I’ve never heard of CPU’s instantly being destroyed from overclocking. Usually when you overclock a CPU too fast the system will simply not boot and you will need to reset the default CPU settings to revert your system. Of course over a period of time a CPU experiences more "wear and tear" than designed and it could most likely reduce the life span of a CPU.

The only tweaks that would instantly render the CPU permanently useless is when the voltages are set too high or the CPU overheats from inadequate cooling. See the section tips and tricks regarding the voltages and cooling.

Last but not least, is that if you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with replacing a hard-drive then you should most likely not attempt overclocking.

Factors affecting overclocking.   (INDEX)
In order of importance (from most to least) the factors that will directly affect how well your system will overclock.

1. The motherboard. The motherboard must allow options for manually changing the FSB speed, the multiplier speed and the voltages. Your motherboard does not require all three in order to allow overclocking.
    
2. The multiplier: People argue about this issue but the higher the multiplier, the less likely the CPU will overclock. The reason for this will become evident later.
    
3. The CPU core.
    
4. The L2 Cache quality and if it is integrated to the CPU die or not. CPU’s with integrated L2 caches overclock easier. The reason will be explained later.
    
5. Main system RAM speed and quality.
    
6. Cooling. This is self-explanatory.
    
7. Addition peripherals such as video cards, SCSI controllers and sound cards.

There are no necessary tools required for overclocking. You may require a pair of tweezers for changing jumper settings on the motherboard.

Overclocking.   (INDEX)
The first step in overclocking is to learn what are the multiplier, FSB speed and voltage ranges of your motherboard. Remember that your motherboard does not need to be able to allow you to change all three settings in order to overclock. If your motherboard allows FSB (front-side bus) speed modifications then you stand a very good chance of overclocking. Multiplier settings are less useful because most new Intel CPU’s are "multiplier locked" and this means that if you change the multiplier settings on the motherboard it will most likely do nothing or create major instabilities in your system.

To test for multiplier locks on your CPU simply change the multiplier settings on your motherboard by small increments. For example if your 500mhz CPU has a multiplier of 5, change it to 5.5. If your machine boots at 550mhz you have successfully overclocked your system and your CPU is NOT multiplier locked. In this case, you may want to still overclock your FSB to get extra speed out of your system.

Every motherboard is fairly unique on how to change the FSB, multiplier and voltage settings. Most recent motherboards allow you to change the settings directly in the BIOS. Older motherboards require you to physically "shunt" jumpers to change the settings. Please check your motherboard manual and web site for instructions on changing the FSB, multiplier and voltage settings. For the purpose of the article it is assumed that you know how to change the settings since every motherboard make/model cannot be addressed.

If your motherboard does not allow you to change the FSB or the multiplier then you are out of luck. If you are still intent to overclock your system then you should look towards a new motherboard by either Asus or Abit.

1. Touch the side of your CPU heat-sync and try to make a mental note of how hot it feels after your system has been used for several hours or more. If you choose to be fancy you can press a digital thermometer on the side of the heat-sync and take a reading.
    
2. Start by increasing your FSB (front-side bus) speed first and increase the speed gradually. For example, increase the FSB default from 100mhz to 103mhz and then test your system. To test your system for stability after overclocking you need to run several tests by playing a new game and/or using your OS of choice under normal working environments. 
   You need to do this for at least an hour.
    
3. Check the temperature of your CPU by placing your finger (or the digital thermometer) on side of the CPU heat-sync. If the heat-sync scalds your finger, immediately power your system down and reset your FSB settings to the recommended settings. 
   You can do one of two things here: Forget about overclocking your CPU or go out and purchase an industrial strength CPU cooler & heat-sync. You can also go out and purchase some thermal grease to reduce your CPU core temperature. See the section on tips & tricks for more information.
    
4. If your system is stable, continue to increase the FSB speed until your system becomes unstable. When you find an unstable FSB bus speed on your system, just back down a notch on the speed and this is most likely your maximum overclocking speed. 
   Make sure to move in the smallest increments possible and give the CPU ample time to reflect it’s workload by checking the temperature. Simply use common sense in that if you burn yourself when you touch the CPU after it has been powered for over one hour then you need to reduce the FSB speed and purchase an industrial cooler unit.
    
5. Once you have maximized your FSB bus speed you may want to read the section on Tips & Tricks that could easily help increase the speed further. 
   Try changing the multiplier if you are lucky enough to own a CPU that is not multiplier locked. Remember that it’s not worth having high MHZ CPU speed but you needed to lower your FSB speed in order to achieve it. Find a way to increase your FSB speed since this will increase your system performance.
    

6. After your system begins to become unstable you can increase the voltage (very slowly) and you may find that your system can become stable. 
   Increasing the voltage is risky since this could potentially damage your CPU by either sending too much power or the CPU simply overheats due to the increased voltage. 
   If you are going to increase the voltage stick to the rule of thumb by not exceeding 1 volt. For example if you have a 2volt chip, do not exceed 3volt. Use the voltage increment as a last resort.

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