A Few Overclocking Questions

Sorry if this is the wrong place, just copying and paying from my thread in the What Notebook Should I Buy forum:

I need a bit more info on OCing. Can I do it to both the GPU and CPU at once? Is there something I have to repeatedly do, or is it a one time do it and leave it thing? Is it dangerous (even slightly) if I overclock too much? And if I add some kind of external cooling device to the laptop, will I be able to keep it overclocked for longer without a crash, or even overclock it more since it won't be as hot?

If it helps, the laptop in question is one of the models in the Sony FW series. It has a T6600 and a Radeon HD 4650.

 

Yes.

If you use software to overclock, you would have to make it run at startup.
If you do something like a pin mod, it would be a one time thing.
Also if you flash the BIOS or vBIOS, that would also be a one time thing.

Only if the temps and voltage are too high.

Yes, but why would you want to ruin the portability?

 

- You can OC both the CPU and GPU at once, though you'd likely decrease the maximum stable clocks if both components share the same heat pipe
- You must do several hours of stress testing using something like Prime95 or Orthos (for CPUs) with each clock increase in order to ensure stability at those clocks
- It is dangerous. Careless overclocking that involves increasing the clocks too drastically or inadequate testing can result in a worthless laptop. As long as you're diligent, you'll be fine.
- An external cooling pad would help quite a bit, and it would likely allow you to reach higher clocks without reaching unacceptable temperatures.

 

So how do I know if I'm overdoing it?

 

I dont know about the GPU, but if your CPU temp is over 85C I would stop there.

The thing is, you most likely will have to do a hardware mod to overclock the CPU. I can try to give you some help, but is it worth risking a new notebook for a few extra mhz?
Also I think when you solder stuff to your motherboard, it voids the warranty.

I would just stick to overclocking the GPU.

 

Besides dangerous temperatures, another factor that will signal that the overclock is too much is OS stability issues; BSODs, artifacting (GPU stability), freezing, etc.