Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Overclock Your Processor

The processor (CPU) is the highest-profile component in your PC, and indeed, it does a lot of the heavy lifting. But processors also become obsolete the fastest, and given how expensive they can be, it's not always a wise place to put your money. That's where overclocking comes in; rather than spending money on a slightly faster chip, you can simply change settings in your PC to squeeze a little extra speed out of the one you currently have. (For a little perspective, see the upcoming, "How Much the CPU Matters".)

Overclocking is the process of instructing your processor to run at a higher clock speed (MHz) than its rated speed. For example, you may be able to modestly overclock a 2.40 GHz chip to run at 2.48 GHz, or your motherboard may offer overclocking at up to 30% of the rated speed, which would give you more than 3 GHz on that same old chip.

Supposedly, Intel and other chip makers have taken steps to prevent overclocking (theoretically prompting purchases of faster CPUs instead), but some motherboard manufacturers have found ways to do it anyway.

To overclock your processor (assuming your motherboard supports it), go to your BIOS setup page and use the controls in the Overclock Options category. Make sure you consult the documentation that came with your motherboard or PC for some of the restrictions; for instance, overclocking on your motherboard may be limited by the speed of the installed system memory (RAM).

When you're done, load up Windows and update your Windows Experience Index, as described in the section "Maximize the Windows Performance Rating" previously in this tutorial. Obviously, the Processor score should go up as you dial up the overclocking.

Now, over-overclocking a CPU-overclocking past the point where it's stable-can cause it to overheat and crash frequently, and at the extreme, damage the chip beyond repair. Thus, the most important aspect of overclocking your system involves cooling, so make sure you beef up your computer's internal cooling system before you start messing around with overclocking. (Obviously, your options will be limited here if you're using a laptop.)

Increase your CPU's speed in stages, if possible; don't start off with the fastest setting, or you may end up with a fried processor and lightly singed eyebrows.

If you feel that your system isn't adequately cooled, don't be afraid to add more fans, but beware: do it wrong, and you could actually make things worse. For instance, you need to consider airflow when installing and orienting fans; if the power supply, for instance, exhausts air through the vent in the back of your PC, it must pull it in through the vent near your processor's heatsink. So, make sure you orient the CPU fan so the airflow is as smooth as possible.

Most fans in modern PCs connect directly to special plugs on your motherboard, and are activated when internal thermometers (thermocouples) detect too high a temperature; these typically do a good job of moderating their cooling duties so that they don't produce too much noise. But you may have to tinker with your BIOS settings to make your PC cooler (which can, by itself, improve performance), even if it means a little more noise from your box.

If you're serious about cooling, there are a number of liquid cooling systems that promise to keep hot systems cool. But they're expensive, they work in large desktop PCs only, and they don't necessarily reduce noise.

How Much the CPU Matters

A common misconception is that-with all else being equal-a computer with a processor running at, say, 2.8 GHz, will naturally be faster than a 2.2 GHz system-and the company that just sold you that 2.8 GHz PC wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, that new system you're drooling over does seem a whole lot faster than your one-year-old machine when you play with it in the gizmo store, but how much is due merely to the processor's clock speed, and how much is determined by other factors?

Naturally, the increased processor speed is an obvious benefit in some specific circumstances, such as when you're applying lens corrections to a few hundred digital photos, creating a PDF from a 200-page document, or playing a particularly processor-intensive game. But in most cases, a faster processor alone won't get you your email any faster, load a website any sooner.

If you think about it, your qualitative assessment of your PC's speed is based on its ability to respond immediately to mouse clicks and keystrokes, start applications quickly, open menus and dialog boxes without a delay, start up and shut down Windows quickly, and display graphics and animations smoothly. (After all, your computer spends most of its time waiting for you to do something.) These things mostly depend on the amount of system memory (RAM) your PC has, the speed of your hard drive, and the prowess of your video card as much as-if not more than-the speed of your CPU.

Probably the biggest drag on an older PC's performance, and the main reason it may seem so much slower than a new system-not to mention slower than it might've been only last year-is the glut of applications and drivers that have been installed. Any computer that has been around for a year or more will likely suffer a slowdown, a problem that can either be remedied by some of the tricks in the section "Hard Disk" later in this tutorial, or by a thorough cleansing and complete reinstallation of the operating system.

So, if you're wondering how much faster your PC will be if you replace your 2.2 Ghz chip with a 2.4 Ghz chip, the answer is: don't even bother unless someone else is paying for it.