How to Overclock a Pentium 4 Socket 478

Overclocking is the process of tuning a computer's hardware to run faster than the factory settings. The most common of these components to overclock is the CPU. Overclocking is a process mainly utilized by PC gamers that allows you to receive significant graphical and speed boosts without upgrading the CPU. You can overclock the Pentium 4 Socket 478 CPU in the same manner as most other processors by using the motherboard's BIOS program.

Instructions

1. Shut down the computer. Restart it while pressing down the "Delete" key on the keyboard to enter the BIOS menu.

2. Navigate to the Frequency menu. Set the RAM to "unlinked," so the RAM will not be overclocking along with the CPU.

3. Locate the setting for the CPU's "Front Side Bus." This is what will determine the speed of the CPU. This setting can commonly be found under "CPU Clock Speed," "FSB" or "External Clock."

4. Raise the value of the "Front Side Bus" in small increments. It is wise and safe to only raise the value by 5 at a time. Save the settings by pressing "F10."

5. Restart the computer and load Windows. Test to see if the overclocking is "stable" by stressing the CPU. This can be done with specific stress testing programs or a high-end computer game. If there is no anomalies present on the computer, reboot back into the BIOS and raise the FSB value again until you reach the desired overclocking speed.

Tips & Warnings

• The placement of the BIOS menu will change depending on the motherboard. Consult the motherboard's documentation for exact locations.

References

• Compunamics: How to Overclock