But what really is this thing known as 'overclocking'?

It is the process of forcing the processor to run at a higher clock rate than its specification. Processor is made to run at certain frequencies (clock rates). The higher this frequency, the more calculations it can compute. Instead of buying a 3GHz processor, you can now make a 2GHz processor runs at 3GHz. In this case, you can save the time, effort and money to upgrade your system.

PC enthusiasts usually overclock their computer to increase the performance. Some of these enthusiasts purchase low-end computer components so they can overclock to achieve performance of a high-end system. However, if all you do on your computer is only word processing, email and simple tasks, overclocking will not give you noticeable performance boost. For gamers and those who are doing computationally heavy tasks, overclocking is the best way to transform your system from Daihatsu to Ferrari.

There are some risks involved in overclocking. Firstly, you will be voiding your warranty. This is logical as you are making the chips to run at a higher speed than its specification and there is this possibility that it could break. Though the risk of the chip breaking is small, the manufacturer will not want to bear this risk. In addition, the manufacturer disapprove of any overclocking act as it means there is a lesser demand for the higher speed processor which could earn them much more profit. Just in case the processor breaks, the whole system might be destroyed. Therefore, overclock at your own risk.

The main components used for overclocking are the processor and video card. The two things to consider when overclocking a component are the power supplied to the component and its cooling ability.

Overclocking is to ensure that it is supplied with the proper amount of power for its new speed. Providing too much power could permanently damage a component. You have to find a balance.

It is necessary to supply the proper amount of power to the component for its new speed. However, providing too much power could permanently damage the component. You have to find the balance.

With the increase in speed, the heat generated will surely increase. If too much heat is introduced to the system, it might destroy the functionality of the components, and in extreme cases, even causing them to catch fire. Therefore, sufficient cooling is paramount to a successful overclock. Some of the cooling agents used are forced convection (a fan blowing across a surface), Liquid Cooling (liquid coolant carrying waste heat to a radiator, similar to an automobile engine), liquid nitrogen, dry ice, phase change cooling (as used in refrigerators), and submersion (placing the entire computer in an inert fluid).

To overclock the processor, there are two settings that you must be aware of: the multiplier and the Front Side Bus (FSB). These two settings, when multiplied together, produce the frequency at which the CPU operates - for example, with a multiplier of 11 and a FSB of 200MHz, the CPU is running at 2.2GHz. By adjusting the multiplier value (usually an integer), higher speed can be achieved. It is advisable to do this with small increment at a time. Sudden huge increment will cause the system to be unstable and might lead to its destruction. Bit by bit, you can push the system to its extreme. Remember to increase its voltage as you do this. To test the performance of the overclocked processor, you can use free software such as Super-PI, Prime95, SiSoftware Sandra and Memtest86

For gaming purpose, overclocking the video card usually shows a better result than overclocking a processor. The largest performance boost usually came from overclocking the video card memory chips, so if you're trying to keep the heat down and only want to overclock the essentials, this is what you'll want to look at.

One application you can used to overclock the video card is PowerStrip (available from http://www.entechtaiwan.net/util/ps.stm). After installation, you can select 'Performance Profiles' and then 'Configure' from the menu. This is where you can see the Engine clock and Memory clock. Slowly increase the Engine clock in 5MHz increments and run the benchmark application. When you start to see peculiar shape, this is its fastest possible speed. Move the slider back to its previous successful overclock and that is the core frequency. Repeat the same step with the memory clock. When this is done, your video card will be overclocked to its maximum. Before you run the application, remember to provide enough cooling agent to the video card as the overclocking process will bring up its temperature a few notches.

With the extra speed boosts, surely you can do much more things with your system. Hopefully this article has provided you with an insight to the overclocking world. Welcome to the overclocking community and all the best to your overclocking endeavor.