Chapter 15: Overclockings: Step-by-Step

1. Turn off the computer, remove the case from the system unit, and open the manual supplied with your motherboard.

2. Make sure that you follow all safety rules, which need to be observed when performing any tasks with the case open. There is a danger of static electricity. Therefore, it is wise to touch the case before you begin. Better yet, keep one hand on the case at all times while working. Try not to allow any foreign items, especially metallic ones, to touch the adapters. If anything does get inside, remove it immediately. Be sure of everything you are doing, but be careful and accurate.

3. Carefully read all of the basic characteristics of the processor from what is labeled on it. It makes sense to record this data.

4. Consult your motherboard manual to find out which jumpers control the multiplier, the bus frequency and the core voltage supplied to the processor.

5. Check to see if the jumpers are set according to the motherboard manual. Figure out the exact values of the multiplier, the host bus speed and the core voltage. Record this information as well.

6. Now consider how you are going to intensify the cooling of your processor. This is extremely important.

7. Consider how you are going to overclock the processor, what settings you are going to change, and by how much, etc.

8. Follow the instructions provided in the documentation to change the bus speed and/or the multiplier.

9. Check to see if all the jumpers are set correctly according to the instructions provided in the manual.

10. Turn the computer on.

11. If POST completes successfully and you see the boot-up screen with the BIOS information, skip steps 12 and 13, and go on to step 14.

12. If the computer doesn't boot, your CPU doesn't seem to be able to be overclocked to the speed that you are trying to set. Turn it off and try to increase the voltage supplied to the processor (if possible). Before tweaking the voltage, consult your motherboard manual.

13. Turn the computer on. If BIOS doesn't boot, you should abandon attempts to overclock your CPU to the frequency you are trying to set. Try more conservative settings for the multiplier and host bus frequency.

14. Go to BIOS Setup and, if necessary, change the appropriate settings.

15. Reboot the computer and allow the operating system to complete the boot process. If your operating system starts successfully, start testing your system's reliability at the increased frequency. It is recommended that you use various tests, such as WinStone, WinBench, BAPCo Suite, and any other tests available to you. The more tests you run the better.

16. If the system doesn't crash and everything runs normally, you have successfully overclocked your system.

17. If your system crashes, return to 12-16 steps.

18. General recommendations: Don't raise the voltage supplied to the processor except for the cases when it is absolutely necessary, since this increases CPU temperature. Cooling is the most important thing, one that you should never forget about, especially when overclocking.

To conclude this chapter, it should be mentioned that Windows 9x may become unstable after overclocking, while DOS and Windows 3.x may remain reliable. This is due to the more stringent hardware requirements imposed by Windows 9x. Thus, Windows 9x can itself be considered as a kind of test. If the computer doesn't pass this test, this means the system is unstable.