Overclocking... Pros and Cons

[mshirley001]

As I understand it, overclocking is running the processor (and RAM?) faster that what it is rated at. How this is accomplished, I dont know but it looks like the board I ordered comes with software utilities to do just that. So I ordered these memory sticks (Corsair XMS) that claims to be made for overclocking just in case I wanted to try it. (anyone ever tried em?)

What are the pros and cons of doing this and can it damage my hardware? I hate to risk a $600 P4 for a few extra MHz.

 

[killowhat]

I think you just answered your own question.

http://www.overclockers.com

http://www.ocworkbench.com

LOL PEARL

 

[xomcat]

I agree with killowhat,but...when the bug bites...it's hard to stop until you've voided several warranty's.It's like souping up a perfectly good car-you don't need it to commute to work (How fast can you type?)but the fun of doing it and having bragging rights is fulfilling.You'll also gain a lot more knowledge about how computers function.It can be time consuming and expensive depending on how far you want to go.Try a little conservative OCing with your software and decide for yourself.(My wife swears I'm not happy until I break it - so I can go buy new toys.)

 

[dakota81]

This is my general opinion on overclocking... Overclockers usually spend the extra money on higher quality ram, higher quality motherboards, higher quality & wattage power supplies, higher quality cooling systems...

With all that extra cash & time going into serious overclocking, instead just buy the next fastest processor and have all the speed advantages without the tweaking involved.

With the Pentium 4 architecture, it's practically imposible to over-heat them, as they do have internal sensers that detect core temperatures being too high (they actually work!) and slow down the clock speed to a level where the cpu doesn't produce nearly as much heat. Chances of destroying a Pentium 4 are pretty damn slim.

 

[paparazi]

Little gain!!
Big risk!
Ego dented! Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.

 

[pitlover]

I usually associate overclocking w/ the engineer downstairs who tries to do it on every machine we give him.
Mysteriously, he tells other people in the building of his "guru" abilities... and I cannot tell you the times I have brought a machine back to life, only to realize that he was the last person logged on to it!
His "tweaking" mostly stopped w/ the win2000 transition, but he still fries more home equipment than I care to think about.

I've been trying to get him to buy this:

http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20021230/index.html

Go -35 degrees if you are a gambling man. I'll agree w/ xomcat and the bragging right it would bring...
I can feel my chest puffing out if I were to own such a beast!

But I just don't play that much Quake and Unreal anymore...
But if you have the $$ to blow on equipment, support the economy! Just not on my machine! But my current poverty is governing my decisions.

Maybe if I modded one and got all cold cathode light,LED, and window crazy. The CPU tachometer I saw a while back was pretty retro too...

A $600 p4 at 3ghz+ should be fast enough though, shouldn't it?
I'd bet the board has 8x AGP as well....

Why you would want to smoke a system like that is like asking my buddy why he likes the rubber ball gag on the weekends with his mistress...

I'm not sure I want to hear the answer.

 

[xomcat]

After years of using comps.,(DOS to spreadsheets to db's to "hardcore gaming&quotit's refreshing,enlightning,& FUN to take a system beyond it,s specs.All opposed to OCing are absolutely "right".No arguement!BUT,how many of us would rather build our own systems than buy a "legacy" system? If your comp.is a "tool" (perfectly OK),fine.(Remember when comps used to amaze us ? Damn,showing my age.) Think outside the box (literally).

 

[Allenaz4]

Sure, there isn't much risk to OCing, unless you get crazy about it. You can set it up in your bios, if you have a high end motherboard or you can do it by software. Software is the safest way. If you have the memory for it, the only danger is if you push your graphics card too far. I'm guessing that you have a very good graphics card, that can handle it or you wouldn't be spending $600 on a CPU.

However, where you made your biggest mistake, is that you should have bought the P4 2.53Ghz, for about $200 and then OCed it 3.0Ghz. You could have saved yourself, $400!!
Good luck!

 

[CitrixEngineer]

If you want to try overclocking, track down a Celeron 300A or a Duron 850 and matching ABit motherboard. Buy a cheap case and other components (including a stack of fans) and do some real overclocking - well over 50%.

Overclocking a 2.53 Ghz to 3 Ghz is only a measly 20% increase. A Celeron 300A will go upt to 504Mhz, and a Duron 850 can do 1.2Ghz.

And between them they won't cost as much as a P4.

It's fun, but you do run the risk of smoking your CPU in a very literal sense. CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[Grenage]

I always used to overclock in the days of the celeron, where you could gain hundreds of extra cycles by using a fan that took up half the case.

However I recently built a new system which seems to come with all the tools to overclock, but have no real intention of doing it. My reasons now are:

The gains are limited now, and it can be extra hassle if you push your processor to the point where the extra speed is noticable.

But it's your choice ultimately, you probably won't destroy your processor (but you could) but you might get hassle from overheating etc.

^My views are soley based on Intel chips, having never personally overclocked an AMD. I can only assume its a lot more risky with an athlon since they kick out so much heat^

 

[mshirley001]

Well, I dont think Im gonna fool with it either, at least not on the new system, I may play around with the old one, which is a celeron 1.2ghz.

I got the 3ghz because I wanted the hyper threading and no, the board is 4x agp. I was kinda suprised at that.

I actually havent decided on a video card yet. Im looking at the nvidia cards, have always been an ATI patron but thinking of defecting.

 

[cdogg]

The high-end ATI Radeon 9700 Pro actually beats out the fastest GeForce 4 Ti cards. However the newest Nvidia board, GeForce FX 5800, was able to close this gap tremendously, although the ATI board still wins some benchmarks and cost less. Where the GeForce FX does excel, it's usually not by much.

Take a look:

http://www.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030127/geforce_fx-08.html

Also, if you check out the main page of Tom's Hardware, there's a new article on the ATI 9800. I'm no die-hard ATI fan, but I've been impressed by their efforts over the past year.


~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[Grenage]

It's definately improved a lot of late. I went from Voodoo 2 straight to Nvidea and my latest machine was the first to have an ATI in it (9700 pro). I've been very impressed.

The FX does indeed look quite good, but is noisier, and bigger than the 9700 - I've always been a sucker for efficiency in my machine (One of the main reasons I am still an Intel user).

 

[pitlover]

I agree with Tom's most of the time...
but as Triumph the insult comic dog would say....
I love ATI... ATI is the best...
..for me to poop on!

No really , I kid!
They are really #1..
for me to go #2 on!


Ahem,
sorry to get off the subject.