How to overclock your graphics card Category Hardware Type How-to Rating Intermediate Author Mark Hazlewood  Editor Winston Chim  Share    digg this! "You are paying the manufacturers to do what you can do in five minutes using this simple guide"

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A quick and easy, step-by-step guide on how to overclock your graphics card using RivaTuner

Introduction

So if you're reading this you're probably interested in overclocking your graphics card.  I've tried to make this guide as simple as possible, so even a beginner will be able to muddle through. Before we start, allow me to explain a few truths about overclocking. I know this is the boring bit and you probably just want to know what special keys to press or numbers to type in so you can achieve an overclock and start seeing results. However, i advise you to spend the time reading this guide thoroughly and digesting the facts. That way, you will clearly understand how overclocking works, why it is used, and how you can achieve the most from your overclock; whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro. 

What is Overclocking?

Overclocking is simply the process of increasing the speed of a component in your computer to allow them to operate faster than they do when you initially buy them.  For instance, if you have a Intel Q6600 2.4GHz, and you want it to run faster, you could overclock it to make it run at 3.2GHz.

Why can you Overclock?

Knowing why we can overclock isn't strictly known.  We can assume that each component has ample headroom above the specification it is running at to allow it to have a longer lifespan, consume less energy and work more efficiently. Apart from that, just know the manufacturers are allowing you this extra headroom, and it is up to you whether you want to take advantage of it.

Why Overclock?

First of all, before you start, you want to ask yourself why do you want to overclock?  People overclock for a number of different reasons.  Some people buy the cheapest parts they can and then overclock them to allow them to run at speeds of hardware which cost twice as much.  Some people just want to see what their PC is capable of. While experienced overclockers want to squeeze every last MHz out of their system in order to achieve the highest benchmark they can.

The serious bit:

Overclocking is not a science, it's more of an art with a little bit of luck thrown in for good measure. Overclocking can be dangerous, and overclocking will shorten the life of your components if you push them too hard for too long. But say overclocking will shorten the life of your PC by five years, by that time, you will probably have moved on. The trick is to find a happy medium between performance and stability.  Overclocking your graphics card differs from overclocking your processor or memory because there are no voltage differences. You cannot change the voltage in your graphics card, unless you volt mod it, which i will not go into as it is very dangerous, voids the warranty and you could easily end up with a £400 paperweight if you don't know what your doing.  Don't let this scare you, if you follow my instructions carefully, you have nothing to fear. The worst you will encounter using this guide will be a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) or simply your PC locking up, which a quick reboot will cure.  Now we've got the serious part out of the way, let's press on to the next stage.