Enter 1
for top priority, 2 for second, and so on. Make sure not to enter the
same priority number for two entries, and keep it simple by experimenting
with only one or two values at first.
5. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your computer when you??™re done.
240 | Chapter 5: Performance
Some users have gotten good results prioritizing IRQ 8 (for the system
CMOS) and the IRQ corresponding to the video card (found in the first
step).
Overclock Your Processor
The processor (CPU) is the highest-profile component in your PC, and
indeed, it does a lot of the heavy lifting in it. But processors also become
obsolete the fastest, and given how expensive they can be, it??™s not always a
wise place to put your money. That??™s where overclocking comes in; rather
than spending money on a slightly faster chip, you can simply change settings
in your PC to squeeze a little extra speed out of the one you currently
have. (See the upcoming sidebar, ???How Much the CPU Matters,??? for a little
perspective.)
Overclocking is the process of instructing your processor to run at a higher
clock speed (MHz) than its rated speed. For example, you may be able to
modestly overclock a 2.40 GHz chip to run at 2.48 MHz, or your motherboard
may offer overclocking at up to 30% of the rated speed, which would
give you more than 3 Ghz on that same old chip.
Supposedly, Intel and other chip makers have taken steps to prevent overclocking
(theoretically prompting purchases of faster CPUs instead), but
some motherboard manufacturers have found ways to do it anyway.
Pages:
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345