The following is CPU Overclocking:
Basically, overclocking is adjusting various settings from within the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) above factory set/recommended levels, to create an ‘over’ clock on the processor. That is, to raise the speed at which the CPU is permitted to complete a clock cycle.
There are various ways to overclock the processor; some ways have results in certain areas that other adjustments do, so on so fourth. However, the basic adjustments are comprised of the following: FSB (front side bus), Multiplier, and VCore.
Brief description of the components would be:
FSB: How fast the CPU communicates with the other components in the system. Changing this value, in older motherboards, generally changed the clock in all other components on the system; however newer motherboards may have the option to lock certain clocks.
Multiplier: The second processor clock speed adjustment. To understand how this works, you should use the basic formula in processor clock speed. That is, Clock = FSB x Multiplier. The two settings at which the processor runs at default, or stock, is set at the manufacture. For an example, the Athlon XP 3200+ is set at 11x200 (Multi x FSB). Just to clear it up, RAM would be running at 400MHz here, as it is DDR, or double data rate RAM. So, if you have RAM running at 400MHz, you can presume the FSB is half of that and vice versa, or 200MHz, such as in the 3200+’s case. Just for reference, on newer processors this is generally disabled by the manufacture. However, there are ways to get around this, I do not recommend them though.
VCore: The voltage supplied to the processor. Higher voltage means more power for processing information, but also means more heat generated that needs to be dissipated. Raising this setting is not recommended unless you know what you’re doing. Generally, if the temperature is in good range, raising of this is safe, however, you will want to be careful not to set this, if you do decide to change it, to ridiculous settings. If you hear about people frying their processors, it was most likely from setting the VCore too high, burning the processor by it being overvolted, or just plain old getting too hot from too high of a speed and too much voltage. Caution when changing this from default.
Before we go any further, I’d like to put a few reasons why you might not be able to achieve great overclocking results. This isn’t all of the possible reasons, but should lay a few on the table for you. We have the biggest reason and the most important thing in overclocking, and in just running stock speeds, the temperature. If your temps are too high, your processor just won’t be able to go any faster, as it just can’t work at such temps. Another reason could be too little voltage. You can generally raise this, however, like I said, caution here, and keep an eye on the temp. You should know that when you see an extreme overclock, the person responsible most assuredly raised the VCore, and like I said as well, it’s not always extremely dangerous, just don’t do anything stupid.
A third reason could be the power supply (PSU). For good results, your processor will need a constant, clean supply of power. This is a component often overlooked in overclocking, but is one of the most important. Generally recommended brands here are Antec, Enermax, and others. Just for reference, a 450 watt generic PSU is not going to be nearly as good as a 450 watt, or even 350 watt for that matter name brand good quality PSU. That’s because of several reasons, one of which is it’s not just about how much, but the quality and consistency of the power. Not to mention that generic PSUs aren’t going to put out 450 watts anyways. Considering how important a good PSU is, and how much damage you can do if a crappy one burns out, it’s recommended to get a decent one, even if you don’t plan on overclocking.
There is another reason you may not get good overclocking results, and that is due to your RAM. When you raise your FSB, you’re not only raising the speed of the CPU, but also the speed of the AGP/PCI, and RAM. Like stated earlier, newer motherboards generally have an option to lock some of these, such as an AGP/PCI lock, however if your motherboard does not have this option present, let it be known they are raising as well. Not too much of an overclocking concern, but just so you know, raising the PCI clock too high can corrupt hard drives and other components attached. However, we will not get into that as it isn’t really a part of overclocking. Back to the RAM. Memory is rated at a certain speed, timing, and voltage. These will vary by manufacture, model, size, etc. As an easier way of explaining, say I had a stick of 2.5-3-3-7 PC2100 RAM. That is, PC2100 is 133MHz, 266MHz Bus. I’m not going to want to raise this too far from 133MHZ, and if I do, it will most likely become unstable. You can raise the stability you may be able to produce from the RAM module by raising the amount of voltage going to it a little, of course raising the amount of heat generate, etc. You also run the risk of damaging your RAM if set too high, but again, just don’t do anything stupid and you should be OK. Lowering the timings on the RAM is another way of generating higher possible clock speeds, however lowering the timings will reduce the memory bandwidth and overall system performance. There is, however, a way on newer motherboards around this, somewhat. That is, say I wanted 11x200 on my processor, but I only have PC2100 RAM. What can I do? I can create a CPU:RAM Ratio. That is, if I set it to 5:3 I should be able to run at 200MHZ on the CPU, and still only running the RAM at 133MHz, getting both the overclock I desire on the CPU, as well as keeping my RAM stable. Of course, you won’t get the same performance on PC2100 as you will on PC3200 running the full 1:1 CPU:RAM ratio, but it is an alternative if you can’t afford new RAM.
Let’s quickly generate a little image in your mind of what the CPU is, in layman’s terms. Let’s pretend there is a box, and inside of this box is a guy. This box has no windows, or holes, so the man cannot see out side, and people cannot see inside. Firstly, we have to communicate with the man, which is where the chipset, and bus, come into play. Pretend those are radios, so they can talk to each other. Next we have the clock limiter. Let’s pretend this is a little light that comes on telling the man in the box when he has work to do. Every time this light flashes, and the man calculates whatever his workload may be, a clock cycle is completed. The faster this light flashes, the more clock cycles the man completes. Now, with this guy working so fast, he’s going to get hot. This is where the cooling for the processor comes in, to carry away and dissipate the heat this little man is creating. In overclocking, we decide to tell this little man to work faster, as we blink the little light faster. The little man agrees to do the work, but in turn needs more energy (vcore) and generates more heat. Of course, aftermarket cooling such as performance HSFs, watercooling, even phase change cooling for the extreme, as well as some even more extreme variants out there, generally for only temporary use, but there are some. Can anyone say LN2?
Anyways, if this little man gets too hot, he either has a breakdown and cannot work any more, or gets stuck, or sometimes we simply kill the poor fellow, and the CPU is no more. Like I said, this was just a quick example in layman’s terms, more advanced, detailed, accurate examples can be said if wanted.Just a little bit of how you would go about overclocking here. Say you wanted to take an Athlon XP Mobile 2400+(I’m using mobile for this example because they come unlocked, that is, the multiplier is adjustable and not locked by AMD) and overclock it to say 3200+ speeds. As we know, a 3200+ is 11x200, and the mobile comes at 13.5x133, for 1.8GHz. We’re going to want to obviously change the obvious settings to the correct settings, and we should be set. Like said, we will most likely need to raise the voltage somewhat, as the Cpu will need more power to complete it’s clock cycles. You will want to make sure that you don’t just go in the BIOS and pump up the settings. You’ll want to take it slowly. We’ll lower the multi and start raising the FSB. Slowly, by 5-10MHz in the lower ranges, and once we get towards out goal, raising slower, by around 3-5MHz. We may experience lockups, in which case we’ll want to raise the voltage, and that is only if our temperatures are still in good, safe range. Eventually we will reach our goal, most likely, if the CPU Die quality permits. At this point, we will want to go into windows and start doing some stress testing. That is, putting the processor at 100+ utilization for extended periods of time. This not only checks to see if our processor is stable, but also lets you see if your temperature will stay within safe range at the new speed on full load. A good application to use for this is the Folding at Home program, which I recommend running all the time as it doesn’t actually slow down the computer, using idle CPU cycles. Anyways, if you get lockups, it’s either heat, or voltage. Keeping temps in check, raise the voltage a little more. Generally the BIOS let’s you raise in .025V increments, so raise it up by one. Try again. Over, and over, and over, eventually getting our safe, stable speed desired.
In conclusion, I’d like to make two points strong.
#1 is PATIENCE. This is #1, and key in overclocking your processor. It can be a long grueling process to get your CPU where you want it, safely, but DO NOT just start setting stuff all kinds of through the roof, shall we say! You will eventually get it, and most likely without damaging your hardware.
#2 is TEMPS, TEMPS, TEMPS. If your temperatures are low enough, you can generally safely raise the voltage. Your processor will be more stable at lower voltages, and run cooler extending longer processor life. Keep this in check all the time, I’d recommend not exceeding 60C if at all possible.
This is just a basic, quick explanation more so than a how to on overclocking. I would like to point out that if you start a thread on overclocking, the following things are what we really need to know to help you out:
Processor
Motherboard
Memory
Cooling
Current temperatures
Current speeds
Also nice to know are:
Video card
Operating system
Addin cards
Of course, you can overclock other components in your system, such as the video card, that is not what this thread was directed at.
Thanks for your time.
(PS, you members that know better that I, there is always room for improvement. Say it if you think it. Thanks)
...ok thanks for the info