Whats Overclocking?
• Overclocking (or speed margining) is the somewhat dubious attempt to squeeze blood out of a turnip. Actually, it involves setting the jumpers on the motherboard so that the processor will run faster than its rated speed. It sounds like a free lunch, but it can have consequences. System instability, data loss, and shortening the CPU’s lifespan are possible when running the system faster than it’s rated to go. And the processor isn’t the only component that may behave badly when overclocked. Re-adjusting the bus speed to 75 or 83MHz can cause SCSI or network cards to behave erratically or not at all. And some RAM and COAST modules really don’t care for overclocked busses. • Overclocking also voids the warranty on the processor. • I realize that my reaction to this is a tad overblown, but I’m really tired of seeing posts on newsgroups by people who have overclocked their 166MHz (66×2.5) machine to 262MHz (75×3.5). Yeah, and I’m sure a Volkswagon Bug can go 200MPH, but only if you drop i
