about dual core tech./over clocking/etc.

[aznballa1992]

as of now, i am a little confused on the following things:

1. what exactly is "overclocking" and how do i do that?
2. about dual cores (i have one installed), is it better than solo cores, how?, and are there ways to overclock duo cores/use both on one program/app
3. are there any negatives when overclocking a CPU?

[Vanden]

a little google whould tell you this but i shall tell you any way

Double Post Merge

1.Overclocking is the process of forcing a computer component to run at a higher clock rate than designed or designated by the manufacturer. here how to overclock http://www.basichardware.com/how_to_overclock.html

2.
Pentium D is a dual core version of the Pentium 4 (basicaly two P4's stuck together)

Core Solo, basically only the new name for Pentium M (so they're not Conroe/Merom)

Core Duo is the dual core version of Core Solo (so it's like two Core Solo's in one)

Core 2 Duo is the new genaration chips, this is what Conroe (for Desktops) and Merom (for Notebooks) will be called.

'Two execution cores' is just a fancy way of saying dual core.

3. I think there is the risk of shorten the life of the cpu, motherboard

Double Post Merge

but if you have a core duo there shouldent be a need to over clock it since it alreadly very powerful

[PopeOfDope]

1) Overclocking is basically increasing your clock speed. In simple terms your clock speed is the frequency at which calculations are carried out. If you increase the clock speed, you increase the rate of calculations and you get an increase in performance. An easy guide to overlocking can be found here http://www.tweakguides.com/files/TGTC_3.1.zip
If you have a motherboard that supports it, you can set it to auto overclocking at a certain percentage. My ASUS A8N-E does that and its quite useful.
2) Dual core overclocking is covered in the guide above. If you have AMD dual cores there is a dual core optimizer download off AMDs website. I have never overclocked an Intel so I can't help you out there.
3) There are many negatives to overclocking, it won't always give you a performance increase. Most games are limited by the graphics card and not the processor. You may only get a 2 fps increase with overclocking in some games. Your processor will become hot, so make sure your airflow and cooling is good. If not, you could permanently damage your components. Also warranty is voided as soon as you overclock. Other downsides are your PC will become slightly unstable if you overclock too much. Some games can't handle overlocking too well at all. Oblivion for example is very VERY sensitive to overclocking and will crash a few times if you push it too far.

[brain_stew]

If I remember rightly you run Dell machines, correct? If so, it's unlikely that overclocking will be possible, or if it is, it will be quite difficult and probably require you to flash your motherboard's BIOS.

[PopeOfDope]

Don't overclock anything on a Dell. In my experience, Dell PCs have a terrible temperature problem and your PC would become unstable at the slightest overclock.

[aznballa1992]

ok, i guess im not going to overclock then

i dont really want to void that warranty, even though i dont use it, but w.e.

thx for the info