Software to overclock intel i3

It's a fairly advanced piece of software, which is why it's recommended that you do not use this software if you've never overclocked your CPU before. However, because Ryzen and the latest AMD processors nowadays are already exceptionally good in performance, you probably do not need to overclock most of them. With its fine-tuned control features, you get the best possible overclocking performance without frequent freezes and blue screens that unstable overclocks tend to experience.

One downside to CPU Tweaker is that it is a bit hard to wrap your head around, as the user interface is not so beginner-friendly. However, if you're an experienced overclocker, you're going to love this tool. CPU overclocking is much safer than it used to be a few years ago when cooling systems weren't as efficient as they are today. In most cases, CPU overclocking is easily reversible.

If you have a processor that's already very powerful, it's not recommended to overclock it. CPU overclocking is not as dangerous as it once was. Processors are now much more capable of handling heat because cooling systems have improved over the years.

Furthermore, CPU and motherboard manufacturers often build with overclocking in mind, producing special hardware that suits overclocking.

Technically, yes, it does void your warranty since you're exceeding the processor's default specs. That said, there is absolutely no way for the CPU vendor to know unless you willingly tell them you overclocked it.

My goal is for this guide to be a safe overclocking guideline, but the burden for damaged hardware lies on the user performing the overclock! Overclocking can damage hardware, the new 32nm CPUs seem to be particularly fragile. Overclocking will also void your warranties. I cannot write this guide to cover the variety of BIOS represented. If you are unfamiliar with your BIOS, search for more information regarding your specific motherboard. Also, do not be afraid to get into your BIOS and have a look around, if you are ever concerned that you may have changed a setting erroneously, you can always load defaults, and start over.

These are all quad cores with HT except for the i5 which has no HT. Then the next family is Westmere which is essentially die shrink 32 nm CPU version of Nehalem and again you have the Clarkdale socket in flavors of i5 and i3, both dual core processors with HT. Both platforms are DDR3 where the is dual channel only. The least expensive and least powerful choice are the Core i3 chips. One contains the actual processing cores and all of the L1, L2, and L3 caches.

The second die contains a GPU graphic processing unit which is capable of outputting video without the use of a dedicated video card when used with an H55 or H57 based motherboard. The first die is manufactured on a 32nm process, the second die is manufactured on a 45nm process.

This is all very important to understand when attempting to overclock one of these CPUs, because you are actually in a constant juggle with overclocking both dies. Because both dies derive their speed from the bclock base clock frequency. It is not nearly as powerful as the Lynnfield based CPUs, and many users are forced to run at slower memory speeds and timings to get stable. These CPUs are manufactured on the 45nm process. They are known to have incredible IMCs and are capable of sustaining extreme memory bandwidth.

These CPUs are manufactured on the 32nm process. Your machine will restart with default BIOS values. Enter the BIOS again and disable all power saving features. All other settings you can leave on auto for now. If your motherboard fails to post after changing certain settings, you will have to locate and reset the CMOS. Become familiar with where the CMOS jumper or button is, you may need to use it a lot. Most of the time, a jumper is located near the battery on the motherboard. The base clock is similar to the FSB but also has some key differences.

The base clock, also commonly spelled bclocks or bclk in forms, is the foundation around all the other frequencies discussed below. The CPU speed of the new generation is not the only factor that determines how fast your PC will run, we have a few more definitions such as:.

QPI speeds are a function of base clocks, so as you increase your base clock your QPI speed will also increase, yielding an increase in not only communications speeds but also bandwidth, which leads to an increase in PC performance.

Uncore frequency — This sets the frequency of the on-die memory controller and the L3 cache. Uncore can be set independently of those other frequencies, subject to certain stability limitations. The uncore must be at least of the DRAM speed otherwise you will not get a stable overclock, in fact your PC will not even boot if the ratio is not honored.

Increasing the uncore:dram ratio above yields significant performance gains. However, when the ratio reaches it is not possible to maintain full stability. Multiplier and Turbo — As mentioned above, the multiplier is the second factor in how CPU core speed is determined. Most of these come with a Turbo multiplier which is available if you enable the Speedstep option under the CPU settings.

Care should be taken when using the turbo as you may not be able to see the resultant frequency in the BIOS. You set your voltages expecting to run at 4 GHz and you cannot understand why you get a BSOD when you enter Windows, well, that is the reason, so take care when using turbo and C-State and adjust the voltage to accommodate for the higher multipliers. There a few important voltages which you will need to manipulate while overclocking, below are the main ones.

Every motherboard Bios differ but all of them have the voltages as set out below. Now that we have covered all the basics let us jump to what this article is all about…overclocking. First you need to isolate the bclock and find its stable limit with your chosen cooling. In order to isolate the bclock from the other components, the first thing you need to do is manually force a low multiplier for the CPU. If you are shooting for a MHz bclock, then a safe choice for now might be a x12 multi, which would result in a CPU speed of MHz if you were successful in reaching your MHz target bclock.

Doing this isolates the CPU from the bclock so you can focus on only bclock overclocking in this step. If you were to overclock the bclock to MHz as described before, your memory would be running at MHz DDR , and beyond the specs of all but the most extreme memory.

To isolate the memory from the bclock, lower the memory multiplier to the lowest setting available, most likely If you are using an H55 or H57 based motherboard and the iGPU is enabled, please pay close attention to this section. This platform is still very new and immature, so this information may only be relevant for a short time.

This is a relatively simple concept to understand, except that YOU have to do the calculation, because the BIOS only reports the set frequency, not the actual frequency. What makes things worse at this time is that there is no software monitoring utility that is capable of reading the actual iGPU frequency. This is the voltage that is fed to the IMC Integrated Memory Controller , and also has a major impact in overclocking the bclock. So, are you ready to start overclocking?

If you still cannot get past this step, post in the forums for some specific help. If the temperature seems too high for your cooling, then shut the system down and double check that your cooling system is properly mounted, and making good contact. Moving on, almost all systems should be able to achieve MHz bclock stability with stock voltages, so go to the bclock adjustment and change it from MHz to MHz. Then save and exit and allow the system to reboot.

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Published Date : Jul 19, Category : Top 10 Windows. Table of Contents show. MSI Afterburner. AMD Ryzen Master. GMA Booster. ATI Tray Tools. Riva Tuner. CPU Tweaker 2. Prachi Dani. Prachi Dani is a technical content writer who specializes in areas of science and technology.

She is highly up to date with technological transitions and transformations. Writing is not her passion but the only thing that carries satisfaction in life. If not writing, you may find her engrossed playing action games on her treasured smartphone. Comments 5. Shreya verma. March 21, AT pm. Hello Prachi Dani. I read your blog always. Lenny Claro. November 14, AT pm. Tory Sakovitch. December 13, AT pm. Ellsworth Rohe.