What's this BYOOC about?

BYOOC = Build your own overclocked computer

The purpose of this Blog is to share my experiences building my own "overclocked" computer so others can learn from my experiences & mistakes (hopefully none).

Why build your own computer? I find a lot of satisfaction in building something with my own hands that works and is useful.

What is "overclocking?" Simply, it means making your computer run faster than its rated specifications without any instability. Today's computer components make it even easier to "overclock" than ever. In spite of this, many individuals are afraid to do so and many who try fail - mostly because they try to use a "cookbook" method based on what other people have done. I'll try to avoid providing you with this approach, but rather provide you with the fundamentals so you can make your own choices.

Also, I'll warn you ahead of time that this is not about "extreme" overclocking. If that's what you're interested in, there are plenty other sites on the Web on extreme overclocking. This Blog is directed towards the individual who might be interested in overclocking, or someone who has attempted and failed in overclocking.

Why "overclock?" Probably for the same reason that others customize and "soup up" their cars.


I have built over 10 computers for myself and my family. My most recent build has the following components: ASUS P5B Deluxe Wifi-AP motherboard; Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 processor overclocked to 3.4GHz; 4 GB Corsair XMS2-8500C5 DDR2-1066 memory; BFG 7950GT video card; Soundblaster X-FI Platinum sound card; 6 Seagate 750 GB hard drives (2 RAID5 sets); Samsung SH-S183L DVD-RW drive; Antec NeoHE 550 power supply; and all housed in an Antec Nine Hundred case. I'm running Windows Vista Ultimate x64 (RTM Build 6000) on this computer. I selected these specific components based on my own prior experiences and after a lot of research on the Web.

I'm about ready to build a similarly configured computer for my wife. The only differences in configuration will be: no sound card (I'll be using the onboard sound); BFG 8800GTS (this will be swapped to my computer once the Vista driver is available); Plextor PX-755SA DVD-RW drive; and 3 Maxtor 500 GB hard drives (RAID5). This system configuration will be the basis of this Blog.

Does she really need a high-power computer like this? Yes, if I can convince her to do the video editing of the many hours of 8mm videotapes we have collected of our children. That's my primary ulterior motive in this exercise - to save myself work! The second ulterior motive is that I plan to use her computer to experiment and test before I turn it over to her in February. The third and final ulterior motive is that I can use her computer in the future as backup in case of emergency.