Be very careful when overclocking your CPU.
Aimed more toward the more budget conscious, AMD's Athlon series of processors offer a lower cost alternative to Intel's line. The Athlon XP line had several models including the Sempron and Duron budget models, the XP-M for mobile devices and the Athlon 64, the first x64-based consumer CPU. While not specifically designed for overclocking, the Athlon series is well-known in computer-enthusiast circles for the amount of overclocking headroom it has and the ease with which it can be overclocked.
Instructions
Overclock the Athlon
1. Save and close any programs.
2. Reboot your computer and enter the BIOS. This is usually done by pressing the "Del" key at the power-on self test (POST) screen as the computer boots up, but the access key may vary from machine to machine.
3. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the menus and select the "Clock Settings, Frequency Options, Overclocking or Advanced Settings" menu. Naming conventions vary wildly between manufacturers, so consult your owner's guide for specifics if you're having trouble finding the proper menu setting.
4. Set the "CPU Base Clock Rate," or similarly named feature, from "Auto" to "Manual."
5. Reduce the "HyperTransport" multiplier from "5x" to "4x."
6. Select the "CPU Base Clock Rate" option and press "Enter." Increase the clock speed by 3 to 5 megahertz (MHz) and press "Enter."
7. Press "F10" to save the settings to your motherboard and reboot the machine. Check to see if your computer boots stably into Windows. If it does, return to the BIOS and increase the clock rate by another 3 to 5 MHz. Repeat this process until your computer no longer boots stably into Windows.
8. Reenter the BIOS and bring the clock rate down by 10 MHz and reboot the computer. Make sure that it boots stably into Windows.
Test the Overclock
9. Point your Web browser at the Prime95 website. Prime95 is a stress-testing tool used to calculate prime numbers at high speeds. This will test your processor's new settings for speed and stability.
10. Double-click the program file and follow the installation prompts. Double-click the desktop icon and select the "Just Torture Testing" option.
11. Select the "Blend" test and allow it to run for 24 hours. Check in on the test periodically to make sure it is still running correctly. Should the test fail, reduce your clock rate in the BIOS and restart the test.
12. Once the computer successfully runs for 24 hours, your CPU is considered "Prime Stable" and your overclock is successful.
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