Overclocking your computer’s CPU can help improve performance, though it may not be advisable to overclock certain laptops.
If you have been considering overclocking your MacBook Pro, you may want to think again.
Just so we’re on the same page, overclocking is when you manually increase the clock rate of your computer, allowing the CPU to run at a faster clock speed than it will out of the box.
This can be helpful if you want to get more mileage out of your device, however, it also means that you are overriding a built-in safety measure. Overclocking can cause your CPU to overheat, which can cause it to become irreparably damaged, though this is not a guaranteed outcome if you do overclock your device, as it can also be beneficial for gaming or content creation.
Some laptops come with built-in overclocking features, and a lot of processors can be overclocked to come degree, although the MacBook Pro range is slightly different in that regard.
While it may be technically possible to overclock a MacBook that comes with an Intel processor, it is almost impossible to overclock a machine that runs on Apple Silicon M1 processors, since macOS blocks it at a software level.
Not only does Apple prefer for people to leave its devices alone, but the MacBook Pro range also runs very efficiently as is, thus making the overclocking process a little irrelevant.
The MacBook Pro (2021) comes with a choice of either M1 Pro or M1 Max chipsets, which we noted perform very well and offer a smooth and speedy experience, even without overclocking.
Since that laptop is designed to take on intensive loads, like 4K video editing, users are likely getting the most out of their laptop already. Overclocking the device would likely produce negligible results that may not even be noticeable, though it may still result in overheating and could even cause some stability issues.
While it may be technically possible to overclock a MacBook Pro, it would not be possible to do without breaking Apple’s terms and conditions by using third-party – and possibly dangerous – software. It is not advisable and we would not recommend trying it out.
If you are looking for a boost in performance, you can check out our best laptop list and our best MacBook list to see what’s currently available.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
