Many people probably don't know what overclocking is but have possibly heard the term used before. To put it in its simplest terms, overclocking is taking a PC component such as a CPU and running at a specification higher than rated by the manufacturer. Every part produced by companies such as Intel and AMD are rated for a specific speeds. They have tested the capabilities of the part and certified it for that given speed. Of course, most parts are underrated for increased reliability. Overclocking a part simply takes advantage of the remaining potential out of a computer part that the manufacturer is unwilling to certify the part for but it is capable of.
Overclocking the CPU
In general CPU chips are tested by the manufacturer to see at what speed they fail at.. They are then rated at a speed one step lower than this. Since the tests are quite stringent the idea is that it may be possible to push the CPU somewhat faster than its rating while maintaining stability in the system. Sometimes, when manufacturers are short on stock, they package faster MHz CPUs as slower ones; overclockers perceive this as a windfall.
Results from overclocking the CPU alone must be balanced against the rest of the system's specifications, namely the bus speed of the motherboard, memory, et cetera. For example, a 20% increase in CPU speed does not usually translate to a 20% overall improvement. The CPU might be running faster than the rest of the system, operating in a "hurry up and wait" environment
Unsuccessful overclocking can result in an unstable system at best, and in the worst case scenario can damage the CPU. Though the latter is less common, it happens. Pushing also reduces the lifetime of the CPU an indeterminable amount, as it forces the CPU to work harder and hotter. Cooling fans and a good heatsink become even more important in this case.
Overclocking the System Bus
Changing the CPU bus speed successfully can create a noticeable improvement on the entire system because all components will run faster. Since the CPU's effectiveness is helped by the bus speed, an improvement here can also utilize the full benefit of the CPU. However, overclocking the PC is risky because it means pushing every PC component on the motherboard.
HEAT!
The biggest obstacle to overclocking the computer system is heat. Today's high-speed computer systems already produce a large amount of heat. Overclocking a computer system just compounds these problems. As a result, anyone planning to overclock their PC should be very aware of the needs for high performance cooling solutions.
The most common form of cooling a computer system is through standard air cooling. This comes in the form of CPU heatsinks and fans, heat spreaders on memory, fans on video cards and case fans. Proper airflow and good conducting metals are key to the performance of air cooling. Large copper heatsinks tend to perform better and the greater number of case fans to pull in air into the system also helps to improve cooling.
Beyond air cooling there is water cooling and phase change cooling. These PCs are far more complex and expensive than standard PC cooling solutions, but they offer a higher performance at heat dissipation and generally lower noise. Well-built systems can allow the overclocker to really push the performance of their hardware to its limits.
If you would like to learn more about overclocking with easy to follow guides taking you through step by step. I would recommend on visiting the link below. This site teach you how to get the most out of your PC without damaging it.
http://www.overclockyourcpu.co.uk
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