There are many different ways you can make your computer run a lot faster. You can do things such as removing programs that slow you down, installing spyware, keeping your registry clean, etc. One thing that I think some people know how to do, and others wish they knew how to do is called Overclocking. This is a term that means to make your computer go faster than what it was designed to do. Overclocking can be dangerous to your system and can cause problems to your system over time, if you do it wrong, or do not understand what you are doing. There are many different types of computer components that can be overclocked. Some of them include the processor, memory, and video card. There is also a degree as to which you can overclock the component.
So, first off you have to pay attention to what exactly you want to overclock. Once you have determined that, you need to find a part that has good reviews when they have been overlocked before. You can do that by reading any customer reviews when viewing a product. Also, make sure that you choose the parts to be compatible with the motherboard. If you want to maximize overclocking, make sure that your memory is up to par as well, because that can slow down a lot of the over locking.
After you know that your parts are compatible, you need to notice the core speed. That is the speed at which the CPU executes instructions. This is the main frequency you want to raise when overclocking your processor. Next is the northbridge speed. If you increase the speed of the northbridge, it would boost memory controller performance and L3 cache speed. You will need to make sure that this speed is higher than the HypterTransport Link Speed. This speed is the frequency of the link between the CPU and northbridge. It’s usually equal to the northbridge speed. The last speed you will need to notice is the memory frequency. This is the speed at which the memory bus operates. It’s represented by the amount of Mhz it has.
There are some calculations that you can figure out about your computer, to determine the speeds. Note this:
Core Speed = Reference Clock * CPU Multiplier
Northbridge Speed = Reference Clock * Northbridge Multiplier
HyperTransport Link Speed = Reference Clock * HyperTransport Multiplier
Memory Frequency = Reference Clock * Memory Multiplier
If you wanted to increase your CPU speed, then you would increase it by increasing the reference clock or the CPU multiplier. In order to change these speeds, you would need to enter into your BIOS options. In your BIOS options, I am going to recommend some settings that you should have if your are trying to overclock your computer. Some of these settings include: disable cool n quiet, disable C1E, disable spread spectrum, disable smart cpu fan control, manually set your memory timings, and put the windows power option on “High Performance”. Please note that you should be overclocking at your OWN risk. Most hardware companies will not give you warranty on overclocked components.
I personally do not overclock my items, but I found someone who has done that, and I am going to explain his results. He takes a look at the stock setting for a AMD Phenom II X4 940. The motherboard’s reference clock fluctuates between 200.5 MHz and 200.6 MHz, resulting in a core speed of 3,007 MHz to 3,800 MHz. He claims it is a good idea to run performance tests on stock speeds, so you know the base-performance levels. So, to overclock this, you should download the AMD OverDrive Utility, and run it. Once you install and run this program, you can boot it up, and start messing around with it. When you boot up this program, you need to make sure that the “Select All Cores” option is enabled. After that, you start to raise the clock setting in slight increments over time. If you uncheck the option just previously mentioned, you can change each core’s speed. Keep an eye on the temperature, because you don’t want it to overheat. Make sure your constantly running stability tests as well.
Make sure that before you start overclocking, you have clear out your CMOS setting. If an overclock becomes unstable, and this is cleared, then you won’t have any damages done to your computer. In order to do this, you can do it through two ways. Way one involves you change position of the clear jumper on your motherboard, waiting a few minutes, and then replacing it back onto your motherboard. The second way is to unplug your computer, remove the CMOS battery, press the power button to let your capacitors discharge, and then waiting a couple of minutes. You need to do this before any overclocking to assure that your computer is safe, if the overclock becomes unstable. In addition to clearing you CMOS, you need to make sure if your computer is locked or unlocked. In order to do this, you must lower your multiplier from 11 to 10.5. Save and exit your BIOS, and restart your computer. If your computer shows the new speed, then that means that it’s unlocked. If it fails to do that, then that means your multiplier is locked, which can cause problems for overclocking. You can only overclock using the front side of the bus.
In addition to all these steps before overclocking, the final steps are to run some tests. You simply have to run a few simple tests, such as testing the utilities. You also need to include, with that, some testing of the memory timings. You need to know this information, in order for overclocking to be successful. You also need to note the memory chip quality before doing this as well. Having a low quality memory chip can cause serious problems. If you have done all of these things, then you should be ready to overclock your computer correctly.
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