Please Critique on Overclocking

[proof]

This month I we will be exploring the world of overclocking. Overclocking is probably the most commonly used word that is not in the English dictionary. Overclocking is the process through which computer components are made to run at a higher speed than they are rated at. The most commonly overclocked component is the processor and that is what we will be covering in this article. When one thinks of overclocking they probably think of Intel. Even though this is a somewhat unenlightened way of thinking, it is still understandable. Any processor can be overclocked whether it is an AMD or an Intel, but Intel is usually the easiest overclocker. As some of you know already, Intel has recently dropped their Net-Burst architecture used in their Pentium series processors for the new Core 2 architecture. This new architecture utilizes two processing cores on a single die. It just so happens that this new architecture overclocks better than any processor before it. To help better explain what goes into overclocking a processor I will be sharing some of my experiences with overclocking. But first I will explain some terms that you may see in this article.

Modern processors are rated using something called gigahertz (GHz). This is the frequency at which the processor processes information. A GH is 1000MHz (megahertz). The way that this final frequency is calculated is by multiplying the processors FSB (front side bus) by the processor’s multiplier. This means that an Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800, which is rated at 2938MHz and has a multiplier of 12 has an FSB of 244.83MHz. Changing this FSB is the most common way of overclocking. However, as the processor begins to operate at higher frequencies it needs a higher vcore (voltage) to maintain stability. The X6800 starts with a 1.28v vcore and can be raised to over 1.6. The problem with raising the vcore is that it produces more heat and heat is the enemy of electronics.

My most recent overclock was my Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800. This is probably the easiest overclock I have ever done. That said, it took me about a week of trying over 60 different FSB/Multi/Vcore combinations before I found one that had a satisfactory frequency and temperature that was also stable. Usually I would not be so cautious while overclocking but this just happens to be a $1,000 processor.

To begin with I booted up my computer and hit DEL to get into the BIOS (basic input output system). This is where all overclocking should be done from. Once I was in I made my way to the System Frequency settings and took advantage of my processor’s unlocked multiplier (most processors have a locked multiplier which can not be changed) to raise it from 12 to 13 giving it a total frequency of 3182.79MHz. By changing the multiplier instead of the FSB I had eliminated the need to increase the vcore. But, still unhappy with this very minor overclock I decided to up the FSB to 267.1MHz, which gave me a total frequency of 3472.8MHz. This minor FSB increase is still not enough to change my vcore, which allows me to still run at slightly above stock temperatures. Once I had run a few benchmarks and stress tests for stability I was satisfied and it was time to overclock the RAM…




I need this to be excellent. Any ideas?

 

[funkee1]

I'm lost. I don't know what to do.

 

[proof]

Help me out with it. It needs to be an article for my school paper and I am looking for editig suggestions or any help.

 

[yaksman]

Ah, ok. A couple of quick things.

"A GH is 1000MHz (megahertz)." It should say either "A GHz" or "1 GHz is equal to.."
Hertz was the guy's name, there's no such thing as a gigaHert.

"However, as the processor begins to operate at higher frequencies it needs a higher vcore (voltage) to maintain stability." You explain earlier that FSB stands for Front Side Bus, but don't explain explicitly that Vcore stands for core voltage. (Depends on your audience, but if they don't know FSB, they won't know Vcore)

You could explain why heat is the enemy of electronics (instability, shorter life-span, etc.). You could even talk about cooling systems, if you're looking for some more content to add to the paper, but it's certainly not necessary.

It's a very good article for a school paper. I noticed you said "and it was time to overclock the RAM..." so does the article go on? Or is this the first in a series or something?

If this is the absolute end of the article, I would suggest writing a conclusion. Possibly something explaining the benefits of OC'ing.

 

[proof]

Thanks dude! Welcome to the forum!

 

[yaksman]

Thanks, I've been lurking for a couple weeks learning about everything I can get my hands on. Figured my first post might as well be something constructive instead of "Ratez my build!!!". hahaha

 

[xaat_kil]

Did you have to steal everyone's lunch money to build your computer?
You should rent time out on that thing. Well done.
About the raising of the vcore - for me that is an indication that I'm getting into the area of decreasing returns in actual performance versus heat ramping up. I prefer to clock everything up without adding too much voltage (if at all). Just my preference as I often have a few processors flowing through and I can sift through for the ones that overclock the best, preferably to the top bin speed at stock voltage. So my point is that "many processors require an increased core voltage (vcore) at higher frequencies, and all will require a higher core voltage to be operationally stable at greatly increased frequencies above the highest attainable stock frequency ratings for the series design."
Of course not in those words. I just prefer to not throw voltage in too early and to only add it if you figure it will actually gain you more than a few percent of performance at the cost of 10 percent greater heat, for example. Some chips will clock very high without voltage increases and adding voltage doesn't add any appreciable headroom, where others may react more favorably to a vcore bump and catch a second wind, so to speak. Mucho benchmarking along the way will help you decide where the sweet spot is for your preference. Just a caveat there so some kid doesn't fry their chip thinking that they have to throw power at it if they are going to overclock at all.
Man, no wonder I don't post alot - I'm way too wordy.

 

[skyguy]

Who is your audience? People who know a fair bit about computers or not?

You need to understand who your target audience is. You jump awfully fast into Netburst architecture, "die", etc.

If you're speaking to non-techies, this will be way over their head quickly. You jump right into vCore, FSB, multiplier, etc without explaining what exactly those things are, where they're located, what they have to do with overclocking, how they work, how they differ, what makes them special to overclocking, and so on and so on.

If you're speaking to the average user, you've lost them halfway into the first paragraph and they've lost interest then by the second paragraph and their eyes are glazed over because they don't understand. If you're speaking to techies, then they probably know much of this already and will be impatient to get to the "good stuff" already.

As you can see, knowing your target audience is absolutely critical to the shape and content of an article.

Which is why the Tom's writers have such a difficult time with their articles


Good luck.

 

[proof]

Thanks! Yeah, I beat my brother and his friends up every day before school for 3 years and stole their lunch money to afford my computer.

Skyguy: Thanks, I had the same feeling.

 

[realibrad]

also, people dont usually associate oc with intel. ide bet that if they know what overclocking is theyed know what a cpu is and know that brand dosent matter. i would say something to the effect of people usually associate processor with intel, but there are many different companies which manke cpu's, the two major companies are intel and amd. then you could talk about how oc'ing is easyer to do with intel. you then could go into why it is and bla bla bla. also you started by saying that this article was about oc'ing, but its about you oc'ing. if you make it about oc'ing then you will need to make the article less about your experiences over clocking your cpu and state more facts. if you change it to and experence you had over clocking that would be different. but hey, who am i to tell you how to wright a paper, i never wrote one. papers are the way the man holds you back.