How to Overclock an MSI Motherboard

Overclocking forces the computer hardware -- primarily the processor, or CPU -- to run faster than the manufacturer's recommended values. The CPU speed is directly proportional to the Front Side Bus (FSB) frequency expressed in megahertz. The CPU connects with the motherboard chipset using the front side bus. Increasing the FSB frequency represents the common way to overclock your computer. On MSI motherboards, the system setup, or BIOS, has a special "Cell" menu designated for overclocking.

Instructions

1. Press the keys "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "Del" or choose "Restart" from the Windows Start menu to restart your computer.

2. Press the "Del" key as soon as you see the message "Press <DEL> key to enter Setup" on the computer display to enter BIOS.

3. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to get to "Cell menu" in BIOS.

4. Read the current CPU speed and the FSB frequency given in megahertz in the fields "Current CPU Clock" and the "Adjust CPU FSB Frequency."

5. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the "Adjust FSB Frequency" menu and press "Enter."

6. Enter a new value for the FSB frequency that is higher than the current one and press "Enter" to overclock your system. For example, if the default FSB frequency is 333, then you might enter 400.

7. Press the key "F10" to save the new BIOS settings.

Tips & Warnings

• Run system stability stress tests after overclocking. A standard test is to run Prime95 for at least an hour (see Resources).

References

• Hot Hardware: MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX Motherboard
• Tech Terms: FSB (Frontside Bus)
• "Building the Perfect PC"; Barbara Fritchman Thompson; 2006

Resources

• MSI: Motherboard Support
• Mersenne Software: Free Mersenne Prime Search Software (Prime95)