AthlonXP ..., I would link it but the search feature doesn't seem to be working with Firefox on Red Hat Fedora) and although I have not read the thread yet, I wouldn't be surprised if the sticky thread O/C Sandbox: Winchester had a similar discussion.

Well provided you keep the voltage under 2.00 and cool to -20C / -50C with heavy overclocking are we talking less then a 2 year life span?

words of wisdom anyone lol?

Pf.Farnsworth said:

Well provided you keep the voltage under 2.00 and cool to -20C / -50C with heavy overclocking are we talking less then a 2 year life span?

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you cant really assign a number to the lifespan. its a gamble, you might win, you might lose. overvolting to extremes doesnt mean its going to die in 2 years, but doesnt mean its going to be alive in 2 years either.

i see

A lot of times lifespan is assumed as 10 years (don't ask me why, I don't know).

Generally speaking, the higher the voltage, and the lower the temperature, you'll get better performance. As for it lasting to rated lifespan, it will almost certainly be obsolete before it dies. You're probably good since you've got it nice and cold.

Pf.Farnsworth said:

i see

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If it doesn't die within a week, the processor won't die within only a couple of years.

I think it was Viperjohn who said that only the temp really matters in lifespan. Every 10 increase or so halves the lifespan of the cpu.

thats some nice bits of information, thanks guys.