Customer Reviews

The Book of Overclocking: Tweak Your PC to Unleash Its Power

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've built over a dozen machines but having never overclocked before, I wanted to learn as much as possible before attempting it. Not only did this book walk me through the step-by-step process, but it gave me specific advice for my exact processor models/speeds in terms of how far I should try to push them, cooling recommendations, voltages, etc. I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to learn how to overclock or how to overclock better.

I agree with a previous reviewer, this book is seriously out of date. It does give the reader ideas about over-clocking (the reason I gave it 2 stars), but unless you have a OLD processor, it doesn't help. I suppose if you don't want to (or can't) upgrade to a new processor it will serve some purpose.

This book sparked my interest in computer overclocking. Before I read this book, I thought the idea behind overclocking a computer was adolescent wannabes who wanted to burn up Mom and Dad's PC - not true. I learned that there are very practical applications for overclocking a computer, namely cost and efficiency, ie., speed.

The authors cover almost all the CPUs from Intel and AMD. There are no Pentium I's or the very latest barn burners in here (book was published in '03), but the point is that a *lot* of relevant info is between the covers for anyone who wants to find it. Yes, the book is dated, but the background info such as how the CPU industry works and what "speedbinning" is will make the reader giddy with new insight.

My final advice is give this book a try if you're new to the overclocking scene, and even if you're not, as there is a wealth of awesome reference info here. Light it up and let it howl!

This is a good introduction to what overclocking is and how to overclock more effectively. It is easy for a beginner to grasp the concepts, but with plenty of technical information to help tweak for that extra edge. It also has a good amount of reference material about the different CPUs and CPU families in the PC world. You will definitely walk away from this book with more insight and knowledge than when you start page 1. The one downside is that it could be a bit more hands on in parts.

This book is a compilation of old CPUs (circa 2002)and how to OC them. Hardly relevant today. I did not research the book before buying so it's my fault I own it. Not recommended unless you are into OCing old machines...

This is a well written and comprehsive book on overclocking that can help the beginner or the advanced person in getting the most out of their computer systems. There is a ton of info on how to work with almost every piece of overclockable hardware out there.

The only good thing this book has is historical data on various cpus and their overclockability.

To proceed with overclocking, you need to compare performance of the latest products, which this book has none. The sites above thus also do product reviews. They also cross link reviews from other sites. Once you start on the trail provided above, you'll learn much much more than buying this book.

Most of the sites also have forums with very helpful people who knows the specifics of each cpu, cooling product, motherboard & brand name ram etc. Just ask and people will answer.

Do you have a "need for speed"? Does your idea of fun center on making your computer run faster than advertised? If so, check out The Book Of Overclocking - Tweak Your PC To Unleash Its Power by Scott Wainner and Robert Richmond (No Starch Press).

Chapter List: What the Computer Industry Does Not Want You to Know; Overclocking Versus Industry Hype: Technical Background; Technical Theory: Evolution of the Integrated Circuit; How to Overclock; Cooling; Intel Overclocking; AMD Overclocking; VIA/Cyrix Overclocking; Benchmark Testing; Troubleshooting; Final Thoughts; Appendix; Index

This is a unique book on the market, as it covers both the why and how of overclocking, as well as providing all the technical details and specs of each CPU that was available at the time of publication. The book has 250 pages, and the first 50 and last 40 are more general in nature. By "general", I mean the chapters talk about how chips are constructed, why you'd want to overclock a CPU, and what considerations you have to keep in mind as you proceed. The information is pretty detailed, and it's not something you'd give to your grandmother to help her get a bit more "oomph" from her old 486. Everything in the middle of the book is specific information for individual CPU chips produced by different manufacturers. These specs involve such items as physical design, performance ratings, bus speeds, multiplier ratios, overclocking potential, and overclocking tolerances. If you happen to have one of the CPUs covered in here, you'll have more than enough information to determine how best to max out the performance.

The only "problem" with this book is that it was published in January 2003. Since it's now two years later, there's an increasingly greater chance that the chip you have is not covered in this book. Still, the basic information you have in here will serve as excellent background material that you'll need to know regardless of what chip you're working with.

Good book, excellent information, but just a little dated at this stage. Still, a necessary read for all serious overclockers (or overclocker wannabees).

this book is one of a kind. i have never seen a collection of as much information that makes sense on overclocking as this.

If you're really into overclocking, a lot of this info can be redundant. Still a nice book though for an intro and all.