DIY & overclocking

[Squiddley]

It seems to me that there are plenty more professional amateurs and tweakers in Pprune than meets the eye :)

As a matter of interest, has anyone else tried their hand at fiddling with the bits "just to see what it'll do" ? The reason I ask is that for quite some time I've been keen on the concept of overclocking, having been caught for more $$ than I should when buying hardware and/or systems.

With the availability of the newer CPUs and generally cheaper (read less expensive) parts, I finally took the plunge from the theory to the practise, with very pleasing results. So far I've got stability from a Duron 700mhz @ 965mhz on a KT7-100. (roughly 4x price difference between the two) The 1Ghz barrier is there to be broken - don't ask me why but it's a target :)

For me the beauty of it is that you CAN get more speed out of CPUs these days WITHOUT having to pay for it. If you're prepared to take the chance - which BTW isn't anywhere near as risky as it used to be - you may be very glad you tried it.

So come on, anyone else interested/experienced/thinking about overclocking or DIY in general ? Here's the obvious place to share ideas and such; so hope to hear from others with the same interest.

BRGDS/Sq

P.S. - As Blue Peter or someone used to say - don't try this without adult supervision :) Make your own decision to have a go or not.
"On your head be it, son." Rodney Trotter, Only Fools and horses.

[Wiggly Amp]

I`m running a PIII 450mhz at 600mhz on an Abit BE6II motherboarde. Splendid results, no crashes, no probs.

Wiggly

[Sledge]

Is there an idiots guide to overclocking anywhere ? Or maybe you can offer some advice ?

[InFinRetirement]

You will find an overclocking section in each of the PCU manufacturers websites. They advise against it usually but will give a lead. There are also O/clocking 'specialist' sites but they ALL warn against being too ambitious.

Why? Because it starts off really well, and you feel pleased with your efforts. Then, one day, you will find your PC freeze with a vengance and you CHIP firmly WELDED to the motherboard. Doesn't always happen of course, but I have seen it.

IF you must overclock, change the size of the fan at least. But CARE is the name of the game!!!! BUT, its a personal decision, and I for one would not be guided into doing it, just weigh up the pros and cons.

[ORAC]

See:
http://www.overclockers.com
and
http://www.bxboards.com

[This message has been edited by ORAC (edited 23 October 2000).]

[Squiddley]

Nice to see some interest here...

Sound advice regarding going overboard, and practically every site dedicated to overclocking has a disclaimer somewhere. Whatever you try, you will void your CPU warranty for sure, so don't even think about taking the black crispy CPU back and complaining :) On the other hand, of course CPU manufacturers are going to warn you off overclocking, as they risk losing out on money.

ALL CPUs are manufactured with the ability to run at much higher speeds (for rerasons of economy when mass producing), but are modified or "clock locked" to categorise them. It is finding the ways to unlock newer CPUs that make it so easy and attractive.

Cooling enhancements are an absolute MUST, even for regular, unclocked Duron/Thunderbird chips. You may well get a free heatsink/fan combination "free" but consider either keeping it as a spare or asking the shop to keep it and give a discount on a better one. Case cooling is also important, to get rid of the hot air building up inside, or at least keep it moving. A bigger case is the best bet - don't be tempted to squeeze everything into a tiny good-looking case!

It's really not as worrisome or hard as it was, and reading up will give a much better picture. It'll help you decide whether or not to have a go and if so, how far to go.

The links from ORAC are a fine start, or simply enter "overclocking" into your favourite search engine and see the reams of sites and links. My bookmarks are on the home PC but will have a gander and add some later here as an edit. Some spring to mind:
http://www.tomshardware.com http://www.anandtech.com http://www.athlonoc.com

I'd be more than happy to answer any emails on the subject or share self-learned tips, so feel free sledge and others - but am in no way an expert on the topic, just a keen tryer :) :) :) I'll leave the experts to dazzle you with their knowledge!

Good luck and tread carefully.
Sq

[Lurk R]

Another good site:

http://www5.tomshardware.com/guides/overclocking/index.html