The great advantage of computers is that the user can optimize it as much as possible to get the most out of games. Overclocking is an action to increase the clock frequency of a computer component. They usually talk about overclocking the processor, as increasing its speed is one of the most common methods. But you need to keep in mind that overclocking the processor can lead to loss of stability of the machine or reduce the life of its elements and components. Therefore, in order to avoid devastating consequences, you need to know what overclocking the processor leads to.
Process history
Acceleration is not a new technology. This process is almost as old as the computers themselves. It was initiated by the manufacturers themselves in the field of computer technology. In 1983, IBM released a 4.7 MHz processor to maintain system stability. Soon, other manufacturers tried to increase the clock speed of this processor to 10 MHz, and the battle for frequencies began in the world.
At that time, it was necessary to make a little effort to increase the frequency of the processor, since it was necessary to change the quartz crystal that regulated it. Then the PC hardware was fully integrated, and the increase in frequency, which gives the processor overclocking, changed the frequency on almost all devices.
This affected some programs and games that were not ready to work on overclocking, since they directly depended on the processor for speed control. Many gamers of that time started overclocking, playing with the jumper of the 486 motherboard.
The increase in the frequency of processors both during overclocking and due to natural evolution led to the fact that a number of applications were left without application, which led engineers to create turbo buttons in cars. For a long time, it was an almost mystical productivity tool, as some gamers thought it was enough to press it to start the game faster, and that was true.
An interesting fact is that the function of the turbocharger was not to let the car run faster, but to make it work more stable. In modern equipment, application synchronization is virtual, and the turbo button has disappeared forever. Supporting the unbridled desire of gamers to increase the speed of games, manufacturers themselves began to think about what gives an overclocking processor, and developed a number of improved products.
Microprocessor evolution
Intel Pentium 4 is a seventh-generation microprocessor based on architecture manufactured by Intel x86. This is the first processor with a completely new design from 1995. The original Pentium 4, clocked at 1.4 and 1.5 GHz and was released on November 20, 2000. August 8, 2008 - the latest Pentium 4 was replaced by Intel Core Duo. Gamers immediately picked up this topic and began to think additionally about what overclocked the Intel Core processor.
The first version of Pentium 4 suffered from significant development delays. In fact, many experts claim that the model is 1.3; 1.4 and 1.5 GHz were released prematurely. The latest Thunderbird AMD models had performance superior to the Intel Pentium III. They were manufactured using a 180 nm process and a 423 connector for connecting to the motherboard, so they needed to be upgraded so that the gamer did not think about what overclocked the processor and did not forcibly ruin the equipment.
Northwood in October Athlon XP 2001 resumed leadership in speed, and in January 2002, Intel launched a new 2.0 and 2.2 GHz processor on the market. This version combined an increase from 256 to 512 KB in the cache device with the transition to technology in the production of 130 nm. Being a microprocessor consisting of smaller transients, it was able to achieve higher speeds and at the same time consume less energy. The new processor worked with the 487 socket, which was installed in the latest models of the Willamette series. In the Northwood series, the Pentium 4 reaches its maturity and provides overclocking of the processor in games, which was expected among PC users.
The struggle for the highest performance gained momentum with the release of faster versions of AMD Athlon XP. Most players have concluded that the fastest Northwood is always slightly higher than AMD models. This became noticeable after the transition to the production of AMD 130 nm was postponed. This was a fresh impulse of the manufacturer in the development of a new algorithm, which gives an overclock to the Pentium 4 processor.
In September 2003, Intel announced the release of the Extreme Edition Pentium 4 no more than a week before the launch of the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX. The reason for the launch was that AMD again quickly caught up with Intel, for this reason they were called the Emergency Edition. The design was identical to Pentium 4 to the extent that they began to work on the same motherboards, but differed in the presence of two additional MB L3 cache memory. They used the same Gallatin technology as the Xeon MP and had a FSB frequency of 800 MHz, which is almost twice as much as the Xeon MP, which makes the overclocking of the processor more significant in games.
Although the Prescott is running at the same speed as Northwood, the updated architecture allows for higher speeds. In early 2006, Intel introduced its latest processors focused on business, design and games with dual-core and quad-core processors and a speed of 1.7; 1.8; 2.1; 2.4; 2.5; 2.66; 2.83; 3.0 and 3.2 GHz. Prices for a quad-core processor (QuadCore) were still very high. Thus, the direction of development towards technology was adopted, which will give the processor overclocking a real acceleration impulse. It was to increase the number of cores to optimize multimedia performance.
Preparing the car for acceleration
The first thing to do before trying to speed up a computer is to find out if it can do it. Many Intel motherboards and processors come with locked multipliers, which prevents them from changing their values and overclocking the processor. Another problem is heat. The greater the voltage supplied to the elements of the PC, the more they generate energy. To ensure effective overclocking, it is necessary to monitor the stable operation of the processor. For this purpose, it is better to use special programs, for example, Prime95 and the Core Temp temperature control program, which will overclock the processor, which will negatively affect the state of the computer as a whole.
After downloading these programs to the PC, they launch Core Temp to monitor the temperature of the computer. Next, open Prime95 and press the "stress test" function to determine how the processor works by default at factory speed.
The algorithm for preparing a PC for overclocking:
- Eliminate possible trojans and spyware. They install an antivirus and perform a thorough computer scan at least once a week.
- Incompatibility Detection. Sometimes it happens that certain peripheral devices do not get along with each other or the video card is not 100% compatible with the motherboard bus, therefore it does not work with maximum performance. In the Windows search system, they find the Control Panel and enter Device Manager. A window will show the computer hardware. If at the same time there are yellow icons on the device designation, then Windows will not recognize these, or they will be incompatible with others.
- Update BIOS. This operation corrects errors, improves hardware performance, and adds support for newer peripherals. BIOS updates are a delicate operation, for which you need to use the correct version and not turn off the computer in the middle of the process, as it may stop working at all. If the user is not sure how to do this, it is better to seek the help of an experienced specialist.
- Upgrade the operating system to help fix bugs, solve compatibility issues, add DirectX support for new games and components, and improve the integration of peripherals such as gamepads or wireless headphones.
- Update drivers, especially for a video card, which will not only provide compatibility for new games and fix possible graphic errors, but also enable special performance enhancement modes for the most demanding games.
- Optimize your graphics card. Although the default values for the card driver usually work well enough, this is not enough to get the most out of them. All video cards have a control panel that allows you to configure them. On it you can see the tabs to make general settings for all games or individual for each mode.
- Reduce equipment temperature. One of the parameters that slows down the computer most of all is the heat generated by the chips, and if it is not dispersed correctly, the microcircuits and motherboard circuits become very hot, which can lead to blocking or restarting of Windows. Almost all motherboards have software that measures temperature.
- Remove broken programs.
- Facilitate the launch of Windows.
- Disable applications in the background.
- Disable P2P and cloud features.
This is a sufficient list of configurable parameters so that the computer is ready for overclocking.
If software such as NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD Gaming Evolved is installed on the computer , they will optimize the game with the appropriate settings for this mode. This type of software comes with a graphics card driver and, along with the latest DirectX 12 in Windows 10, improves machine performance. The gamer only needs to update the driver from time to time in order to get the most out of the games and not think about what kind of gain gives the processor overclocking.
Hosting an operating system on an SSD
Solid SSDs are starting to replace traditional hard drives. They have no moving parts, so they heat up less, are energy efficient and work faster. For stable PC operation and preparation for overclocking, it is recommended to install an SSD and reserve a place for the operating system. Windows startup and system operation will be much faster.
Over the course of a Windows PC, it accumulates files, cache folders, temporary files, lost registry entries, and other inappropriate content that is useless and slows down performance. For removal, the system is cleaned using the CCleaner Free program or its analogues. Preliminarily make sure that the program cleared not only the file system, but also the registry.
Although Windows 8 and 10 automatically defragment your hard drives, it is recommended that you periodically perform this operation yourself. This means that fragments of the same file will be tracked on the hard drive and cleaned up, and therefore, the PC will run faster.
For SSDs, defragmentation is not required, but an optimization operation is performed. To do this, enter “Defragmentation” in the search field, open the “Optimize measurement units” window, select disks without an SSD and click “Optimize”.
Computer BIOS setup
Overclocking a computer can be done through BIOS. Before overclocking the processor via the BIOS, reboot the PC by pressing DEL, ESC or F2 on the main screen and enter the BIOS startup configuration. Find the overclocking tab to speed up the processor speed. It may have a different name depending on the manufacturer. In some BIOSes, you can find this feature in the “Other Frequency Settings” section.
Most manufacturers use overclocking profiles, which usually range from 4 GHz to 4.8 GHz and depend on the installed processor. Setting the motherboard to one of these modes is the easiest and fastest way to overclock. You can go beyond the 4.8 GHz offered by automatic profiles, which makes overclocking the Intel processor the most promising.
Speed increase order:
- In the "Advanced Frequency Settings" menu or in the acceleration menu on the computer, they find the base clock of the CPU (Base Clock) and increase their speed by 10%. Once this initial increase is completed, reboot the computer and run the Prime95 test. If there are no problems, you can continue. If the system becomes unstable, consider returning to the default values.
- If it is necessary to continue the acceleration of the processor, they return to the configuration of the base clock and increase them again in a percentage ratio little by little and always lower than in the previous one. Pay attention to the fact that after each increase requires a reboot of the PC and the Prime95 test.
- To complete the processor overclocking, you need to adjust the multiplier with an increase of 0.5 each time. Find the multiplier on the BIOS tab “CPU Clock Ratio” or something like that and do not forget to test the PC every time the multiplier changes, and monitor the overall temperature of the PC to avoid breakage.
Virtual memory installation
If the computer has less than 4 GB of RAM, which is very small, it will be filled almost instantly. Instead, Windows will be forced to use the hard drive, but much more slowly, which will slow down the computer. This parameter is known as virtual memory. It can be optimized to be used more efficiently. The optimization procedure on Windows 10, which provides overclocking of the processor and RAM:
- Right-click the "Start" button and select "Control Panel".
- Introduce: Advanced System Configuration.
- In the "Advanced Settings" window, find the "Performance" section and select "Settings".
- Open "Advanced Options", the tab "Virtual Memory" and select "Change."
- Uncheck "Automatically control file size."
- Select a disk with the installed Win 10 OS and check the option of a non-standard size.
- The source line makes a change to the memory size in MB.
- Set the maximum size to 3 times the RAM. For example, on a computer with 4 GB of RAM, the initial size is 4 x 1.5 = 6 GB = 6 000 MB and the maximum size is 4 x 3 = 12 GB = 12 000 MB.
Overclocking CPU and GPU
You can manually speed up your PC using special overclocking tools or utilities, such as Intel Extreme Tuning Utility for Intel-based motherboards or AMD OverDrive technology for AMD-based systems. These programs can simultaneously help users control the full potential of the system, which gives the AMD processor overclocking in games.
This method is not recommended to overclock a laptop, since its cooling system is not as good as that of a desktop PC, and can lead to overheating of its components.
Razer Cortex is the most popular PC-oriented system optimization program. It removes all unnecessary background processes and controls the amount of RAM or the number of cores for a particular game. The end result is softer gameplay and shorter delays. The program has some useful features, such as a quick touch screen and frame accelerator. This allows you to defragment the partition of the hard drive containing the game to increase performance.
Wise Game Booster is a simple and convenient game optimization program. It can be considered as task manager software with an emphasis on the game. The best quality Wise Game Booster is the simplicity of the software product. In addition, it consumes very little system resources. Scanning is fast and optimization decisions are instant. The application is free and is a simple solution that allows you to achieve maximum gaming performance on an old PC or computer with a low power level.
World of Intel and AMD Capabilities
The important components that make the most efficient use of the processor or memory are the motherboard and chipset. In the world there are now two of the most common brands of processors:
- Intel has Core 2 Duo / Quad processors and processors based on Nehalem, Core i7.
- AMD with an assortment of Phenom II X4 and X3.
Intel traditionally hides overclocking options in its proposals, although other manufacturers have included changes to parameters such as bus speed and voltage. With the advent of the Core i7, Intel opened the door to overclocking processors from manufacturers such as Asus, Gigabyte or MSI, which clearly rely on these technologies for Asus Rampage 2 Extreme boards with the X58 chipset.
The AMD capabilities on the 790FX chipset with such a feature as ACC (Advanced Clock Control) and the Black Edition processor range, in which the multiplier is unlocked, as in Intel Extreme Edition, are especially highlighted.
MSI Afterburner - Best Software for Intel
MSI Afterburner is the world's most popular and best software for overclocking Intel processors, as well as a utility for overclocking video cards, which allows overclocking to the e5300 2 60ghz processor, but also allows you to fully control the process. Afterburner provides a detailed overview of the equipment in addition to setting up fan profiles, you can fully customize the predefined rotation speed curve to determine cooling performance, benchmarking and video recording.
Afterburner is free and can be used with video cards of any brand, and the best part is that it allows beginners to easily get the most out of the performance of installed equipment. It includes setting the clock frequency of the graphics processor (shader) of the memory, adjusting the fan speed and setting the voltage control of the GPU. Its hardware monitor, which is part of the interface, effectively monitors installation performance and displays frame rates during the game.
Other features include triple overvoltage, which offers the advantage of accurately controlling the voltage of the main memory and PLL, the FPS counter in the game with real-time information about the system performance on the on-screen display, so that you can control the effect of overclocking settings during games. The user also gets 64-bit support for such applications, multilingual support, the Kombustor tool for performance testing based on Furmark software, which allows you to bring the video card to the limit and check both stability and thermal performance. There is a video capture function so that gamers can capture their best performance in games or overclocking without missing a single frame.
Hardware failure
In the practice of overclocking, an increase in frequency and voltage cannot be carried out without confidence that the generated heat is guaranteed to be removed by a reliable cooling system. Conventional fans are ready to dissipate the rated power of the processor, which is 130 watts. A temperature above 70 ° C is dangerous when overclocking the Pentium processor, which gives the entire system instability and high fire hazard in the network.
The higher the heating of the processor, the stronger this reduces the reliability of the equipment, as well as its useful life. To overclock the processor, increase the speed of the system, so the components of the machine will work faster. In this case, the system will have higher performance with maximum processing speed of memory, HD, GPU. And if the user does not take the necessary precautions, multiple failures can occur, which can even cause the processor and computer to burn.
Overclocking is considered safe and is possible only on machines that can withstand overheating, on high-quality processors with reliable cooling. As for the service life of the equipment, many professionals note that it all depends on the intensity of acceleration. In a simpler process that does not require an increase in voltage on the chip, it will have an almost imperceptible effect or no effect at all. We must not forget that no processor manufacturer advises overclocking the system, because such a practice is considered a high degree of risk and can cause irreparable harm.
The disadvantages of overclocking are mainly related to the hardware structure. Working at levels that far exceed those recommended by the developers can shorten the life of the components, and damage caused by overclocking is usually not covered by the manufacturers or distributors warranties. In addition, cooling systems, if based on fans, can create increased background noise.
There is still some positive in this process. Extreme overclocking is important for a better understanding of technology limitations. Manufacturers must take this process into account when developing their products, then users will benefit from reliable products. In addition, the results obtained during overclocking will serve as the basis for the normal operation of next-generation computers.