Overclocking the Intel processor. Theory and practice

Currently, the main manufacturers of central processors for personal computers are two large companies - Intel and AMD. Alternative solutions, if there are, then either they are too few to somehow crowd out the presence of the first two, or these are outdated models (before they really existed).

When visiting various sites and forums devoted to computer components and processors, in particular, it becomes obvious that now the topic is extremely popular, in which the overclocking of the Intel processor is considered.

A bit of theory

Overclocking, or overclocking (from English overclock) is an increase in the nominal clock frequency of a microchip above its nominal value. For example, it is known that the frequency of the dual- core Intel Core i3-2120 processor is 3300 MHz. This is the value provided by the manufacturer, under which a stable continuous operation of the microcircuit is guaranteed. However, using several settings, it is possible to "force" the device to operate at a higher frequency: 3.5 GHz or more (if lucky). This gives a tangible increase in productivity, sometimes exceeding 50%. For example, it was the overclocking of the Intel pentium 4 processor that allowed this model to exist on the market for a long time along with the new Core2Duo. Without increasing the frequency, the comparison was clearly not in favor of the fourth "Pentium", but the overclocking completely changed the situation. Now, of course, these processors have already disappeared from computers, significantly losing in performance even budget modern models. On the other hand, even now, by overclocking the Intel Celeron processor (cheap modifications), you can increase the speed of mathematical operations.

There are two types of overclocking. One is the prerogative of enthusiasts. As a rule, to cool extremely overclocked cores are used installed on the processor flasks with liquid nitrogen. It is understandable that it is impossible to work with such a system, and the results obtained are used to determine the theoretical "ceiling".

Ordinary users are more interested in the second method. In its implementation, overclocking the Intel processor is a smaller increase in frequencies, but with the maintenance of a regular air cooling system. This makes it possible to use the computer system in the usual mode.

Practice

The frequency of the microcircuit is determined by two factors - its reference value and the multiplier. That is, 1000 MHz can correspond to 100 MHz * 10. Thus, overclocking of the Intel processor is possible by increasing any of the multipliers. In order to prevent the possibility of such an increase in performance, Intel in its latest models of microchips blocked the change in the main multiplier. The exception is the "K" series, where it can change both upward and downward. And since these solutions are quite expensive, the only available overclocking of the Intel processor is via the reference frequency. To change it, you need to go into the BIOS of the motherboard (the "Del" button immediately after turning on the computer), find the section with the frequency settings, specify the manual mode and set the desired value. For example, now the standard is 100 MHz. Therefore, you need to specify 110 MHz, save the changes and restart the computer. The result depends on the multiplier. So, for the mentioned Core i3 it is 33. Thus, instead of 100 * 33 = 3300 we get 110 * 33 = 3630. 330 MHz for free!

Too overstating the frequency is not worth it, since it is tied to the system buses. Sometimes a slight increase in the voltage of the nuclei (done in the BIOS) may be required. Also note that budget fees may not support overclocking.