Re:Overclocking (Score 1)

The reason many CPU's run at stock speeds far below their maximum is supply and demand. Intel and AMD can't sell all their chips as the fastest speed grade even if they all pass the tests!

I believe that your cynicism is correct in this case. I have a Pentium 4 1.8 chip and a Pentium 2.4B chip. Both of these CPUs have an 18x multiplier.

I have run both of them at a 140 MHZ FSB speed, on the same motherboard (GA-8IRXP), and they have identical performance and operate at the same average temperature. The only difference is that the 1.8 is _supposed_ to run at only 100 MHZ FSB (instead of 133 or 140), but in reality it can do everything the 2.4 can do. Oh, and it has been crunching Seti@home constantly now for almost 11 months at 40% more than its rated clock speed, with no signs of degradation.

The P4 pricing is designed so that all the stoopid rich people with more money than brains can go out and get the fastest processor in the range, not realizing that they can still get the same performance from a CPU 2 or 3 notches lower down.