I was asked a question in a forum the other day about overclocking so I thought it would be helpful to post a ‘how-to’ series on how to overclock your computer. Anymore, it really is a simple process, allowing you to get a lot more speed out of your computer. An example is this computer, my main one. I put it together for about $600 using last generation parts, a cpu speed of 1.8 Ghz stock and have it overclocked to 2.37Ghz. Not a bad increase.
This will be a four part series, detailing an introduction, hardware, software, and stress testing to make sure it is done properly. I will be writing it over the next four days.
Overclocking Introduction:
In today’s world, oveclocking is not so much an art form as it is a little digging. In older PC’s, you had to change jumpers, flick on board switches, modify hardware, etc. but that is no longer needed. Most manufacturers provide all of the tools necessary right out of the box or through the graphical configuration of the drivers. It is very real to buy and pay for an AMD 2500 cpu and get 3100 or 3200 out of it.
Whats the purpose, you might ask? Well its cheaper for one, sometimes much cheaper. And who can withstand playing with things they know they shouldn’t! Its no different putting rims on your car or putting a custom paint job on your everyday driving vehicle.
For the most part, we will be playing with the BIOS of the computer system. For all of you who know where thats at, you are about 50% done. If you don’t, its the system configuration screen that you don’t see unless you press special keys when your system is booting up. The DOS looking, blue screen. But we will get into that a little later.
I would like to go over some rules though:
- Your equipment can definately be damaged. Don’t try this with a PC that you absolutely need for everyday work. It is safe, don’t get me wrong, but it can be harmful as well.
- When changing settings, go slow. If your CPU is running at 1.5 volts, don’t go to 2 volts rights away. You are begging for disaster. Try 1.55, then 1.6, then 1.65. It takes a little time, but I don’t want you blowing anything up.
- Just because it starts after a change, it is not necessarily good to use. That where the stress tests come in.
- Many factors go into overclocking speeds, such as RAM, Motherboard, etc. It is nearly impossible to get the same speeds as everyone else.
- Never change a setting when you don’t have a good idea of what it does.
See the discoloration, that is bad.. I don’t assume responsibility for your computer by writing this guide, but it really is a safe thing if you do it right.
See you tomorrow
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