BIOS Tuning: Maximum Power

Overclocking: Increasing The AGP/PCI And CPU Clock Rate

Overclocking: Increasing the FSB and memory speed to 166 MHz. However, problems may occur with individual devices.

The most distinctive increase in speed is achieved by overclocking. To this end, most motherboards offer a variety of methods via the BIOS: On the one hand, it is possible to increase the clock multiplier (on boards with Socket 462 for AMD Athlon), such that the processor runs with a higher clock rate. On the other hand, it is also possible to increase the front-side-bus and the memory speed, which also produces a vast boost in performance. Since Intel processors are equipped with a multiplier lock, the only way to raise the clock speed is by increasing the front-side-bus.

Summary: Enhanced Performance Through Targeted Fine-Tuning

The BIOS of every motherboard offers the best options for making a board faster. Using the Asus CUSL2 (board with Intel 815E chipset) as an example, we have shown the individual menus in detail to explain how it is possible to optimize the settings for memory, graphics, AGP/PCI and so on. More aggressive memory timing alone produces up to 5 percent more performance. Fine-tuning helps users to eke out a further 5 percent, provided that the board supports these features in the BIOS in the first place. There are numerous PC systems where the BIOS supports very few functions for influencing the system performance. As a general rule, motherboards from Abit, Asus, Gigabyte, Epox, Elitegroup and DFI offer excellent facilities for tuning. In any case, users should take a closer look at their BIOS and the functions available and compare these with our illustrations.

You will always find that a percentage of your system's performance is unused! And you can always accelerate the boot-up procedure and eliminate any conflicts. We are always grateful to receive your suggestions and hear about your experiences!