Just like turbo charging a 4 cylinder engine in a coup, you, too, can push your computer's CPU-central processing unit, the brains of your PC-to faster speeds; the more data your CPU can process in a given interval of time, the faster and smoother CPU intensive programs will run-think video games, video editing software and suchlike. The vendor supplied factory presets of your CPU and GPU-graphics processing unit-can usually be altered, overclocked to jack up your CPU's performance, yet still run comfortably and in a stable state.

Bearing that in mind, realize then that you don't need to break the bank, shelling out thousands for a new gaming box, as one can often achieve the same results of a newly assembled gaming PC simply by overclocking your existing CPU and graphics chip, and the price is certainly right: free! Before you decide on upgrading your existing processor or graphics chip, try bumping up the clock speed to see if you can squeeze a little more juice out of your current hardware; you may be very happy with the results and end up saving a pretty penny.

Tricks of the Overclocking Trade

Before you get down to business, know this one thing: overclocking your devices may lead to the loss of warranty, as computer components producers do not enjoy too much people that play with their products. Any piece of your computer has some factory presets that usually must remain the same, for the sake of warranty, but we will teach you how to do it, without raising any question marks over your actions. You will also gain a little more control over your computer performances, which is nothing something to throw to the trashcan.

It goes without saying that the faster something works, the more heat it'll probably produce as a result of the increased speed. This is certainly true about your CPU: the faster you push it, the more heat it'll need to let off to cool itself down. You definitely don't want your processor to go up in a caustic burst of binary; keeping your CPU nice and cool is a simple procedure that'll greatly extend the lifespan of your CPU. Maintaining a cool processor is paramount and must be considered should you decide to overclock your PC.

Work on the Multiplier

Usually, overclocking is done by increasing the FSB - front side bus - frequency, or by increasing the CPU's frequency multiplier. Here is how this works. If you have a FSB of 400 MHz, and your CPU's clock frequency (speed) is 4 GHz, that means that you have a CPU multiplier of 10. By increasing the multiplier to 12, you will increase the frequency of the CPU to 4,8 GHz. On some computers, setting the multiplier can be done from the BIOS, while on others, you need to manually set the jumpers from the motherboard, so you will need to open the case and use your motherboard manual to locate those jumpers. Keep in mind that you must increase the multiplier one notch at a time and stop if your computer shows any problems.

FSB: Push the Bus

Pushing the FSB past its factory preset is the preferred method of overclocking considering most modern processors have their multipliers locked, but this method has an advantage too: not only does it boost the CPU's clock speed; it also increases the rate in which data migrates between main memory and CPU.

Always exercise caution when calibrating your FSB's clock speed: crashes usually ensue when first tweaking out your FSB, so you may need to experiment with memory and voltage settings in your PC's BIOS to stabilize your system.

The reward for your efforts is not little. Now you can enjoy better performances and that, without squeezing your bank account for the extra dime.