What Is Overclocking?

WISKINITAWISKINITA san antonio, TEXAS
edited December 2006 in Hardware
What is overclocking? Why do you guys do it? Why do you test it? Why do you care? Should I care? How do you test it?

I know it means running your system to the max, but i'm needing a way better explanation besides just "to test system performance and other parts"
I want to know what it really is and getting a REAL understanding of what is going on with all that overclocking talk and stuff. And is that why you list all of your system's parts and whatever? Is it like when mechanics build their own cars at home for a hobby and get around other mechanics and brag and trade info? Is overclocking a sport? I could find this in the WikiPedia but I was looking for a few answers directly from the source. Now let's hear it....

overclock OVERCLOCK...OVVEERRRRRRRR-R-R-R-R-R-R CLOCK CLOCK YEAH! :rockon:

Comments

  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclock

    Overclocking is taking your motherboard components and running them at faster than normal specs. Bumping your FSB and memory speeds or changing the multiplier on your processor, and combinations of the two are the usual ways to go about it.

    Do some reading before you even think about overclocking your system. It pushes your hardware to the limit and if you don't do it correctly, you'll fry your system or end up with horrible instability.
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    The real reason to do it is the satisfation that you got more preformance than you paid for. You know, buy the $200 CPU and run at the speed of the $600 one.
    Just having a faster computer is nice also.
    The only machine that I own that runs at stock settings is for my wife. All of my folding boxes are overclocked.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    I'll give you an example, Wikin:

    I paid about $200 for my motherboard, $400 for my RAM, and about $250 for my processor. I overclocked my processor from 2.3GHz to 3.2GHz, which is almost a 1GHz overclock. If Intel were to debut a processor at the speed I am running my own CPU, it would cost more than $1100, if Intel was consistent with their past pricing schemes. Therefore, for the investment of $850, I was able to get a nice processor, 2GB of memory, and one of the planet's best motherboards for just a smidge over $300 less than the CPU alone would've cost if I didn't overclock.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited November 2006
    Overclocking saves processing time. It can shave minutes and hours down to seconds. It comes in very handy on large projects ...it really does. That's why I do it ...some do it to gain more fps in games. I'm sure you'll find a variety of answers and it's a good question to ask.
  • DonutDonut Maine New
    edited November 2006
    Hotrodding for your PC.
  • synaptixsynaptix Alabama
    edited November 2006
    I just want my machine to go fast. If setting it on fire would make it go faster, there would be a pit instead of a computer case next to my desk. Basically, after you put all the time and effort into getting your system to run as fast as possible while still being stable, you should be able to say to yourself "WOW that's fast!". If you can't say that, then it isn't speedy enough.

    It does come with risks, though. By running parts out of spec, you are shortening the lifespan of any overclocked components. And if you can't shed the additional heat generated, you can potentially fry your CPU in a matter of seconds. Also, most companies will not give you a warranty on any part that has been overclocked.

    If you have an AMD K8 (Athlon 64/Opteron/X2/FX) system, and are interested in overclocking, check out the condensed OC guidelines I have compiled HERE. This is not everything you need to know, but it will give you a pretty good knowledge base so you don't go tweaking anything you don't need to.
  • WISKINITAWISKINITA san antonio, TEXAS
    edited December 2006
    ha! your answers are all very imformative and a couple pretty funny! I laughed about the fire pit answer! Thank you all, as I now have a perfect understanding. I am a beginner so I didn't build my machine, I had Dell do it. So I'm sure it is NOT recommended, but can you OC a factory machine? Or is it better to save that for the one your build, or parts you replace? Just a light thought. No real need for heavy explanation as I think the answer is to only OC when you've built your own machine. NE ways, thanks again all! I hope the "readers only" found this informative as well.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited December 2006
    Dell motherboards are overclock disabled from the manufaturer.
  • synaptixsynaptix Alabama
    edited December 2006
    It is true that manufacturers like Dell, HP/Compaq, etc. etc. will not have any overclocking options in the BIOS. This is the best way to overclock, but if you really feel like taking the risk of system crashes and instability until you find a stable setting, you can use a program called CPU-z to determine what kind of motherboard you have inside your Dell case, and then, if your motherboard is supported by the program, use ClockGen to actually overclock your machine. There is a complete list of supported motherboards on the ClockGen page. (for some reason I can't post links any more :scratch: , so you will have to google the programs to find them, sorry)

    Just be forewarned that although many people have had success with this method, you will be more prone to stability issues than if you were overclocking from the BIOS. Be prepared to fry drivers left and right and perhaps have to do a couple of repair installs of Windows XP (not a big deal, but these issues can be annoying and a real pain in the butt). Also, not every processor is going to have good OC'ing potential, so you may not be able to run stable at anything but stock speeds.

    Hope all this helps.
  • WISKINITAWISKINITA san antonio, TEXAS
    edited December 2006
    Then basically I think I see it like this: Dell products could be OC'ed but they have disabled the ability to do so-at least made it really difficult. And I could have gone out and built my own computer and OC'ed it to match the power of the Dell I overpaid for. So now I'm thinking, Dell and other companies alike know that their equipment can be made to operate and much faster and optimal speeds, but they chose not to let them so their NEXT release can be marketed as "Even Faster." It's like the CACHE game... yes it is super expensive to increase the cache on a computer, and technically the entire computer could be made to the likes of what cache does, but if they did that, then there isn't a way to come out with a faster computer tomorrow. Right now, Microsoft, Dell, Intel, etc. all know that they already have a faster, quicker, better computer than the ones they just released, but they have to play the timing game just right. They will hold on to it for a year or so and/or until sales are closer to maxing out, and the by some COMPUTER MAGIC, wa-laaaaaaaaa... an even faster, bigger, better machine now!

    So really, if I were to have built my own machine, then I could have saved a ton of money and still got the performance I am currently getting. And then when a newer product or part comes out that can be OC'ed, I only have to replace that part instead of the WHOLE DANG COMPUTER! Anyways, that is just how I see it.

    DISCLAIMER: novice, anyone reading should not take the part about CACHE to heart, because that is just the impression I am under.

    Any ideas?
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