Over-Clocking: The PC Super Highway

Let us get serious; Over Clocking is a serious business for serious computer enthusiasts.  If you do not know what over clocking is, you might be amazed by what you read in this article. To read and understand this article you should have a moderate or very good understanding of computers.

Why would some one have water inside their computer?  Why would you build exotic heat sinks made out of copper?  Why do people risk frostbite by pouring liquid nitrogen onto a CPU.  The reason is over clocking.  When over clocking, increasing the voltage to a computer processor speeds it up but also heats it.  That is why computer experts use water, liquid nitrogen and fancy heat sinks, to cool the processor during over clocking.  Over-clocking is a method of increasing the processing speed of computer chips.  Most people do not do it and some do not even know what it is, but there are geeks of all types who enjoy the success of increased computing productivity derived from Over Clocking.

It would take an entire book and then some, to go over all the aspects of over clocking but here are some things you should know.  Over clocking, started in the 1980s and is used to increase the speed of processing in a computer chip.  Chips that are normally over clocked are the central processing unit (CPU) and video graphic array (VGA) chipsets.  When crystals are supplied with an electrical current, they vibrate. The more intense the current the faster they vibrate.  By increasing the clock crystal an individual can pump up the internal chip bus speed.  Match the other chips on the motherboard to this master clock speed and you are good to go.  Depending on the specifications of the motherboard mechanisms you may have to use two crystals set at different speeds, one to control faster operating chips and one to control slower chips.  To do this requires significant electrical and computer engineering knowledge.

Around 1990 a new method of over clocking became popular called multiplier changing.  With an adjustable class motherboard you can switch jumpers to increase the speed of the motherboard.  This second method may be easier than the first.  Changing the multiplier is controversial and has been dubbed as remarking, a manner of fraud.  Chip producers and motherboard makers are at odds with each other about over clocking.  Over clocking makes motherboards to appear to be lightning fast, but on the other hand, over clocking can damage fragile chips.  Because chip manufacturers want to protect their reputations, they have locked their chips as a security measure to prevent certain forms of over clocking.  Nevertheless, a few chips are made for engineering and scientific purposes and are sought after by over-clockers.  These chips can receive a handsome ransom.

The proper procedures to over-clocking should include knowing what the term over clocking means, to know the limitations and capabilities of your motherboard and computer components.  Understand your BIOS and CMOS variables and how to manipulate them.  Know if your processor is locked or open for varying.  Understand the relationships and limitations between RAM and unlocked processors.

Over clocking you processor is only the beginning, you will have to tweak your system by adjusting components to a point where the complete over clocking operation becomes stable.  You may have to adjust FSB, RAM, voltage and multiplier speeds to reach an acceptable level of stabilization.  Test as many components as possible to make sure there are no faulty operators.  Check the bus speeds to ensure maximum data transfer.  You should use only the highest quality processing chips.  Understand the differences between chip designs and architectures.

So, are you ready to over clock?  Get up to speed on over clocking by going online and do a search for “over-clocking” and you will be presented with a large amount of information on the subject.  There are many over clocking forums that you can join to have companions with you while you journey down the Over Clocking PC Super Highway!



Filed in: Guides & Tutorials, Hardware Tags: , ,

Leave a Reply

Submit Comment
