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Overclocking is a phrase that has only become popular in the last ten years or so. As computers have become exponentially more powerful, it has become easier and more advantageous to overclock. With an overclocked processor, one can have as much processing power as a processor costing $200-300 more. The temptations for overclocking are therefore very strong. However, there are some key dangers to overclocking that should be acknowledged along with its benefits.

The process of overclocking is best compared to driving a car with a tachometer (a gauge that measures the RPMs of the engine). Pushing the accelerator without upshifting drives the tachometer needle toward the red zone, but provides more power to the car in the short run. Overclocking speeds up the processor in the same way, telling it to run processes faster. Today's processor manufacturers, namely Intel and AMD, often build safety margins into their processors, so that many processors can be tweaked to run slightly faster. However, to really benefit from overclocking, the processor must be pushed beyond the safety margin (the red zone). Additionally, the faster the clock speed of the processor, the more power (higher voltage) it requires. As overclockers increase the processor's voltage, the lifespan of that processor radically decreases.

Cooling also becomes a factor. Although some of the newer processors run much cooler than their predecessors, any significant overclocking should be accompanied by an upgrade in cooling. Rather than using the "stock" heatsink and fan that shared a box with the processor, most overclockers install a Zalman heatsink (usually around $40-60) or a water cooling system, which can cost up to $300. Extra case fans are very important, with the unfortunate side effect of making your computer noticeably louder. Still, users must realize that forcing a processor to work faster will increase its temperatures beyond what manufacturers deem safe, so new cooling should replace the manufacturer's heatsink/fan.

In the same line of thought, overclocking usually voids the manufacturer's warranty, since it subjects the processor to conditions (like excess heat) that can damage the processor over time, and potentially cause processor failure within the manufacturer warranty. Therefore, adding too much power in one overambitious overclock attempt or maintaining high clock speeds over a year's time could leave the user with nothing to show but a squarish pile of $300 junk.

The final danger of overclocking is system instability. Often, overclock attempts require several system restarts to find the combination of processor speed and power where the operating system will start. Although this is not inherently bad, it indicates the nature of system instabilities that can result. Concurrently, overclocked computers that run for long periods of time are much more likely to shut down or restart automatically, putting unsaved information or data integrity at risk.

In sum, then, overclocking has many inherent dangers and inconvenience, from decreased lifespan and increased heat (and sound) to system instability. Even so, users will continue to overclock. Overclocking can be a powerful tool, but users should be sure to carefully consider the benefits (saving money) with the risks before overclocking, as its dangers often outweigh its benefits.

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