Hardware Tips: Will Overclocking Give an Old CPU New Pep?

A friend of mine recently suggested I could squeeze more speed out of my aging Pentium III system by "overclocking" the CPU. He says it's easy to push my CPU speed past its factory settings. But I wonder why Intel wouldn't run a chip at its fastest setting. Is overclocking really as safe and simple as my friend says?

Glen Raven, Jackson, Mississippi

Sometimes it's simple, sometimes it's safe. But sometimes it's neither.

Overclocking means running a CPU faster than the clock speed it's certified for. With many PCs, you just need to change one or two settings in their CMOS setup program. Increasing the frontside bus speed and/or CPU multiplier will make your processor run faster.

So why isn't your CPU already running at its fastest speed? Processors are made in sheets called wafers; only a few CPUs on each wafer are tested to determine the top speed rating for the whole batch. Proponents of overclocking say many of the untested CPUs are capable of running at higher speeds. Overclockers' success indicates that this is true. But that's no guarantee you can successfully overclock your CPU. Should you try? If you're a typical PC user, probably not. Here's why:

You can fry your CPU. It happens, though not often. Running faster means running hotter. Excessive heat accelerates chip deterioration and can cause processing errors or even circuit failures. Adding another fan or heat sink may dissipate the extra heat, but your performance increase may not justify the effort and expense.

It's a hassle. Along with cooling, you have to consider other technical matters. For example, Intel's Pentium III and later CPUs allow you to increase the speed of your frontside bus, but not the CPU, so only RAM and PCI bus speeds go up.

You'll find the information you need to overclock your PC at SysOpt.com and Overclockers. But before spending a good part of your weekend in pursuit of faster CPU cycles, ask yourself if you wouldn't rather be cleaning the grill or refinishing your hardwood floors. In other words, is it worth the trouble?

You may not benefit much. Your CPU's performance boost from overclocking will likely be more of a nudge than a launch. Today's PCs rely on the graphics card and other components for speedy processing. Unless you play graphics-intensive games or regularly crunch really big spreadsheets, you probably won't see a truly useful increase in performance.