What Is Overclocking?
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!
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!
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Comments
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?