Overclocking for dummies

[Slyde]

I'm looking for overclock my Q6600 and i don't know where to start. Thanks.

[Damjan]

1st. You need to know how to overclock

How is this possible? Well the processor achieves its clock speed by multiplying its FSB or Front side Bus-Speed or the speed in which information travels in the various "buses" in the system by a particular multiplier

For example 266Mhx is achieved through multiplying 66 (MHz) it's FSB by 4 its multiplier.

66 X 4 =266

As processor makers realized the potential of processors being overclocked and being sold by dubious traders to unsuspecting customers they tried to prevent overclocking by locking the multiplier value. So most Pentium II Celerons and later processor as well as Athlon & Thunderbirds are clock locked. But it is still possible to overclock these processors by increasing the Bus-speed, which most Motherboards, allow you to do.

2nd.2) Overclocking in the BIOS vs. overclocking software - Whenever the option exists, manipulating BIOS settings is the best way to accomplish overclocking. BIOSes on value/low end motherboards and on proprietary systems such as Dells and HPs generally have few to no options available for overclocking. On such systems, there is the potential to overclock through software, though there is not a single piece of software to overclock every board.

3rd. CPU FSB vs. external clock speed - Intel overclocking is achieved via the front side bus or system bus. Depending on your system, it can be noted as FSB, CPU frequency, CPU speed, clock speed, or something similar in the BIOS. Intel CPUs more recent than Pentium 3s are “quad pumped”. This means that the external clock speed (the value shown in the BIOS) is one fourth the FSB, i.e. external clock speed = FSB/4.

4) DDR frequency vs. external clock speed - Conversely, DDR RAM transmits data on both sides of a tactical signal, effectively performing two functions per single clock cycle (i.e. DDR frequency = 2 x external clock speed). That is why it’s referred to as Double Data Rate RAM. The discussion of RAM applies equally to DDR, DDR2, and DDR3. There are a variety of ways this is displayed in the BIOS; some display the DDR frequency and other show it as a ratio of the CPU:RAM, which will be discussed below.

5. http://www.overclock.net/intel-cpus/1567-i...king-guide.html

[Slyde]

The website:

1. Increase the external clock speed by a small amount.

2. Exit BIOS and boot to operating system.

Not very helpful. Doesn't matter, i got it figured with some googling.

[JustADummy]

It's very easy.

Boot up your PC, get to the BIOS and then find the processor place. Then click in Clock Speed (or whatever) and change it to the max (if your PSU can handle it).

You're done. I also know how to overclock GFX Cards, like I did with mine. Very secure.

PS: Why do you want to overclock a Core 2 Quad (it's the same as mine)?

Edited January 4, 2009 by Spider-Vice

[chris82]

It's very easy.

Boot up your PC, get to the BIOS and then find the processor place. Then click in Clock Speed (or whatever) and change it to the max

That's not a good idea! You should change the multiplier of your processor to a higher number which is faster and more effective. My default multiplier is 13, which puts my processor at 2.6GHz. When I bump it up to 14, my processor goes to 2.8GHz, a big increase for only one step. It also increases my RAM speed. But yes, do it in small steps...if you do it to high, you might not be able to boot. In which case, you have to raise the voltage to your CPU, but be VERY careful and read up on how to do this, it can fry your machine.

[Slyde]

I got mine from 2.4 to 3 now. I got an error running Prime95 13min into the stress test but after i upped some CPU voltage it did fine the next test which went for about 8 hours.

Should i replace my stock cooler to something better though?

[chris82]

Maybe. Monitor your temps. Do stressful things (i.e. gaming) and see how high your temps get...if your CPU goes above about 80C then you'll need a better cooler to prevent overheating.

[Slyde]

I thought 70 was already pretty hot. I was averaging 67 on the stress test. I guess i don't need one then.

[chris82]

Well yes that is hot but nothing hardware-damaging. Once you hit 80 then it can be damaging to your hardware to go higher, and your computer will likely shut itself off once you reach a high-enough temperature.