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Key Takeaways

  • Overclocking your Raspberry Pi can enhance its performance, making it more capable of running popular tools like RetroPie, RecalBox, and Kodi.
  • By overclocking your Raspberry Pi, you can improve retro gaming experiences, resolve streaming issues, and boost the performance of the Pi when used as a desktop computer.
  • Although overclocking can provide benefits, it comes with risks such as heat generation, component failure, and data corruption. It's important to ensure proper cooling, use a reliable power supply, and consider the impact on connected hardware.

The Raspberry Pi is a great little computer, far more powerful than the models before it. But did you know you could squeeze even more power out of it? Here's how to overclock your Raspberry Pi, and push it further than you ever imagined!

Why Overclock Your Raspberry Pi?

What's the point of overclocking a Raspberry Pi? Well, to get the most out of it. Several popular tools will work better than intended with overclocking.

  • Retro gaming: If you've been struggling with running classic console titles on RetroPie, RecalBox, or whatever retro gaming solution you've chosen, overclocking will boost things considerably.
  • Kodi: Performance issues with streaming video in Kodi can be overcome thanks to overclocking your Raspberry Pi. If you're also using a VPN, higher clock speed will help here too.
  • Desktop: Later Raspberry Pi models (3 and later) can be used as a standard desktop. Who wouldn't want a bit of additional performance, courtesy of an overclocked processor?

Other benefits come from overclocking a Raspberry Pi. Using it as a Minecraft server, for example, or as a NAS, can benefit from a slightly faster CPU.

Raspberry Pi 5 board
Image Credit: Raspberry Pi
 

Overclocking a Raspberry Pi 5 and Other Recent Models

Almost any Raspberry Pi model can be overclocked. This includes the most recent, the Raspberry Pi 5, and its immediate predecessors:

Our device-specific guides above will walk you through overclocking the corresponding Raspberry Pi model.

Overclocking Is Always Risky

While overclocking Raspberry Pi is simple to achieve, it is not without risk.

  • Heat is generated: Heat is bad for computer systems, as it slows processing, which in turn generates heat. Both the Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 require cooling.
  • Component failure: Increased heat can also result in the failure of components.
  • Data corruption: Using increased clock speeds often results in corrupted data. If you're using a hard disk drive for your Pi's operating system, this shouldn't be a massive issue. However, if your Raspberry Pi relies on a microSD card (most do), then you may find flash media increasingly unreliable.
  • Reliable power supply: You should already be using a good quality power supply for your Raspberry Pi. Anything less than the recommended power adapter (check your model for the required power draw) is unsuitable for overclocking. Data corruption will quickly occur with a low power supply.

At one stage, overclocking your Raspberry Pi would void the warranty. However, as of September 19, 2012, this is not the case, thanks to built-in overclocking tools.

Can Older Raspberry Pis Be Overclocked?

Overclocking can push the performance of older Raspberry Pis. As ever, take precautions to ensure the device is efficiently cooled. Check the official system specifications of your model, and be sure not to increase the speed by more than 10 percent.

To overclock older Raspberry Pis, everything you need is built into Raspberry Pi OS.

Begin by opening the configuration tool, either on the desktop (Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration), or from the command line:

        sudo raspi-config
    

After noting the warning, choose Overclock.

Raspberry Pi overclock screen

In the next menu, you'll find a list of options. The currently-selected overclocking option will be None, but you'll have a selection of up to five alternatives, depending on your Raspberry Pi model. Pictured below is the overclock screen for the Raspberry Pi 2.

Raspberry Pi overclocking speed selection

While on other devices, overclocking is a case of making a small increase and testing, with preset options, this isn't really necessary. All you need to do is select the overclocked preset you want to use, then select OK to apply it.

Note that overclocking can also affect the performance of connected hardware. As such, you'll need to take additional precautions (such as manually adjusting the config.txt file after setting a new clock speed in the menu).

Overclocking is never an exact science. Spend some time assessing its impact on your Raspberry Pi and any regularly-used software.