Next General Meeting:
Overclocking PCs:
PC Hardware with a Custom Built PC Example

Date: Monday, October 5, 2009
Location: Danbury Hospital Auditorium,
24 Hospital Ave, Danbury, doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Program Preview:
by Rob Limbaugh

The need for computing speed and power is the apex that tech enthusiasts seek. Performance tuning in the computing world mirrors that in the high performance auto industry.

All PCs have basic components that are generally on the spec sheets when we buy a new machine: CPU make and model, amount of RAM, drive space, OS version, graphics card, etc. By understanding the relationship between these components, along with different cooling techniques, it is possible to push the machine into high performance ranges beyond the published specs.

In the high-performance PC world, pushing systems above their published specs usually involves ‘over-clocking’. Over-clocking is achieved by running various system components above the clock cycles they are rated for. This is not recommended for the average user. Special care must be taken. There is risk of causing permanent component damage.

This month we welcome Pete Basel, of Basel Consultants, who is an over-clocking enthusiast and electronics extraordinaire! Pete’s technological experience stretches into component fundamentals and his background spanning robotics, machine vision systems, video encoder designs, silicon chip development, high speed interface design, and more.

Pete will discuss the basics of a typical motherboard and system architecture. He’ll explain FSB (Front Side Bus), memory interface, Northbridge, Southbridge, and other key features to system performance. He’ll briefly cover the processor fabrication process, NMOS, CMOS, feature size, and the evolution of the 486 to Pentium-D. He will explain ‘over-clocking’ and why it may be reasonable to do so.

As an added bonus, he’ll have an example Pentium-D system over-clocked to 4.25GHz!

Curious about what it takes to push your system to the limit? Are you willing to void your warranty? Do you want to build a computer worthy of a custom paint job? Come to the October meeting and find out!

DACS meetings are held at the Danbury Hospital auditorium. (Click here for directions.) Activities begin at 6:30 p.m. with registration and casual networking. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. with a question and answer period (Ask DACS), followed by announcements and a short break. The featured evening presentation begins at 8:00.

As a reminder, our General Meetings are free and open to the public so invite anyone you know who would be interested in this topic.

Danbury Area Computer Society (DACS) is a registered nonprofit and has been serving the region since 1990. Members receive an award-winning newsletter, members-only workshops and events, and access to volunteer phone support.

 


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