Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
For overclocking purposes, many motherboards have override settings that allow for
manual voltage adjustment if desired. Many people have found that, when attempting to
overclock a processor, increasing the voltage by a tenth of a volt or so often helps. Of
course, this increases the heat output of the processor and must be accounted for with ad-
equate cooling.
Note
AlthoughmodernprocessorsuseVIDpinstoenablethemtoselectthecorrectvoltage,newer
processors that use the same processor socket as older processors might use a voltage set-
tingthemotherboarddoesnotsupport.Beforeupgradinganexistingmotherboardwithanew
processor,makesurethemotherboardwillsupporttheprocessor'svoltageandotherfeatures.
You might need to install a BIOS upgrade before upgrading the processor to ensure that the
motherboard properly recognizes the processor.
Math Coprocessors (Floating-Point Units)
Older CPUs designed by Intel (and cloned by other companies) used an external math
coprocessor chip to perform floating-point operations. However, when Intel introduced
the 486DX, it included a built-in math coprocessor, and every processor built by Intel
(and AMD and Cyrix/VIA, for that matter) since then includes a math coprocessor. Co-
processorsprovidehardwareforfloating-pointmath,whichotherwisewouldcreateanex-
cessive drain on the main CPU. Math chips speed your computer's operation only when
you are running software designed to take advantage of the coprocessor.
Note
Mostapplicationsthatformerlyusedfloating-pointmathnowuseMMX/SSEinstructionsin-
stead. These instructions are faster and more accurate than x87 floating-point math.
Coprocessors (Floating Point Units)
”
in
Chapter 3
of
Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 19
th
edition
, included in its entirety on the disc packaged with this topic.
Processor Bugs and Steppings
Processor manufacturers use specialized equipment to test their own processors, but you
have to settle for a little less. The best processor-testing device to which you have access
is a system that you know is functional; you then can use the diagnostics available from
various utility software companies or your system manufacturer to test the motherboard
and processor functions.
