Hi all,

I'm looking at buying some new RAM for my pc, I currently have 2 x 512Mb sticks and am going to upgrade to 2 x 1Gb sticks to give me some more oomph.

I use photoshop quite alot and find sometimes that it could be much quicker when processing images etc...

I keep hearing about over clocking, I'm not dumb when it comes to computers but can anyone simply explain what it does and how it works? Is it just like raising the rev limiter on an engine?

Also, I'm looking at THIS RAM, Any good?

It's exactly like raising the rev limiter on a car.

The speed of the memory in MHz has been tested to be reliable.

Raise the speed and some boards will be OK, some won't

Just like a red line - some engines will survive another 500rpm, some won't

Thankfully with overclocking you're unlikely to damage the memory unless you allow it to get far far too hot.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

http://www.overclocker.co.uk/

Overclocking is essentialy running the CPU and/or memory at a higher speed than it's rated for. The CPU runs at a multiple of the Front Side Bus (FSB) frequency; depending on the CPU type and motherboard optioins you can sometimes change the multiplier, or you can change the FSB frequency. Changing the FSB also increases the speed of the RAM and other peripherals, which can improve speeds more than just changing a multiplier.

Note that you need a motherboard that supports overclocking options, most OEM system have little or no support for overclocking.

Just like raising the rev limiter on an engine, there are downsides. The CPU consumes more power and produces more heat the faster it's run, and stability of the system will reduce the higher you overclock.

IMO overclocking is a little pointless with the very low cost of fast CPU's at the moment. If you rely on the PC for doing work, accounts etc. then stability has to take priority over absolute speed.

In terms of the RAM, as long as it meets your system requirements with respect to maximum frequency and latency, any of the brand names should be fine. IME buying super high frequency/low latency RAM if your system does not need it can cause stability problems.

quote:

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Originally posted by stevebubs
It's exactly like raising the rev limiter on a car.

The speed of the memory in MHz has been tested to be reliable.

Raise the speed and some boards will be OK, some won't

Just like a red line - some engines will survive another 500rpm, some won't

Thankfully with overclocking you're unlikely to damage the memory unless you allow it to get far far too hot.

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quote:

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Originally posted by stevebubs
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/

http://www.overclocker.co.uk/

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I used to have this PC overclocked and it would BSOD at the most annoying times. I wouldn't bother.

HTH.

Ok, so I've decided that I'm not going to risk my PC for the sake of a little more speed so I'm going to get some Crucial RAM instead which they recommend using their checker. Only its cheaper on Ebuyer so I know where I'll be placing my order.

Thanks all

in the old days i got my 1Ghz Athlon running stable at around 1250. I had crappy ram though that would BSOD if you even up the FSB even a little

Well I'm an overclocking god.

Not really but as I type my 2.66Ghz Pentium 4 is happily blasting along at 3.04Ghz. Not bad for free!!!! Actually it wasn't free but beforehand my box was running a fairly cool 2.4Ghz celeron so it didn't even have a chassis fan!!! When I fitted the P4 I saw chassis temps creeping so fitted a chassis fan.

Whether you can "overclock" your computer memory depends on lots of variables including what frequency you're running at. This depends on the multiplier used. The memory in my rig was being under-used due to a high multipler (ie low FSB bus speed). Therefore I could crank up the FSB, keep the multiplier the same and it was all good.

One of these days I might even go higher than 3.10Ghz (my previous record but the CPU temp got a little toasty when doing a Prime95 stress test).

The improvement in number crunching ability is small... However, I just like knowing my computer is doing it!!!

I'll take your 3.04ghz and raise you a stable 4.01 ghz!

I'll get me coat!

Depends how you look at but I've always overclocked the components in my PCs. I draw the line at physically modding components to allow higher voltages. However I do have friends that do and have blown up components.

My current system which has been running reliably for 2 years has the cheapest Dual Core 1.83 GHz CPU running at 2.8 GHz (never bothered to go higher). I have Geil RAM which is stable at high FSB speeds. I have an ATI card which when flashed with a new BIOS unlocked deliberately crippled hardware and ran at a higher freqeuncy.

What often happens is manufacturers create a product and then create market segments by underclocking or crippling hardware to justify the different price points. So why pay a premium for hardware you can buy cheaper and unlock the true potential.

Manufacturers are getting more switched on to this as for example the latest i7 Intel processors have physical barriers built in. If you hit either 100 degC or 130A the CPU automatically underclocks its self. Pay around £1000 and you can buy the unlocked i7 965 Extreme Edition!

Ive got a C2D E6750. they are 2.66Ghz as standard, but i run mine at 3.4Ghz day in, day outwith no problems

How do you actually overclock a computer then? I assume its just a case of changing some settings?