Is overclocking a good idea?

From Kim Komando’s Tip Of The Day

Q.   My son is an avid gamer. We have a relatively new computer, but he says it isn’t fast enough for his games. So he wants to overclock the machine so it will run faster. I’m not sure what overclocking is. Can you explain it to me? Should I let him do it?

A.   Many gamers and computer geeks overclock their machines. I really don’t recommend it, though. Overclocking can damage your computer. And you can kiss your warranty goodbye.

Done correctly, overclocking increases a computer’s performance. Basically, computer hardware is tweaked to run at a higher clock rate. That is the rate at which a computer performs operations. It is measured in cycles per second (hertz).

Several components can be overclocked–the processor, the memory and the graphics processor. Overclocking is done by changing settings on the motherboard.

Before selling a component, manufacturers perform functionality tests for worst-case conditions. A component must be able to operate at or above a given clock rate under these conditions.

Take, for example, a 2.0 gigahertz processor. It must operate at 2.0 GHz, even at the highest allowed temperature and lowest power voltages.

The processor could potentially run at 3.0 GHz. For this to happen, the temperature at which the machine operates would likely need to decrease. And the power voltage might need a boost.

That’s where overclocking comes in. Many motherboards allow you to change these settings. You do it through the BIOS.

You can overclock a processor one of two ways. The easiest way is to increase the CPU multiplier. Say you change the multiplier for that 2.0 GHz processor to 1.5. The processor would run at 3.0 GHz.

On most processors the multiplier is locked. So, overclockers often have to take the second approach. They change the speed of the front side bus (FSB).

The FSB is the system clock. Changing the speed of the FSB changes the CPU clock rate. It also changes how fast data moves between the RAM and processor.

Changing the FSB is tricky. It can cause the system to crash. So overclockers generally need to change the RAM and voltage settings.

Overclocking involves a lot of trial and error—mostly error. Basically, you must increase the speeds and voltages until the computer fails. Then you scale the settings back to the highest speed that doesn’t cause the computer to crash.

As I said, overclocking can damage a computer. As you increase voltage and component speeds, heat increases. The heat can cause components to fail, or even melt.

To counteract the heat, overclockers add sophisticated cooling systems. Many are liquid-based. They act much like a car’s radiator.

Your son must do his research before overclocking your computer. There are many sites online dedicated to overclocking. He can probably find the optimum settings for overclocking your components.

But, again, I wouldn’t do it. His alternative might be a computer designed for gaming. Or, look at gaming consoles—they’re much cheaper than gaming computers.

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***Please note:  I am not affiliated with Kim Komando or Komando.com in any way, nor am I receiving any compensation for this post.

~Sandy G.