It took a high end chip already in production, crippled it a bit and sold it as the brain for inexpensive computer systems. They called it Celeron . Shortly after its release to the public, the Net was abuzz with comments that Intel's Celeron CPU possessed an unusually high capacity for overclocking. In fact, some 'garageshop' computer manufacturers were selling overclocked systems that advertised spectacular performance without telling the consumer their secret. Dell and Gateway owners need not worry about this deception.
Experts explain that overclocking shortens the life of the computer chip.
With compression of time resulting from rapid technology advances, accompanied with sharp price declines for hardware, the extra speed versus reduced product life is viewed by hardware jocks as an acceptable trade off. Keep in mind, however, as 500 MHz systems hit the used computer market in the next year or two, some of these muscle machines may be bulked up on overclocked steriods. The Intel Processor Frequency software is a free download from the Intel website. Tom's Hardware Wainner's How to Overclock Monroe's Celeron Overclocking FAQ . . . . This is the 152nd of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet.