Graham,

When they create CPU's at the factory, they try to make them to run as fast
as possible.  If a chip can't run at the speed they want it to, they set the
clock speed to the safest operating speed (I'm not sure what the margin of
error is).  Therefore, while overclocking is usually possible, there is
always a risk associated with it.  What needs to be decided is "Does risk
out-weigh the benefit".

When I first started learning about overclocking, the article I read talked
about the overall life of the chip.  The feeling at that time was you would
normally reduce the life of the processor by 20% to 40%.  But, the
processors were made to last six to eight years, so you would still get
three to four years (at least) of life out of an overclocked chip.  With
this being the longest most computers live before being replaced, the risk
has always been considered acceptable by those who wanted to tweak more
speed out of their systems.

The deciding factor in the life of a CPU is heat (imho).  The longer it is
kept at higher temperatures, the shorter the life.  If you are truly
concerned about the life of the chip, get a Peltier cooler.  Not only will
this extend the life, it will also increase the stability of the CPU, and
you could probably bounce it back up to 560 without any detrimental effects.
I have "heard" that a Peltier will keep the CPU around the 0 degrees mark
(farenheit), but I've not had the chance to test the validity of that
statement.  Most Peltier's cost around $60-$80.

Hope this helps!

Kyle Elmblade
Distinct Computer Solutions
[log in to unmask]

p.s.  If you have lots of money to burn, look for the Kryotech case.  It is
a computer case that allows you to bring your processor temperature down
to -50 degrees celcius.  This makes the CPU run much faster, last longer,
and allows for pretty steep overclocking.  Last I heard, they run about
$500.

From: "graham currie" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2000 12:05 AM
Subject: [PCBUILD] high voltage


> i recently overclocked my asus p5-99vm motherboard
> from 500 to 560 in order to do so i had to raise my
> v-core voltage up from 2.2v to 2.8 i could increase in
> increments of .1v up to 2.4 then the next highest was
> 2.8, i experienced some minor conflicts associated
> with my browsers so i reduced the clock speed to 550
> it seemed to work better and faster than the 560, but
> i still had to use the 2.8v setting, i tested cpu
> temperature while under high stress and it got close
> to overheating but not quite. my question is- is this
> voltage setting a little to high and since it dosn't
> seem to be causing complications yet is there a
> possibility of damage in the future? what are the
> chances of damage in the near future?
> any help would be great.
> right now i'm using an asus p5-99vm motherboard and
>  AMD k6-2 processor i believe it has a voltage support
> of 3.3v if that helps?

              The NOSPIN Group is now offering Free PC Tech
                     support at our newest website:
                          http://freepctech.com