Hey guys,
Im still a relatively nooby pc gaming guy, and keep hearing the term overclocking popping up. Could someone please explain to me what this means, what the advantages are to doing it and the disadvantages. Also how to do it.
My rig is:
Manufacturer:
Dell Inc.
Processor:
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7400 @ 2.80GHz (2 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
Memory:
3070MB RAM
Hard Drive:
483 GB
Video Card:
ATI Radeon HD 4350
Monitor:
Generic PnP Monitor
Sound Card:
Speakers (2- Z-10 USB Speaker)
Speakers/Headphones:
Operating System:
Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_ldr.090302-1506)

Thanks in advance guys!
Jazz

Don't


You will fry your processor, if you don't know what your doing
Regardless it means you up the clock speed of your processor. Now the task is keeping it cooled. So advantage is your computer will run faster, the disadvantage is that the processor will be hotter if you don't keep it cooled you'll damage it. If you don't know what your doing trust me keep away you will fry your processor. Also it's not as simple as change a number from 2.8ghz to 3ghz and ontop of that it's a dell which i'm pretty sure means the clock speed is locked and can't be changed, i think.

he could do it if he flashed his bios i think, but thats quite hard (READ: Impossible) to do. just dont do it. never.

edit: just looked at your rig, with that kind of stuff you wouldnt want to.

I dunno, but considering he said he's not good with computers there's a fair chance he won't knoe what to do with BIOS.

I'm gonna echo the other responses in this thread and say just don't.

One easy way is to increase the multiplier on your cpu and increasing the voltage on the ram but unless you know what your doing I wouldnt recommend messing with anything. Plus overclocking decreases the lifespan of your components. Sure you might be able to overclock a shiny new cpu to over 4ghz but instead of lasting you 4-5 years itll last you a year or two if your lucky. Dont do it unless youve got the money to buy tons of cpu's mobo's and ram.

Ok. I wont! Haha thanks for the help!

Ok, I would have said "go ahead" if you had built that PC yourself but since that PC is a manufacturers PC, it is not advisable at all. Especially Dell pc's.

Just to let you guys know, overclocking, if done at an acceptable range, with the correct hardware, is perfectly safe and will not damage/fry out/decrease the lifetime of your CPU.

Ok, I would have said "go ahead" if you had built that PC yourself but since that PC is a manufacturers PC, it is not advisable at all. Especially Dell pc's.

Just to let you guys know, overclocking, if done at an acceptable range, with the correct hardware, is perfectly safe and will not damage/fry out/decrease the lifetime of your CPU.

When I posted my suggestion I was saying that if he does it in that pc that will happen. If you have good fans and know what your doing by not raising the multiplier and voltage way to high so fast sure you can overclock components and make them last a long time but if he were to do it in that case with everything stock it will for sure cut down the life on his system. He even said he is new so had he attempted he would most likely of either overclocked it to much and it could fry or done it right but without proper air flow and a nice cold case his system would last half as long as it would have.

When I posted my suggestion I was saying that if he does it in that pc that will happen. If you have good fans and know what your doing by not raising the multiplier and voltage way to high so fast sure you can overclock components and make them last a long time but if he were to do it in that case with everything stock it will for sure cut down the life on his system. He even said he is new so had he attempted he would most likely of either overclocked it to much and it could fry or done it right but without proper air flow and a nice cold case his system would last half as long as it would have.

Well, was just trying to clear the air a bit. Anyway, no matter how pro you are at overclocking, overclocking a Dell PC = Hell. Most OEM pc's have locked bios's (sure you can flash 'em, but that voids your warranty and stuff, not advisable) then again, if you're pro, you shouldn't have a dell in the first place hahaha (no offence to OP)

Well, was just trying to clear the air a bit. Anyway, no matter how pro you are at overclocking, overclocking a Dell PC = Hell. Most OEM pc's have locked bios's (sure you can flash 'em, but that voids your warranty and stuff, not advisable) then again, if you're pro, you shouldn't have a dell in the first place hahaha (no offence to OP)

Which is why if your into overclocking and modding pc's its better to build than to buy pre made computers. Btw I was so close to buying a dell xps 435 lol I am building my pc for the same price but with more ram, better cpu, more hdd, better vid card, and its a whole lot sexier for the same price.

Which is why if your into overclocking and modding pc's its better to build than to buy pre made computers. Btw I was so close to buying a dell xps 435 lol I am building my pc for the same price but with more ram, better cpu, more hdd, better vid card, and its a whole lot sexier for the same price.

I love doing that. My rig is on average 3,000 to 3,300 dollars cheaper than what alienware or ibuypower and all those would build me with similar specs. And I have yet to see any of those companies overclock an i7 920 to 4.0. Gotta love custom.

By the way, are alienware computers bios locked so that you can't OC them yourself? Cuz they will sell you a new i7 975, but for an additional 200 bucks they will overclock it from 3.33 to 3.86Ghz. If the bios is locked it kinda makes sense(not really, its the same chip). If the bios isn't locked, then that is just crazy to pay for. Even so, it is a crappy overclock, especially when they offer water cooling and i got my 920, like i said earlier, from 2.7 to 4.0 on air.

I love doing that. My rig is on average 3,000 to 3,300 dollars cheaper than what alienware or ibuypower and all those would build me with similar specs. And I have yet to see any of those companies overclock an i7 920 to 4.0. Gotta love custom.

By the way, are alienware computers bios locked so that you can't OC them yourself? Cuz they will sell you a new i7 975, but for an additional 200 bucks they will overclock it from 3.33 to 3.86Ghz. If the bios is locked it kinda makes sense(not really, its the same chip). If the bios isn't locked, then that is just crazy to pay for. Even so, it is a crappy overclock, especially when they offer water cooling and i got my 920, like i said earlier, from 2.7 to 4.0 on air.

yah but its kinda dangerous the OP may want to look into getting one of those motherboard that has overclocking in windows. mine had something like that were it would overclock for you and watch the heat and make adjustments if it got to hot

yah but its kinda dangerous the OP may want to look into getting one of those motherboard that has overclocking in windows. mine had something like that were it would overclock for you and watch the heat and make adjustments if it got to hot

Alot of newer mobos come with some sort of feature that let you increase the voltage or multiplier from the desktop.

Alot of newer mobos come with some sort of feature that let you increase the voltage or multiplier from the desktop.

There are some mobo's in the market that let you do it from the mobo itself. Quite a cool feature, but they're awfully expensive.

There are some mobo's in the market that let you do it from the mobo itself. Quite a cool feature, but they're awfully expensive.

Well yea but like you said they are really expensive its better to get one that lets you do it in the desktop so you can see real time stats on hear voltage etc.

Is it me or are me and sink always going back and fourth trying to show off everything we know?

Uhm, maybe we're the PC forum trolls :P

Nah, actually its more like we're the only ones in the forum right now.

Uhm, maybe we're the PC forum trolls :P

Nah, actually its more like we're the only ones in the forum right now.

well weve been going back and fourth since yesterday so maybe we are the trolls.

as far as im concerned my favorite features that my current mobo has are DUAL BIOS and clear CMOS button on the outside both are lifesavers

yea alot of mobos are coming with dual bios so if you fry one or mess one up the other one kicks in