CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

NOTE Chapter 5, “Firmware,” goes into gory detail about the system setup
utility and the area in which it stores important data (called CMOS), but
invariably students want to experiment at this point, so I’ll give you some
information now. You can access the system setup utility by pressing some
key as the computer starts up. This is during the text phase, well before it
ever says anything about starting Windows. Most systems require you to
press the DELETE key, but read the screen for details. Just be careful once you
get into the system setup utility not to change anything you don’t understand.
And read Chapter 5!
Starting way back in the days of the Intel 80486 CPU, people intentionally
ran their systems at clock speeds higher than the CPU was rated, a process
called overclocking, and it worked. Well, sometimes the systems worked, and
sometimes they didn’t. Intel and AMD have a reason for marking a CPU at a
specific clock speed—that’s the highest speed they guarantee will work.
Before I say anything else, I must warn you that intentional overclocking
of a CPU immediately voids most warranties. Overclocking has been known
to destroy CPUs. Overclocking might make your system unstable and prone
to system lockups, reboots, and unexpected shutdowns. I neither applaud nor
decry the practice of overclocking. My goal here is simply to inform you of
the practice. You make your own decisions. If a client wants to overclock,
explain the potential consequences.
CPU makers do not encourage overclocking. Why would you pay more
for a faster processor when you can take a cheaper, slower CPU and just
make it run faster? Bowing to enthusiast market pressure, however, both Intel
and AMD make utilities that help you overclock their respective CPUs.
• Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU) Don’t skip the additional
Performance Tuning Protection Plan if you go this route.
• AMD Overdrive Utility No extra warranty is provided here; you’re on
your own.
Most people make a couple of adjustments to overclock successfully.
First, through jumpers, CMOS settings, or software configuration, you would
increase the bus speed for the system. Second, you often have to increase the
voltage going into the CPU by just a little to provide stability. You do that by
changing a jumper or CMOS setting (see Figure 3-46).