I don't intend this as guide to overclocking but as an overview of what it is.
First
off I want to state that Overclocking is not a necessity but a desire.
There is no requirement for a person to overclock there system.
Overclocking is usually done by enthusiasts that have a very strong
knowledge about it and understand the pitfalls involved with it.
Overclocking
is the process of taking a CPU and increasing the speed of it. This is
done in various ways. One way is to increase the Front Side Bus speed a
small amt at a time then test the system for stability and then repeat
said actions until you achieve the desired speed. Sometimes to reach
that desired speed you may also have to increase the voltage to the
CPU. Increasing the voltage to the CPU generates more heat and thus
requires better cooling.
There is the stability issue that needs
to be taken into consideration. First off the stress test that are out
there stress the CPU one way. So if they pass that stress test then
people think everything is good. Well it may very well be. However, its
best to test it with real world applications. Say you encode video a
great deal well a good way to stress the system is to run it through
several encoding session to see how it handles it. If it crashes then
you know you have gone to far and need to back it down some and then
test it again.
Now Overclocking does increase performance. So
some enthusiasts will go out and buy a lesser speed CPU and Overclock
that to reach the speeds of a faster and more costly CPU. That is great
for the enthusiasts but its not recommended for those first getting
into the computer building world. In fact I caution those first
starting out in building there own computer to not overclock right away
until they get a very thorough knowledge of it and feel comfortable
doing it.
As for some drawbacks of overclocking.
1: With
the higher frequencies and added heat,by the increased voltages, the
lifespan of the processor can be negatively affected. While this is
very true it may not hold true for the enthusiasts as they tend to
upgrade more often then most folks. But for those non enthusiasts it
can pose a problem for them.
2:In any overclocking scenario there is
the chance that you will not reach your desired overclock. This is due
to the limitations of the CPU. Some cpus of the same speed and model
will overclock better then others.
3: There is higher power consumption with overclocking.
4: With prolonged use stability issues that didn't arise at first can arise due to the aging effects.
5:There
is always the chance of component failure by overclocking. Thus most
warranties don't cover it. I do have to say that there are systems in
place that can minimize this but still its a real issue.
If
Overclocking is performed incorrectly like applying voltages
incorrectly or too aggressively this could cause thermal problems for
the CPU by very quick rising thermal temps which could cause
irreversible damage to the CPU.
I am not saying to not
overclock. What I am saying is to be aware of what can happen and also
make sure that you researched the procedure fully before tackling it. I
also advise that its really for those that are enthusiasts out there
that have a very good knowledge about it.
Please use this thread to discuss this further
Overclocking