Squeeze that extra bit of power out of your existing hardware. Tim Dean looks at the principles of overclocking and examines the potential performance increase.
Overclocking is a common occurrence among performance enthusiasts, and can allow you to squeeze another 10 or even 20 percent out of your gear without costing you a cent. In fact, with a little careful shopping and a touch of overclocking, you can potentially save yourself hundreds of dollars on your upgrade, although there are a few risks.
Overclocking works because not all silicon is created equal. A semiconductor manufacturer doesn't have a separate production line for each speed of chip it makes. Instead, it takes each finished processor from a line and tests it for faults and heat generation, and determines the highest frequency it can comfortably handle. Because of microscopic imperfections or tiny faults in the silicon, some processors will generate more heat, and as such need to be run slower. Others, however, will be smoother and can handle very high speeds. Also, if a semiconductor manufacturer shrinks its process size, such as from 130 nanometre to 90 nanometre, but doesn't change the architecture of the processor, the smaller chips often run cooler, and therefore, faster than the larger chips.
Furthermore, once the manufacturer has determined the highest safe speed for each processor, it may still clock a proportion lower than their optimum because of market demand. If the market wants more low cost processors, the manufacturer has to meet that quota, even if the processors can handle a higher speed.
This is the kind of information chip manufacturers, like Intel and AMD, don't want you to know, but you can make good use of it by exercising a bit of overclocking.
However, you need to be aware that your mileage will vary, as even with a processor model that is renowned for its overclocking potential, you may end up purchasing one that really is running at its limit. Overclocking one of these processors can even end up damaging or destroying it, but despite the horror stories you sometimes hear it's very rare to damage a processor through careful overclocking. That said, overclocking will void any warranties and you do so at your own risk.