The need to experiment and go beyond what is possible, is an inherent human tendency. Since the first personal computers were manufactured, people have experimented with hardware to make it go beyond its basic capabilities by overclocking the CPU. Gamers and people who want that extra bit more from their processor, implement overclocking to derive better performance. However, unless you actually know how to overclock a CPU and take necessary precautions, the experimentation may end up with drastic consequences ranging from a system crash to a fried CPU. If you are one of those, for whom it didn't work out, through this Buzzle article, I am going to guide you through the procedure to turn off overclocking and undo changes made to the system settings to restore normal functionality.
One thing that a lot of gamers need to know is that no piece of hardware is overclocked by default. A computer processor or video card that you may have installed on your computer, will operate at its base specifications. So those of you who think their hardware is overclocked and needs disabling are mistaken. Your hardware is probably having compatibility issues or driver issues that you need to look into.
About Overclocking
To know how to disable overclocking, one must know how it actually works. With that knowledge, reversing its effects on your computer hardware will be substantially simpler. Overclocking is increasing the base operating frequency of the processor by modifying the front-side bus (FSB) frequency. Earlier it was possible to change the clocking frequency by modifying the internal multiplier settings, but in most modern processors it is locked. Ergo, modifying the FSB frequency is the only way of overclocking a CPU. To do that, along with the FSB frequency, the voltage settings of the motherboard also need to be modified and tuned. Since the heat output of the processor rises with increased clocking frequency, you also need to put in a cooling system to prevent overheating. Let us now see how to disable the effects of overclocking, in the next section.
How to Undo Overclocking?
You may have tried overclocking your CPU and it may not have worked out for you. Either you are seeing no improvement in performance or you find your system crashing. In either case, it's best to nullify the effects of overclocking by changing settings back to normal.
How do you go about it? Firstly you will have to enter the CMOS and BIOS settings of the system and reverse all the voltage settings of the motherboard back to normal. You could also do this by choosing the 'Restore Fail Safe Defaults' option. Refer to the processor and motherboard specifications provided online to check for exact base voltage and frequency settings. Make changes accordingly. Some systems like Alienware machines, come with a default feature in BIOS, where processor overclocking can be directly disabled. In case you have such a system, you can use the feature to disable overclocking. Disable all CPU core control settings in BIOS.
Also change the FSB frequency setting to base value. Reverse every setting that you changed during overclocking, back to what it was before. Save changes and exit setup. You may remove all the extra cooling equipment you put up to prevent overheating. Once all these changes have been made, boot up your computer again to find things falling back to normalcy.
To sum it all up, to undo overclocking, you need to reverse all the changes made to system settings. Unless any serious hardware damage has been inflicted, this should restore functionality. With the modern line of Intel and AMD processors running at clocking frequencies that exceed 3 GHz, there is really no need to overclock computer processors and video cards anymore. Intel has developed 'Turbo Boost' technology, which can power processors beyond their base clocking frequencies on demand. It is like automated overclocking built into the processor! Ergo, I recommend that a processor upgrade to the high end line of AMD or Intel processors is a better alternative than actually overclocking your existing system!
One thing that a lot of gamers need to know is that no piece of hardware is overclocked by default. A computer processor or video card that you may have installed on your computer, will operate at its base specifications. So those of you who think their hardware is overclocked and needs disabling are mistaken. Your hardware is probably having compatibility issues or driver issues that you need to look into.
About Overclocking
To know how to disable overclocking, one must know how it actually works. With that knowledge, reversing its effects on your computer hardware will be substantially simpler. Overclocking is increasing the base operating frequency of the processor by modifying the front-side bus (FSB) frequency. Earlier it was possible to change the clocking frequency by modifying the internal multiplier settings, but in most modern processors it is locked. Ergo, modifying the FSB frequency is the only way of overclocking a CPU. To do that, along with the FSB frequency, the voltage settings of the motherboard also need to be modified and tuned. Since the heat output of the processor rises with increased clocking frequency, you also need to put in a cooling system to prevent overheating. Let us now see how to disable the effects of overclocking, in the next section.
How to Undo Overclocking?
You may have tried overclocking your CPU and it may not have worked out for you. Either you are seeing no improvement in performance or you find your system crashing. In either case, it's best to nullify the effects of overclocking by changing settings back to normal.
How do you go about it? Firstly you will have to enter the CMOS and BIOS settings of the system and reverse all the voltage settings of the motherboard back to normal. You could also do this by choosing the 'Restore Fail Safe Defaults' option. Refer to the processor and motherboard specifications provided online to check for exact base voltage and frequency settings. Make changes accordingly. Some systems like Alienware machines, come with a default feature in BIOS, where processor overclocking can be directly disabled. In case you have such a system, you can use the feature to disable overclocking. Disable all CPU core control settings in BIOS.
Also change the FSB frequency setting to base value. Reverse every setting that you changed during overclocking, back to what it was before. Save changes and exit setup. You may remove all the extra cooling equipment you put up to prevent overheating. Once all these changes have been made, boot up your computer again to find things falling back to normalcy.
To sum it all up, to undo overclocking, you need to reverse all the changes made to system settings. Unless any serious hardware damage has been inflicted, this should restore functionality. With the modern line of Intel and AMD processors running at clocking frequencies that exceed 3 GHz, there is really no need to overclock computer processors and video cards anymore. Intel has developed 'Turbo Boost' technology, which can power processors beyond their base clocking frequencies on demand. It is like automated overclocking built into the processor! Ergo, I recommend that a processor upgrade to the high end line of AMD or Intel processors is a better alternative than actually overclocking your existing system!
How to Overclock CPU
Overclocking Your CPU: Basics & Preparation
A lot of computer users tend to be unaware about the fact that a computer processor's specified maximum clocking frequency can actually be overridden to derive greater computer performance. This is achieved through BIOS level modifications in CPU core voltage, processor internal multiplier and computer memory bus frequency, which leads to the attainment of a greater clocking frequency. While the average user may not be interested or may not even benefit from this procedure, it is an interesting technique to learn for computer geeks, if they want to understand how computer really work at the base level. The basic idea of overclocking can be summarized with the following equation:
Computer Processor Clocking Frequency = (Internal Multiplier) x (FSB frequency)
Here the clocking frequency is the operating frequency of the processor which is usually specified in Gigahertz (GHz), internal multiplier is a preset value of the processor, which is a ratio of the internal clocking frequency with the external clock frequency and front side bus (FSB) frequency is the operating frequency of the bus channel that transmits data between the computer memory and processor. For example a CPU with an FSB frequency of 200 MHz and a Internal multiplier - 15x will have a clocking frequency of 15 x 200 MHz = 3 GHz.
To increase the clocking frequency of the CPU and raise it beyond its set limits, or overclocking your CPU, either the internal multiplier or the FSB frequency needs to be increased. Most chips have a preset internal multiplier, which cannot be changed. The only feature that can be modified is the FSB frequency, accompanied with an increase in operating voltages of the motherboard.
As a result of greater core voltage being fed in, the heat output of a processor increases, which necessitates that a cooling mechanism, along with extra heat sinks be fitted on the computer motherboard. To provide greater voltage to computer hardware components, its necessary that you may have to install a SMPS with a higher power output.
Besides devising a method for cooling the computer motherboard and installing a higher wattage SMPS, you will have to first check whether it's possible to overclock your motherboard beyond its set limits. You need to check out which computer processor is installed on it and what are its voltage and clocking frequency values. Depending on what kind of processor you use (Intel or AMD), the strategy for overclocking will vary. Conduct processor specific research and check if your motherboard BIOS supports overclocking. Most OEM motherboards supplied by Intel don't allow for overclocking.
To check if the motherboard supports overclocking, open the BIOS settings and look for 'Voltage and Frequency Settings' of the CPU. If overclocking is allowed, you will have access to modify these settings. If they are not present, then the motherboard doesn't allow for overclocking. You might benefit from reading this Buzzle article on ways to make computer faster without overclocking.
How to Overclock CPU in BIOS or By Manipulating Hardware?
First step before overclocking is setting up extra heat sinks and cooling mechanism in the motherboard. Check out sites on the Internet which can guide you in this regard. Also install a more powerful SMPS which can supply greater power output.
Conduct a benchmark and stress test of the CPU, using software programs designed for the purpose, before you begin overclocking. There are two ways you can change the clocking frequency. It is either through BIOS or through the hardware. Let us see how to overclock CPU in both ways.
For hardware level manipulation, refer to your motherboard manual and locate the jumpers used for clocking speed selection and resetting the BIOS to default settings. Using the information provided in the manual, change the jumper positions to get a desired CPU clocking frequency and internal multiplier value. Make the changes and reboot the computer to see if the system is working stably. Conduct benchmark tests to monitor performance enhancement. Keep modifying the FSB frequency and internal multiplier value using jumper settings till you get a stably running high performance system.
The second way of overclocking your desktop computer CPU is by manipulating BIOS settings to change FSB frequency and internal multiplier, along with a fractional increase in voltage values provided to the system.
Keep making incremental changes in these parameters and rebooting the system to run stress tests and gauging performance. In case the system overheats and shuts down, use the BIOS reset jumper to restore to default settings. Keep checking the CPU health status and if it rises close to 70° Celsius, it is time you stopped increasing the voltage and settle for the last bootable configuration. This method is pretty much trial and error and there is no way of knowing which voltage and frequency combination will provide you with a high performance system. Make sure that you research the whole thing thoroughly before you go ahead.
Hope this article has given you a rough idea of how to overclock CPU beyond its set frequency limitations. You can derive a marginal increase in performance of your PC and take it to the limits of its abilities by overclocking the CPU. This can be extremely helpful in case of CPU intensive applications like large simulations and video editing. However, with modern Intel core i3, i5 and i7 line of processors, there is an inbuilt TurboBoost technology which can raise the clocking frequency beyond the base frequency when need be. As discussed before, overclocking is not a perfect science. Rather its a trial and error procedure which takes a lot of time and patience to get right. Make sure that you have studied the procedure thoroughly and thought about all the things that could go wrong, before going ahead.
Does Overclocking Make a Difference?
A valid question that may arise in the mind of budding overclockers who plan to derive better performance from their existing computer hardware is - 'Does overclocking make a difference?'. That's exactly what I have tried to answer in this Buzzle article. After providing you with an overview of what overclocking a CPU is all about, I discuss the benefits and risks of this procedure.
Advantages of Overclocking
One of the obvious benefits of overclocking is the marginal improvement in computer performance, without hardware upgrades. Instead of paying for a brand new processor with a higher clocking frequency, you can derive a comparable performance from your existing processor through overclocking. Thus, overclocking can be cost effective in a sense and it also saves your existing hardware from going into abeyance due to upgrades.
Another advantage of overclocking is the enrichment of your cerebrum with some real knowledge of the working of a computer system. You get a real nut and bolt feel of what's happening under the hood. You get to understand first hand, how the processor, motherboard and memory modules work together to make the computer work.
Risks of Overclocking
So what are the risks involved in overclocking? The biggest risk of course, is permanent hardware damage, which can be caused by overheating of components, because of incorrect voltage settings and improper cooling mechanism. If you are foolhardy in changing the voltage settings, you may simply end up frying the processor. This makes it increasingly important that you learn the craft before attempting overclocking. Another risk lies in the fact that your motherboard and other computer hardware warranties becomes void, after you have tampered with the voltage settings. I would suggest that you try out overclocking 'expendable' old computer hardware, as a test run, perfect your technique and then attempt overclocking processors that are in use.
Does Overclocking Really Make a Difference?
Overclocking works and the millions of computer enthusiasts who have benefited from it, can stand testimony to its advantages. When you apply the overclocking procedure correctly and arrange for adequate cooling equipment, you will see an improvement in overall computer performance. The amount of improvement you will see, may be anywhere between 5% to more than 10% depending on the processor, motherboard and your overclocking procedure. Unless you are into gaming or running CPU intensive tasks like video editing, overclocking would be overkill. However, those who need that extra computing power, will find overclocking to be worthwhile.
To sum it all up, I would say, YES, overclocking does make a difference and help you gain better performance from your computer, but it comes with many inherent risks, that you need to take into consideration. Don't attempt overclocking without proper know how. If you study the intricacies of overclocking, take adequate precautions and are confident of pulling off a coup, go ahead. Know what you are doing, know how far you can push hardware limits, understand the risks, prepare for them and only then begin the overclocking operation. There is plenty of help online in the form of forums run by expert overclockers who can provide you with information about the risks involved. There are high chances that your first bid might fail, but with practice, you will only get better.
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