How to Overclock your CPU Speeds from the BIOS

Do you want to know how to overclock CPU speeds from the BIOS? While there are many ways to overclock your CPU and get it to run at higher speeds than it was manufactured to – doing so using the BIOS is probably the most stable and reliable method.

Even then, you need to understand and appreciate the fact that not all CPUs can be overclocked. Although you might know everything about how to overclock CPU speeds, that doesn’t mean that your hardware will allow you to do so.

So first things first…

Checking if you can Overclock Your CPU

To check if your CPU can be overclocked, the one thing you need to check is whether or not your processor is ‘multiplier locked’ or not.

First you’re going to have to boot up your PC and access the BIOS (by pressing DEL as it boots up or F2 or F10 depending on your system). There, you’ll find the settings that you need and what you should be looking for is one that is called the ‘CPU Multiplier’ or ‘CPU Clock Ratio’.

Try adjusting it down a step and then save your settings and reboot your PC. If your clock speed has changed it means that your processor is multiplier unlocked. If it hasn’t, then it isn’t and you’re going to only be able to manipulate the Front Side Bus memory timings.

Whether or not your PC can be overclocked is dependent on the system itself, manufacturer, type of motherboard, and components that it uses. Customs systems in general are a lot more likely to be able to be overclocked than ‘prebuilt’ systems by Dell, HP or other major PC manufacturers.

Overclock your CPU Using the BIOS

Now that you know how to access the BIOS, all you need to do to know how to overclock CPU speeds is to adjust your Front Side Bus memory timings and CPU Multiplier.

Be aware that if you try to push your processor too far it is likely to become unstable and prevent your computer from even booting up. If this happens, you need to clear your CMOS and reset it back to default manually by changing the position of the clear CMOS jumper directly on the motherboard and waiting before resetting it.

Because this is difficult, it is best to make adjustments in small increments while rebooting the PC in between to test its stability. If you find that it is becoming slightly unstable, increase the voltage to the processor or RAM to try to get it stable again.

There are numerous utilities designed to help test systems that have been overclocked, and you might want to look into downloading some of these to help you along too.

Make no mistake, knowing how to overclock CPU speeds in theory is one thing, but in practice it is something entirely different. One wrong move could damage your processor irreparably, so tread carefully and make sure that you know exactly what you’re doing!

Overview to Overclock your CPU

Discover how you can overclock CPU speeds using the BIOS and also learn about the risks of doing so and the best ways to proceed safely.