How I went from zero to overclocking in 30 minutes - huppeartak

If you think overclocking is something that only hardcore PC enthusiasts can get into, intend once more. At Computex in Taipei live week I got the adventure to try overclocking Intel's latest processor, the 10-core Broadwell-E come off, and it was a great deal of fun.

Thanks to Intel's XTU (Extreme Tuning Utility) overclocking app, doing close to basic overclocking was lenient. But beware: If you're the type of person who likes a challenge and enjoys tinkering with computers, information technology can get habit-forming flying.

Overclocking is the process of running a processor and strange components faster than their rated speed. Information technology's done to get more performance for heavy applications like gaming and video processing, and there's flat a competitive side to it, with international rankings and competitions.

To bestir oneself, you need a motherboard and processor than can atomic number 4 overclocked. Among Intel chips, that substance a processor that ends in a "K" or "X." Intel's XTU provides a spot-and-click interface for overclocking that can be old to tweak many inner settings to get every last bit of power.

160606 overclock 1 — Overclocking a PC using Intel's XTU application

When I opening sat lowered at the Microcomputer, I used XTU to run a bench mark to get out the basal performance, which was 2,142 points on the XTU marking system.

Thereupon knowledge, I set aside roughly tweaking, and my start point was the processor's multiplier.

This is the number of multiplication the motherboard's internal clock is multiplied to acquire the speed for the processor. The computer I was using had an first internal clock of 100MHz and a basic multiplier factor of 35x, so the chip was running at 3.5GHz.

A few clicks of the mouse had the multiplier at 42x and the chip running at 4.2GHz. I had also adjusted the emf existence practical to the chip core so that it could handle the extra power, but I necessary to be careful that I didn't lend oneself overmuch and overheat the chip.

With this initial fitting, it all seemed stable enough, thusly I ran the benchmark once again: 2,577. That's a 20 percent boost in performance with nothing more than a few clicks.

I kept accretionary the multiplier factor and the benchmark unbroken rising. At 43x I managed 2,608, and at 44x it was at 2,651 — a 24 percent increase from the terminus a quo.

Things started going awry at 45x when I experienced a blue screen. Something wasn't performing well, indeed I bound back to 44x and set my sights happening opposite adjustments.

160606 overclock 2 — A blue screen of death older while overclocking a Microcomputer

Based happening advice from an overclocking expert, I next focused on the clock frequency and took IT up to 101MHz. That had the effect of pushing the chip to 4.44GHz and resulted in a benchmark of 2,683.

Then I adjusted the total of hoard memory used aside the processor and got a higher score: 2,717 — a 27 percent increase from my starting point.

The blue screens were becoming more frequent and the adjustments I was making were becoming finer and more exotic. But information technology was also becoming more than fun as I started to battle with the system for unchanging functioning.

A modest change I made in indefinite place had an effectuate happening another side of the performance, and it was getting to beryllium practically more of a game to keep pushy the benchmark number higher piece preventing the car from crashing.

I could see how this has become a competitive natural philosophy sport.

My benchmarks were in competition, and I over up in 28th place in the Asia amateur modifier challenger of the overclocking World Series. The winner had managed to push the central processor to 4.58GHz.

To get to the top of the league, overclockers turn to liquid nitrogen poured directly onto the chip to keep it cool while they push on it even harder. My system was a to a greater extent modest water-cooled setup.

Later around 30 minutes of trial and error, I decided to claim an end to my overclocking career — at the least for now.

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Martyn Williams produces technology news and product reviews in text and video for PC Macrocosm, Macworld, and TechHive from his home outside Washington D.C.. He previously worked for IDG News Service as a newswriter in San Francisco and Tokyo and has rumored on applied science news from across Asia and Europe.