Scott 'PsYkHoTiK' Suleiman

I have been an avid user of computers even before I started preschool. But my first venture into overclocking was by accident. When I was in my mid-teens, I would always be digging into the BIOS of our PC (with an Intel Pentium III-800 Coppermine processor BTW). One day, I changed the multiplier accidentally and I saw the clock speed go up. I then chickened out and left it as is.

Keep in mind that I was a complete n00b back then and had no real idea what I was doing. Little wonder why my Windows 98 and eventually Windows ME systems would just keep dying and requiring numerous reformats. Guess who should be blamed for that!

Then came my Intel Pentium 4 2.0A system. It represented my first venture into 'real' overclocking, so to speak. I did it all - changed coolers, worked out the airflow, ran up crazy voltages, and all that fun stuff. An enthusiast was born! Things have never been 'stock' since then.

How Do I Overclock

I am typically a very conservative overclocker but one that pushes things to their limits within a reasonable level. Yes, I am the epitome of an oxymoron - more emphasis after the first two syllables! The only limits I set are - no overly crazy voltages and the CPU temperature has to stay under 60 °C.

Other than that, anything goes. My measure of stability is nothing less than 12 hours stable on Prime 95 (multiple runs and perhaps a 24 hour session). This is key as I intend to use my PC for my everyday tasks like browsing the Internet, gaming, watching stuff, more gaming, writing, and finally, even more gaming!

I generally overclock by increasing the processor's FSB at predetermined intervals (10 MHz) until it isn't stable. Then I bump up the processor voltage, and repeat until I hit the processor's limits in temperature and/or voltage. Every now and then during the process, I let the processor bake a little by running Prime 95 for a while.

So it is a pretty thorough process overall. Time consuming though - no rushing here! On the plus side, I would not have to cut back on the voltage once I settle on a certain clock speed. This would not be possible if I were to increase the voltage before trying to find the clock speed limits of the processor by increasing the FSB speed.

My Overclocking Goals

My goals are simple. I want a fully-overclocked system that is 24/7 stable. Absolutely no concessions would be made in that regard. Simple enough? Well, easier said then done because striking a balance between reliability and an innate desire to let her rip is never simple.

What I aimed to do was to try hitting the big 4.0 GHz on this 3.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 with rock-solid stability. If I can do better then Max_87 or Chai, even better! That would be like icing on the cake! I just hope that the load temperature will not be too high.