How2Day: Toshiba Overclocking Programs

Overclocking involves speeding up a computer system so that it runs at a higher clock rate. A clock rate is the bit per second rate for a piece of hardware, including the central processing unit. Overclock a system to get more out of it, or to allow an older piece of hardware to match the speed of a newer system. Toshiba Corporation is a Japanese company that specializes in personal computers (PCs), and you can use software programs to overclock these PCs.

A program that allows manually setting the clock rate on the computer, ClockGen also permits a user to modify the settings for the central processing unit (CPU), peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, memory, front-side bus (FSB) and accelerated graphics port (AGP).

It pulls up the correct clocks for these devices to view the current rates and then allows manipulation of the clock speeds by using amount sliders. An amount slider is similar to your computer's volume control. Slide it to the right or left to increase or decrease intensity. ClockGen is compatible with the Windows operating system and is a freeware program. Freeware means that you can use and share this program without paying a licensing fee.

Use this tool for nearly any type of computer system. It provides the user the ability to overclock various systems, including NVIDIA and ATI video cards. This tool also allows you to monitor the operation of the motherboard and improve the Intel SpeedStep Control, which is a technology built into Intel microprocessors for adjusting the clock rate.

Other features of the SysTool include changing the CPU and FSB settings and manipulating chipset memory timings. A graphical user interface drives the front-end of the program and allows for the running of tasks and commands using radio buttons and check boxes as opposed to writing code. This is a free program.

Overclock elements of a graphics card, including the memory, engine, fan and pixel shader. The shader helps render special graphics effects. The ZOTAC FireStorm uses an amount slider to adjust the clock speeds. This screen also shows the current temperature of the computer to determine whether it's overheating. It comes with a fail-safe, if the overclocking settings do not take. Compatible with Windows XP and Vista's 32- and 64-bit systems, download this free program.

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