Thread: how and what is overclocking a processor?

i have a 1.0 gigahertz pentium three

overclocking is making the processor run faster than it is designed to. this increases speed etc, BUT decreases expected life of your processor, it is also advisable to look at upgrading the cooling of your processor as it will run hotter when being overclocked. im sure someone will reply soon with a list of software etc for overclocking.

overclocking is done in the bios...just step up the fsb a little at a time. to read more on computers go to http://www.andcomputers.info

To be honest don't even bother with a processor that low, but essentially you raise the voltage and other attributes of the processor so that it actually runs at let's say 2.5GHz instead of the original 2.2GHz. The problem with overclocking is it can lower your system's stability if done wrong, your motherboard probably won't support it if it's from a factory (HP, Acer, etc.) and lastly, temperature. It generates far more heat than normal, and some hefty cooling devices are needed if you plan on overclocking substantially.But honestly, the difference would be minuscule with a processor that old, and with one core it's hard to say if it'd even be worth the effort.

Overclocking is basically running your cpu at a faster speed than it is rated for. For instance, your 1.0GHZ could be run at say 1.1GHZ. However, to overclock you have to have good components in your computer. If you bought it at your local electronics store then, you probably will not be able to.. Most of them have a couple of good buzz components but put crap in other areas. The biggest thing with every computer is keeping it cool. Your motherboard has to support overclocking and your memory needs to work at the higher speed.

Over clocking will take your standard CPU and push it to the max like taking a car and finding whats its top speed. like wise with a car it puts tremendous strain on your hard ware and it can die/fry (hay that rhymes) you can change your CPU voltage clock speeds and more in your BIOS when you start up or you can use programs that are avalible to OC however i don't see much of an improvement if you still have a P3. This is why if i tell some one computer specs you'll normally see me say something like Core 2 Duo@2.4GHz im telling the person that the processor is a core 2 duo clocked at 2.4GHz if it was over clocked the person would instaly see it and say wow which its not but o well.

Is your Motherboard for a Manufacture like IBM, HP , Sony, Gateway ? if so forget it its locked you can't change any thing. but if its custom build then what you have to do is increase the FSB, Mutipliers and Push Your Vcore up a bit to get it stable. and change your ram timming after the CPU is stable.

the speed the cpu runs is deternined by the mutlplier and the speed of the ram. As an example, you may have 10X multiplier running 100 sdram so 10x100=1,000. If you can, go into bios and if you bump the ram up to 110 then you have 10X110-1,100 or a 1.1 Ghz P3, etc. Before you try clocking find out where the J5 jumper on your board is. It will have 3 pins with a little jumper on the 1-2 pins. If an overclock fails and you cant boot either unplug the power to the PSU or turn its rocker switch to off to get the power off the board then move that little jumper from the 1-2 pins to the 2-3pins for about 15 seconds then back to the 1-2 pins. That will reset your cmos to the default and then allow you to boot. It the settings for ram speed are greyed out in bios then you have a motherboard that does not allow overclocking.

Most processors have a safety margin with their frequency. The manufacturers do this so that their processors can run comfortably without heat becoming an issue. Overclocking increases the frequency of your processor and FSB using up that safety margin. How much you can overclock is dependent on the processor. Some processors are great at overclocking others you won't be able to overclock much.

The downside of overclocking are;
- Voids the warranty on your system.
- Increases heat in your system which could lead to system lockups and instability (if this happens then you have overclocked too far and you need to reduce the overclocking).