If you want to buy a graphics card, you will regularly come across the abbreviation OC. MeinMMO explains what OC means and what is behind it.
If you want to buy a graphics card, you will encounter not only the names of the graphics cards but also various abbreviations. One of them is the acronym OC
. MeinMMO explains what OC
stands for and what it means for your next graphics card purchase.
OC stands for overclocking, but the additional performance varies
What does OC stand for? OC is an abbreviation and stands for “Overclocking” in English or “Übertaktung” in German.
For the graphics card, this means that the manufacturer has already overclocked the model at the factory, so the model runs faster than the original model from AMD or Nvidia. If “OC” is on the packaging, it refers to a stable factory overclock.
What does OC bring? Cards with the OC abbreviation are usually a bit faster than the regular standard models because they offer a higher clock frequency. However, it depends on how much the manufacturer has overclocked their model since there is no fixed value for the acronym “OC”: with some manufacturers, it’s only 1-2% more performance, while with others it can be as high as 20%. Here, you have no choice but to look at the specifications of the graphics card.
In practice, this can quickly lead to chaos and confusion. For example: The Radeon RX 7090 is about 10% behind the Radeon RX 9070 XT, but some OC models are so strongly factory-overclocked that they easily reach the performance of an RX 7090 XT. In the end, the officially slower graphics card ends up being faster than the officially faster model.
Factory overclocking does not harm your graphics card
Can this be harmful? No, because the manufacturer has optimized its hardware for the higher clock frequencies. You just get a faster model, which should last as long as a normal model without the “OC” abbreviation.
If you want to overclock your graphics card anyway, it might be worth buying an overclocked model right away. Because the model already runs significantly faster from the factory without you having to risk finding a stable value for the overclocking.
And also important: A graphics card that is already overclocked by the manufacturer can still be overclocked by you if you really want to.
Does it even matter whether I choose AMD or Nvidia in the end? MeinMMO presents the similarities and differences between AMD and Nvidia and explains what you should consider before your next graphics card purchase: How important is it to buy AMD or Nvidia when getting a graphics card?
